London Calms, But New Riots Splinter England

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.

Birmingham saw a second night of unrest and rioters in Nottingham hurled firebombs through a police station window. Prime Minister David Cameron, who cut his vacation short to deal with the crisis, described the violence as "sickening" but stopped short of calling for tougher measures like calling in the military to restore order, AP reports. Other lawmakers who visited riot sites in London yesterday were heckled by angry crowds. (More England stories.)