Parts of the British capital resembled a battleground, with burnt-out buildings, scattered debris and rampaging gangs, after a third night of rioting on Monday.
A number of areas in the British capital were hit by the rioting on Monday night, including Peckham, Clapham, Hackney and Ealing. Violence had also spread to Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Nottingham.
Politicians, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, abruptly ended their holidays and returned to London. Parliament has been recalled for an emergency session on Thursday to debate the riots.
Analysts urged London's Metropolitan police to "readjust" planning for the Olympic Games, due to start in less than a year.
"We will do everything necessary to restore order to Britain's streets and make them safe for the law-abiding," Cameron said in Downing Street on Tuesday after a meeting of the government's emergency committee.
More than 16,000 officers will be on London's streets on Wednesday, he said. All police leave in London has been canceled.
Scotland Yard said that 525 people have been arrested in London after three days of "unprecedented" rioting.
Cameron condemned what he called the "sickening scenes of people looting, vandalizing, thieving, robbing".
Fresh riots erupted in Hackney in north London on Monday afternoon, after police stopped and searched a man but found nothing.
Within a few hours, rioters looted shops, set alight vehicles and buildings, and attacked police officers in Croydon in the southeast, Lewisham and Peckham in the south, Camden and Chalk Farm in the north, as well as Ealing, a well-off area in west London.
Questions:
1. For how many nights has rioting taken place?
2. What is the name of Britain’s Prime Minister?
3. How many police officers were on duty in London on Wednesday?
Answers:
1. Three.
2. David Cameron.
3. 16,000.
(中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑)
About the broadcaster:
Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.