Paul C.

Embattled BP boss Tony Hayward has handed off the daily management of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, as the British energy firm was assailed by its partner for “reckless” conduct. BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said chief executive Hayward, a Briton, was handing over the running of the containment efforts to another top BP official, Bob Dudley, an American.

Thick black oil hung in the water and stained the bases of the roseau cane at Pass a L’Outre, a shrinking patch of Louisiana’s fragile wetlands where crude from the BP spill first hit land and began seeping deep into the fragile marshes. Three rows of boom laid in front of the marshes appeared to serve little purpose, and if anything were corralling the oil up against the wetlands’ plants, not keeping it away.

Over 24 hours into its crucial “top kill” plan, London-based BP Plc on Thursday said it was still too early to access the success or failure of its best short-term hope of plugging a blown-out well in

Drip by drip, day by day, the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico is adding up to mind-boggling numbers.