Madonna tour kicks off in Cardiff in August

LONDON (Reuters) - Pop star Madonna kicks off her new international tour in Cardiff on August 23, she announced on Thursday.

The "Sticky and Sweet" tour, which follows her latest chart-topping album "Hard Candy", will also stop in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Britain in August and September.

The European leg includes performances at Wembley Stadium on September 11.

The tour moves to North America on October 3 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with stops at New York's Madison Square Garden followed by performances in Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles before ending at Miami Dolphin Stadium on November 26th.

According to a statement on her website ( www.madonna.com ), Madonna will also visit Mexico and South America later in 2008.

The U.S. singer will once again team up with music tour and promotion company Live Nation, with which she signed a recording and touring contract last year.

The 10-year deal, reported to be worth $120 million (61.3 million pounds), involves a three-album commitment and brought her long-term collaboration with Warner Brothers to an end.

It was an example of the so-called "360-degree deal" which is increasingly popular in a music business struggling to make money just selling records. The agreements typically involve publishing, touring and merchandising as well as recording.

Hard Candy, Madonna's 11th and last studio album with Warner, debuted at number one in 27 countries including the United States, Britain and Japan.