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RAF snipers may also be watching from helicopters

(NEWSER) - Next stop for drones: London. To help bolster security at next year's Olympics, Scotland Yard plans to use unmanned drones equipped with cameras for "eyes in the sky," reports the Independent . Only one local police force currently uses a drone—a radio-controlled mini-helicopter—for surveillance, but three other forces have used them, including one that was lost after it crashed into a local river. An Air Force base in Essex also has three which could be mobilized for the games. More»

Plan was part of bid to host games

(NEWSER) - As part of London’s bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, organizers offered a plan to keep the Games green—but they’ve changed their minds. The committee will “no longer pursue formal offsetting procedures,” it said, dropping its pledge to balance carbon emissions from the Games with clean-energy investments in developing countries. Such offsetting would have “diverted” attention from Britain, says the Games’ sustainability chief. The decision also saves the organizing committee up to $4.4 million, Bloomberg reports. More»

And other updates from the chaos

(NEWSER) - Police are struggling to restore order on the streets of London after three days of rioting and looting. Here are some updates from the Telegraph's exhaustive coverage:

• David Cameron seemed to criticized the police effort , saying it needed to be “more robust,” and saying that the number of officers on the street tonight would swell from 6,000 to 16,000, with all police leave canceled.
• In an ironic turn, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has urged the British police to “show restraint” and said it would ask human rights organizations to investigate the fatal shooting that precipitated the riots.

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.

Omega left looking chagrined

(NEWSER) - Well, this isn't a good omen. The official countdown clock to the 2012 Olympics has stopped just one day after its grand unveiling. The clock, a host city tradition, was installed with great pomp and circumstance in Trafalgar Square on Monday, with a pack of British gold medalists on hand to commemorate the occasion. One official proclaimed it an "important milestone" that would provide "a daily and hourly reminder" of the impending event. More»