U.S., Germany at crossroads as Merkel visits Trump

Washington National Cathedral hosts an exhibition featuring thousands of origami doves as a symbol of hope for 2021. The cathedral is currently closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the art installation, entitled "Les Colombes" ("The Doves" in French), will run until May 2021 despite the Covid-19 closure. "It's a symbol we definitely need right now, a symbol of peace and hope and resilience," says German artist Michael Pendry. His paper doves have appeared in several cathedrals across the world over the past six years.

US law student David MacMillan and his friend got more than just groceries during a recent supermarket trip in Washington, DC, as they were each offered a shot of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, after health care workers had not shown up for their appointments to get the doses. MacMillan posted a recording of himself getting the shot on TikTok, where it had been viewed more than 700,000 times.

Germans have been told to avoid central Washington, DC, following Wednesday's storming of the Capitol building. It's one of several advisories the German Foreign Ministry carries about travel to the United States.

A 2-meter-high fence lines the area around the Capitol. National Guard soldiers are patrolling the building and Capitol police roam the surrounding streets. The scene has changed dramatically since last week's riots.

Germans could be facing tougher restrictions soon, following comments by Chancellor Angela Merkel to politicians. There is already a lockdown, but it's not having much impact, official statistics seem to show.

Twitter has locked the account of the Chinese embassy in the US following a tweet it says violated its stand against "dehumanizing" people. The embassy had posted that Uighur women were "no longer baby-making machines."

Washington DC residents and tourists visit the National Mall to see the US capital's landmarks covered in snow after the biggest snowstorm in two years hit the city. At the Smithsonian's National Zoo, giant pandas made the most of the weather by sliding and rolling in the snowfall.

Just 12% of gas stations in the US capital still have fuel for sale, after cybercriminals forced a shutdown of the nation's largest gasoline pipeline.

The White House announced plans to hold a virtual summit for democracy in December. Leaders of the world's democracies are set to take part.

Martin Luther King III, son of the iconic civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King Jr, was arrested while protesting for voting rights in front of the White House on Wednesday as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was blocked in the US Senate. He and scores of other protesters were detained before later being released. The reasons for the arrests remain unclear. The 13-year-old granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr, Yolanda King, gave a speech at the rally.

The US Justice Department has charged four Chinese nationals over a global hacking campaign, which took aim at dozens of companies, universities and government agencies in the United States and elsewhere.

Police said they arrested a man after a series of shootings of homeless men in Washington, DC, and New York that killed two. The man was arrested early morning in southeast Washington, DC.