A new joint-project from DW, RBB and Berlin Producers is proving just how small the world is. Worldwide Berlin is hoping to create a connection to the more than 80 different Berlins that exist around the globe. Along with a four-part documentary airing in January, viewers can already dive into more than 100 Berlins on an interactive world map – each more colorful and curious than the last. It turns the world into a village, effortlessly eating up kilometers, climates and time zones.

Worldwide Berlin is a global interactive web documentary in the making. It is also the most comprehensive collection of stories from over 100 places worldwide called Berlin. If you want to find out how such a global, grassroots project got started – just take a look at the “making of” segments on the blog.

DW is blogging for and about women in South Asia. With  Women Talk Online, we are covering issues like organized marriage, women’s rights and equal employment, while presenting the brave and dedicated women from the region. We are presenting the issues that are important to women throughout South Asia and are always looking for more people to join in on the discussion.

DW Director General Erik Bettermann is currently in Latin America, presenting DW’s new television schedule for the region, with stops in Mexico, Chile Paraguay, Brazil, Panama and Colombia. Starting in February 2012, DW will expand its Spanish-language programming from two hours to 18 hours daily.

“Latin America is a continent with a lot of potential. Due to its political, economical and cultural relevance, it is one of our main target regions,” said Bettermann. “DW is already very important for information seekers and partners between Mexico and Argentina – and we want to expand this with more programming in Spanish.”

In Mexico, Bettermann and Germany’s Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, spent more than an hour with participants of the “Young Voices” Media Dialogue. They answered questions posed by up-and-coming journalists from Germany and Latin America. Participants included prominent young media workers who are bringing their ideas, stories and projects to the public forefront – often in unconventional ways. They posted their impressions, ideas and questions regarding the Media Dialogue on the event’s blog. “A positive culture shock”, “A successful exercise in collective intelligence”, “The beginning of a sustainable network,” was how they described the meeting.

In Guadalajara, Bettermann met with officials from La Red – the largest public broadcasting network in Spanish-speaking Latin America – to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement solidified the two broadcasters cooperation in the future, with La Red integrating audio, video and online content into its line-up.

In Chile, Bettermann met with the country’s President, Sebastian Pinera, who said that DW could fill an important gap with programming and information from Europe.

Alicia Barcena, General Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), also sees the potential of the expansion of programming in Latin America. She said that Germany and Latin America have a lot to offer each other – especially in the transfer of knowledge in the areas of technology and innovation. Barcena and Bettermann signed a Memorandum of Understanding for DW’s participation as media partner in next year’s Latin America-Europe Summit in Santiago de Chile.

Bettermann appeared on “Media and Human Rights” a DW coproduction with ARTV. Host Gonzalo Caceres led the discussion with human rights activists and prominent journalists, as the talked about the relationship between the media and the government in dictatorial countries.

DW is currently filming and producing a new documentary about the Scorpions – one of the most famous rock bands of all time. The group from Hannover is currently in the middle of their farewell tour and DW will be accompanying them along the way and filming their tour, their work in the studio and a taking a look at their private lives.

A legendary rock band is calling it quits. In 2010, the Scorpions announced a farewell tour that will take them around the world and back over three years. Big City Nights will be documenting this monumental journey and exploring the band’s fascinating history. You can find all of the information about the documentary and the tour right here. Our team will keep you updated each week with all of the latest news, audio and video clips. Welcome to the film’s website – and stay tuned for more.

The documentary “Big City Nights” will be premiered in 2012. Until then, fans will be offered exclusive material on the accompanying blog.

 

DW is once again contributing to the Young Media Summit, this year taking place from Tuesday, May 24 to Thursday May 26 in Cairo. The Young Media Summit is organized by Deutsche Welle’s DW Akademie in cooperation with the German Information Center Cairo. The conferences are being funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

The Young Media Summit will feature 18 German and Arabic bloggers who will meet to discuss “new media and reform in the Arab World”, leading up to a podium discussion at Cairo University on Thursday.

In addition, DW will also be producing a talkshow during the conference, which will be broadcast throughout the Arab World on May 27.

If you want to find out more, just check out the Young Media Summit website.