World

35 years on from the fall of the Berlin Wall

Published

2 weeks ago

November 8, 2024

Press Room

35 years on from the fall of the Berlin Wall

The wall, which separated East and West Germany, stood for 28 years before it was torn down in 1989.

35 years ago the Berlin wall fell, reuniting Germans who were divided between east and west for nearly three decades.

As Berliners poured through holes in the concrete to reach the other side, the iron curtain that separated the Soviet Union from the West was shattered.

For some, the event was a tragedy rather than a cause for celebration.

Institute for European Politics research fellow Laura Worsch says Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the breakup of the Soviet Union the “greatest trauma and tragedy in Russian history. So there you can already see that in his world and in his ideology, he would rather have this separation again.”

She says it is not just about separation, but also about having military and economic power over people.

Less than a thousand kilometres east of Berlin at the border with Europe, new walls are being built.

Poland is fortifying its border with Belarus to stop illegal migrants, who according to Warsaw are being used by Belarus and Moscow to destabilise the West.

Worsch says this wall is a “humanitarian catastrophe for the refugees, for the migrants that are stuck there in the forest with no infrastructure, no food and no humanitarian aid whatsoever.”

‘Uphold freedom’

This year, people in the German capital will celebrate the fall of the wall with the slogan “uphold freedom.”

Worsch draws a link between the Berlin Wall and countries in Europe fortifying their borders.

In September, Germany announced it would be imposing temporary checks on its land borders, citing concerns over immigration.

Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland have also imposed border checks, a move critics say undermines freedom of movement in the European Union.

Decisions made to impose border checks are mostly motivated by concerns around illegal immigration. In October, migration dominated a summit of European leaders with several calling for so-called “return hubs” — third country centres where migrants would be processed.

Worsch says that, in this case, there “are so many crises that I think it’s natural that people feel vulnerable and threatened and tend to kind of close themselves off from the world and concentrate on what they feel is theirs.”

Dividing east and west

The Berlin wall, which was in place in the city between 1961 and 1989, divided the city between the socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR) and capitalist West Germany.

It was a physical reminder of the Iron Curtain, a metaphor used to describe the competing idealogies and politics between the Soviet Union and its satellite states and the West during the Cold War.

During the near three decades that the wall stood, at least 140 people died at the wall under circumstances connected to the GDR.

When the wall fell in 1989, it marked the first step towards German reunification and was one of a series of events which kickstarted the fall of communism in central and eastern Europe.

Fragments of the wall still stand today, and draw thousands of visitors from across the world to the German capital.

Related Topics:europe Fall of the Berlin wall Featured Germany

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World

Adani's Bribery Scandal Raises Concern on Market, Public Disclosure Lapses

Published

5 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Adani's Bribery Scandal Raises Concern on Market, Public Disclosure Lapses

By Aditya Kalra and Aditi Shah NEW DELHI (Reuters) – In March, Adani Group’s head of corporate finance wrote an email to one of its lenders, calling as “baseless” a media report on the group’s alleged bribery investigation in the United States. That email was also marked to top finance executive …

World

A look inside the most expensive house in the world — the home of the UK’s monarch

Published

6 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

A look inside the most expensive house in the world — the home of the UK’s monarch

The world’s most expensive house is located in London, England.

Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the king, is widely considered the most expensive house in the world, valued at around $4.9 billion.

Buckingham Palace is far from a traditional house with 775 rooms and 50,000 people visiting each year for receptions, dinners, state banquets and other events, according to the royal family website.

Buckingham Palace is considered the most expensive house in the world. (Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images I Fox Photos/Getty Images)

ROYAL FAMILY SPOUSES: KATE MIDDLETON, MEGHAN MARKLE, OTHER CURRENT SPOUSES OF ROYAL FAMILY MEMBERS

This, of course, is outside the half million tourists who visit the destination each year. In 2023-2024, about 530,000 tourists visited Buckingham Palace, according to Statista.

In addition to viewing the breathtaking palace, visitors often watch the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony.

For those who want a look inside Buckingham Palace, guests can view the state rooms in the summer as well as on select dates in the winter and spring when small guided tours are available, according to the Royal Collection Trust website.

The Changing of the Guard ceremony is one many tourists observe while visiting Buckingham Palace. (Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images)

OWNER OF WORLD’S LARGEST CAR COLLECTION HAS OVER 7,000 VEHICLES IN HIS POSSESSION

Since 1837, Buckingham Palace has been the official London residence of the United Kingdom’s sovereigns, according to the royal family website.

Among the 775 rooms located in Buckingham Palace are 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 bedrooms for staff, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms, according to the royal family website.

The royal palace is full of breathtaking places, including the White Drawing Room, the Throne Room, the Ballroom and the 47-meter Picture Gallery filled with historical art.

The royal family waves to the public from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during events. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

SET SAIL ON WORLD’S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP, WHICH CAN ACCOMMODATE OVER 7,000 GUESTS PER VOYAGE

The Grand Staircase and 39-acre Palace Garden are other highlights.

The balcony of the royal palace is where generations of royals have stepped out for public appearances.

Another home ranked as one of the most expensive is Antilia in Mumbai, India.

Antilia holds the Guinness World Record for the “most expensive private house in the world.”

The mansion is estimated to be worth between $1 billion and $2 billion, according to Architectural Digest India.

It is owned by business magnate Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries.

The most expensive private residence is Antilia in Mubai, India, which is owned by Mukesh Ambani. (Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The 400,000-square-foot residence is 570 feet tall.

The 27 stories of Antilia include numerous swimming pools, a spa and a theater, according to Guinness World Records.

The property also includes 168 parking spaces and three helipads.

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital.

World

WHO says mpox remains public health emergency of international concern

Published

7 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

WHO says mpox remains public health emergency of international concern

UN health agency says its decision is ‘based on the rising number and continuing geographic spread of cases’.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it will keep its alert for mpox at the highest level amid a surge in cases.

A WHO committee made up of about a dozen independent experts made the decision at a meeting in Geneva on Friday, three months after the WHO first declared a public health emergency of global concern in August.

The WHO said its decision was “based on the rising number and continuing geographic spread of cases, operational challenges in the field, and the need to mount and sustain a cohesive response across countries and partners”.

There has been a surge in mpox cases this year, predominantly focused in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring countries.

A first batch of vaccines was rolled out last month and appears to have had an impact on containing cases of the highly contagious disease, but the United Nations agency has been waiting for substantial proof to discuss the impact of vaccinations.

The African Union’s health watchdog warned at the end of October that the mpox outbreak was still not under control and called for more resources to avoid a pandemic that it said could potentially be worse than COVID-19.

The virus is usually mild, but it can be fatal in rare cases.

Mpox is believed to have killed hundreds of people in the DRC and elsewhere last year as it also spread to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria and Uganda, causing a continent-wide emergency.

The disease can be spread through close contact with an infected person, sexual activity or breathing in infectious particles. The virus then replicates and spreads to the lymph nodes, leading them to swell before further spreading and causing rashes or lesions.