September 9, 2004

Growing group of 20-somethings are embracing vintage digital technology as identity statement; photo (M)

David W Dunlap Blocks column on continued use of skyline that includes image of Twin Towers in logos of various New York City businesses, on murals and other depictions; photos (M)

Deal Preserves Hong Kong's Hub Sta8

British Broadcasting Corp is in touch with American media companies Time Warner and Walt Disney, as well as other companies including Germany's Bertelsman, to discuss options for its BBC Worldwide commercial subsidiary; Financial Times says BBC has asked companies to discuss 'possible bids' for BBC Worldwide; unit could be worth up to 2 billion pounds, or about $3.6 billion; review of unit is part of wider set of consultations about corporation's future announced in June by BBC chairman Michael Grade; photo (M)

Western oil companies are running out of likely place to look, and significant finds are becoming rarer; exploration teams are having to push into harsher, more remote and less promising territory, where costs and risks are high; oil trading in range of $40 to $45 per barrel may make such projects seem attractive, but there is widespread concern in industry that prices cannot remain that high; companies direct much of their effort toward wringing more production from known fields rather than hunting for new ones; Norway's Statoil and others are spending more in Norway, up to $9 billion in 2003, but are drilling fewer exploratory wells; production in Norway has leveled off around three million barrels per day. Stavanger has become center for oil and gas exploration off Norway; world still has lot of underground oil left to develop; Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are situated atop 700 billion barrels of oil, or 61 percent of of world's proven oil reserves; enough oil has already been found to last 41 years at today's pace; map; photos (M)