China resumed military maneuvers around the island of Taiwan following the presence in Taipei of yet another delegation of US lawmakers. After the visit by a group led lead by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier this month, the new team was headed by Senator Ed Markey from Massachusetts.
British Petroleum has been temporarily suspended from new contracts with the US government, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said. While it is unclear how long the ban will last, it follows BP's record fine earlier this month over the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.