DHAKA: Asian shares tumbled on Tuesday as sliding oil prices and political uncertainty in Greece forced investors out of risk assets and into the safety of government bonds.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.5 percent while Japan's Nikkei dropped 2.0 percent.

The Straits Times Index was down 40.53 points, or 1.22 percent, at 3,287.75 at 9:25am.

The unrelenting slide in oil prices showed little signs of slowing in the new year, plunging as much as 6 percent on Monday to hit their lowest since spring 2009, as increased output of US shale oil has exacerbated a global supply glut.

BDST: 1254 HRS, JAN 06, 2015