BBC: There are fears of an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, as efforts to clear up an oil spill have been suspended because of bad weather. A drilling rig leased by the oil company BP exploded and sank off the Louisiana coast last week. Some 1,000 barrels of oil a day are leaking into the sea from the damaged well, officials say. They say the oil leak has the potential to damage beaches, barrier islands and wetlands across the coastline. Eleven workers are …