(Telecompaper) Google has announced an initial USD 1 billion in payments to news publishers to produce content for Google News. The new scheme will start in Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, the UK and Australia with leading publications such as Der Spiegel, Stern, Die Zeit, Folha de S.Paulo, Band and Infobae. Google said it plans to expand the News Showcase to other countries soon, including India, Belgium and the Netherlands.