TOPIC: What are the differents in using "Owing to" and &q

What are the differents in using "Owing to" and "Due to" ?I was told somehow they are not totally the same in some cases. And can we start a sentence with either one or them?

"Owing to" and "due to" have the same meaning although they are used slightly differently. They both mean "because.Owing to', is used to introduce something negative,e.g.bad news, while 'duee to' generally introduces something positive.
For example: Owing to the company's poor performance over the past year, serval staff have been laid off.