Asian shares down on Greek debt talks

Asian shares headed lower on Thursday as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of a meeting of European leaders as Greece continued its last-minute efforts to avoid a default. The Nikkei was down 0.1 per cent to 20,842.76. The Japanese benchmark eased off 18-year highs after climbing to 20,868.03 in the previous session - marking levels unseen since 1996. Chinese shares followed the regional trend lower, with the Shanghai Composite down 0.1 per cent to 4,686.90, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was lower 0.3 per cent to 27,326.83. In Australia, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.6 per cent to 5,655.10 points. Meanwhile, South Korean shares were lower after a key measure of consumer confidence dropped in June to its lowest level in two-and-a-half years on the outbreak of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The benchmark Kospi was lower by 0.2 per cent to 2,082.06 points, according to BBC.