The oil company BP says it's increasingly hopeful that the new cap on its stricken well in the Gulf of Mexico can be used to block the flow of oil completely until the leak is permanently sealed. The company's chief operating officer, Doug Suttles, said no one wanted to see more oil leaking into the Gulf, and BP hoped to keep the cap closed if it could. From Louisiana, Laura Trevelyan.

For the third day in a row, there is no oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico. While the commercial fishing waters have been reopened, some of the Gulf Coast beaches are seeing tourists returning. But so far, the gigantic metal cap seems to be sealing the well successfully. The US government says it will potentially approve an extensionto the tests, provided careful monitoring continues. BP says the lower-than-expected pressure inside the cap is consistent with the oil well being depleted. In other words, there is less oil in the reservoir three months into the spill.