London:
British Prime Minister David Cameron's office says he has cut short his summer vacation to lead the response to the escalating London riots - with violence and looting occurring for the third day across the capital.
Youths set fire to shops and vehicles in a host of areas of London - the host for the Olympic Games next summer - and clashed with police in the city of Birmingham, as authorities struggled to quell the violence.
Mr Cameron's office said he was flying to London on Monday night, cutting short a family holiday in Italy. He will lead a meeting of the government's crisis committee today, as police and lawmakers seek to quell the violence.
The crisis will be a major test of Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition government. Many members within the government itself have believed its program of harsh budget restraints could provoke popular dissent.
Mr Cameron is expected to seek to toughen police response in a bid to quell the riots. He has already had meetings with ministers and police chiefs, in this regard.