Asian shares are mostly higher on Thursday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 index added 0.2% to 21,756.55 while the Kospi lost 0.4% to 2,074.48. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gained 0.3% to 28,594.30. The Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.5%, to 2,937.36. Australia's S&P ASX 200 advanced 0.6% to 6,818.00. India's Sensex edged 0.2% higher to 37,911.43. Shares also rose in Southeast Asia. Benchmark crude oil added 38 cents to $56.26 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell 89 cents to settle at $55.88 a barrel on Wednesday. Brent crude oil, the international standard, picked up 48 cents to $63.66 per barrel. Overnight, it fell 65 cents to close at $63.18 a barrel. The dollar fell to 108.09 Japanese yen from 108.10 yen. The euro weakened to $1.1133 from $1.1142.
