By Rod McGurk
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) --The latest movies in the "Thor" and "Alien" franchises will begin filming in Australia next year, the government said Thursday.
The government gave Twentieth Century Fox as well as Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Studios a total of 47.25 million Australian dollars ($34 million) to woo them to Australia to make the feature films, Arts Minister Mitch Fifield said.
Ridley Scott will direct the unnamed Alien movie for Fox and Australian actor Chris Hemsworth will reprise his starring role as the superhero in the third instalment of the "Thor" series for Disney and Marvel, "Thor: Ragnarok."
While locations have not been announced, Disney recently finished shooting "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" at Gold Coast studios in Queensland state and Fox has studios in Sydney.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop defended the government spending to secure the movies, saying Australia was competing against other countries to attract movie makers.
She said her government had wanted the Scott-directed Fox hit film "The Martian" shot in Australia instead of Hungary.
Mary Ann Hughes, Disney Vice President of Film and Television, described shooting of the fifth instalment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise as a "wonderful experience."
Shooting had several setbacks and controversies. Star Johnny Depp's wife, Amber Heard, was charged with illegally bringing the couple's dogs into Australia against quarantine regulations. She could face up to 10 years in prison and heavy fines if convicted.
Hughes joked at a news conference that: "Since our lovely Chris Hemsworth lives in Australia, I suspect we won't have any issues with pets."
Hemsworth said in a video from Los Angeles that he was looking forward to working again in his home country.
"I look forward to introducing my Marvel friends to this beautiful country of ours," he said.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More