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| Germany marks anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall | Germany marks anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Celebrations are being held in Germany to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. | Celebrations are being held in Germany to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. |
| Chancellor Angela Merkel attended a service for victims of the communist East German regime, and will go to a huge party at the Brandenburg Gate. | |
| White balloons marking a stretch of the wall will be released to symbolise its disappearance. | White balloons marking a stretch of the wall will be released to symbolise its disappearance. |
| The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to stop people fleeing from East Germany to the West. | The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 to stop people fleeing from East Germany to the West. |
| Its fall in 1989 became a powerful symbol of the end of the Cold War. | Its fall in 1989 became a powerful symbol of the end of the Cold War. |
| The day's events began with a brass band playing, evoking the trumpets which brought down the walls of the biblical city of Jericho. | The day's events began with a brass band playing, evoking the trumpets which brought down the walls of the biblical city of Jericho. |
| Chancellor Merkel and other officials laid roses in one of the remaining sections of the wall. | Chancellor Merkel and other officials laid roses in one of the remaining sections of the wall. |
| While chatting to crowds afterwards, she said it was important to think about all those who suffered because of the Wall, not only in Germany but throughout Eastern Europe. | |
| Ms Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, will be joined later by former Polish trade union leader and president Lech Walesa and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader. | Ms Merkel, who grew up in East Germany, will be joined later by former Polish trade union leader and president Lech Walesa and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader. |
| The wall stretched for 155km (96 miles) through Berlin but today only about three kilometres of it still stands. | The wall stretched for 155km (96 miles) through Berlin but today only about three kilometres of it still stands. |
| Within a year of its collapse, Germany - divided after its defeat in World War Two - was reunited. | Within a year of its collapse, Germany - divided after its defeat in World War Two - was reunited. |
| More than a million visitors have descended on Berlin for the weekend of festivities that will culminate later on Sunday at the Brandenburg Gate. | More than a million visitors have descended on Berlin for the weekend of festivities that will culminate later on Sunday at the Brandenburg Gate. |
| The monument itself was inaccessible during the partition of Germany and is seen as a symbol of the country's reunification. | The monument itself was inaccessible during the partition of Germany and is seen as a symbol of the country's reunification. |
| On Saturday, people posed for photos in front of the few remaining graffiti-daubed slabs of the wall, or read information boards about life under Berlin's 28-year division. | On Saturday, people posed for photos in front of the few remaining graffiti-daubed slabs of the wall, or read information boards about life under Berlin's 28-year division. |
| Others admired the art installation of almost 7,000 white balloons, pegged to the ground and winding along a 15km (nine miles) stretch of the wall's route. | Others admired the art installation of almost 7,000 white balloons, pegged to the ground and winding along a 15km (nine miles) stretch of the wall's route. |
| At the bustling Potsdamer Platz, which was once cut in two by the wall, a small crowd watched archive footage of East German demonstrators chanting: "We are the people." | At the bustling Potsdamer Platz, which was once cut in two by the wall, a small crowd watched archive footage of East German demonstrators chanting: "We are the people." |
| Striking a more sombre note, Mr Gorbachev, 83, warned on Saturday that the world was on the brink of a new Cold War. | Striking a more sombre note, Mr Gorbachev, 83, warned on Saturday that the world was on the brink of a new Cold War. |
| Tensions between the West and Russia have been raised by the crisis in Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union. | Tensions between the West and Russia have been raised by the crisis in Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union. |
| "Bloodshed in Europe and the Middle East against the backdrop of a breakdown in dialogue between the major powers is of enormous concern," he said. | "Bloodshed in Europe and the Middle East against the backdrop of a breakdown in dialogue between the major powers is of enormous concern," he said. |
| "The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some are even saying that it's already begun." | "The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some are even saying that it's already begun." |
| Mr Gorbachev said that the West - in particular the US - had succumbed to "triumphalism" after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. | Mr Gorbachev said that the West - in particular the US - had succumbed to "triumphalism" after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. |
| For this reason the global powers had been unable to cope with conflicts in Yugoslavia, the Middle East and now Ukraine, he added. | For this reason the global powers had been unable to cope with conflicts in Yugoslavia, the Middle East and now Ukraine, he added. |
| Mr Gorbachev, as leader of the USSR in the late 1980s, is credited with rapprochement with the West and creating a more liberal atmosphere which led to the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989. | Mr Gorbachev, as leader of the USSR in the late 1980s, is credited with rapprochement with the West and creating a more liberal atmosphere which led to the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989. |
| Russia has denied fomenting trouble in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russia separatists seized control in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in April. | Russia has denied fomenting trouble in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russia separatists seized control in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in April. |
| More than 4,000 people have died in the fighting. | More than 4,000 people have died in the fighting. |
| A fragile ceasefire has been in place since September, but elections in rebel-held areas last weekend have prompted fears of a return to full-scale conflict. | A fragile ceasefire has been in place since September, but elections in rebel-held areas last weekend have prompted fears of a return to full-scale conflict. |