Google Follows Meta in Yanking Local News Links in Canada After Online News Act is Passed – Global Bulletin

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off early Thursday, with the monthlong tournament showcasing the world’s best teams taking place this year in Australia and New Zealand. It’s where the favored U.S. will be looking to secure a record third consecutive title.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The GOAT has entered the stadium. World Cup champ Lionel Messi is set to make his Inter Miami debut Friday, as the MLS team faces off against Cruz Azul in the 2023 Leagues Cup. The annual CONCACAF event pits teams from Major League Soccer against teams from Mexico’s Liga MX in an inter-continental face off. Messi is expected to make his Inter Miami debut on Friday, July 21 and you can watch Messi’s first game online through Apple TV+. The streaming service’s MLS Season Pass gets you a livestream of Messi’s debut vs. Cruz Azul, and access to all the Leagues Cup matches online free.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The 2023 Women’s World Cup in Sydney and Australia kicks off on Thursday, July 20, and this year’s tournament has the potential to be one of the most entertaining events in the game’s 32-year history. It’s the first time that 32 teams will compete for the world title, with more than half of the field as serious title contenders: most notably, the U.S who has the opportunity to three-peat, England off the back of a Euros 2022 win and Australia, whose striker Sam Kerr is one of the best players on the field and arguably the face of this year’s tournament. Eyes will also be on the U.S team since star player Megan Rapinoe announced she’s retiring later this year, making this the last major tournament she’s likely to ever play.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Exports of K-pop albums increased by 17% year on year to reach an all-time record of $133 million in the first six months of the year. The U.S. is now the second biggest overseas market for Korean music worth $25 million, having overtaken China, but still trailing Japan ($48 million), according to data from the Korea Customs Service. The next largest were Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Canada, the U.K. and France.The record was achieved despite the absence of BTS as a group (though BTS members Jimin, and Suga put out solo efforts) and saw Stray Kids, Tomorrow X Together, Seventeen, Ateez and Twice all make an international impact.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Freevee has ordered an expanded third season of Germany reality series 7 Vs Wild, as distributor Quintus Studios bags international format rights to the YouTube show.

There might finally be some good news for Canadian Taylor Swift fans!

concluded talks without reaching an agreement, thus triggering a strike vote by the SAG-AFTRA National Board for Thursday morning. A strike is expected to be called, and the union will direct its 160,000 members to immediately stop all scripted film and TV work around the world.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sakamoto Ryuichi, the Japanese film composer and music supervisor who died in March, has been posthumously named as the recipient of the Jecheon Film Music Award at the 19th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (Aug. 10-15). Sakamoto won Academy Awards and Golden Globes for his score for “The Last Emperor” and has other credits including “The Sheltering Sky,” “Railroad Man,” “The Revenant,” “Call Me By Your Name” and “The Fortress.”Abrai Joji from Commons the music label established jointly with Sakamoto, and Yutaka Toyama from Promax, which had produced Sakamoto’s concerts since 1986, will visit the festival. Additionally, a tribute concert will be held on Aug. 12 at the Jecheon Stadium.

Fox Entertainment Global, the nascent international distribution arm of the U.S. network, has struck a sales pact with Canadian company Neshama.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International Last June, Paramount Global pulled out all the stops at London’s spacey Outernet venue for its streaming launch in the U.K. The studio flew in 21 stars including Michelle Pfeiffer and Sylvester Stallone to pitch their Paramount+ originals to a wide-eyed audience. No expense, it seemed, was spared for the service’s splashy kick-off. One year later, as Paramount Global sheds assets Stateside and offloads original programs in a bid to save money, that investment in international seems to be paying off. The company’s most robust signs of growth appear to be from its international streaming division, which has penetrated more than 45 markets to date, spanning Western Europe, Australia, South America and Canada. Currently, 85 local originals have been earmarked for the platform (some are already on the service, while others are in production or recently greenlit) — and those commissions aren’t going anywhere, according to top brass.

Madonna has issued her first statement since receiving treatment for a bacterial infection, which resulted in the postponement of her 40th anniversary world tour. She thanked fans for their support and gave an update on plans for rescheduled dates.“Thank you for your positive energy, prayers and words of healing and encouragement”, she wrote.

Madonna has updated fans on her health and tour date plans after her stay in intensive care. The music superstar said she will focus on her “health and getting stronger” and apologised for disappointing those hoping to see her upcoming shows.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Disney+ has set an Aug. 9 upload date for Korean series “Moving” from webtoon pioneer Kang Full. The previously announced title forms part of a 20-component slate of films and series from East Asia that will release on the Disney-backed streaming platform in the second half of 2023 and through 2024.Also from Korea is “The Worst of Evil,” a detective series in which a rural policemen is brought to the big city to bring down a DJ dealing in a potent new drug. It stars Ji Changwook, “Squid Game” actor Wi Hajun and Lim Semi. Highlights from Japan include “Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc,” the latest instalments of a popular anime franchise, and the previously announced “Dragons of Wonderhatch,” a hybrid story set in both the “real world” and an anime land where dragons and humans coexist. The multi-dimensional story stars Nakajima Sena, Okudaira Daiken and Mackenyu.

We can knock Disney all we want over less-than stellar post-Covid results on Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm titles, but the fact of the matter is the brands are still delivering, making the theatrical motion picture studio the continued box office leader with $3.4 billion worldwide for the period of Jan. 1-July 2.

Shout! Factory and Aardman have entered a distribution agreement for the award-winning titles “Shaun the Sheep,” “Wallace & Gromit,” “Morph” and “Timmy Time,” the companies announced Monday. Exclusive home video, EST EST and TVOD rights and limited theatrical rights in the U.S. and Canada to four of Aardman’s properties will be granted to Shout! Factory per the agreement.  “We’re big fans of Aardman and these wonderful films and series and are very much looking forward to creating a release plan that excites dedicated fans and creates new ones,” said Melissa Boag, Shout’s executive vice president of kids and family. “Aardman’s worldwide reputation as an innovative home for compelling stories that captivate audiences make them an ideal partner for Shout! Factory.”

Pop icon Madonna, 64, has finally returned home and is said to be "feeling better and following doctors' orders" after a terrifying health scare which saw her end up in intensive care. The superstar singer was reportedly rushed to hospital and "intubated" after she contracted a serious bacterial infection. PageSix reported that Madonna was found unresponsive on Saturday before admitted to ICU in New York, where she remained for five days.

Madonna was reportedly found unresponsive over the weekend, rushed to the hospital, and treated for a severe bacterial infection.

Madonna has been forced to postpone her global tour after falling ill and needing to stay in intensive care for a few days.

Madonna is delaying the start of her “Celebration” tour amid health concerns that have taken the singer to the hospital, her manager Guy Oseary said in an Instagram post.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Hairspray. Spandex. Leather pants. Makeup. The ‘80s metal scene left a long and lasting legacy, and the stories of five of its top artists are told in “I Wanna Rock: The ‘80s Metal Dream.” Paramount+ has announced that the new three-part docuseries will premiere exclusively on the service on Tuesday, July 18 in the U.S. and Canada and internationally on Wednesday, July 19 in the U.K. and Australia, with further international markets to follow later this summer. The series follows members of the bands Skid Row, Winger, Twisted Sister, Vixen and the Scream as they chased fame and found it. While artists like Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses and others found even bigger and more lasting success, these artists’ stories are more suited to tell the story of struggle, success, and struggle again.