Sorry a bit late today. Had problems getting a connection...
In Asia today, the Nikkei closed down 26.77 points at 16,720.99, while the Hang Seng closed the morning down 68.68 points at 15,479.38.
New York's main oil contract, light sweet crude for delivery in March, was down 30 cents at $64.81 a barrel from its close of $65.11 in the US overnight.