‘Kia kaha’: PM Ardern Requested to Join PM Albanese in His Calls to Bring Julian Assange Home

  • : Aotearoa 4 Assange
  • :

  • A group of lawyers, politicians, journalists and activists known as Aotearoa 4 Assange have written to PM Jacinda Ardern asking her to ‘stand strong’ with new Aussie PM Anthony Albanese, to ‘secure the freedom’ of Australian journalist Julian Assange. According to the letter Assange’s life is in peril and so are the ‘foundations of global democracy’.

    A4A spokesperson Matt Ó Branáin says ‘the election of Albanese is a seismic shift’ for the campaign to free Assange, who is currently imprisoned in the UK and fighting extradition to the US. Unlike his predecessor Scott Morrison, Albanese is a member of the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group consisting of at least 30 MPs. Albanese has reportedly said ‘enough is enough…I can’t see what’s served by keeping [Assange] incarcerated’.

    Green MP and Human Rights lawyer Golriz Ghahraman tweeted ‘the threat to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s freedom is a threat to press freedom around the world.’

    Assange has been detained in ‘solitary confinement’ for the last 3 years in the UK and a UN Special Rapporteur has said he is being ‘psychologically tortured.’ A letter from hundreds of doctors says he is likely to die soon if not freed.

    The US charges ‘criminalise publishing leaked evidence of US state crimes’. International Human Rights groups, including Amnesty International and the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights have said the case is a threat to global press freedom.

    The letter argues that there is ‘no chance of justice’ if he is extradited to the US as Assange’s ‘legally privileged consultations with his lawyers were spied on’ and the Espionage Act ‘prohibits any public interest defence’.

    Ó Branáin says ‘no one can credibly say justice has been seen in the UK extradition trial’. Amnesty International said the UK extradition trial was a ‘circus’. IBAHRI said ‘with this extradition trial, we are witnessing the serious undermining of due processes and the rule of law.’ Applications to monitor the trial from Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders were declined. A4A’s letter says ‘this is a political case, and political intervention is required’.

    UN Special Rapproteur on Torture Nils Melzer says if Assange is extradited to the US he would be detained in ‘conditions that amount to torture’. Ghahraman states that although the UK Magistrate Court has now ordered extradition to be signed ‘the Home Sec must decline’. ‘The UK has an obligation to avoid extradition to a place where he faces ill treatment and torture’. A4A called on Ardern to ‘make representations’ to Ms Patel not to sign the extradition order.

    Rt. Hon Helen Clark said ‘you do wonder when the hatchet can be buried with Assange, and not buried in his head by the way?. . . ‘The real issue really is the activities they were exposing, not their actions of exposure.’

    Ó Branáin says ‘Australia and New Zealand should call on our allies the US and UK, to end this perilous persecution of a South Pacific journalist, and bring Julian home.’

  • Matt-O-Branain---A4A
  • : Matt Ó Branáin
  • : National Co-ordinator of Aotearoa 4 Assange
  • : matt.o.branain@a4a.nz
  • : 64204382863
  • : https://www.a4a.nz/
  • https://www.facebook.com/groups/a4assange | https://twitter.com/A4Assange | https://www.instagram.com/aotearoa4assange/ | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Lgvm4ob5_kUS6NIaEXwvg

Julian Assange Permitted to Marry in Belmarsh Prison

  • : Aotearoa 4 Assange
  • : 14/03/2022

  • Julian Assange Permitted to Marry in Belmarsh Prison

    Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been given permission to marry his fiancée Stella Morris in the maximum security Belmarsh prison in London on March 23rd. Stella is a member of his legal team and mother of his two young children. The couple had to fight for their right to marry, even bringing legal action against the UK Government.

    Julian and Stella will be dressed by Vivienne Westwood. Julian will wear a kilt, honouring his Scottish ancestry. The couple are said to be very excited despite the severe restrictions imposed on the ceremony. They will be permitted only four guests and have been denied the request to marry in the prison’s Chapel, despite the fact that Julian regularly worships their.

    Stella told the Daily Mail that the right to marry is ‘written into law’ in the UK. ‘Of course, the circumstances are not ideal but I am relieved that reason has prevailed and I hope there will be no further interference with our marriage. Julian is not charged with any crime in this country, he is not serving a sentence, his imprisonment serves no purpose at all other than to prolong and make his suffering worse. I hope the injustice of this situation is swiftly brought to an end so that we can enjoy marriage outside of the walls of Belmarsh when he is freed.’

    Assange is being held in the notorious Belmarsh prison despite not being convicted of anything. He is awaiting the outcome of a US extradition request to face charges of ‘espionage’ for publishing evidence of war crimes and torture. Press freedom groups warn this unprecedented prosecution would criminalise fundamental journalistic practices.

    Assange recently suffered a minor stroke, and doctors warn this will likely lead to a fatal stroke if his conditions are not improved quickly. He is detained in solitary confinement 23 hours per day, which fits the definition of torture under international law. The Australian Government has been criticised for ‘sitting on their hands’ over one of their citizens. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer said The Australian Government as ‘failed to support Julian Assange, and is complicit in his psychological torture.’

    Helen Clark recently said ‘You do wonder when the hatchet can be buried with Assange? And not buried in his head by the way. But at some point, could people move on? I do think that the information that’s been disclosed by whistle-blowers down through the ages has been very important in broader publics getting to know what is really going on behind the scenes. And should people pay this kind of price for that? I don’t think so… The real issue really is the activities they were exposing, not their actions of exposure.’

    Aoteroa 4 Assange is calling on the New Zealand Government to stand for Assange to protect human rights, the public’s right to know and peace.

  • stella rainbow 2
  • : https://twitter.com/i/status/1462562408749170689
  • : Matt Ó Branáin
  • : National Co-ordinator of Aotearoa 4 Assange
  • : matt.o.branain@A4A.nz
  • : 64204382863
  • : http://a4a.nz
  • https://www.facebook.com/groups/a4assange | https://twitter.com/A4Assange | https://www.instagram.com/aotearoa4assange/

Teams “Yadrava na Vanua” from Fiji and “Not Basic” from New Zealand win the Grand Prizes for Space Challenge

  • : SpaceBase Limited
  • : 18/02/2022

  • Christchurch—18 February 2022. 

    Yadrava na Vanua (Environment Watch) from Suva, Fiji won the Grand Prize today for the Space for Planet Earth Challenge.

    Their project focused on integrating satellite data on land cover types across Fiji with ground truth measurements, and refining the carbon sequestration data with machine learning analysis of high resolution satellite images from Planet to generate international standard levels of measurements, reporting, and verification of carbon stocks.

    Separately, “Not Basic” from Newlands College, Wellington, New Zealand, won the Grand Prize at the High School level. Their work featured using machine learning analysis of satellite data to predict the conditions leading to coral bleaching as detected within the Allen Coral Atlas with Planet satellite data.

    Six teams from New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji competed in demo sessions with a panel of judges, then a Pitch presentation to a live online audience. The winners are awarded cash prizes of $30,000 and $10,000 each, satellite data from company Planet, and mentorship from SpaceBase.  Additionally the High School team will receive scholarships from the US Based MMAARS Academy to attend their Level 1 Virtual Mars Programme.

    “The presentations that I’ve seen were so amazing…and I was blown away by the ideas and the ability that they’ve shown…Planet is so proud to be part of this competition,” Dr. Tanya Harrison, Director of Strategic Innovation for Planet and a Finals Judge for the competition, said at the event.

    The winners were selected by judges from Planet, the U.S. Embassy to New Zealand, Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council, Rocket Lab, Callaghan Innovation, ChristchurchNZ, Callaghan Innovation, and Consegna.cloud.

    The awards were presented by the NZ Space Agency and the U.S. Embassy. 

    “I’ve been extremely impressed with the sophistication of the solutions that have been developed, by the approach of looking for different data sources to incorporate into those solutions, to reaching out to other organisations, establishing partnerships to make this more effective, and the quality of the presentations,” said Dimitri Geidelberg, Principal Advisor to the Agency.

    The Challenge was the brainchild of SpaceBase founders who leverage incentive prizes and space technologies to catalyse innovation while solving tough problems in the region.  “Already, we see the Challenge as pushing the teams to accelerate their research and create opportunities they may not otherwise have been able to realise.” said Emeline Paat-Dahlstrom, CEO of SpaceBase. “We think this is only the beginning for these climate change focused innovations, and we hope to continue to support these teams in their progress over the coming months and years.”

    For more information about the Challenge and the Winners, go to spaceforearth.org

    The Challenge is made possible by a partnership between SpaceBase Limited and Planet.  Sponsors include the U.S. Embassy in New Zealand, K1W1, NZ Space Agency, ChristchurchNZ, Consegna.cloud, Clare Foundation, Greenlight Ventures, Namaste Foundation, Engineering Dreams, MMAARS Academy, and Christchurch City Council.

    SpaceBase Limited is a New Zealand based education and consulting social enterprise, whose mission is to democratise access to space for everyone. SpaceBase is creating equal opportunity to leverage space technologies to solve problems on Earth, by catalysing space ecosystems in developing and emerging countries, starting in New Zealand.  Since its incorporation in 2017, it has collaborated with economic development agencies, local governments, and advocacy groups to deliver over 100 educational presentations and workshops; two national space and aerospace competitions, as well as helping birth space communities and organisations locally and globally. SpaceBase created a platform for the NZ Aerospace Directory and a free course, Catalysing a Space Industry in Your Region, for anyone interested in creating a local space industry. SpaceBase is also the NZ Ambassador for the International Space University. 

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  • : Emeline Dulce M Paat-Dahlstrom
  • : CEO
  • : emeline@spacebase.co
  • : 0224021936
  • : https://spacebase.co
  • https://twitter.com/SpaceBaseNZ + https://www.facebook.com/groups/SpaceBaseNZ + https://www.linkedin.com/company/13643678/admin/

Assange raises NZ$80 million through collaboration with crypto artist Pak

  • : Aotearoa 4 Assange
  • : 11/02/2022

  • Jailed journalist Julian Assange has recieved a massive boost to his campaign to regain his freedom, raising a record-breaking NZ$80 million in less than a week on the Juice box crypto platform.
    Renowned crypto-artist Pak collaborated with Assange, to produce NFT artworks which have been used solely to raise money for Assange’s defence and other press freedom and humanitarian causes.

    The artwork came in two parts. A 1/1 edition titled ‘Clock’ which counts the days which Assange has spent behind bars, and an open edition titled ‘Censored’ which allows buyers to craft their own unique message which gets ‘censored’ with a line through it.

    Assange is fighting against extradition to the US for publishing secret documents which exposed state crimes. This is an unprecedented case that Amnesty International and other human rights groups are warning threatens global press freedom and freedom of information .

    Tens of thousands of people have joined AssangeDAO to raise the 16593.05 ethereum used to win the art auction in support of Assange. AssangeDAO moderator JB said in a statement ‘this is tens of thousands of people coming together to show real strength – the Power of the People. In less than one week, we have shown that decentralised and distributed peoples can band together to fight injustice.’

  • : Matt Ó Branáin
  • : National Co-ordinator of Aotearoa 4 Assange
  • : matt.o.branain@a4a.nz
  • : 0204382863
  • : https://A4A.nz
  • https://www.facebook.com/groups/a4assange | https://twitter.com/A4Assange | https://www.instagram.com/aotearoa4assange/

OP-ED: Asylum for Assange – How the NZ government can lead the way home for the world’s highest profile political prisoner

  • : Aotearoa 4 Assange
  • :

  • OP-ED by Greg Barns SC and Craig Tuck – Human Rights lawyers from Australia and New Zealand.

    Julian Assange is facing politically motivated criminal charges, laid by the Trump Administration. These charges reflect an abuse of process, designed to silence Assange, and to gag media freedom. Assange’s case has profound implications for the right of the public to know the truth about government wrongdoing – particularly abroad.  In late October a court in London heard argument in an appeal by the US against a decision in January this year by Judge Vanessa Baraitser not extradite Assange.

    New Zealand – as a responsible member of the international community – must stand on the side of fairness and transparency by offering Assange asylum.

    While the legal process continues Assange is being kept in limbo: held in Belmarsh prison while he awaits a decision as to whether he will be deported from the UK to the United States where he faces 175 years in prison for alleged breaches of espionage laws. The evidence against him concerns the publication in 2010 and 2011 of materials (including a chilling video showing US troops killing civilians in Iraq) about the US and its allies’ tactics and war crimes there and in Afghanistan. We now know that in 2017 CIA wanted to “take him out”, or kill him, according to revelations published by Yahoo News.

    The essence of the case can be summarised this way: Assange, an Australian citizen, is being prosecuted by the United States for speaking truth to power (by providing a window into nefarious activities of the military industrial complex). His motivation was the pursuit of transparency, justice, and ultimately peace.

    These pursuits are central to the job of any journalist. In publishing this material, Julian Assange was doing his job – as a journalist and as a citizen. However, he has been cast adrift by the Australian government, despite it professing to be committed to values like freedom of speech and a free media. This refusal by Canberra to speak frankly to its number one friend in Washington and demand the end of the persecution of its citizen Assange provides an opportunity for New Zealand. The opportunity to uphold the human rights values which are at stake here and use its renowned independence and sense of principle to support Assange.

    New Zealand has built its reputation as being at the forefront of human rights advancement, dignity and responsible citizenship – it is trusted internationally as being fair (and kind). It is in many respects a diplomatic powerhouse able to achieve agreements and navigate contentious political waters when others can’t.

    Assange has always stated “The goal is justice, the method is transparency . . . . If wars can be started by lies, peace can be started by truth.” This is a totally consistent position with New Zealand’s stance on peaceful diplomacy, from Nuclear Free NZ, to the successful ‘Soldiers Without Guns’ peace mission in Bougainville.

    The other reason for New Zealand involving itself in the Assange case is because of the extraordinarily dangerous precedent this case sets for journalists anywhere in the world. By way of background, the Obama administration initially declined to prosecute Assange due to what it called the “New York Times problem”—the dilemma of indicting Assange for the very same kind of investigative journalism that mainstream media practices. However under President Trump the Justice Department indicted Assange under espionage legislation.

    No media outlet or journalist has ever been successfully prosecuted under the espionage laws Act for publishing truthful information in the public interest, which is protected by the First Amendment.

    But the message from the US to all journalists and citizens, no matter where in the world they are, is if you publish material which Washington wishes to keep secret then you can be the subject of an extradition request.

    The Assange case is not simply a bilateral issue between the US and UK or the US and Australia. It is about critical democratic values being put at risk by a dominant world power. On this basis it is time for New Zealand, with its respected voice on human rights to make a stand.

    New Zealand has long established relationships with the US, UK and Australia. The persecution and plots of assassination against a South Pacific journalist for revealing war crimes, demands a clear response. New Zealand can use its position as a small principled nation to stand for its values and offer Julian Assange asylum.

    —

    NOTE: This OP-ED is released for general non-exclusive publication and is authorised by Greg Barns SC and Craig Tuck – Human Rights lawyers from Australia and New Zealand.

  • Assange - DEA
  • : Greg Barnes SC
  • : Human Rights Lawyer
  • : republicone@outlook.com
  • : 61419691846
  • https://a4a.nz | https://twitter.com/A4Assange | https://www.instagram.com/aotearoa4assange/ | https://www.facebook.com/groups/365743181272821

PODCAST: Covid-19 & Melanesian Instability with Buchanan + Manning + Dr David Robie

Introducing the Ecommerce Accounting Hub by A2X

  • : A2X Accounting
  • : 10/08/2021

  • Managing the accounting for an online business can be challenging. Between rapidly changing tax laws, increasing levels of automation and ever increasing complexity, it’s easy to get confused.

    Launched today, the Ecommerce Accounting Hub by A2X brings together a comprehensive collection of educational resources that explore almost every aspect of accounting for today’s online businesses. 

    From the latest trends, research and data, to tried-and-trusted methods, the Ecommerce Accounting Hub provides a one-stop shop of the latest insights, knowledge and advice to help both sellers and their accountants to prosper in this rapidly evolving environment.

    The Ecommerce Accounting Hub brings together educational guides on the following topics:

    • The fundamentals of ecommerce accounting.
    • What you need to know about ecommerce sales tax.
    • The most important things to know for successfully accounting for Amazon, Shopify and eBay transactions.
    • What accountants need to know to best serve ecommerce sellers.

    The hub helps readers to gain a broad understanding of their chosen topic with actionable advice and information they can apply to their businesses straight away. 

    “Our goal here at A2X is to make ecommerce accounting easy. By creating the Ecommerce Accounting Hub, we hope to help more sellers and their accountants to demystify ecommerce accounting and support their ongoing success.” – Callum Armstrong, Content Manager at A2X.

    You can find the Ecommerce Accounting Hub at www.a2xaccounting.com/ecommerce-accounting-hub/

  • Multi tasking
  • : Callum Armstrong
  • : Content Marketing Manager
  • : callum@a2xaccounting.com
  • : 642102671022
  • : https://a2xaccounting.com
  • https://www.facebook.com/a2xaccounting | https://www.linkedin.com/company/13659980/ | https://twitter.com/a2xaccounting

PODCAST: Buchanan + Manning on Cyber-Attacks and the Evolution of Hybrid Warfare

PIONEERING DECENTRALISED SECURE MESSAGING PLATFORM MANYONE ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP WITH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON CENTRE BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY

  • : Manyone Inc.
  • : 25/02/2021

  • Vancouver, Canada – February 25th, 2021 – Manyone Inc., a pioneering technology venture in decentralization and digital identity, is delighted to announce that it has entered into a new strategic relationship with the globally renowned University College London (UCL) Centre Blockchain Technology (CBT).

    This partnership will support research conducted by UCL CBT’s Senior Research Associate, Dr Geoffrey Goodell, to explore and evaluate end-user technology systems, infrastructure, business imperatives, and regulatory policy to support the privacy, dignity, and market power of individual persons in the emerging digital economy. The research is aimed at identifying the requirements and approaches for systems whose features specifically support the advancement of truly consensual trust relationships, the empowerment of local communities, and the public interest.

    Vancouver-based Manyone believes in empowering solutions and technologies with the potential to produce a new, distributed internet where everyone can feel safe, secure and in control of their digital identity.

    Dr Paolo Tasca, Founder and Executive Director of the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, notes that, “On behalf of UCL and the Centre for Blockchain Technologies, I am delighted to begin our new partnership with international industry partners Peer Social Foundation and Manyone. We are grateful for their support and recognition of the impactful research being done to meet our shared ambitions. Thanks to their generosity we will continue our proud tradition of enabling academic research with real-world application.”

    Michael Cholod CEO at Manyone and Executive Director of The Peer Social Foundation comments, “As a dedicated group of decentralists, our teams look to find ways to free communication from manipulation and control by protecting individual, business or governmental digital identities. Part of that mission is to work with the most respected and knowledgeable people in the field. The team at UCL represent some of the best thinkers in the area and we’re honoured to work with them.”

    Dr Geoffrey Goodell, Senior Research Associate at UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, specifically ads that, “The funding from The Peer Social Foundation and Manyone will provide vital resource to explore and evaluate user-controlled identity management, decentralised social networks, and tokenisation as vehicle for authorisation without identification. Our partnership will support the advancement of trusted relationships in the digital economy, the empowerment of local communities for the benefit of public interest. I am excited to deepen our collaboration and share our insights.”

    Manyone, with offices in Vancouver, Canada and Stockholm, Sweden are looking to launch the first decentralised secure messaging solution by Mid-2021.

    ——————————–

    Manyone is a pioneering technology venture that aims to deliver private secure networks and private digital identities, to increase personal and enterprise productivity and digital security. Manyone actively works with The Peer Social Foundation on education and research into topics of interest to consumers and enterprise. The Peer Social Foundation and Manyone believe in empowering a distributed internet where everyone can feel in control of their digital identity. They do this by delivering a self-sovereign digital identity and decentralized communication and sharing platform for enterprise and consumers. A critical component of this is to work beside and support vital education, R&D and the open-source community to connect people, business.

    Find out more here: www.manyone.one  http://blockchain.cs.ucl.ac.uk/

  • : Michael Cholod
  • : Chief Executive Decentralist
  • : info@manyone.one
  • : 16048361112
  • : https://manyone.one
  • https://www.linkedin.com/company/manyoneapp/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true

Entrepreneur challenges business owners to help save the environment

  • : Paste & Publish
  • : 24/02/2021

  • Paste & Publish, a New Zealand based content marketing agency announced today that they are setting aside 5% of revenue to provide pro bono work to selected environmental projects that wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford professional help.

    Paste & Publish Founder, Callum Armstrong, says that this commitment is important because our natural world is in a state of crisis.

    “I believe that it is our responsibility as business owners to help create the future we want to leave for our children.

    There’s no silver bullet in the fight against climate change, but every little bit of help makes a difference,” says Armstrong.

    “That’s why we have built philanthropy into our business model – to ensure that as we grow, so does our positive impact on the planet.”

    The first project that will receive support from their 5% pledge is The Reforestation Fund. This fund, which is set to launch later in the year, provides sustainable and ethical brands with a way to help the environment as part of their offering.

    Companies who support The Reforestation Fund donate a small amount from every sale on selected products, and are allowed to display the fund’s endorsement in return. Money raised is used to help community projects that plant native forests and support groups that look after our native plants and wildlife.

    The Reforestation Fund co-founder, Anna Wentsch, says that people are looking for ways to support the environment, and that the services provided by Paste & Publish will empower TRF to make it easy for people to do just that.

    “We are extremely grateful for the support that Paste & Publish is providing by designing our brand identity and rebuilding our website.

    This will set up the foundations for us to connect people and companies with our natural world,” says Wentsch.

    Armstrong says that companies who design philanthropy into their everyday operations experience a wide range of benefits. They often see higher rates of customer retention and trust, happier staff who know they are doing good in the world, increased sales and less reliance on price based competition.

    About Paste & Publish

    Based in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, Paste & Publish provides content marketing services to companies that want to grow. They help brands to attract their ideal customers by creating high value strategic content, and using sales funnels to convert them into paying clients. To find out more, visit www.pasteandpublish.com.

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  • : Callum Armstrong
  • : Managing Director
  • : callum@pasteandpublish.com
  • : 642102671022
  • : https://www.pasteandpublish.com
  • https://www.facebook.com/pasteandpublish | https://www.instagram.com/pasteandpublish | https://www.linkedin.com/company/71003381