The Friday Round-Up, Week 11

Hello, and welcome to the Friday Round-Up!

In this week's news:

UK


JUSTICE secretary, Kenneth Clarke, has provoked outrage after suggesting there is a difference between "serious, proper rape" and other forms of rape. In an interview Mr Clarke gave on BBC Radio 5 Live, he responded to the comment "rape is rape, with respect" with "no, it is not." The government are now reconsidering controversial plans to reduce prison terms in exchange for an early guilty plea. Mr Clarke later apologised for his remarks.


FORMER Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive, Sir Fred Goodwin, has been exposed over an injunction to conceal a sexual relationship with a female colleague from the public eye. A High Court judge overturned the injunction after Lord Stoneham, a life peer, exposed the details of the affair under parliamentary privilege.

THE Queen visited the republic of Ireland in a four-day tour this week. She is the first British monarch to step foot in the Republic since the state declared independence from the British Commonwealth more than 60 years ago.

World


FORMER IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been charged with the sexual assault and attempted rape of a hotel maid in New York. Mr Strauss-Kahn resigned from his position as head of the International Monetary Fund on Thursday. His wife is to bail him out for $6m from Rikers Island jail.

Also in the news...

ARNOLD Schwarzenegger has admitted he fathered a love child with a member of his household staff more than ten years ago. Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, announced their separation last week.



That's all from this brief edition of The Friday Round-Up! Keep watching the blog for more updates and check back next Friday for another Round-Up.

IB