By William Lyons OUTSIDE David Thomas's office is a picture book lying on a coffee table. It's called The Treasures Of The Valley Of The Kings. It's a pertinent choice.

By DOUGLAS HAMIILTON MELROSE Resources said yesterday that it is raising its net proved oil reserves in the United States by 22per cent, or 2.5 million barrels, to 11.3 million barrels after evaluating its Permian Basin properties.

By MARK WILLIAMSON MELROSE Resources, the oil and gas independent, said work to boost production from small fields in the USA had got off to a good start, delivering a one third increase in output of oil so far.

By MARK WILLIAMSON MELROSE Resources said it achieved record production levels in the first quarter after making good progress on its Egyptian acreage.

By DOUGLAS HAMILTON MELROSE Resources, the Edinburgh-based oil and natural-gas explorer with interests in the US, Bulgaria, France and Egypt, said yesterday that total production for 2007 rose by 18% to 32.8 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent (bcfe) .