BP CEO cancels appearance at major oil conference

LONDON (AP)— BP chief executive Tony Hayward has pulled out of a scheduled appearance at a London oil conference on the eve of the event, citing his commitment to the Gulf of Mexico relief effort. The move comes just days after BP replaced Hayward, who infuriated some for his handling of the oil spill, as the point man in the clean-up. BP PLC said today that Hayward would skip Tuesday’s session of the World National Oil Companies Congress, an annual gathering of oil executives from across the globe.