Key facts, figures and dates
Coverage as US President Barack Obama makes a primetime TV address on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, live from the Oval Office of the White House.
Simon Cox reports on the way US Congressmen have scrutinised BP's safety record in the wake of the explosion at Deepwater Horizon.
No other country in the world has taken such a tough line on exploitation of offshore oil, so why is the US different?
US President Barack Obama will set up a commission to investigate the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, officials say.
The Gulf of Mexico oil leak raises deep questions over the environmental cost of our "addiction" to oil.
The US coast guard warns the Gulf of Mexico spill may reach Florida while a top offshore drilling official resigns.
Oil executives clash in Congress over the Gulf Coast oil disaster, as the fight to contain the ballooning slick continues.
The US is to split a federal oil industry watchdog, amid conflict of interest fears, following the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.
A chronology of key events
Oil giant BP says it is "absolutely responsible" for cleaning up the massive oil spill off the US Gulf of Mexico coast.
California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger withdraws support for a plan to expand oil exploration off the state's coast.
The US puts new offshore oil drilling on hold while it investigates the cause of the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The US Coast Guard investigates reports that oil has begun washing ashore on the Gulf Coast following a massive spill.
The explosion and blaze on an oil rig off Louisiana reflects how offshore drilling remains a dangerous profession, writes the BBC's Daniel Nasaw.
Barack Obama proposes ending a decades-old ban on new offshore oil drilling, in a bid to cut US dependence on imports.
Spanish oil company Repsol says it is to drill for oil in an area near the Falkland Islands.
Argentina asks the UN chief Ban Ki-moon to bring Britain into talks over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
Latin American leaders at a regional summit back Argentina's claim over the Falklands, Argentina's president has said.
A UK company starts drilling for oil in the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands, despite strong opposition from Argentina.