Police with machine guns to secure Berlin New Year festive zone

German authorities are beefing up security for New Year's eve celebrations in Berlin on Saturday after last week's truck attack, deploying police with machine guns and securing the festive zone around the Brandenburg Gate with concrete slabs. "This year, what's new is that we will place concrete blocks and position heavy armoured vehicles at the entrances" of the celebration zone, a Berlin police spokesman said. While the number of police officers deployed will remain close to last year's figure of around 1,000, this year, "at least some of them will be standing there with machine guns," he added.

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