The blockbuster BP oil spill trial opened Monday with a scathing attack on the poor safety standards which led to the worst environmental disaster in US history. Billions are at stake in the New Orleans courtroom where a federal judge is tasked with determining how much BP and its subcontractors should pay for the devastating Gulf of Mexico spill. US prosecutors are determined to prove that gross negligence caused the April 20, 2010 blast that killed 11 workers and sank the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig, sending millions of barrels of oil gushing into the sea.

(Corrects dateline to NEW ORLEANS from HOUSTON) By Kristen Hays and Braden Reddall NEW ORLEANS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Nearly three years after a deepwater well rupture killed 11 men, sank a rig and spewed 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, BP and the other companies involved are about to face their day in court.

US authorities plan to propose a $16 billion settlement to British energy giant BP for civil claims related to the disastrous 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, The Wall Street Journal said. Citing people familiar with the discussions, the newspaper said late Friday taht the settlement would cover fines BP owes under the Clean Water Act, a federal water pollution law, as well as payments under the Natural Resources Damage Assessment, an environmental evaluation. But the Journal noted that it remained unclear whether the government had formally proposed the offer to BP.

By Kristen Hays and Braden Reddall Feb 21 (Reuters) - Nearly three years after a deepwater well rupture killed 11 men, sank a rig and spewed 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, BP and the other companies involved are scheduled to face their judge in court. The trial over the worst U.S. offshore oil spill is set to start Monday in New Orleans before a federal judge and without a jury. Few expect the case, seen lasting several months, will be decided by the judge.