Briefly

JAPAN

Suga prepares for Washington visit

Japan's government announced on Friday that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will travel to Washington next month for his first face-to-face summit with President Joe Biden after he and his entourage complete their COVID-19 vaccinations. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said Suga is expected to be the first foreign leader that Biden meets since he took office in January. The trip is expected to take place in the first half of April. Kato said officials are finalizing details of Suga's trip. The prime minister and all 80-90 accompanying staff will receive two doses of a coronavirus vaccine before the trip, Kato said, noting that Biden and all the White House staff they will meet have already been vaccinated.

THAILAND

AstraZeneca doses delayed on clot fears

Thailand delayed use of the Astra-Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Friday after several European countries suspended the jabs following reports of blood clots in some people. A publicity event with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha receiving his first shot was canceled with dozens of media attending, less than an hour before the scheduled start. Instead, health officials held a news conference to explain the delay was based on the decisions made by Denmark, Austria and others as a precaution. Some experts pointed out that of the millions of AstraZeneca vaccine shots administered elsewhere, including in Britain, there have been no reported cases of the vaccine causing blood clots or related problems.

UNITED STATES

$69.3m digital work rocks art world

A digital collage by US artist Beeple sold on Thursday for a record $69.3 million at Christie's auctioneers, as virtual art rapidly establishes itself as a new－and highly profitable－creative genre. Everydays: The First 5,000 Days became the most expensive ever "non-fungible token", or NFT,－a collectible digital asset that uses blockchain technology to turn virtual work into a unique item. Christie's said Beeple, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, is now among the top three most valuable living artists in any medium alongside Jeff Koons and David Hockney. The 39-year-old artist said that his work, on a JPEG file, had "as much craft, message, nuance and intent as anything made on a physical canvas".

AUSTRALIA

Minister settles after rape claim slur

Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds settled a defamation case on Friday with a former aide who was allegedly raped in her parliamentary office. The minister had called the woman a "lying cow". Brittany Higgins, 26, who last month came forward with allegations she was raped by a colleague in the minister's office, issued a statement noting Reynolds had apologized and settled the case."I am pleased that the minister has now withdrawn her comments and I accept her apology to me," Higgins said. Higgins launched the defamation case after Reynolds' comments to staff leaked to the press. The minister also released a statement on Friday retracting the comment and repeating an earlier apology.

Agencies - Xinhua