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BP Plc said on Thursday it stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico from its deep-sea well for the first time since it ruptured in April, prompting hope that the leak can be plugged for good.

BP said today its attempt to place a new cap on its ruptured undersea well was proceeding as planned. But while robots replace the old cap, crude is flowing freely.

In the 77 days since oil from the ruptured Deepwater Horizon began to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, BP has skimmed or burned about 60 percent of the amount it promised regulators it could remove in a single day. The disparity between what BP promised in its March 24 filing with federal regulators and the amount of oil recovered since the April 20 explosion underscores what some officials and environmental groups call a misleading numbers game that has led to widespread confusion about the extent of the spill and the progress of the recovery.

Robert Dudley, who will take charge of BP’s spill response, has plenty of experience dealing with a hostile government, unhappy partners and angry citizens.

In prepared testimony before a House panel that is expected to question him harshly Thursday, BP chief executive Tony Hayward says the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico "never should have happened" and has left him ...

The president says he'll discuss how BP must pay claims "fairly and quickly" to compensate oil spill victims. He also says he'll name separate commanders for Florida, Alabama and Louisiana to speed response to states' residents.

President Obama previewed part of his Oval Office address in an appearance here Tuesday morning, saying he will talk about the need for BP to pay out claims "quickly and fairly'' to compensate victims of the worst environmental disaster in U.S.

Executives from other major oil companies turned on BP Plc and defended their own drilling practices during a congressional hearing on Tuesday as they sought to stave off new government regulations in the wake of BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil from the worst spill in U.S. history could soon end up at gas stations, construction sites and even grocery stores .

BP shares sunk Thursday in London as U.S. politicians pressed the British oil company to halt its dividend payments and fork out greater compensation for American workers.

"According to serious studies, the middle-term survival rate of oil-soaked birds is under 1 percent," says Silvia Gaus, a biologist at the Wattenmeer National Park along the North Sea in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.