IN BRIEF

BP fine breaks records

The US Department of Justice has announced BP Exploration and Production Inc has agreed to plead guilty and pay a record US$4bn in criminal fines and penalties in connection with the 20 April 2010 explosion and fi re on the MODU Deepwater Horizon, which resulted in the deaths of 11 people and a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Department of Justice reports the settlement is the largest criminal resolution in US history.