BP oil spill: judge grants final approval for $20bn settlement

The settlement, first announced in July, will cover environmental damage and other claims by the five Gulf states and local governments, paid out over 16 years

A federal judge in New Orleans has granted final approval to an estimated $20bn settlement, resolving years of litigation over the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

US district judge Carl Barbier's final order on the settlement was released on Monday.