BBC News, this is Mike Cooper.

A United States presidential commission investigating last year's catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has recommended a series of wide-ranging reforms. In its final report, the commission calls for the creation of an independent safety agency, tougher government regulation, and more money and training for federal agencies. From Washington, here's Paul Adams.

The report urges adoption of a safety case approach similar to that used in Europe's North Sea since the British Piper Alpha disaster in 1988. This requires that companies conduct a thorough evaluation of all risks associated with drilling a particular well before work begins. In a strongly-worded statement, one of the commission's co-chairs, William Reilly, said last year's accident was the almost inevitable result of years of industry and government complacency and carelessness.

The head of the American negotiating team on Sudan has hinted at the possibility of the normalisation of relations between Sudan and the US. US ambassador Princeton Lyman told the BBC Arabic Service that to achieve this, the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir would need to recognise the eventual outcome of the referendum on possible independence for the south which is currently taking place.

"If the referendum is effective and the results are recognised by the government of Sudan, the president would indicate his intention to start the process for removing Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. And then it takes several months to complete that process and consultations with Congress."