Latest news with #ofHonour
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Open Polytechnic Staffer's Blooming Floristry Skills On Display At Graduation
Press Release – Open Polytechnic Its an excellent opportunity for me to give back to Open Polytechnic and hopefully my floral arrangements inspire new learners to take up studying floristry, award-winning Academic Staff Member in floristry, Megan Parker says. The flowers at Open Polytechnic's graduation ceremony in Wellington on Tuesday 27 May had special significance, as they were arranged by award-winning Academic Staff Member in floristry, Megan Parker. Since Megan is based in the Wellington region, it made perfect sense for Open Polytechnic to call on her 40 years of floristry expertise. This is the fifth time she has carried out this role. The Wellington ceremony saw 115 graduates receive their diplomas and degrees from Open Polytechnic, New Zealand's specialist provider of online learning. 'It's an excellent opportunity for me to give back to Open Polytechnic and hopefully my floral arrangements inspire new learners to take up studying floristry,' Megan says. Megan recently received an Associate of Honour, (AHRIH), the highest award possible from the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture's (RNZIH) at the New Zealand National Awards. The award was for services to horticulture and is limited to just 60 award holders at any one time. According to the RNZIH, the national awards recognised Megan's expertise, knowledge and services to the field of horticulture in New Zealand. 'It was an honour to be recognised with such a high award by the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture,' Megan says. Megan has been a member of the New Zealand Professional Florists (NZPF) since 1985.
Scoop
3 days ago
- General
- Scoop
Open Polytechnic Staffer's Blooming Floristry Skills On Display At Graduation
The flowers at Open Polytechnic's graduation ceremony in Wellington on Tuesday 27 May had special significance, as they were arranged by award-winning Academic Staff Member in floristry, Megan Parker. Since Megan is based in the Wellington region, it made perfect sense for Open Polytechnic to call on her 40 years of floristry expertise. This is the fifth time she has carried out this role. The Wellington ceremony saw 115 graduates receive their diplomas and degrees from Open Polytechnic, New Zealand's specialist provider of online learning. 'It's an excellent opportunity for me to give back to Open Polytechnic and hopefully my floral arrangements inspire new learners to take up studying floristry,' Megan says. Megan recently received an Associate of Honour, (AHRIH), the highest award possible from the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture's (RNZIH) at the New Zealand National Awards. The award was for services to horticulture and is limited to just 60 award holders at any one time. According to the RNZIH, the national awards recognised Megan's expertise, knowledge and services to the field of horticulture in New Zealand. 'It was an honour to be recognised with such a high award by the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture,' Megan says. Megan has been a member of the New Zealand Professional Florists (NZPF) since 1985. To find out more about studying floristry at Open Polytechnic, go to As New Zealand's specialist provider of open and distance learning, Open Polytechnic enrols more than 35,000 mainly part-time students per year. The majority of students are adult learners, combining work and study.
France 24
15-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
French former president Sarkozy has electronic tag removed
French authorities have removed the electronic tag that former president Nicolas Sarkozy was ordered to wear following his conviction for graft, Paris prosecutors said on Thursday. Sarkozy was fitted with the tag in February instead of serving a one-year jail sentence for illegal attempts to secure favours from a judge, a first for a former French head of state. In December 2024, France's highest appeals court ordered the 70-year-old to wear the tag for a year but said he could, given his age, apply for early parole. That was granted on Wednesday after Sarkozy had served just over three months, the prosecutor's office told AFP. Sarkozy, who has been beset by legal problems since leaving office in 2012 following a bruising presidential election defeat, has said he is innocent and is taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights. The removal of the tag means Sarkozy no longer has to endure the physical inconvenience of the bulky device, which was worn concealed underneath his trouser. But the move has no impact on his conviction. It comes with conditions, the prosecutor's office added, including the obligation for Sarkozy to report any travel abroad, comply with summonses and receive visits from probation officers. Sarkozy's lawyer confirmed to AFP that the electronic tag was removed. In December, a court found Sarkozy and former lawyer Thierry Herzog guilty of forming a "corruption pact" with judge Gilbert Azibert to obtain and share information about an investigating judge. The deal was done in return for the promise of a plum retirement job in Monaco for the judge. A court will rule in September in a separate case on charges that Sarkozy accepted illegal campaign financing in an alleged pact with late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The prosecution has requested that if Sarkozy is found guilty, he should face a seven-year prison term. He denies the charges. Top honour at risk? Despite his legal problems, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the right and is known to regularly meet President Emmanuel Macron. There has been speculation Sarkozy could lose France's top distinction, the Legion of Honour, over his judicial entanglements. General Francois Lecointre -- France's former military chief of staff and now the grand chancellor of the Legion of Honour -- said in March that removing the award was foreseen under the rules of the order, established early in the 19th century by Napoleon Bonaparte. But in April, Macron, who as head of state is the grand master of the decoration and would have a final say, said he would oppose such a move. "I think it is very important that former presidents are respected," Macron said on the sidelines of an April trip to Madagascar. He added that he believed "it would not be a good decision" to strip Sarkozy of the award. Before Sarkozy, the only French leader to be convicted in a criminal trial was his predecessor Jacques Chirac. He received a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 for corruption over a fake jobs scandal. Sarkozy is France's first post-war president to be sentenced to serve time.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
D-Day veteran, 100, shares wartime memories at VE Day service
A 100-year-old D-Day veteran has shared his powerful memories of the war outside Westminster Abbey, as commemorations took place to mark VE Day. Peter Kent, from Westminster, served in the Royal Navy aboard HMS Adventurer and took part in the Normandy landings. Now one of the last surviving veterans of D-Day, he told the PA news agency: 'So many young boys got killed, so many dead bodies on the beach – it was just a big waste of life. It was terrible.' The father of two, who worked in theatre after the war, said it 'means a lot' to see people still honouring those who served. 'We wouldn't have the freedom we have today if it wasn't for those men,' he said. Peter did not enter the abbey itself, but his son Stephen, 64, said people 'haven't stopped pulling him up asking for his autograph'. Peter also brought along his wartime medals, including France's prestigious Legion of Honour. Inside, the VE Day service drew reflections from religious and military leaders. Reverend Shaw Paterson, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: 'Just the experience of all that's gone before – it was very moving. 'We've got to remember those who gave so much and sacrificed so much all those years ago. 'We must always keep them in mind and keep working for peace.' Lord Lyon King of Arms Joe Morrow, 70, a Royal Navy Reserves chaplain and honorary colonel, described the service as 'absolutely magnificent'. 'What I loved about it was a true sense of unity that came across,' he said. 'Having the King there, the King's Scouts, it was just so special.' Former air marshal Stewart Atha, who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, struck a more cautionary tone. 'This is not a safe world – if you want peace, you prepare for war,' he said. 'That's the lesson from the 1930s, we failed to deter Hitler and we need to make sure we don't make the same mistakes again.' Among the congregation was a group of young people determined to challenge assumptions about their generation. Georgina Heron-Edmends, 19, Henry Hughes, 21, and Sophia Kaur Badhan, 24, from Youth Collaborators, said they were working on a report to influence government strategy. Ms Badhan said: 'There's been some coverage in the media suggesting we aren't interested in VE Day – we're here to challenge that. 'We think it's really important and it's a privilege to be here.'
Daily Mirror
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Do Premier League teams have to give a guard of honour? Chelsea set to show Liverpool respect
Liverpool have officially been crowned Premier League champions but have four games of the season left with their opponents tipped to stick by the Guard of Honour tradition Chelsea welcome Liverpool on Sunday with the Reds playing for the first time since they were crowned champions. Their 5-1 win over Tottenham sealed the Premier League title - which had been a long time coming. Arne Slot's side have set the pace for much of their campaign and their consistency had seen them open up a comfortable lead. In recent weeks it had become a case of when - not if - they would officially be crowned. Liverpool can now enjoy the final weeks of the season. They'll get to play several matches whilst boasting their champion status and, if Premier League tradition is anything to go by, they'll be receiving some well earned recognition along the way. Walking out to a Guard of Honour has long been a thing in England. Several of Liverpool's leading lights, the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, were present when the club won the title five years ago and enjoyed the respect of walking out to a Guard of Honour. Back then though they had no fans in the stadiums. What is the Guard of Honour? Those who've just been crowned as Premier League champions have historically been honoured by the team they face once they've been confirmed as winners - often in the final weeks of the season. The tradition involves the opposing team lining up in two lines as the title-winning side walk out from the tunnel, applauding them as they walk through. It is viewed as a mark of respect - but it is by no means a compulsory gesture in the Premier League and there is nothing in the regulations stating it has to be observed. The two clubs will have agreed on it before the game takes place, but failing to do one would certainly cause huge controversy and leave that club with questions to answer. Some players have been reluctant in the past give a round of applause, especially if that team is seen as a direct rival or the side who have pipped them to the title. When has it been observed before? Handing out a Guard of Honour stretches back to 1955 when Chelsea won the league and Manchester United showed respect to Blues by clapping them in as they walked onto the pitch. The Red Devils kept up that tradition by applauding Arsenal's 1991 title win at Highbury. United's respectful behaviour has been replicated by a number of teams as Chelsea applauded Sir Alex Ferguson's men when they won the title in 2007. Liverpool have handed them out in the past - giving one to Chelsea in 2015. Leicester were then given one by the Blues the following year following their sensational title triumph. Liverpool will hope they don't receive a repeat of the gesture they were shown by Manchester City following their title win in 2020. Pep Guardiola's side had just been dislodged as champions and several Reds supporters were fuming as they spotted some players who stopped clapping before all the Liverpool players had finished coming out of the tunnel.
