"US President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in Texas as Hurricane Alex bears down on the coast with 80mph (130km/h) winds. Alex is expected to make landfall near the Texas-Mexico border as a category two hurricane, forecasters say. Heavy seas caused by the first Atlantic hurricane of the season have already disrupted BP's oil spill clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico. Boats skimming the slick have been sent back to port by the US Coast Guard. High waves and strong winds generated by Alex have also pushed more oil from the spill on to beaches in Louisiana." - Steven Perez from Bookmarklet