Power shortage felt

DHADING: Customers are compelled to pay minimum electricity charge even though they are not consuming electricity. The locals are not only facing five-hour load shedding in a week and disruption of electrical supply in the name of repair and maintenance, but also are paying without consuming the electricity. — RSS

Imports fall in P’ppine

MANILA: Philippine imports in April fell by 1.8 per cent from a year earlier to $4.336 billion due to a drop in demand for electronic components used in the country’s export industry. Total imports in the first four months of the year however were at $16.307 billion, a 3.4 per cent increase over the same period in 2006. — AFP

HK exports slow down

HONG KONG: Hong Kong exports fell by 12.1 per cent to $27.8 billion in May, slowing from an increase of 12.6 per cent in April. But a government spokesman noted that merchandise exports remained robust and attained another month of broad-based growth in May. While the mainland market continued to be the growth driver, exports to many other East Asian economies also grew distinctly. — AFP