Shale gas accounts for nearly one-third of the natural gas that exists underground globally and China has the largest reserves, a U.S. estimate showed Monday. Shale gas represents 32 percent of the world's technically recoverable natural gas resources, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in an estimate that demonstrates the potential for larger-scale shale gas projects worldwide.

BANGKOK - The price of oil rose slightly Monday, extending gains posted late last week on the heels of a positive U.S. employment report. Benchmark oil for July delivery rose 5 cents to US$96.08 per barrel at midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract for benchmark crude rose $1.27 to close at $96.03 a barrel on the Nymex on Friday.

A sharper-than-expected drop in US crude oil supplies lifted New York oil prices Wednesday, while Brent slipped in London trade. New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude for July delivery closed at $93.74 a barrel, a gain of 43 cents from Tuesday. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in July, the European benchmark, dipped 20 cents to $103.04 a barrel. The New York oil market got a lift after the US Department of Energy reported the country's crude stockpiles had plunged by 6.3 million barrels in the week to May 31.

SEOUL, June 3 (Yonhap) -- The Seoul municipal government is mulling exporting its tap water as part of efforts to promote its high quality and the city's advanced drinking water treatment system, officials said Monday. Apart from providing "Arisu" to 10 million citizens here, the city produces some 8 million 350-milliliter bottles of the tap water per year and supplies them to the Presidential Office and various international conferences in Seoul for free.