Asian shares fall, euro faint on euro zone worries

TOKYO: Asian shares fell and the euro remained under pressure on Thursday as weak euro zone data, a sluggish debt auction in Italy and fears of a potential run on Cyprus's banks stoked investors' concerns about instability in Europe.

Adding to the negative tone was the latest restrictive move by China, with its banking watchdog ordering banks to strengthen checks on the underlying assets of a range of wealth management products to ward off potential risks to the financial system.