In Japan, cheerful tones were heard on Thursday in a situation where investors hope for an end to the Ukraine war after the US President Donald Trump spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about peace talks.
The important Nikkei 225 index was up 1.5 at lunchtime, while the broader Topix index grew by 1.3.
It was also cheerful in Hong Kong when the Hang Seng index increased by 1.5.
It was gloomier for the composite indices in both Shanghai and Shenzhen, which fell by 0.1 and 0.4, respectively.
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