berlin was under siege. today, despite all the pressures around the city, berlin stands secure in its liberty and freedom itself is transforming the globe. in the philippines, in south and central america, democracy has been given for rebirth. throughout the pacific, free markets are working miracle after miracle of economic growth. , athe industrialized nations technological revolution is taking place, a revolution marked by rapid, dramatic advances in computers and telecommunications. in europe, only one nation refused to join the community of freedom. yet, in this age of redoubled growth, of information and innovation, the soviet union faces a choice. it must make fundamental changes or it will become obsolete. [applause] today, this represents a moment of hope. we in the west stand ready to cooperate with those in the east to promote hope and break down barriers that separate people, to create a safer and freer world. surely, there is no better place than berlin, meeting face -- meeting place of east and

we are live in berlin. as events are under way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. we'll get to all the celebrat n celebrations and festivities in a moment. you're seeing the beginning of those commemorative events on your screen. two american citizens held by north korea are back in the united states this sunday. a plane carrying kenneth bae and matthew todd miller touched down in washington state early this morning. they were released after u.s. director of national intelligence james clapper flew to north korea to discuss the men's' situation. kenneth bae spoke shortly after arriving in the united states. listen. >> i just want to say thank you all for supporting me and standing by me during this time. and it's been just amazing blessing to see so many people being involved, getting me released for last two years and not to mention the thousands of people who prayed for me as well. >> reporter: kenneth bae there. matthew todd miller, the other american detained in north kore

the german chancellor angela merkel is live at the berlin wall. very emotional part of berlin. this is where so many east berliners lost their lives, killed by border guards in many cases trying to cross from east to west. events are underway on this very special day. pretty soon we're expecting the lighting of candles at the national memorial for the victims of the berlin wall. angela merkel making her way to that location where she will be honoring those who lost their lives all these years ago over the decades that the wall stood from 1961 to 1989. chancellor merkel will also officially open the country's new permanent exhibition in the documentation center of the berlin wall memorial. all that and more to mark, of course, the quarter century since the wall came tumbling down. according to the official schedule we are a couple of minutes away from the lighting of those can'tlesdles. let's bring in my cnn colleagues. jim pleiken is live and, jim, if we could talk our viewers through the significance of this. the first female chancellor, first east german chancellor. many firs

berlin. -- east berlin. at this crucial time, secretary of the navy john connolly pays an official visit to berlin. he is greeted by berlin garrison. intensified now to prevent any emergency. august 18, 1961. vice president lyndon b. johnson western berlin as a personal emissary of president kennedy. at the airport, the vice president, accompanied by robert watson, united states commander on a guard soldiers of the west berlin police. guarda guard -- honor soldiers of the west berlin police. the vice president and mayor move on to city hall, where anxious people seek reassurance on the position of the united states. makeeir part, west germans it clear that they want the western alliance to stay and are opposed to any weakening in the protection they now enjoy. vice president johnson carries a message for president kennedy. freedom granted to west berlin, the united states is committed to the survival and future of a free west berlin. general lucius clay, who engineered the 1948 berlin airlift, is president k

let them come to berlin.applause] there are some who say -- there are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. let them come to berlin. [applause] and there are even if you -- even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil makem but it permits us to economic progress. .et them come [applause] freedom has made difficulties and democracy is not perfect. but we have never had to put a wall up to keep out people in, to prevent them from leaving us. [applause] while the wall is the most obvious and vivid demonstration of the failures of the communist system, for all the world to see , we take no satisfaction in it. , andur mayor has said offense not only against history, but an offense against humanity, dividing husbands and wives and brothers and sisters, and dividing a people who wish to be joined together. [applause] freedom is indivisible. enslaved, alls are not free. all free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of berlin. therefore, as a free man, i take pride in the words ic

it appears that the berlin wall all it represents is crumbling. the people of east germany sought to take their own destiny into their own hands. by the hundreds of thousands they have taken to the streets, asking only two things -- freedom and opportunity. either tens of thousands they have fled their homeland, seeking only two things -- freedom and opportunity. decades of communist rule lie in shambles. now we have today postern attic announcement. the ragtag communists trying to regain control are fighting a fight they cannot win, a fight against their own people. they are running at a pace they can't win, a race against history. that people in east germany have left them with only one reasonable choice, to go down the path that poland and hungary are already taking. people are the masters of the state cannot the service. will they stay on that path? the jury is still out. borders can be closed as well as opened. free elections can turn out to be nothing more than talk. seven of the 11 members are holdovers, and they are undoubtedly still power

i actually was born in berlin. i was born in east berlin. years old when the wall came down. but then at the very right time for me, when i was old enough to basically think what i can do with my life, i had the opportunity to go and, for example, go on an exchange to the u.s. and travel and understand the world with the freedom i had been at the time. >> it's a generation that doesn't, you know, that is aware of the past. and you can't escape the past here. it's on every street corner. it's amazing. it's fun. it gives the place such vibrancy. but the past is past. and the new generations, you know, they're completely focused on the future. >> reporter: the utopian dreams of east germany's communists fell along with the wall. a new generation is poised to succeed by building a future they can call their own. jim clancy, cnn, berlin. >>> for more, we're bringing you an entire weekend of special coverage on cnn. join us. for our international viewers, fred, jim clancy and hala will be at the brandenburg gate later today. 7:00 in london. and fo

fall of the berlin wall. early on, 8,000 balloons positioned along the wall were released and those lights exspinning wished to signify the falling of the wall. thousands of people have come to the gate. these are earlier pictures of the celebrations. let's leave you now with the sights and sounds from berlin. ♪ ♪ >> thousands turn out to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. >> from aljazeera's headquarters in doha, also ahead, a new government offers a message of hope in yemen but struggles to establish its authority. >> 2 million catalans take part in a vote to demand independence from spain. >> remembering the fallen in

the headlines -- the fall of the berlin wall. berlin celebrates a big anniversary with an installation tracing the wall's one-time passed through the once divided city. >> tensions rise in ukraine as kiev accuses russia of sending tanks across the border. >> and business news, positive signs for europe's biggest economy, german exports and industrial production bounceback -- bounce back. we start with an event millions of germans have been looking forward to for weeks now. the 25th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. >> the actual anniversary is on sunday, but celebrations are already under way with thousands pouring onto the streets of the german capital. >> berlin is gearing up for anniversary celebrations. over eight thousand balloons have been placed in areas where the wall once stood. they will be in the minute it over the weekend -- they will be in human aided -- they will be illuminated over the weekend. the speaker parliament was modest in his commemoration of this historic event. >> it often seems to us as if ger

morning, inunday june of 1955, i arrived in west berlin. officer in the united states army intelligence service. deep impression for me. before, i hads flown in an airplane for the first time, traveling from the united states to west germany. just that i before, i had made a trip in an overnight sleeper on a train, traveling from frankfurt to west berlin. but by far the greatest --ression made upon me then greatest impression made upon me then was coming face-to-face for the first time with the difference between democracy and totalitarianism. between freedom and communism. shortly after arriving in west berlin, i went to a large refugee center operated by the united states army to receive thousands of refugees fleeing ,ommunism in east germany poland, and czechoslovakia. during my time there, that's number reached over 3000 persons per week. those brave east germans, cze poles, all were demonstrating that the appeal of democracy was and is universal. in response to that human time, withast german government, the help of the soviet allies,

nick spicer has more. >> up to a million people are expected in berlin to celebrate the fall of the berlin wall, which used to run behind me here at the brandenburg gait, it 25 years ago this sunday. the former polish leader of the solidarity trade union is here, and mikhail gorbachev, the last secretary-general of the soviet union who warned at a symposium whilst coming to take part, that there was a risk that the world was on the verge of a new cold war because of tensions between russia and the west over ukraine. however, the overall feeling is one of celebration, with a performance of beethoven's "ode to joy", the anthem made possible by the fall of the wall. and silling by peter graperiel of -- gabriel of david bowie's hit "hero"s, a song that came to mind when a couple was seen kissing under the wall. >> coming up, we'll look at why the wall was built in the first place, and the turn of events that brought it down. and a german perspective. an historian joins us life ahead. >>> pope francis demoted a cardinal who has been critical of his agenda. raymond burke has been removed, he was

he was a foreigner living in west berlin. she was the woman who asked him to marry her so she could escape east germany. >> than the wall came down and changed everything. it sounds like the plot of a hollywood movie, but it's all true. we will have the full story after this one-minute break. >> you are watching me -- the "journal" on dw. >> see you in a minute. >> welcome back. today, another round of health workers in mali are receiving an experimental vaccine against ebola virus. it's part of a first trial for the vaccine in africa, and so far, results are said to be promising since it began back in october. >> a few weeks ago, mali became the sixth african country to have the disease in its borders when an infected to euro girl traveled there from guinea. >> our african correspondent visited the region. >> it is as simple as pulling open a gate. this car crosses the border from guinea into mali. every day, some 2000 people cross the border here. they come in cars, on bicycles, or on foot. many are traders hoping to sell t

one may never be like it ever again in berlin.west berlin. >> so all this week, we are commemorating the breathtaking events of 1989. you can be part of this conversation by telling us your favorite thing about berlin 25 years after the wall fell. just finish this sentence. my berlin is and then upload your responses to ireport.cnn.com. or you can post it to facebook and twitter with the #my berlin is. and you may just see that right here on cnn. >> the commercial breaks might be short, but it is enough time for one tv anchor to try some dance moves. ♪ but it's how his co-anchor responded to his antics that made this video go viral. [ male announcer ] over time, you've come to realize... [ starter ] ready! [ starting gun goes off ] [ male announcer ] it's less of a race... yeah! [ male announcer ] and more of a journey. and that keeps you going strong. at unitedhealthcare insurance company, we get that. with over 30 years of experience, we'll be there -- ready to go as far as you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance

bbc news, berlin. >> for more on the events surrounding the fall of the berlin wall 25 years ago, the role the american presidents played. the historian joined us from austin, texas. president ronald reagan called on gorbachev to tear down the berlin wall. how important was that rallying cry? >> it was an amazing moment. now everybody talks about it as ronald reagan's greatest speech. time, pundits and foreign-policy analysts thought it was inflammatory, it was just going to anger the soviet union. instead, reagan gets a lot of hard marks. as margaret thatcher famously said, you won the cold war without firing a single shot. there is a little hyperbole with that, but that speech being delivered in 1986, and in 1989 the wall coming down is often seen as cause and effect, reagan's great moment. bush was the. president when the wall actually came down. how did he respond to the end of the iron curtain? >> there is the unsung hero of it all. 41, as he is called now. he showed such grace and diplomacy, caution. remember, we did not know what was going to happen. it did not just come tumbli

been incidences of intolerance in berlin.in 2013, a well-known rabbi declared the borough of neukolln a no-go area for jews after he was attacked there. neukolln has a large muslim population. armin also lives there. to take a stand against the borough's stigmatization, armin launched the salon-shalom -- sa laam-shalom initiative. together with other jews, muslims, christians, and atheists living in neukolln, he wants to prove people of different cultures can live together peacefully all over berlin. >> it is much harder to have initiatives like this in israel. many people would say, you are living in a movie. so at least they can come here and be a bit more -- do initiatives like this that are a bit more naÏve. that there is nothing wrong with a positive kind of naivety. >> armin and his friends are not the only people with such ideals. more than 70 others have joined them in their bid to rid neukoelln of racism against jews and muslims and encourage cultural exchange -- something that's already a success on berlin's dance f

we are live in berlin.way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. we'll get to all the celebrat n celebrations and festivities in a moment. you're seeing the beginning of those commemorative events on your screen. two american citizens held by north korea are back in the united states this sunday. a plane carrying kenne

how the dramatic events in berlin were reported 25 years ago. i got this.ng] is it that time? the son picks up the check? [thinking] i'm still working. he's retired. i hope he's saving. i hope he saved enough. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. whether you're just starting your 401(k) or you are ready for retirement, we'll help you get there. i'd just gotten married. i was right out of school. my family's all military. you don't know what to expect. then suddenly you're there... in another world. i did my job. you do your best. i remember the faces... how everything mattered... so much more. my buddies... my country... everything... and everyone i loved... back home. ♪ [ male announcer ] for all who've served and all who serve, we can never thank them enough. ♪ doctors have been prescribingdecade, nexium to patients just like you. for many, prescription nexium helps heal acid-related erosions in the lining of the esophagus. there is risk of bone fracture and low magnesi

the berlin wall is not simply a dividing line between a divided city. the berlin wall has been a borderline between states and between the two most powerful military alliances. the border between gdr and the federal republic of germany will exist. until such circumstances -- it would be no different at the border with any other country. >> will the wall physically disappear? >> it will completely change character. >> is there going to have to be more reform? >> keeping people at home is a question of society. people should feel at home and be a attracted by the society. the problem is not opening the border. the problem is what i tried to explain to you. the problem is to build attractive socialism that would be so attractive that no one would want to leave it. that is all changes and what had been made up until now. >> will you open for pluralistic elections? >> our head of state has declared he is open for a free dialogue on how to handle problems, including the opening of general and free elections in my country. it is up to the parliament, who will

fleeing into west berlin.

berlin wall. truly one of the most historic moments in the recent past. a million people are crowding into the area where the wall stood, marking the wall's 9 mile loop, balloons. there have been celebrations, concerts, ceremonies. angela merkel saying that the fall of the wall shows us that dreams can come true. the moment was historic. it was the beginning of the end of the cold word. u.s. troops were stationed right there in west berlin as well as throughout germany. here is how one veteran remembered this moment. >> i don't have television. a friend called me. i live way up in a mountains. i drove 20 miles to his house where he has television and i saw people dancing. >> dreams can come true for that man as well. the reformist leader of the soviet leader at the time has been in berlin this weekend. but he had a warning, saying that the world was on the brink of a new cold war, this time involving the current leader of a newly assertive russia. highlighted as we have been watching this past yea

and i am a berliner. i know the history of berlin by heart. i thought it was a challenge to help to save the history. >> on an old photo he shows me this tower used to stand right in the so-called death strip at the border. two guards were always on duty in the post ordered to shoot to kill anyone who tried to flee east berlin. >> one guy looking out that direction? >> that way, to the west. the other to the east. cold in winter, hot in summer. strict order to shoot. >> reporter: today the east side gallery is the longest remaining part of the wall. stretching for about a mile and a half. but the berlin wall used to be more than 100 miles long, surrounding all of west berlin. where did all that concrete go? i find some of this on this lot outside berlin. a construction company bought the segments in 1990 and used them to store construction material. now they let artists paint on them for a small fee. the works range from portraits of nobel peace prize laureates to dictators, many of which are not around anymore. >> every painter has only the r

there is writing on the berlin wall coming down that doesn't involve berliners. there is writing on the end of german division that doesn't involve germans. i'm trying to bring in these local actors to show the significance of their agency. in the united states, our foreign policy goes badly awry when we forget the agency of local actors. i will give you a quotation from a former activist i interviewed -- this is a woman who was a very active protester in east germany for years before the wall came down -- she said, "it still amazes me when i read history books about the history i made, i read these history books, and they say, the wall fell, and it gave us our freedom . we fought for our freedom, and then the wall fell." she is right. you would like to bring that understanding, that there was a peaceful revolution and it mattered and that it was causal, into the historiography. there were people on the ground fighting for their freedom, and then the wall fell. >> before i bring this session to a close, which i'm sure we will continue the discussion, i should men

>> the berlin wall fell 25 years ago on november 9, 1980 nine. now, american history tv, we revisit that historic day with archival c-span video, featuring president george h.w. bush from the oval office, reaction from senate leaders bob dole and george mitchell on capitol hill, and the east german ambassador, from the national press club in washington. we will also hear the speeches that president kennedy and reagan delivered in berlin in 1963 and 1987, respectively, that galvanized her lenders and the free world. first we go to the white house where president george h.w. bush held an informal oval office press conference on november 9, 1989. as events unfolded in berlin, he was criticized for not appearing to share in the jubilation. they are his closest aides and historians ascribe they resident determined not to provoke a backlash by soviet hardliners. >> what we wanted -- take a brief statement here. the latest news coming out of germany. i welcome the decision by the east german leadership to open its borders to those wishing to emigrate or

the fall of the berlin fall.ll see why so many people risked their lives to break through the barrier. stay with us here on cnn. female announcer: through tuesday at sleep train save hundreds on beautyrest and posturepedic. choose $300 in free gifts with tempur-pedic. even choose 48 months interest-free financing on the new tempur-choice. the triple choice sale ends tuesday, veterans day. >>> hey there, i'm glad you stayed was here on cnn. welcome back. to those of you watching in the u.s. and around the world, i'm errol barnett. here are the top stories we're tracking for you right now. tensions are running high at one of the holiest sites in jerusalem. police and protesters clashed wednesday at the temple mount. also at least one person was killed. more than a dozen wounded in a car attack in jerusalem and one in the west bank. the world health organization now says more than 4800 people have died of ebola out of more than 13,000 cases. those numbers are revised down slightly from where they were before. the gr

nowhere do east and west germans live clotioner together than berlin. -- closer together than in berlin. >> the police on the eastern side of the wall don't seem to have received instructions or els they don't understand them. they're still sending people away and telling them to come back tomorrow morning. >> the news kicked off an ave launch. east germans trusted the western media and headed for the border. and then the border police let them through. >> she called me up. come here! i want to walk with you across the bridge. our bridge of suffering. >> what happened that night altered western preconception, too. >> westerners thought everyone who left east germany would want to stay in the west. that's how it had been for 27 years. the people coming from east berlin all wanted to finally see and stroll down west berlin's big boulevard. maybe drink a beer. but then go back. they all had to work. >> the children were in bed. they had a furnished apartment. their refrigerator was full. what did they want in the west? they had no place to stay. they had visited the west and whatever. >> t

this used to be no man's land three east berlin and west berlin., it has hasme further could -- it become fertile ground for high-end apartments. rich. is hosting the apartments for russian >> buyers >>, americans, scandinavians, german billionaires want to have their footprint in berlin. >> part of berlin's post-reunification growth that is finally happening. five start losing at three or four star prices. this robust townhouses follows the wall's old line. for 2.5 million dollars, you get an opened ceiling living room and privacy on demand. eat in kitchen, four stories, a guest room on its own floor, private bath, and a study. a master bedroom, a massive bathroom, and a bathtub with a view. ym, a sauna to relax. a $7.5 million apartment is the record for berlin. the prices are cheaper than london or paris. with the housing shift, long-term residents are being cries out. a we had 10 or 20 sections day at the moment. 10 years before -- we had 10 or 20 evictions a day at the moment. 43%, wages have raise 4% in the last three years. date dollar build

as 1 million rallied in east berlin. five days later the east german government lifted travel restrictions. within hours, demonstrators were celebrating. on september 3rd, u.s. president bush and gorbachev announced an end to the cold war, and the following year east and west general assembly re-un ited, something barely conceivable when the process began a year earlier. to talk more about the fall of the u.s. wall, let's bring in timothy fry, from colombus university. and a professor of global leadership, history and public policy at the university of texas. did the moment mark the end of the cold war? >> i think when the berlin wall came down, it was a symbolic moment. it was clear to everyone that fundamental political and economic change was on the way. it's important to bear in mind that the culmination of political and economic change in russia, and demonstrations throughout europe were those driving the forces of the call of the wall. >> was that your take at that moment? >> it was. it represented the end of the c

i was born in berlin. i was born in east berlin. i was 9 years old when the wall came down, and the right time for me when i was old enough to basically think what i can do with my life, i had the opportunity to go, and for example, go on an exchange to the u.s. and travel and understand the world with the freedom that i had at the time. >> it's a generation that doesn't -- that is aware of the past and you can't escape the past here, it's on every street corner and it's amazing and fun and gives the place such vibrants, and the new generations are completely focused on the future. >> the utopian dreams of the communist fell along with the wall, and a new generation is poised to succeed with a future they can call their own. >> it was a trip down memory lane for a lot of berlinists. but joining us is cnn's frederick. 1989 represented such a turning point in the history, the collapse of the soviet union. talk to us about the celebrations going on. angela merkel, she grew up in east germany, and gorbachev was there as well. >> yes, he

on the 25t 25th anniversary of the celebration of the fall of the berlin wall.for that. >> in yemen, a new government has been sworn in, but the political crisis there is far from over. two major factions, the houthis and supporters of the old regime have rejected the newly formed government. despite that, the prime minister has told aljazeera that his government has the support of yemenis. >> yemen's prime minister looks confident. he's walking to address the nation with a message of hope. he faces a string of problems, including sect arian tension, violence, instability and the rise of al-qaeda. >> with the support of all the people of yemen, with the support of the arab nations, our friends, from all over the world, we will face the challenge. >> this is the swearing in ceremony for the newly formed government. ministers loyal to the former president showed up and backed the current president. the leader had warned against such moves. the general is the new defense minister. he faces the delicate task of reforming an early and getting the support from militar

cnn berlin. >> that was great. fred joins us now live from berlin.f all, you have to tell me about the car, that's pretty awesome. and also what a day that's coming up on sunday. >> absolutely, poppy. there's one thing that you can say and that is that i don't travel in style. we have the car right here. it's called the trabant which was the main car in communist east germany. it's called the trabant 601 and i managed to get my hand on the "s" model which means sport, which mean this is vehicle has 26 horsepower. i've been driving this around as part of this entire week, it doesn't have power steering, certainly doesn't have power brakes. in fact, this one barely has any brakes at all. it certainly catches people's eyes. it's been great to drive the car around but i won't be sad to not have to drive it around when the week is over and you're right. it will be big celebrations here in berlin. i don't know if you can see behind me, there's lights that you see there. that's a recreation of where the berlin wall used to be. it's about eight miles long. o

does david cameron feel support from berlin is slipping away? >> david cameron has not clearly set out his immigration policy. he is supposed to do that before christmas. it is clear he does want a renegotiation of the freedom of movement which is, of course, at the heart of the european union. there are reports of him calling for emergency brakes, especially between countries with lower living standards. chancellor markel has made it clear she does not want that so david cameron will have to think again. >> angela markel does nothing much of this idea from london. nina, some say that there is a sea change in germany's relationship with london. tell us what is going on. >> what you have to know is the chancellor has been one of the most vocal supporters of the british-eu relationship. she has supported cameron's policies on several occasions. for her to point out the red line like this is seen by some as just a turning point. but she is just repeating a well-known position. she will not have treaties rewritten. she is not against reform. and her

. >>> plus balloons fill berlin's sky as the tributes to the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall come to a close. >>> we begin with the president's trip. the leaders of china and japan have held their first face-to-face talks since both leaders took office. chinese president xi jinping and japanese prime minister shinzo abe shook hands at the apec summit in beijing monday. the meeting is considered a breakthrough in tensions between the two countries mainly over a long-standing territorial dispute over a chain of islands in the east china sea. the last formal meeting at this level between china and japan took place nearly three years ago. >>> u.s. president obama is also in beijing for the apec meetings. it is the first stop on his week-long asia trip. he's also expected to meet with china's president to discuss key foreign policy issues like cyber security. mr. obama then heads to myanmar and finally australia for the g-20 summit. >>> china's human rights record is also under the microscope while president obama is there. it usually is. david mckenzie joins us live from beijing

theas been 25 years since fall of the berlin wall that separated east and west berlin. how thousands at of people honored the historic moment in germany. eightliners released house and lighted white balloons into the sky, marking the path of the berlin wall with a sign of peace. a quarter of the center -- a quarter of a century has passed since the fall of the berlin wall -- a concrete wall separating east and west berlin from 1961 to 1989, cutting off friends and relatives in the same city. it became an iconic symbol of the cold war. the german chancellor time rated the occasion with words of hope. the wall showed his dreams can come true. nothing has to stay as it is. on november 9, 19 89, germans tore the wall down. some with their hands, others using hammers and pick axes. it ignited a spark that symbolize the end of the cold war. >> it was a movement i the .eople of east berlin >> a 1.6 mile long portion of the wall known as the east side gallery is still standing and accessible to viewers. after commemorating the wall with a mortar of light at the brandenburg gate

president vowed america would not let berlin fall to communism. >> ich bin ein berliner. >> reporter:ut the communists tightened their grip on east germany. the wall's death grip was upgraded and living conditions got worse. most people were forced to live a dull life in communist high-rise blocs with no chance of realizing their personal dreams. meantime the west kept the pressure up. on june 12th, 1987, west berliners gathered at the victory column, while down the street president ronald reagan demanded that moscow end the divide. >> mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall. >> reporter: that happened on november 9th, 1989 when the bankrupt east german regime opened the border and finally gave its citizens freedom. today germany is united. its economy stronger than ever, thanks to the people of both east and west germany and the allies who never backed down in their fight against communism. cnn, berlin. >> i like the way they did that story. cnn was there, right there. there it goes when the berlin wall fell. and we are there now to show you what has changed and where you can still see si

. >>> the berlin wall came down 25 years ago this weekend. it had been up for about 30 years before that. the symbol of the cold war, dividing east and west berlin, which are now, of course, part of a prosperous and unified germany. mikhail gorbachev commemorated at checkpoint charlie to commemorate the anniversary. back then for us in the news media, it was the biggest story for us at the time and few of us can believe it's been 25 years. i'm brian williams reporting from the berlin wall. >> as i was saying, a number of us were there early on. but one american anchorman, one broadcast, this one, in fact, got their first. tonight, tom brokaw has a look back at that trip and that momentous time. >> reporter: it was a night when the world changed right before our eyes. good evening live from the berlin wall on the most historic night in this wall's history. this was me 25 years ago at the brandonburg gate, the berlin wall, the night that it came down. a complete surprise and yet one of the most historic and significant events of the 20th centur

anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. for 30 years it kept people escaping communist east germany before it fell in 1989. 8,000 balloons were released to represent the end of the cold war. a million people were expected it visit berlin. it included pop and classical music. the day included sombre notes as well. roses were placed in a section of the wall. many called for reflection on what the fall meant for germans. >> it is the moment where we have to step back and think about how did we come here, and germany came a long way in 25 years of managing its internal integration, and managing to have a different role in the european union. we are now asked to take leadership, which is something germans didn't want to, and it's more like taking responsibility. there's a lot of positive things inside, and in the western alliance but it's a reminder that we shouldn't take things for granted. >> german chancellor angela merkel said today that the wall's opening represented the potential for change in the world. nick spicer is in

. >> also berlin is getting ready for a huge celebration to mark the fall of the berlin wall.ple have risked their lives for freedom. >>> ralless rodriguez has reportedly admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. >> he made the statements in exchange for immunity against his supplier. he reportedly spent $12,000 a month on the drugs. >> a-rod's spokesman has declined to comment on the report. the star infielder has been suspended for sly lating baseball's drug policy, but he is eligible to play again in 2015. >> we are days away from what is sure to be a massive celebration in berlin. it's been 25 year since the fall of the berlin wall. >> the city has changed so much since the days of the division between east and west germany and our jim clancy who's also changed so much is there. >> workers were working overtime to prefair for sunday's commemoration for the fall of the wall. all around this city, the pieces to a so-called border of light were being set in place. and visitors from around the world were right where they wanted to be. >> hi opinion i'm haley. >> we're at

that night the berlin wall began to fall. my next two guests were in the cockpits of power in the white house and 10 downing street and had to manage great power diplomacy through a period of unprecedented change. brent scowcroft was the national security adviser to then president george herbert walker bush and charles powell was his counterpart in britain, foreign policy adviser to then prime minister margaret thatcher. charles, when you were watching this happen, did you realize that the wall meant the end of the soviet empire? >> i didn't think i realized immediately, but i did think they were at a crisis point. i think this was the last of the great cold war crises. you can trace it through the berlin air lift, the soviet invasions of hungary and prague, the deployment of soviet intermediate range range nuclear weapons in europe. this started out as a characteristic cold war crisis with uncertainty about exactly what would happen, risks because europe was awash with nuclear weapons. we really didn't know from one minute t

representing where the berlin wall used to stand.gine being spied on, harassed, hated, simply for your job and where you live. this was life in germany in the early 1980s. for cnn correspondent fred pleitgen and his family. now 25 years after east and west berlin united again, and the wall was ripped down, frederik and his father went back to see how far the city has come. >> reporter: a drive through berlin is like a journey back in time for me. my dad was a correspondent for west german tv ard in easter e berlin and lived here on this street. fritz pleitgen ran the bureau in east berlin from 1977 until 1982. one of the people the communist regime feared most. >> it was war of airwaves. even more than a military war. because there was competition between east germany and west germany. >> reporter: we went back to our old house together. to talk about the old days that i can barely remember, but that were among the most challenging of his career. this video was provided to cnn by the west german broadcasting company. it shows my dad

it's been 25 years since the fall of the berlin wall, the seperated east and west berlin.ss.and joy. berliners released eight- thousand lighted white balloons into the sky sunday, marking the path of the berlin wall with a sign of peace. a quarter of a century has passed since the fall of the berlin wall: nearly 27 miles of concrete and barbed wire that separated east and west berlin, from 1961 to 1989. cutting off friends and relatives in the same city, it became an iconic symbol of the cold war. german chancellor angela merkel commemorated the occasion with words of hope. "the fall of wall showed us that dreams can come true; nothing has to stay how it is." on november 9th, 1989, germans tore the wall down. some with their hands; others using hammers and pickaxes. berlin's mayor praised the citizens of east berlin for igniting the spark that signaled the end of the cold war. "the fall of the wall was the result of the movement by the people of east berlin." "it was not the work by politicians, it was the work by the citizens of the city." a one point six mile long portio

berlin was divided. in agreements among the four powers promised freedom of movements among the four sectors. capitalist west berlin was stuck like a bone in the soviet throat. by the summer of 1961 us thousands fled to the west. embarrassing the russians, that the east german government was given a mission to close the border for good. >> the flow trying to reach freedom is 1500 a day. >> the next day the east german army and police force built a barbed wire and concrete barrier. east berliners were told to stay home. >> the east called it the antifascist protected bull work. the rest of the world called it the berlin wall. what were initially coils of barbed wire grew to a 100 mile double white concrete wall na snaked around west berlin, cutting off streaks. on the east german side was a death strip. soft sand to show foot prints, floodlights, trip wire machine guns, patrolling soldiers with orders to shoot on eight. >> eight were reportedly killed, trying to flee over the wall. more than 5,000 east ge

to west berlin.ou had those helium balloons that were released. for angela merkel, she said it was a moment to mark the progress of human freedom. will never forget the movement for freedom and democracy and eastern european states pave the way for the happiest moment in our recent history. the fall of the wall showed us that james -- that dreams can become reality. we want to share this experience with our partners throughout the world. thank you. >> all weekend, even during the celebrations, tensions in ukraine are rising. disturbing reports about a fragile cease-fire. gorbachevy, mikael mourned about the triumphalism of the west on the collapse of the soviet union. he says that failures by the east-west bloc can be seen in countries like yugoslavia 10 years ago and now in ukraine. have a listen. brink ofrld is on the a new cold war. some people are even saying that it has already begun. >> today, it is back to work, reconciling these two economies, bringing them closer together. good news on the a

is in berlin -- prime ministers in berlin for talks. >> before they got to business, sharif was greeted to military honors. >> chancellor merkel rolled out the red carpet. he is visiting berlin to encourage german investment in pakistan. berlin and islamabad do not always see eye to i. chancellor merkel expressed his support for pakistan but did set out some conditions she would like to see fulfilled. >> he has succeeded in his efforts to improve security, and to create a legal system where investors are confident. >> violence continues to plague large areas of pakistan. the taliban is powerful and continues to harass the population. christians and other religious minorities other -- face desiccation. anyone accused of defaming mohammed or islam can face jail time. a christian couple was murdered for blasphemy last week. >> this is a democratic and aggressive country and it is from the committed to promote and protect human rights. >> after the talks, the german government announced it would help pakistan expand vocational training programs and upgrade its energy sector. >> the price of

let them come to berlin. there are a few who say that it's true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress [speaking german.] [applause.] >> many difficulties and democracy is not perfect. but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in to prevent them from leaving us [applause.] communism is the most obvious and vivid demonstration of the failures of the communist system. for all of the world to see, we take no satisfaction in it for it is as your mayor has said, an offense not only against history but an offense against humanity, separating families, dividing husbands and wives and brothers and sisters and dividing a people who wish to be joined together [applause.] freedom is indid i have visible and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. all free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of berlin. and, therefore, as a freeman, i take pride in the word ich b ich bin ein berlinr. >> president john f. kennedy made those comments on june 26th, 1963, two ye