The US State Department says it has been holding rare talks with Cuban officials on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Some of the oil from the leaking rig has entered a powerful sea current that is expected to push it towards Florida in a few days and then onto Cuba. Satellite images released by the European Space Agency depict a streak of oil stretching south from the main slick into the Loop Current – a body of fast-flowing water coming from the Caribbean, which the agency says, is likely to propel oil towards Florida within six days.