British youths convicted of rioting earlier this month aren't getting any respect in overcrowded detention centers, but instead they're getting their asses beat by other inmates. It sounds like some Lord of the Flies shit in there. [Independent]

Here is a striking example of how detached from reality British authorities' post-riot social media crackdown is. The cop in charge of their social media efforts suggested that Twitter could force people to use their real names on the service. Has he ever been on Twitter?

Scotland Yard said a 70-year-old man was the oldest person arrested during riots there. He was busted "in connection with theft from a shop in West Ealing. He was cautioned." Being London's Oldest Looter is quite an honor. [Independent]

Scotland Yard today said that 1,005 allegedly riotous individuals have been charged with various crimes connected to last week's little kerfuffle in Britain, and added that the investigation is "far from over."

The U.K. riots of the past week have done incalculable damage to businesses and homes. After the cleanup come the longer-term task of rebuilding—and many of the people who have been hit the hardest (i.e. small business owners) can't afford the high costs involved.

Nationwide civil unrest hasn't come full circle until racist fringe groups come out to point fingers and promote xenophobic vigilantism. And that's where the English Defence League comes in! The group was all set to march on the streets of Telford this weekend in order "to address the threat posed by Muslim child-grooming gangs." Oh, but the British Home Secretary Theresa May today said, "It is clear that a ban is needed to ensure communities and property are protected."

Scotland Yard says that out of over 1,700 arrests made over the nationwide riots, around 600 people have been formally charged with crimes such as looting and disorder. Courts have stayed open overnight to handle the cases.

The British Home Secretary will meet with the companies behind Twitter and BlackBerry to discuss whether they can help curb the nation's riots. It was only a few months ago that cracking down on social networks was considered the province of despots. Now the British government is making it sound like an essential step for safety.

Now that the horrible "unending nights of chaos" part of the British riots has started to subside, here comes the insane "unhinged overreacting" part. A judge just threw a six-month prison sentence at a 23-year-old with no previous record in prison.

On the fourth night of England's riots, 10,000 police flooded London streets and the city remained mostly calm. But the riots spread to other cities, leaving three men dead in Birmingham. British Prime Minister David Cameron promised a "fightback" to squelch unrest.

Iranian government officials are loving the riots in Britain. In a flurry of statements over the last couple of days, lawmakers have attacked the police response and said they'd like to send human rights observers to London to keep an eye on events there. Iran's Majlis are even thinking about closing the British embassy in Tehran.

Barely a month ago, thousands of rioter pictures were funneled to the Vancouver police via Facebook, Twitter and the broader internet. The internet dragnet seemed novel at the time. But now the same sort of viral manhunt is underway in London.

Sure, England's been convulsed by riots likely to have devastating social and economic impacts for months, but at least a funny meme is coming out of it.

As looting and rioting continues across London for a fourth evening, residents are steeling themselves for another night of mayhem. Here's what parts of the city looked like before nightfall, as officers battled rioters, fires continued to burn, and optimistic store owners began the cleanup process.

Who among us hasn't walked into an Apple store and secretly thought, "Damn, I'd love to loot this place." All those huge, bright windows and all those pricey iPhone 4s waiting to be hurled through them! Apple knows how you feel: The company is locking down its UK stores like Alcatraz.

In your Molotov-y Tuesday media column: London is unsafe for journalists, Alec Baldwin likes newspapers, Time magazine is beating the piss out of Newsweek, News of the World staffers get severance offers, KING magazine remembered, and scientists vs. journalists.

As night approaches in England, the riots raging in London spread to other UK cities, police flood the streets, residents clean up, and a man dies from riot-related violence. Welcome to day four of the London riots.

For a harrowing look into the souls of riot-swamped Britons, check out the "Movers and Shakers" list of Amazon.co.uk's "Sports & Leisure" section. What does it say about America that the only time Britons care about our national pastime is when they need to bash heads in? [via Guardian]

The London riots are being blamed in part on the encrypted Blackberry Messenger service British youth are using to communicate. Blackberry manufacturer RIM has pledged to cooperate with the police. Now hackers have hit back, and are threatening to release sensitive information if RIM gives up rioters' Blackberry info.

The staff at The Ledbury, a 2 Michelin Star restaurant in London's Notting Hill, deserve some recognition for two separate acts of heroism during London's riots. A food blogger named Louise Yang wrote about an encounter at the restaurant where looters stormed in and began robbing patrons "around the fourth dish of the tasting course." Yang had a ring taken. Then the staff stepped in: