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There are very few persons in India, I suppose, whether they are Indians or Englishmen, who have for years past so consistently raised their voices against fascism and Nazism as I have done. My whole nature rebelled against them and, on many an occasion, I vehemently criticised the pro-fascist and appeasement policy of the British Government.

That is why we must dissociate ourselves from this war and advise our people to do likewise and not help in any way with money or menI stand before you, Sir, as an individual being tried for certain offences against the state. You are a symbol of that state. But I am also something more than an individual. I too am a symbol at the present moment, a symbol of Indian nationalism, resolved to break away from the British Empire and achieve the independence of India.

It is not me that you are seeking to judge and condemn, but rather the hundreds of millions of the people of India, and that is a large task even for a proud Empire. Perhaps it may be that though I am standing before you on my trial, it is the British Empire itself that is on trial before the bar of the world.

There are more powerful forces at work in the world today than courts of law; there are elemental urges for freedom and food and security which are moving vast masses of people, and history is being moulded by them. The future recorder of this history might well say that, in the hour of supreme trial, the Government of Britain and the people of Britain failed because they were drunk with the wine of imperialism and could not adapt themselves to a changing world. He may muse over fate, of empires which have always fallen because of this weakness, and call it destiny

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Not Nehru, but Government on trial - National Herald

Facebook on Wednesday announced it would restrict Australians from accessing news articles on its platform. Richard Drew/AP hide caption

Facebook on Wednesday announced it would restrict Australians from accessing news articles on its platform.

Updated 6:22 p.m. ET

Facebook said Wednesday that it is preventing people inside Australia from accessing news stories on its platform. In addition, Facebook users elsewhere will not be able to view or share news stories from Australian outlets. The moves are a response to proposed legislation that would force social media platforms to pay Australian news organizations for links shared on its sites.

Facebook's announcement came the same day Google said it had reached a deal with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., which owns Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, to pay for its journalism.

Facebook, however, chose the nuclear option rather than bargain with news publishers in Australia.

"Today we made an incredibly difficult decision to restrict the availability of news on Facebook in Australia," said Campbell Brown, Facebook's vice president of global news partnerships, in a blog post. "What the proposed law introduced in Australia fails to recognize is the fundamental nature of the relationship between our platform and publishers."

News publishers, according to Brown, choose to share stories on Facebook, which allows the outlets to find new readers and subscribers, leading to revenue the news organizations would not have found without the social network.

Media organizations in country, like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, have expressed dismay over Facebook's move.

"Despite key issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic having ongoing effects on all Australians, Facebook has today removed important and credible news and information sources from its Australian platform," David Anderson, the broadcaster's managing director, said in a statement. "We will continue our discussions with Facebook today following this development."

Under the proposed Australian legislation, platforms would have to negotiate with publishers over access to links to news stories. If no deal is reached, the tech companies and media organizations would move to arbitration. In addition, the bill requires platforms to give news outlets notice when algorithms are changed that may affect the visibility and reach of news stories.

The law could pass in the Australian Parliament as soon as this month. For years, Australian-born Murdoch has been lobbying the government to push tech companies to pony up for news articles linked in search results and social media. The agreement Murdoch struck with Google is a three-year deal under which News Corp. will receive "significant payments" from Google for featuring stories from publications based in the U.S., U.K. and Australia

Facebook and Google have vigorously fought the proposed legislation in Australia and have publicly threatened to pull out of the country over the effort to compensate news organizations.

Siva Vaidhyanathan, a professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, said the proposed law is an attempt to reinvigorate flailing news organizations, which have seen substantial amounts of advertising revenue siphoned by tech giants like Facebook and Google.

"It's not about the money. It's about the fact that Facebook wants to maintain its powerful position everywhere in the world," Vaidhyanathan said of Facebook's resistance. He said the social network's fight shows it hopes to "continue to build their fortunes off the work of others."

Other experts said Facebook playing hardball with Australia is likely intended to send a message to other governments mulling proposals to push platforms to pay news publishers.

"It is kind of a stark reminder of the control that they have over what people see and obviously with respect to people who use Facebook as their primary source of news," said Enrique Armijo, First Amendment and technology professor at Yale Law School.

"This could have serious consequences. And I think any government that's trying to be kind of interventionist in this area is going to be more mindful now that Facebook," he said, "at least has the intention of shutting down news access on the platform entirely."

While Australia's news market is substantially smaller than the U.S., tech companies and lawmakers are carefully watching the proposal.

At least one tech giant, Microsoft, would like to see a version of Australia's plan in this country.

Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote in a blog post last week that the well-financed tech sector has an obligation to support independent journalism.

"The United States should not object to a creative Australian proposal that strengthens democracy by requiring tech companies to support a free press," Smith wrote. "It should copy it instead."

Facebook has paid publishers in limited circumstances, including to license headlines and for story summaries to be featured on the platform.

"We pay hundreds of publishers for access to more of their content for Facebook News, a product we're working to bring to more countries this year," Facebook's Brown wrote.

"I think a lot of countries are going to wait and see how this works out in Australia," Vaidhyanathan of the University of Virginia, added.

"Will one side blink or will Facebook just keep going with this petulant attitude until everybody forgets about it and life goes on without Australian news services flowing on Facebook?" he said. "That's not the worst possible outcome. As long as these news organizations remain viable and independent, reporting can remain viable."

Editor's note: Facebook, Google and Microsoft are among NPR's financial supporters.

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Facebook Blocks News In Australia Over Government Plan To Force Payment To Publishers - NPR

EXCLUSIVE: Crackles financial-makeover hit Going from Broke is overhauling production methods for its upcoming second season in an effort to depict the impact of Covid-19.

The Ashton Kutcher-produced show, whose debut season drew more than 17 million views to become the streaming services biggest original series, features college students and graduates grappling with debt. Student debt now affects some 44 million borrowers with $1.7 trillion in outstanding loans, a burden that has exponentially increased for many Americans during Covid-19.

Season 1 premiered in October 2019, and by the time work began on a new season, the coronavirus pandemic had shut down production in much of the world. Even once shooting was allowed to resume, the producers of Broke felt the shows mission compelled it to reflect the financial impact of the pandemic. That would mean a different approach.

The new season, produced by Flicker Filmworks, is set to begin streaming in March. Episodes will be shot over a six-week period beginning later this month. In its new format, the show will follow six new cast members from around the country, documenting their emotional financial makeovers. In May, finished episodes for the full season will debut on Crackle, revealing whether each cast member has succeeded in going from broke.

New material is expected to surface within as few as 48 hours of shooting, some of it as minisodes streaming on Crackle and some on social media and digital platforms. Along the way, Kutcher and Dan Rosensweig, CEO of student services firm Chegg and host of every episode, will conduct a conversation across media platforms about student debt and the financial turmoil of the pandemic.

In a press release, Kutcher said,This awesome production model brings viewers inside the transformation process. Going From Broke is the first makeover show that invites the audience to engage with the cast, financial experts and each other across social media while watching the process unfold live.'

In an interview with Deadline, Crackle Plus president Philippe Guelton said altering the approach to production was a way to capture the fragile emotional state of the country. The new way of producing the show will enable us to go more in-depth than the first season, which featured closed-end, stand-alone episodes.

Covid-19 has exacerbated the dire financial situation that so many young people already found themselves in, Rosensweig added in the press release. In the second season, he continued, the stakes are higher; people are struggling with unemployment, mounting debt, and potentially physical and mental health issues. We have the opportunity to provide a lifeline and help them get back on track, working with them in real-time to get them on the path to financial freedom.

Crackle is now controlled by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, whose Crackle Plus unit also includes other ad-supported streaming services. The company took over operations of the 17-year-old service in 2019, assuming full ownership at the end of 2020.

From a business standpoint, Guelton said, the financial model established by Going from Broke is attractive for Crackle and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. Brand integrations by Chegg and other companies essentially fund the shows production. Crackle, he said, hasnt completely abandoned the scripted series it was known for in the Sony days, when its slate featured dramas like The Oath and The Art of More. But unscripted fare, especially in sports has helped it gain traction with viewers and advertisers. It also helps the company depend less on the costlier prospect of facing off against Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and a host of well-funded new streaming players.

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Crackles Ashton Kutcher-Backed Hit Going From Broke Alters Season 2 Production Methods In Bid To Capture Real-Time Covid-19 Issues - Deadline

OTTAWA -- There will be no spring election. There cant be a spring election. Its ridiculous to even THINK theres going to be an election in June with coronavirus variants spreading, the slow ramp-up of vaccines and ominous predictions of a third infectious wave on the horizon.

But there was something in Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus eyes this week that elevated the temperature of spring election fever to plausible from the impossible.

It was his confident swagger at the speed of the vaccine rollout.

Those six million doses by the end of March coupled with India kicking in fresh supplies and new manufacturer approvals set up tens of millions of doses arriving by June. And its all repeatedly backed by Trudeaus personal guarantee that any Canadian who wants a shot at symptomatic immunity gets a shot by September.

Then there was that curious tweet from former Trudeau principal sidekick and soulmate Gerald Butts, predicting the current hand-wringing over vaccine shortages is going to seem like a distant and transparently partisan artifact by the May 24 weekend, if not Easter.

Now Butts is an artifact of sorts himself, having been banished from the PMO inner circle exactly two years ago for his role in the SNC-Lavalin scandal.

But he crowned most of the current cabinet ministers so he retains friendships in high places. And hes not the sort to go wildly rogue in social media crystal-ball gazing without an informed vision of whats ahead.

Add those signs of a spring in the prime ministers electoral step to the checklist Trudeau seems to be in a sudden rush to tick off, most of them appealing to areas of niche Liberal support.

This weeks gun control announcements were a foot-dragging second shoe to drop after assault weapons were outlawed last year, but they will be welcomed in big cities the Liberals need to hold.

This weeks policy tweak to fast-track permanent residency for immigrants living here will bolster his ethnic community credentials.

The new Canada-led coalition of countries attacking political hostage-takers like China, albeit done with a wink without actually naming China, was an overdue blast of noisy diplomacy backing our Canadian prisoners who desperately need enhanced political pressure for their freedom.

Trudeaus pledge to pour billions of deficit dollars into rapid transit, backed by permanent funding which wont kick in until long after his prime ministerial portrait is hanging in the Commons, got a thumbs-up from metropolitan leaders.

And then theres the looming and long-overdue budget, which offers a tempting starting line for any spring campaign.

Expect it to crank open the floodgates to crazy amounts of stimulus spending to help business recover, a fiscal rescue mission which will likely be welcomed on Bay Street and risky for opposition forces to attack.

Which brings us to the Erin OToole factor, or lack thereof.

While the Conservative leader and prime-minister-in-waiting is eliminating some of his partys biggest problems, specifically social conservative MP Derek Sloan, the unfortunate reality is that OToole has simply not consummated a defining bond with voters during the traditional leadership honeymoon.

While being largely unknown means hes not generally disliked, its a bit late to introduce yourself to voters once the writ is dropped, particularly if any spring vote becomes a mostly mail-in ballot following a virtual campaign.

Look, there are a hundred reasons why Justin Trudeau does not deserve easy or safe re-election. That list includes early pandemic detection and control failures, runaway deficits, his ethical lapses, broken or delayed promises, his governments secrecy, those control freaks running his caucus and a sense hes now well past his best-before date.

But a quick, trouble-free vaccination blitz would almost guarantee that voters roll out the red carpet to another Liberal government.

If Trudeaus vaccination timetable becomes a reality along with the even-better-case scenario prophesized by buddy Butts, todays vaccine delivery is just the downpayment.

Theres a mega-shipment on the way that could throttle the pandemic in Canada early - and inoculate Trudeau from defeat in a spring election.

Thats the bottom line.

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Don Martin: There is absolutely zero chance of a spring election, unless... - CTV News

Theres a new Star in the Disney galaxy.

The Mouse House on Wednesday lifted the lid on its highly anticipated Star offering the sixth tile within its international Disney Plus service coming almost a year after the SVOD launched in Europe. Ahead of the virtual confab, Disney Plus, which has been robbed of any significant physical press event since launching in Europe due to the pandemic, managed to name a host of actual stars for the media covering the event, couriering certificates of registration with the International Star Registry.

Star, which launches in Europe, Canada, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand on Feb. 23, is effectively doing what an international version of Hulu would have done: expand the Disney offering abroad with adult-friendly content. Disney hit the brakes on expanding that U.S. service, which is a relatively unknown entity in key global markets, and instead leaned into its Star brand, which is already recognized in Asia and some parts of Europe.

Stars U.K. and Ireland lineup will feature 75 new TV shows, 300 movies and new U.S. originals, including Big Sky, Love Victor and Solar Opposites. Other catalogue highlights, which will vary across Europe for the time being due to existing rights tie-ups, include Greys Anatomy, Atlanta, Lost and Desperate Housewives as well as Searchlight movies like The Favourite and Braveheart. Eventually, all episodes of Golden Girls will also land on Disney Plus.

On hand for an in-studio presentation were Jan Koeppen, president of Disney EMEA; Luke Bradley-Jones, senior VP of direct-to-consumer and general manager for Disney Plus EMEA; and Liam Keelan, VP of original productions for Europe.

Bradley-Jones confirmed that Disney Plus will become the exclusive streaming home for catalogue titles such as Desperate Housewives and Lost over time, which will almost certainly raise questions about Disneys priorities for international licensing deals.

FX and Hulu series from the U.S. will also make their way to Star, with new arrivals including Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, as well as The Old Man and Dopesick, starring Michael Keaton and Rosario Dawson. The BBC and FX previously had an output deal in place, but that will likely come to an end in order for the cablers shows to land on Star instead.

A new content rating system for parental controls is coming to Disney Plus.

Earlier in the week, Disney Plus unveiled a handful of titles from its planned 50-title originals offering, with Star originals out of France, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany.

Keelan expanded on the European shows being lined up, highlighting Parallels, a new original out of France, which he deemed a perfect Disney show because its a real rollercoaster ride for everyone involved, and there is real wit and warmth.

The former BBC Studios scripted exec also highlighted Good Mothers out of Italy, which is a crime story told entirely from the female perspective, and teased a number of projects out of the U.K. spanning comedy, drama and unscripted.

The production community has embraced what were trying to do and theyre excited to create new content, said Keelan. Its important to have shows that stand up against the line-up of brilliant shows we already have. Shows that have a real impact in the market.

Bradley-Jones also expanded on the parental controls element of the platform, which will be vital for Disney if it intends to keep the rest of the service family-friendly. A complex network of content ratings will be rolled out on Disney Plus from Feb. 23, said the executive. It will let customers set content ratings and control access to the app and profiles based on those ratings, which range from 0-plus up to 18-plus, he said.

Users will be able to pin profiles to older content ratings to ensure other members of household dont end up watching what theyre not meant to. All Disney Plus customers will be prompted to go through and set their content ratings (theyll need to have their passwords handy to do so). If they skip the process on Feb. 23, when Star officially launches, then access to Disney Plus will automatically default to a 14-plus rating.

Meanwhile, Koeppen also confirmed that the service will go up in price from 5.99 to 7.99 per month in the U.K. and from 6.99 to 8.99 in Europe.

Disney first hinted at a Star streaming service for international markets back in August, when CEO Bob Chapek teased a new international direct-to-consumer general entertainment offering.

The new service, which wisely ended up being an extra tile as opposed to an individual platform, pulls in content from Disney Television Studios, Touchstone and the content brands FX, 20th Century Studios, 20th Television that were acquired as part of the 21st Century Fox acquisition in 2019. Late last year, the platform confirmed that David E. Kelly series Big Sky and Love, Victor would launch on the platform, alongside iconic shows such as 24, Lost and Desperate Housewives.

Also available at launch will be How I Met Your Mother, Prison Break, The X-Files, Black-ish, Atlanta and the Die Hard movie franchise.

Outside of Europe, Canada and Australia, the SVOD will launch in Eastern Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea later in 2021. Latin America will get its own version of the service, branded Star Plus, that will launch in June.

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Disney Lifts Lid on Star: Exclusivity and Parental Control Keys to New Tile - Variety