Investors were also cheered by news that Iran had submitted fresh proposals to end its war with the United States. SYDNEY, May 4 : Shares edged higher while oil prices flatlined in Asia on Monday as investors drew comfort from signs of patchy progress in settling the Middle East conflict at the start of a week packed with earnings and key economic data. The Japanese yen suddenly jumped in Asian trading, with the dollar falling as much as 0.9 per cent to 155.7 yen before paring some of the