Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.7% in afternoon trading to 28,109.17. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.5% to 7,343.10. South Korea's Kospi edged less than 1 point higher to 2,548.02. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 0.6% to 20,360.50 and the Shanghai Composite index added 0.3% to 3,322.70. In energy trading, benchmark US crude gained 11 cents to $81.64 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It advanced $1.79 per barrel to $81.53 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 13 cents to $85.74 a barrel. In currency trading, the US dollar rose to 133.80 Japanese yen from 133.70. The euro cost $1.0934, up from $1.0912.
