My blog will be updated daily, so make sure you come back! If you would like to add or reply to a comment on one of the articles below just send me your comment and, if it's reasonably decent and not libellous or anything like that, I'll add it to the article (don't forget to include the date and title of the article).
08.11.12
I’m not sexy
SUPERMODEL Kate Moss does not believe she’s sexy. The 38-year-old catwalk queen — one of the most successful models of all time – struggles to understand why people find her attractive.
And while she admits she looks “all right” she insists she’s never considered herself desirable.
She said: “I think they’re all right, my looks, now.
“But, I’ve never seen myself as sexy or a side of myself that boys would like.”
Moss, who was ‘discovered’ at a New York airport when she was 14, also tells how, as a schoolgirl, she thought little of her appearance.
She recalls: “I wasn’t the prettiest girl in class.
“No breasts, short legs, gangly teeth.
“I didn’t look like model material, that’s for sure.”
vicious.sid: At least she's honest.
08.11.12
Jennifer Lopez upset by claims she had hotel maid fired for asking for her autograph
JENNIFER Lopez has been left 'hurt' by accusations that she had a hotel maid who asked for her autograph fired. German maid Pray Dodaj was working at the Melia hotel in Dusseldorf when J-Lo came to stay last week and after cleaning her room the self-confessed fan decided to ask the star for her signature.
However, according to Pray she was turned away by two members of Jennifer's team when she knocked on her door.
She said: "I cleaned on her floor. And I am an incredibly big fan so I took all my courage and rang the bell to get an autograph. But I was rejected by two assistants at the door."
And things allegedly went from bad to worse for 40-year-old Pray when she was sacked by the management of the luxury residence over the incident the next day, reportedly because Jennifer had complained.
She added: "A day later the cleaning company that employed me at the hotel called and said that Ms Lopez had complained.
"I was fired right there on the phone. Because of an autograph."
However J-Lo, 43, has denied that she was in any way involved in the situation and has said that she found the entire story to be 'hurtful'.
She wrote on her Twitter page: "C'mon thought you knew me better than this. Would never get anyone fired over an autograph. 1st I heard of this was on twitter. #hurtful."
vicious.sid: It wasn't about an autograph, it was because she made eye contact with her.
08.11.12
Kids forced to make Indiana Jones-style trek to school after bridge collapses
SPARE a thought for these Indonesian pupils the next time you're stuck in traffic on the school run. The daredevil kids are forced to embark on a seven-mile Indiana Jones-style trek every single morning - just so they can make it to class on time.
The children, from the village of Batu Busuk on the island of Sumatra, were forced into the circus-style commute after a crucial bridge collapsed in heavy rain more than two years ago.
To cross the fast-flowing river, the 20 kids have to wade through water and make a terrifying 30-foot high tightrope walk.
And when they get to the other side, they still have a seven mile walk through dense forest to reach their school in the town of Padang.
vicious.sid: Flippin' 'eck!! I've complained all my life to anyone who'll listen about my four-mile walk to school when I were a lad. I don't think I will any more!!
08.11.12
Woman who drove on pavement to avoid stopping for school bus ordered to wear ‘Idiot’ sign
A WOMAN who drove along the pavement to avoid stopping for a school bus has been ordered by a court to stand at the spot wearing an “Idiot” sign. Shena Hardin, 32, was filmed by a bus driver as she cruised along the walkway outside a day care entrance in her 4x4.
Now a judge has ruled that she must stand near the scene of the crime wearing a sign bearing the slogan: “Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid the school bus.”
Hardin’s licence was suspended for 30 days and she must also pay a £150 fine.
vicious.sid: If you saw how people drive in Cyprus, you wouldn't be able to move on the pavements for all the 'idiot' signs (and the parked cars, of course)! What a good idea, I think the next step should be stocks and rotten fruit . . .
08.11.12
I watched The Commitments over and over to try and get my Dublin accent just right
FOR a man who has risen to stardom as Ireland’s favourite unhinged mob boss, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is remarkably well-spoken. Despite playing a crazed gangster for the past two years, the 34-year-old actor is still a little uncomfortable with his Love/Hate hard-nut look.
And yesterday he told how it took some serious swotting to shed his rounded West-Brit tones for the West Dublin accent of Nidge — one of the best-loved characters in the hit RTE drama.
Trinity graduate Tom, who lives in London, revealed he perfected the strong brogue by watching Roddy Doyle’s Dublin-based flicks.
He said: “I grew up in Dublin so I’ve always been around Dublin accents.
“But I watched a lot of The Commitments and other Roddy Doyle films to get used to it again.”
The light-hearted tale of a northside soul band is far removed from the gritty subject matter of Love/Hate, which returns for its third and, by all insider reports, most shocking series yet this Sunday.
Yet dad-of-one Tom insists he’s never fazed by the tough scenes he’s given to play alongside Peter Coonan, who plays Fran, and Robbie Sheehan (Darren).
He said: “It’s a great challenge to be given those scenes. For some of them you do need to do your homework, but there’s no warming up.
“You’ve got to just go in there and commit 100 per cent to them. The cast, the crew, everyone just gives it everything.”
There is another reason for giving it his all, though. As Tom admits: “The last thing you want is to be wiped off the map by all of these amazing actors coming in.
“Every year there are new characters and they bring a new energy and life into the storyline.
“It keeps you on your toes and makes you play it really hard. You have to be on the set and give it everything you’ve got.”
The reward for all the hard work is Nidge himself — the funny-yet-cold-blooded psycho.
Tom said: “Every time we do a new series it’s amazing to see the development in Nidge’s character.
“What’s so brilliant about playing him is that he flips between being a complete psychopath and a comical character. You don’t know where you are with him from one minute to the next, and I love that about him.”
The one drawback to playing Nidge is his menacing shaved bonce.
The RADA-trained star admitted that, when he is in skinhead character, he keeps a low profile on the multi-cultural streets of London.
But he admitted that his actress wife Claire Cox can’t stop laughing at it. Tom smiled: “I try to keep my head down when I’m around town, it’s quite a severe look so you can get some very strange looks.
“My wife thinks my haircut is hilarious, just ridiculous — she laughs at me when we’re filming."
vicious.sid: You have to admire these actors, don't you? The hell they go through with their jobs. To have to sit and watch a film to prepare for a role is just so brave. Forget all those young men in Afghanistan and the like. Jeez . . .
08.11.12
Renewable fashion one step too far?
Think twice before throwing your paper bags away, because in the world of fashion they have become hot property.
Last season Jill Sander launched a $290 bag crafted from coated paper, and now New York-based designer, Aki Goto, has unveiled a battered-looking $480 jacket made from discarded paper bags.
According to the stockist she only uses 'fabrics donated by people' and most of her pieces are hand sewn.
The item of clothing, simply called the Paper Bag Jacket, is marketed as being 'one-of-a-kind' and unisex.
A size 8, vintage jacket was used as a base, and paper bags were applied using a combination of glue and varnish.
Ms Goto then stuck strips of grey duct tape to the jacket lapels as a finishing touch.
The little-known designer's latest work has attracted mixed reviews. 'We don’t hate the concept - in fact, we could see kooky couture designer Maison Martin Margiela making something like this work in a runway show.
Tempting? The Aki Goto, $480, Paper Bag Jacket appears on the United Bamboo website
'But between the sawed-off sleeves, the peeling seams and the creased, wet-looking material, we can’t help but think that the jacket appears to be rotting right there on the model’s back.'
But those sold on the design better be quick, as only one Paper Bag Jacket is available to purchase.
vicious.sid: Looks great, doesn't it (cringe)! Just don't go out in the rain or stand by a naked flame. Or stand still for too long in a sandwich shop.
08.11.12
Wrong Direction! Harry Styles' tattoo looks a bit rude
One Direction star Harry Styles appears to need a swift touch-up to this new artwork. Last month the boyband singer added some new designs to his rapidly-growing tattoo collection.
Across his forearms, Harry had the slogan: "Some thing I can, some things I can't" inked on.
But on closer inspection of the tatt as Harry jetted to LA on a work trip, it seems one of the letters has been inked incorrectly to spell out a rude word.
Harry's new inkings also include several small designs including a pair of zig-zags and what looks like a small key on his left wrist.
Harry's previous tatts include a pair of comedy and tragedy masks, a small letter 'A' in tribute to his mother and a birdcage with the letters SMCL written underneath.
He and his bandmates, with the exception of Niall Horan, also have screw tattoos on their ankles.
vicious.sid: What is the matter with these people? All that money and they are having the crappiest tattoos I've ever seen!!!!
08.11.12
Teachers close school early to attend colleague's wedding
A HEADTEACHER packed pupils off home after closing the school early so the teachers could attend a colleague’s wedding. Gillian Pursey sent parents a letter telling them she was cutting afternoon lessons short by 90 minutes and to collect their kids at 2pm.
The 51-year-old claimed it was for staff training but most of the teachers headed to the ceremony.
Angry parent Kamal Hussain became suspicious after he spotted three glammed-up staff driving past him in their cars.
The 35-year-old then turned detective and found Mrs Pursey and her staff enjoying a slap-up wedding reception meal.
Furious Kamal, whose own children had been refused time off school for a family wedding, fronted the headteacher but was told it was research for the school’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Company operations manager Kamal said: “I was just so angry and furious. The dad of two added: “I’m just disgusted with the school. I’ve lost my trust and confidence in them and I’m going to look to move my children elsewhere.
“As taxpayers we pay their wages and yet they spend their afternoon living it up at a wedding instead of teaching our children.
“They weren’t drinking as it was an Asian wedding but they were all having a laugh and a joke all the same.
“It just seems like one law for them and one for the rest of us.”
St Hilda’s Primary School, in Oldham, Greater Manchester, shut early on October 30.
And just hours before the wedding bash, Kamal said the head had refused a request to allow his children - aged five and seven - to miss two days school for his brother’s wedding.
After seeing the teachers drive away, Kamal went into the school to find it deserted.
He said: “I asked where they had gone and they told me they were all at a wedding I couldn’t believe it. I was furious.
“I asked to speak to the head and was told she was there too.”
Kamal drove to the town’s Grand Venue - where the reception was being held - to find 24 teachers sat around two large tables.
He asked Mrs Pursey why she had closed the school for the wedding and she replied the governors had cleared it.
Kamal added: “I told her I was concerned about my children’s education and asked why the school had been shut for training purposes but she wouldn’t answer any more of my questions. “It’s just not good enough.”
Mrs Pursey has since defended her actions.
She said: “’Staff were given that hour-and-a half of staff development time to research things for our golden jubilee celebrations.
“They could do that research on or off site, and whenever they liked. Some decided to do it straight away, and others decided to do it after the wedding. It was all agreed with the school governors and is all above board.”
Oldham Council said: “This is an interim management issue for the school and no action will be taken.”
Last month, a mother from Stockport was fined £1,000 after she took her son out of school she he could give her away at her wedding.
vicious.sid: 100 lines "I must not lie to the children's parents" and a week's detention for all of you.
08.11.12
I’d love to play for Mourinho
STEVEN GERRARD has sensationally revealed he still wants to play for Jose Mourinho. The Special One is a long-time admirer of the Kop legend.
And he almost persuaded him to join Chelsea in 2004 and 2005 — a period when Mourinho led the Blues to two Premier League titles and a League Cup.
But Mourinho did not give up the chase and renewed his interest as Real Madrid boss, saying he could never understand why Gerrard, 32, was still at under-achieving Liverpool.
Now the Anfield skipper has confirmed: “I would like to play for Mourinho, the Special One.”
Despite winning winning a Champions League trophy, a UEFA Cup, two FA Cups and three League Cups in his 14 years at Liverpool, Gerrard still does not possess an elusive Premier League winner’s medal.
The lack of major honours at Anfield has often led to interest in the England skipper from some of Europe’s most successful clubs.
But the Kop idol remained loyal to his boyhood team.
When asked about the interest from Mourinho when he was Chelsea boss, Gerrard said: “Liverpool weren’t really challenging at the time, so there was something to think about.
“But I ended up saying ‘no’ and a year later I said ‘no’ again. But he came back when he arrived at Real Madrid two years ago.
“I look at some players who get interest from clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona and they cause absolute wars to get out and get there.
“But that has never been me and, again, it just wasn’t going to happen.”
The Liverpool talisman reckons Real Madrid’s Xabi Alonso is the best midfielder he ever played with — and he is the first player he would have back at Anfield.
Alonso is one of the most decorated players in the game. During his five-year spell at Liverpool, he won the Champions League, the FA Cup and the European Super Cup.
And on the international stage he has been an integral part of the Spanish team that has lifted the World Cup in 2010 and won the European Championships in 2008 and this year.
Last season, he helped Mourinho’s Real to the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup.
And Gerrard added: “I’d want Xabi Alonso back, he’s the best midfielder I’ve played with and I miss playing with him.”
Alonso is also a huge fan of Gerrard. He said: “Steven could play in any national team in the world because he has so many great qualities.
“He’ll be remembered as one of the greats. For me he is already one of the greats. He has achieved great things and in very important moments he has been the man for Liverpool.
“We had great European nights and he was the main man. He’s a great player.”
vicious.sid: Unless Mourinho takes over the management of Liverpool, it ain't gonna happen because of the ridiculous death threats that'll occur. It's a game of football for pete's sake!
08.11.12
‘Demons’ drive TV Tara Palmer-Tomkinson back to rehab Socialite in clinic two weeks after wild-eye snap
TROUBLED socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson was back in rehab last night after her “demons” were said to have returned. The news comes two weeks after the 40-year-old reality TV star was snapped looking wide-eyed and dishevelled outside a party.
A pal told a magazine she has been admitted to a private clinic in South East England for a month of treatment.
Ex-model Tara has publicly battled addictions to booze and cocaine.
She admitted hitting “rock bottom” in 1999, but fought her way back to health and looked radiant in 2002 as she was runner-up in gruelling TV show I’m A Celebrity.
The reason for her latest stint in rehab is unknown.
The clinic advertises treatment for alcoholism, anxiety and drug addiction.
Yesterday, Grazia magazine quoted a source as saying: “Tara has a well-documented history of battling various demons. Unfortunately it seems some have returned to haunt her.
“She knows when things get bad, the only answer is rehab.
“All those who love her support her and are so pleased she has decided to take this course of action as she has been having a particularly difficult time lately.
“She’s in for a month and we’re looking forward to seeing a healthier, happier Tara on the other side.”
The source added: “Tara admits she’s slipped up a few times recently. But she’s in no way as bad as in the past.
“This is not about cocaine, this is just getting her back to full health.”
Tara said after seeking treatment in 1999: “You’ve got to really want to get well. I got well because I felt so ashamed.”
Her spokeswoman Becca Barr declined to comment.
vicious.sid: That's what happens when you never have a proper job, you get famous for being famous (I honestly can't think of anything she could be famous for) and believe your own hype. Very sad.
08.11.12
Labour MP Jamie Reed sparks Twitter storm after asking if a woman on his train had grown her moustache for Movember
A Labour frontbencher has been forced to apologise after using Twitter to make jokes about a woman’s moustache.
Shadow health minister Jamie Reed was updating his 19,000 followers about an ‘obnoxious’ passenger on his train when he asked is she was 'growing that for Movember’ - the cancer charity event which encourages men to grow a moustache in November.
But the Copeland MP was bombarded with abuse by Twitter users, branding him a ‘sexist clown’.
Travelling to London from his constituency in Cumbria, Mr Reed wrote: ‘On the train down, opposite an incredibly obnoxious and opinionated woman (you people) my withering glances were not enough. Had to do more.’
He then added: ‘As she slagged off the train guard I simply looked at her and asked: 'Are you growing that for Movember?' Am I right? Yeah? Who's with me?’
As users accused him of not valuing his constituents’ votes and being unable to trust him, he the tweeted: ‘I didn't actually do that. But trust me, what a horror.’
Mr Reed received several angry replies from other Twitter users.
vicious.sid: Well don't leave us in suspense, did she?
08.11.12
Exasperated minister Lord McNally demands to know why he is still getting nuisance PPI calls even after registering to block them
A government minister has revealed his exasperation at being plagued by nuisance calls offering help claiming back PPI and has called on phone watchdog Ofcom to investigate.
Justice minister Lord McNally said he had added his number to a register to not receive the calls and was astonished to find it did not work.
The exasperated peer has now written to regulator Ofcom to highlight the problem, which has plagued millions of Brits for years.
There are thought to be almost 1,000 claims management companies offering to help people claim back PPI which was mis-sold by banks and secure thousands of pounds in compensation.
But homeowners have been inundated with phone calls and text messages offering help they either do not want or need.
Homeowners can register their number with the Telephone Preference Service, which is supposed to put a bar on marketing calls.
But Lord McNally said: ‘We at home are supposed to be on this blocking mechanism that you sign up for, but the calls still get through.’
Speaking during questions in the House of Lords, he told Baroness Gardner of Parkes that he would investigate whether international calls get round the blocking.
Baroness Gardner said she received six phone calls a week and sometimes three or four a day, 'all offering me wonderful things'.
Lord McNally said: ‘I know that Ofcom is very much aware of this problem. I know that it is no use me telling the noble Baroness that she can go on to this register and that Ofcom is on the job and so on, because from the noises around the room and my own experience, I know that these nuisance calls are still getting through.’
Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, said: 'Our research found that people who sign up to the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) have about a third fewer cold calls, so it is useful. But firms calling from overseas or flouting the rules are still getting away with it.
'Despite up to 10,000 complaints a month to the TPS, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) hasn't issued a single fine for nuisance calling. The ICO must take tough enforcement action now by naming and shaming companies that are still calling people registered with the TPS and fining those found breaking the rules.'
Last month businessman Richard Herman won a major victory after taking a cold-call firm to court and winning compensation to a businessman for wasting his time.
The 53-year-old turned the tables by invoicing one of the firms for £10 for every minute he wasted answering their telephone calls.
vicious.sid: Give me the job and I will stop it overnight. A fine of £100,000 for each unwanted call - now that all phone systems are digital, everything is traceable. Simple.
08.11.12
Food is 'too cheap' and encourages consumer waste, says exec at global food giant
An executive at the world’s second-biggest consumer goods company told a conference that food is 'too cheap' and far too much is being wasted as a result.
Jan Kees Vis, the global director for sustainable sourcing development at Unilever said that half of the food that is purchased in the city of London is never eaten.
He added that consumers and catering firms do not put enough value on the food that they buy, even though the cost of meals and snacks in supermarkets, takeaways and restaurants, The Daily Telegraph reported.
'Places that offer food for lunch – chilled, day-fresh [food] - have made incredible growth, but the result is a lot of food is wasted,' he said.
A big factor in why we waste so much food is that food has become too cheap. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t waste so much of it,' said Mr Vis.
WRAP, the food waste group, said Britons throw away 7.2 million tonnes of household waste each year, around £680 of food per family. The group adds that around 4.4 million tonnes of this is edible food.
Mr Vis, speaking to the CropWorld Global 2012 conference in London, said that food waste usually takes place in restaurants or people’s homes.
As prices rise, driven by a growing global population, Mr Vis said that if people could bring down levels of waste the increase in production required would slow down.
Recent research by Unilever, which makes brands including Flora margarine, Marmite and Hellman’s mayonnaise, found that people throw away food primarily because it goes off too quickly, leftovers are not eaten, and too much food is prepared in the first place.
British families throw away 7.2 million tonnes of household waste each year - roughly £680 of food per family
Andy Dawe, WRAP’s head of food and drink, told the newspaper: 'Food waste is a serious issue, increasingly so. Although the percentage of consumer income spent on food has fallen for decades, more recently there has been significant food inflation.
'UK households currently throw away 4.4 million tonnes of food which could have been eaten, costing around £680 a year for the average family with children.
'This is money that could be saved if we made the most of the food we buy.'
The good news is Britons are actually throwing away less than they were. Between 2007 and 2010, households reduced their food waste by 1.1 million tonnes.
Earlier this year fast food restaurants, pubs, hotels and catering firms, such as Greggs and McDonalds, agreed new voluntary targets to cut food waste over the next three years.
vicious.sid: Now isn't that strange that it was an executive millionaire who said that food is 'too cheap' and not an ordinary person in the real world? Hmmmm.
08.11.12
High Street left without Christmas lights for first time in 20 years after killjoy officials demand £4,000 for lamppost health and safety tests
Officials have banned Christmas lights from a busy High Street for the first time in 20 years unless traders fork out up to £4,000 to have lampposts tested for health and safety reasons.
Furious residents and local business owners have slammed a new rule which means the West Wickham Town Centre Association must pay for test certificates to ensure lampposts are strong enough to support Christmas lights.
The charge was introduced after the High Street was designated a red route, meaning it is managed by Transport for London (TfL) rather than Bromley Council.
In happier times: How West Wickham looked during previous festive seasons Unseasonal: West Wickham High Street could be without its Christmas lights this year
As one of London’s major roads, the High Street carries up to 30 per cent of city traffic.
Secretary of the association Jane Avis manages the family-run shop Waterways, in the High Street, which has been running for more 30 years.
She said: 'We’ve had Christmas lights for over 20 years. My mum used to do it and then I took it over.
'It doesn’t make a massive difference to trade, it just gives a good community feeling.
'West Wickham High Street has been a red route for four or five years and they never asked for anything.
'But last year they said we need to comply with regulations which are different to Bromley Council’s.
'We’re going to fight them all the way. We won’t let them dampen our Christmas spirits.'
Resident Charles Sebestyen, a 70-year-old retired property executive who has lived in the area for around 35 years, said: 'It has killed the Christmas spirit in the West Wickham area.
'TfL is being ridiculous. I simply do not understand how something that has worked for a long time is now suddenly unsafe.'
vicious.sid: Wow, that's a new one!!! It certainly beats charging people for walking on the pavement, planting flowers, putting rubbish in bins, throwing twigs in rivers, etc., etc., etc. I think there should be competition to find the council with the looniest methods of taking money from the public.
08.11.12
David Cameron greeted by cheering refugee children at UN refugee camp as he pledges to end Syria conflict and increase aid
David Cameron today vowed to end the bloodshed in Syria after hearing ‘horrendous’ stories of suffering from refugees and becoming the first G20 leader to visit a vast UN-run compound in Jordan.
The Prime Minister said he was even more determined to force Bashar Assad from power after visiting the border region where tens of thousands of fleeing Syrians are living at the Za’atri camp.
He vowed to work with re-elected US President Barack Obama and said British humanitarian aid for the crisis would rise by £14million, after visiting an area where up to 500 people a day are arriving.
Diplomatic talks are also planned between the UK’s special envoy to the Syrian opposition John Wilkes and rebel military chiefs in an effort to ‘help shape the opposition’, Mr Cameron said.
Mr Cameron, who is now closing a three-day Middle East tour, said: ‘I wanted to hear for myself the stories of people who have been bombed and shot and blasted out of their homes in Syria.’
The 46-year-old criticised the ‘deeply-illegitimate and unpleasant regime that is raining down death and destruction on its own people’ and said it was ‘truly horrendous to hear those stories’.
Mr Cameron added: ‘It just redoubles my determination that now, with a newly-elected American president, we have got to do more to help this part of the world, to help Syria achieve transition.’
The Prime Minister travelled by helicopter to a valley dominated by the Al Wahdah dam, which is one of the busiest crossing points and was recently hit by Syrian shells.
Some of those arriving seeking shelter in Jordan had walked for up to 15 days to reach the border, he was told by the local Jordanian military chief.
'I wanted to hear for myself the stories of people who have been bombed and shot and blasted out of their homes'
At the camp, he met some of those recently arrived in the country and was treated to a patriotic Syrian song by young girls at one of the classroom tents set up for the many children living there.
Mr Cameron told them: ‘You are not just missed in Syria. All of the world wants to help you, including my country.’
Speaking about the moves to set up talks with the rebel military leaders, he said: ‘There is an opportunity for Britain, for America, for Saudi Arabia, Jordan and like-minded allies to come together and try to help shape the opposition, outside Syria and inside Syria, and try to help them achieve their goal, which is our goal of a Syria without Assad.’
It is a recognition that events are increasingly dictated by the military figures and not the splintered political groupings, who met in Qatar this week in an effort to forge an alliance against Mr Assad.
'Now, with a newly-elected American president, we have got to do more to help this part of the world, to help Syria achieve transition'
And there are rising concerns that extremists are gaining a major influence inside opposition forces.
Mr Cameron left open again the possibility that the president could be allowed to flee the country voluntarily to a state where he could evade any criminal charges against him over the slaughter which has killed upwards of 30,000 people so far.
‘I would like to see him face justice but, frankly, any option that involves him leaving the country and a transition taking place would be good for the people right behind me here,’ he said.
At present 2.5million people inside Syria need humanitarian assistance and the number of refugees in the surrounding region is predicted to almost double to 710,000 by the end of the year.
'I would like to see (Syrian President Bashar Assad) face justice but, frankly, any option that involves him leaving the country and a transition taking place would be good for the people right behind me here'
That could mean a quarter of a million alone in Jordan.
Of the new aid, £9.5million will go on blankets, soap and food for those forced out of their homes within Syria and on emergency help for the 8,300 Palestinian refugees based in Syria.
The rest - taking total UK aid to ease the crisis to £53.5million - will be used to help those who have fled to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey - including safe transport from the border to the camps where they are being housed.
Mr Cameron will fly back to the UK after meeting with the King of Jordan for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel but will not arrive in time for Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons.
vicious.sid: Look at that, he has to go halfway round the world to find people who won't boo him everywhere he goes!!! (Note to self: People seem to like you when you give them things rather than taking from them all the time!)