Iran to London Cops: Hey, Show Restraint

Unrest hits Manchester, Nottingham

(NEWSER) - Looting and arson spread to several cities in central and northern England today but calm prevailed in London, where thousands of extra police officers patrolled the streets. The most serious unrest was in Manchester, which had sent 100 officers to assist in London, the Guardian reports. Hundreds of young people went on the rampage in the city center, looting stores and hurling missiles at police. More»

Here's a look at the latest from the British capital

(NEWSER) - Fires blazed across London as riots continued unabated into a third night in Britain's capital city and even beyond. Metropolitan Police's Twitter feed says that more than 225 people have been arrested, but the official response is coming under fire and one pub manager tells the BBC that the scene is "an absolute war zone." The latest:

• British PM David Cameron cut short a vacation in Italy, and was returning home overnight, notes NPR . He'll meet with his emergency response team first thing.

Some 40% of drivers to strike over city rules

(NEWSER) - London is planning travel restrictions for some 109 miles of its streets during the Olympics; a third of that distance will be reserved for athletes, members of the press, and officials. London cabbies aren't happy about it: Some 40% of the city's 23,200 black-cab drivers plan to strike during the games, Bloomberg reports. Included among them is the man recently crowned the city's "hardest," or toughest, cabbie. "The black cab is an icon of London and we’re not really a part of it," he complains. More»

Americans dominate sport heading into London Olympics

(NEWSER) - In 2008, China beat out the US for most Olympic gold medals; this year, it's poised to garner the most total medals. Olympic glory has become a little less common stateside—but when it comes to the decathlon, we're set to do ourselves proud. The three favorites for medals this year—Beijing Olympic champ Bryan Clay, last year's top scorer Ashton Eaton, and defending world champion Trey Hardee—all hail from these shores, the Wall Street Journal notes. More»

Meanwhile, Annan has message for Assad: Cease-fire, now

(NEWSER) - With the West united against the Syrian government and implementing a series of punishing sanctions, it's Iran and China to the rescue—as Chinese state-run firm Zhuhai Zhenrong bought an estimated $84 million in crude oil, and Iran supplied the boat to transport it, reports Reuters . The Malta-flagged vessel MT Tour was loaded up with 132,277 tons of light crude over the weekend at the Syrian port of Tartus. More»