Asian shares are mostly higher, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.7 percent to 22,713.08 and South Korea's Kospi added 0.4 percent to 2,304.03. The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.3 percent to 2,867.33 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was flat at 28,555.32. Australia's S&P ASX 200 was almost flat at 6,279.10. Shares were higher in Indonesia and Singapore. Benchmark U.S. crude dropped 38 cents to $68.38 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost 2 percent to settle at $68.76 per barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 28 cents to $73.93 per barrel. The dollar rose to 111.97 yen from 111.83 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1677 from $1.1697.
