BP's top bosses contended with screaming environmental protesters, a backlash on executive pay and more anger over the company's record in the Gulf of Mexico at an eventful annual meeting today.

Maxim Barsky, the executive best known for quitting BP's Russian joint venture after missing out on the top job, is making a comeback with a £4.6m investment in the Russia-focused company Matra Petroleum.

It is no surprise that a leaking rig in the middle of the sea prompts minds in the Square Mile back towards the Gulf of Mexico tragedy. As Total's Elgin platform continued to pump out gas, investors were pulling out of the blue-chip energy giants with BG – which holds a 14.1 per cent interest in the North Sea project – the worst hit.

Hunting

BP is selling its interests in the Hugoton natural gas field in Kansas and its associated processing plant to America's Linn Energy for $1.2bn (£757m) in cash.

Hopes were raised for a multi-billion dollar settlement of claims over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill last night, as BP won a delay to a trial that had been due to start in New Orleans today.

In profit...

It's not quite like the glory, pre-Gulf of Mexico disaster days, but pension funds were cheered when BP raised its dividend 14 per cent to 8 cents on Tuesday.

BP brought cheer to Britain's pension funds yesterday as the oil giant hiked its quarterly dividend by 14 per cent.

BP brought cheer to Britain's pension funds yesterday as the oil giant hiked its quarterly dividend by 14 per cent.

Outlook BP is back on the right path, at least in the view of American chief executive Bob Dudley, who had the City gushing over his figures like he hopes the 12 new exploration wells BP will dig this year will be gushing with oil.

BP's chief executive, Bob Dudley, is expected to increase the oil giant's dividend for the first time since it was reinstated for the end of 2010 after a six-month suspension.

A trio of senior executives are in line for a combined windfall worth tens of millions of dollars after their East Africa-focused oil and gas exploration company, Cove Energy, was put on the block with an estimated sales tag of $1bn (£645m).

Given the hysterical simple-mindedness that has recently surrounded some aspects of BBC Natural History filming, you half wonder whether the opening promise of Earthflight – that we would be given a "bird's-eye view" of the natural world – needed to be accompanied by an on-screen disclaimer. "Note: Not actually recorded using a real bird's eye. Microlights used in the filming of this series. Engine noise has been removed from some footage and replaced with the sound of rushing wind and flapping wings. Feather noises may derive from a species not shown on screen." That said, the question of exactly how they did capture these images will be a live one even for viewers not intent on BBC-baiting, because they are remarkable. The camera appears to fly alongside a snow goose, peering up into its wingpit as it languidly beats its way northwards. Or it perches on a bald eagle's ruffed shoulder as the bird itself swoops over the rim of the Grand Canyon, whistling within inches of a pine tree's tip. Or watches brown pelicans as they turn themselves from broken umbrellas into neatly furled ones, spearing into the water to catch fish. Apparently, episode six will reveal all, but in the meantime we'll just have to marvel at what they've managed to achieve.

Carl-Henric Svanberg's days as BP chairman could be numbered,analysts warned, after the Swedish businessman agreed to add to his busy assortment of appointments the same job at Volvo.