BP hopes to fully contain oil spill with new tighter cap

The BP oil leak in the Gulf could be completely contained as early as Monday if a new, tighter cap can be fitted over the blown-out well, the US government official in charge of the crisis said.

Crews using remote-controlled submarines planned to swap out the cap over the weekend, taking advantage of a window of good weather following weeks of delays caused by choppy seas.

"I use the word 'contained'," said retired US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen. "'Stop' is when we put the plug in."

Two relief wells are still being drilled to intercept the ruptured well and seal it up permanently with mud and cement, a job that may not be completed until mid-August.

The cap now in use was installed on June 4 to capture oil gushing from the bottom of the sea, but because it had to be fitted over a jagged cut in the well pipe, it allows some crude to escape. The new cap - dubbed "Top Hat Number 10" - is designed to fit more snugly.

During the installation, the gusher will get worse before it gets better.

Once the old cap is removed, oil will pour into the Gulf unhindered for about 48 hours while the new one is put in place.

The attackers struck within seconds of each other as two US senators met Pakistani leaders in Islamabad.

former hostage Ingrid Betancourt, left, has asked Colombia's government to pay her 4.5 million for damages she suffered during six years in rebel captivity.

Ms Betancourt, 48, was kidnapped in 2002 by guerrillas while campaigning for president in Colombia's south.

DAVE Zerbist and his daughter reach out to a beached grey whale, which has been stranded since yesterday morning in Everett, Washington.