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David Jones (retailer)

David Jones Pty Ltd, trading as David Jones (colloquially DJs), is an Australian luxury department store. The brand was owned from 2014 to 2023 by the South African retail group Woolworths South Africa. In December 2022, David Jones was sold to private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners for approximately $100m.

David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh merchant and future politician, after he emigrated to Australia, and is the oldest continuously operating department store in the world still trading under its original name.

In 1980, the Adelaide Steamship Company acquired a substantial interest in David Jones, culminating in a complete takeover. The recession of the early 1990s caused the department store assets to be floated as "David Jones Limited". For the next two decades, the company went through turbulent times, eventually leading to discussions of a merger with Myer, and then, in 2014, a takeover by South African retail group Woolworths Holdings Limited. In 2016, Woolworths sold the iconic 1938 Market Street store and announced the relocation of DJ's head office to Richmond, Victoria.

It has been a member of the International Association of Department Stores from 1979 to 2004.

David Jones Limited currently has 39 stores located throughout most of the Australian states and territories (except Tasmania and the Northern Territory). David Jones' main competitor is the larger, upmarket department store chain Myer. On 28 July 2016, David Jones opened its first New Zealand store in Wellington after buying Kirkcaldie & Stains, and on 21 November 2019, opened its first Auckland store in the newly developed Westfield Newmarket.

History
David Jones, a Welsh merchant, met a Hobart businessman, Charles Appleton, in London. Appleton had established a store in Sydney in 1825 and Jones subsequently established a partnership with him, moved to Australia in 1835, and the Sydney store became known as Appleton and Jones. When the partnership was dissolved in 1838, Jones moved his business to premises on the corner of George Street and Barrack Lane. Jones survived the depression of the 1840s, and by 1856 had retired from active management of the business. A few years later when the firm failed, he returned to manage its affairs and within a few years had fully discharged all obligations to his creditors.

By 1887, the George Street store had been rebuilt and a mail-order facility was introduced. A factory was opened in Marlborough Street, Sydney, to reduce reliance on imported goods. On the death of the founder, his son, Edward Lloyd Jones (1844–1894), led the company. At 18, Edward Lloyd Jones, Jr. (1874–1934) journeyed to England and entered the London office of David Jones. On his return to Australia, he gained pastoral and cattle experience in the Burnett district of Queensland. He re-entered the family business upon the death of his father in the train disaster at Redfern in 1894. David Jones was then a private company, but in 1906, it became a public company. Edward Lloyd Jones, Jr. became chairman of directors and held that position until he resigned in 1921. The Elizabeth Street store was opened in 1927 under the guidance of chairman Charles Lloyd Jones. A further store was opened in Market Street, Sydney, in 1938. A small branch was located in the Australia Hotel on Martin Place. In 1954, a state banquet was held for visiting Queen Elizabeth II in the restaurant of the Elizabeth Street store.

Regional NSW and interstate entry
Within New South Wales, David Jones established its first store in Newcastle by acquiring Scott's on Hunter Street in 1957 (closed 2011), and in Wollongong, the retailer Walter Lance and Co. in 1960. David Jones acquired and then converted the Big W Department Stores at Kotara Fair and the two-storey Big W at Warrawong in 1971. The Warrawong store closed in February 1986. A store in Wagga Wagga was added due to the purchase of David Copland and Co in 1953 (closed 1971).

David Jones' expanded into Victoria in the 1960s and in 1982 acquired the three stores of Buckley & Nunn located in Bourke Street, Northland, and Chadstone (closed the latter in 1983). In 1987, David Jones purchased the former GJ Coles store and building at 299 Bourke Street, Melbourne, converting it into a David Jones store. David Jones also owned the former Georges store in Collins Street, Melbourne between 1981 and 1995. In South Australia there were the acquisitions of Charles Birks & Co (Adelaide) in 1954 and John Martin's (Adelaide) in 1985. In Western Australia, it acquired Bon Marche (Perth) in 1954 (closed 1979), Foy & Gibson in 1964 (closed 1978), and Aherns (Perth) in 1999. In Queensland, David Jones purchased Finney Isles (Brisbane) in 1955, McKimmons (Townsville) in 1960 (relocated from Flinders Street and then closed in 1994), T.C. Beirne (Brisbane) in 1961, Marsh and Webster (Mackay) in 1963 (closed 1981), Boland's (Cairns) also in 1963 (relocated to Earlville in 1984, since closed), Wyper Bros. (Bundaberg) in 1972 (closed 1981), and Stuparts (Maryborough) in 1977 (closed 1981).

United States
In 1974, David Jones acquired a group of 12 stores in the United States, called Buffum's. These were ultimately rolled into Adelaide Steamship Company and closed by that company in May 1991.

David Jones Art Gallery
A significant feature of the Elizabeth Street shop, contributing greatly to its aura of quality and exclusivity, was the David Jones Art Gallery founded in 1944. Directors included Will Ashton (1944–47), Marion Hall Best (1947–49), John Amory (1949–50), M P Ferrandiere (1950–53), George Duncan (1953–63), Robert Haines (1963–76), Brian Moore (1976–84), and Peta Phillips (1984–92). Among the many drawcards were the Dobell exhibition of 1944, the Duke of Bedford's collection in 1962, and the Mendel Collection of Modern Painting, also in 1962. Prominent arts societies that held annual exhibitions there included the Australian Art Society, the Society of Artists, Australian Watercolour Institute, Contemporary Art Society, and Society of Sculptors and Associates. Prize exhibitions held in the Gallery included those sponsored by WD & HO Wills and Transfield.

Dajonians Repertory Society
Throughout the 1930s and '40s, the Sydney store supported the Dajonians Repertory Society, a Staff Club amateur theatre group. Their plays were variously performed in the David Jones theatrette and such theatres as St James' Hall and Independent Theatre. They engaged the services of a permanent producer (Carl Francis throughout the '30s and Frederick Hughes from 1940) and produced six plays a year, mostly light comedies by recognised playwrights such as J. B. Priestley. Through this time the company was led by Sir Charles Lloyd Jones until his death in 1958. By 1959, the store network had expanded to eight stores, with expansion focused upon the burgeoning new suburbs of Sydney.

1980–2000
In 1980, the Adelaide Steamship Company, headed by John Spalvins, acquired a substantial interest in David Jones, culminating in a complete takeover that took the company out of the Jones' family hands for the first time in its history. Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, the two companies involved themselves in a complex company structure whereby they each owned about half of each other, and financed by huge borrowings, acquired a portfolio of other companies. Other acquisitions made by Adelaide Steamship included Petersville Sleigh, Tooth & Co, Penfolds, and numerous others.

The recession of the early 1990s caused the nervous lenders (over 200 banks) to demand the return of their assets. This forced the liquidation of the portfolio at "fire-sale" prices and led the two companies into bankruptcy; the worthless Adelaide Steamship Company was renamed "Residual Assco Ltd" and was delisted. The worthless David Jones Limited was renamed "DJL". A number of the assets with value were very successfully sold off via public floats, in particular, National Foods, Woolworths, and the department store assets of DJL were floated as "David Jones Limited". In 1995, David Jones announced an $800 million public float of the David Jones and John Martin retail operations. The "new" David Jones Limited was subsequently listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with a new ASX code of DJS. The separation and public float of the department store assets in 1995 resulted in structural and cultural changes, which had periods of stagnancy and high staff turnover. Changes in management had DJs falter in the late 1990s. Shares initially offered at A$2 fell as low as A$0.90.

2000–2020
In 2000, David Jones returned to Western Australia after a near 25-year absence in the state. All five stores of the former department store Aherns were converted into David Jones stores in Karrinyup, Booragoon, Claremont, Rockingham and the Perth CBD. The Perth CBD Store was the only store of the five that was renovated. Over time, David Jones opened two more stores in Western Australia in Mandurah and Cannington, as well as two more stores in Hillarys and Innaloo on hold as of 2021 which would make them the largest department store chain in Western Australia.

In 2003, after a 20 million dollar loss, a strategic review in the company led to the closure of David Jones Rockingham, and the exit of the lease of David Jones Fountain Gate, as well as the closure of the loss-making David Jones Online web-based business and its gourmet food retail stores, Foodchain. It revitalised many of its stores, including its flagship Elizabeth Street and Market Street stores in Sydney (two individual buildings, linked both underground and via air bridge through Westfield Sydney). During this period, sales growth and profit growth were not increasing despite a consumer spending boom and the securing of exclusive deals with Australian and international brands. In this period, the share price was volatile; it reached a high over $4.50. The global downturn in 2009 affected David Jones, reporting a sales decline of 6.4% to $1,061.2m in the first half of 2009.

In June 2010, CEO Mark McInnes resigned after allegations that he had sexually harassed a female employee. McInnes' successor, Paul Zahra, led the company through significant restructuring, including the expansion of the online retail presence until October 2013, when he announced his intention to resign. Zahra retained his position, however, on account of strong shareholder support against Board Chairman Peter Mason, who eventually resigned along with two other directors who had been accused of insider trading.

In October 2013, Myer approached David Jones with a conditional, nonbinding, indicative proposal for a potential merger of the two companies. Myer believed the combined group would have generated pro forma sales and earnings before interest and taxes in 2013 around $5.0 billion and $364 million, respectively. In addition, Myer expected that a merger could have achieved more than $85 million of ongoing annual cost synergies within three years, primarily driven by structural efficiencies. The board of David Jones rejected the offer in November 2013. In February 2014, Myer again approached David Jones offering to buy the company at market value, with David Jones having a market capitalisation of $1.7 billion. Myer also indicated that its reappointed chief executive Bernie Brookes would be capable of managing the combined entity should the merger occur. David Jones acknowledged the letter stating it would consider any proposal that is in the best interest of its shareholders but made no further comment.

In April 2014, Myer withdrew its proposed merger of equals following on from David Jones' announcement that it had recommended a $4.00 cash per share proposal and entered into a scheme implementation deed with South African retail group Woolworths, implying a market capitalisation of $2.15 billion. The takeover bid was approved in July 2014 by the Federal Court of Australia. In mid-August 2014, despite the previously stated intention by Woolworths to retain CEO Paul Zahra, Zahra announced his resignation once more amid indications of significant differences between strategy and the future of the company, giving three months' notice to ensure a smooth handover. Woolworths then announced that Country Road CEO Iain Nairn would succeed Zahra as chief executive.

In July 2015, the Wellington, New Zealand department store Kirkcaldie & Stains agreed to be purchased by Woolworths South Africa. The existing Wellington store closed in 2016. It reopened on 28 July 2016 as the first David Jones' store in New Zealand. The David Jones website does not provide delivery to New Zealand, remaining a solely Australian trading website.

Woolworths South Africa sold the 1938 Market Street store in 2016, with the plan that DJ's would lease and occupy the site until late 2019. The plan was that this would result in the closure of the store, with the nine floors of homewares, furniture, electricals, and menswear being merged into the 1927 flagship Elizabeth Street store, which was to be renovated and have its floors devoted to shopping space expanded from eight to 12.

2020–present
In March 2023, David Jones was purchased from Woolworths Holdings Limited by Australian private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners for a fraction of the value of the 2014 transaction. The new private equity owner has previously invested in Australian retail brands such as Burger King, Dick Smith, and Golden Circle.

In August 2023, David Jones launched a retail media department called ‘Amplify’. It aims to provide a revenue source by advertising brands such a Jaguar Land Rover, Destination Canada, and Regent Cruises to its customer base.

The company permanently closed its Eastland store in January 2024 as a part of a company restructure that would see flagship stores prioritised.

Executive chairmen

 * David Jones, 1838–1868
 * Edward Lloyd Jones, 1868–1894
 * Edward Lloyd Jones, Jr., 1894–1921
 * Sir Charles Lloyd Jones, 1921–1958
 * David Lloyd Jones, 1959–1961
 * Charles Lloyd Jones, Jr., 1961–1980

Nonexecutive chairmen

 * Dick Warburton, 1995–2003
 * Bob Savage, 2003–2013
 * Peter Mason, 2013–2014
 * Gordon Cairns, 2014–2016
 * Ian Moir, 2016–present

Chief executive officers

 * John Spalvins, 1980–1991
 * Rod Mewing, 1991–1994
 * Chris Tideman, 1994–1997
 * Peter Wilkinson, 1997–2002
 * Mark McInnes, 2002–2010
 * Paul Zahra, 2010–2014
 * Iain Nairn, 2014–2015
 * John Dixon, 2015–2017
 * David Thomas, 2017–2019
 * Ian Moir, 2019–2020
 * Scott Fyfe, 2020–present

Branding

David Jones' branding—a black-on-white houndstooth pattern—is one of the most recognised corporate identities in Australia. A government-sponsored panel judged it in 2006 as one of Australia's top-10 favourite trademarks. The iconic design was the result of a 1967 rebranding exercise by Charles Lloyd Jones, Jr., who desired that the store would be so well known by the design as to not require the use of the name on the packing. It was inspired allegedly from the houndstooth design on a Miss Dior perfume bottle of his mother's, Hannah Jones. On 25 July 2016, David Jones' introduced a new logo, with a revised font style and removed references to the houndstooth online.

Slogans have been used for some time at David Jones'. Often, the slogans have been used for multiple decades and have become the definition of the David Jones' offer for a generation. Past slogans include "For Service" (1960s), "There's no other store like David Jones" (1980s and 1990s), "The most beautiful store in the world" (1980s), "Was. Is. Always" (2010s), "'Live an extraordinary life" (2014–2016), and "One name: endless possibilities" (2016–present).

David Jones has for some decades used models and "personalities" as a way of creating cut through in advertising. In the late 20th century, it was Maureen Duval, who also hosted Good Morning Sydney part sponsored by David Jones on TEN-10 Sydney. In the current century, the new models used include Megan Gale, Miranda Kerr, and Jessica Gomes. Kerr worked for the retailer from 2008 until 2013. On 23 March 2013, model Jessica Gomes was announced as Kerr's replacement. Celebrities used by David Jones in recent times include Liz Hurley and Kim Cattrall.

Five stores have food halls, which are viewed as a key part of the David Jones brand, emphasising quality and style, yet have come under recent criticism. The failed Foodchain experiment—effectively a smaller chain of standalone food halls—was sold to the parent company of Freedom Furniture in 2003 after it proved unprofitable. It was announced in July 2016, Neil Perry, a foodservice and restaurant operator, will consult to David Jones' on the new Food Halls, including assortment, presentation, and service.

Stores
David Jones has department stores in all Australian capital cities except Hobart and Darwin. It also has stores in Kotara, Tuggerah, Maitland, Wollongong, Maroochydore, Robina and Broadbeach Waters.

Stores are located in city centre retail areas and enclosed shopping centres. In 2007, David Jones recast its criteria for store locations, reflecting CEO Mark McInnes' intention to concentrate on "low-risk, high-value locations". Stores in Sydney at Bankstown Central (closed July 2007) and Westfield Eastgardens (October 2007) were replaced by Myer, but David Jones replaced the Myer store in Westfield Burwood in May 2007 and opened a new store at Westfield Chermside in August 2007 and a new store at QueensPlaza, Brisbane in February 2008. The Melbourne Bourke Street stores were completely renovated in mid-2010 at a cost of $250 million.

In January 2008, David Jones announced that the Claremont store would be closed in 2009 to allow for a complete rebuilding to reopen in 2011. The new store increased floor space by 60%. David Jones' opened a new format, fashion focused format in Malvern, Victoria on 12 September 2013. On 1 May 2014, David Jones opened in Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, Brisbane. In October 2014, David Jones opened in Macquarie Centre, at the same time a number of foreign retailers opened in the centre including H&M, Zara, and Uniqlo.

In March 2016, the new owners of David Jones', Woolworths South Africa, announced the sale of the nine-floor Market Street Sydney store, housing the Home, Food, and Menswear departments, which is to be incorporated into a renovated Elizabeth Street store, which will have its shopping floors increased from eight to 12. The Market Street store was opened in 1938. The store closed on 16 March 2020.

In February 2017, David Jones announced a three-store deal at Westfield Shopping centres in Western Australia. The three stores are in Westfield Carousel, Westfield Innaloo and Westfield Whitford City. The first store opened in Westfield Carousel in August 2018. As of May 2020, the other two stores have either been put on hold, or silently cancelled. On 22 March 2018, two new stores opened, one in Stockland Green Hills in East Maitland, NSW, and another in Mandurah, WA, in the Mandurah Forum Shopping Centre.

In July 2020, David Jones announced the sale of the iconic Melbourne Menswear, Home and Food building at 299 Bourke Street. All departments relocated into the refurbished main building at 310 Bourke Street in July 2022. The Food Hall closed permanently during April 2021 in the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. A tailored selection of food has been retained and incorporated into the renovated main building on level 5. In late 2022, David Jones announced the closure of its Westfield Mt Gravatt store in 2023 after 52 years of trading.

In 2021, it was announced that David Jones in Wellington, the first in New Zealand, would close on 12 June 2022. This leaves David Jones at Westfield Newmarket in Auckland the only store in New Zealand.

As of March 2024, David Jones has 41 stores in Australia and New Zealand:

 * ACT: 2 stores
 * New South Wales: 15 stores
 * Queensland: 7 stores
 * South Australia: 3 stores
 * Victoria: 6 stores
 * Western Australia: 6 stores
 * New Zealand: 1 store.

title: David Jones (retailer)


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Aster (missile family)

The Aster 15 and Aster 30 are a Franco-Italian family of all-weather, vertical launch surface-to-air missiles. The name "Aster" stands for "Aérospatiale Terminale", with French company Aérospatiale having been the project's lead contractor before its missile activities were merged into MBDA. It also takes inspiration from the word "aster" (ἀστήρ), meaning "star" in Ancient Greek. The missiles as well as the related weapon systems are manufactured by Eurosam, a consortium consisting of MBDA France, MBDA Italy and Thales, each holding a 33.3% share.

The Aster missiles were developed to intercept and destroy the full spectrum of air threats from high-performance combat aircraft, UAVs and helicopters to cruise, anti-radiation and even sea-skimming supersonic anti-ship missiles. The Aster 30 Block 1 and Block 1 NT were designed to counter ballistic missiles.

The Aster is primarily operated by France, Italy, as well as the United Kingdom as an export customer, and is an integrated component of the PAAMS air defence system, known in the Royal Navy as Sea Viper. As the principal weapon of the PAAMS, the Aster equips the Horizon-class frigates in French and Italian service as well as the British Type 45 destroyers. It equips the French and Italian FREMM multipurpose frigates, though not through the PAAMS air defense suite itself but specific French and Italian derivatives of the system.

History
During the 1980s, the predominant missiles in Franco-Italian service were short-range systems such as the French Crotale, Italian Selenia Aspide or American Sea Sparrow, with ranges up to a dozen kilometres. Some vessels were also equipped with the American medium/long range RIM-66 Standard. France and Italy decided to start development of a domestic medium/long range surface-to-air missile to enter service in the first decade of the 21st century, that would give them comparable range but superior interception capability to the American Standard or British Sea Dart already in service.

Thought was given in particular to the new missile's ability to intercept next-generation supersonic anti-ship missiles, such as the BrahMos missile developed jointly by India and Russia. This allowed the actual systems to have the characteristic of being specialised either in short-to-medium range "point defence" for e.g. ships, or in medium-to-long range "zone defence" of fleets.

In May 1989, a memorandum of understanding was signed between France and Italy for the development of a family of future surface-to air-missiles. Eurosam was formed shortly afterwards. By July 1995 development had taken shape in the form of the Aster missile, and test firing of the first Aster 30 took place. The missile successfully intercepted a target at an altitude of 15,000 m and at speeds of 1000 km/h. A Phase 2 contract was awarded in 1997 at US$1 billion for pre-production and development of the French-Italian land and naval systems.

During development trials between 1993 and 1994 all flight sequences, altitudes and ranges, were validated. This was also the period during which the launch sequence of Aster 30 was validated. In May 1996, trials of the Aster 15 active electromagnetic final guidance system against live targets began. All six attempts were successful. During 1997 Aster was extensively tested, this time being pitted against targets such as the Aerospatiale C.22 target and first generation Exocet anti-ship missiles.

In numerous engagements Aster scored direct impacts on its targets. During an engagement in November 1997 in a strong countermeasures environment, the Aster was not armed with its military warhead, so that the distance between the Aster and the target could be recorded. The target, a C22, was recovered bearing two strong cuts made by the fins of the Aster missile.

In May 2001, Aster again completed the "manufacturer's validation firing test". It was deployed for the first time on the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Charles de Gaulle. In June 2001, the Aster achieved a successful interception of an Arabel missile at low altitude in less than five seconds. In 2001, a target simulating an aircraft flying at speeds of Mach 1 and at an altitude of 100 m was intercepted by an Aster 15. The first ever operational firing of the Aster missile took place during October 2002 on board Charles de Gaulle.

In November 2003, Eurosam was awarded the 3 billion euro Phase 3 production contract. Full production and exports to France, Italy, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom started. The resulting Aster surface-to-air missile meets inter-service and international requirements, addressing the needs of the land, air and naval forces of France, Italy and the United Kingdom. The decision to base the missile around a common terminal intercept "dart" to which different sized boosters can be attached, has made it modular and extensible.

From 2002 to 2005, the Italian experimental frigate ITALIAN FRIGATE Carabiniere provided a test bed for live firing trials of the Aster 15 from Sylver A43 launchers with EMPAR and SAAM-it systems, and the trials of Aster 30 from Sylver A50 launchers with EMPAR and PAAMS(E) systems. , France had spent €4.1bn at 2010 prices on 10 SAMP/T launchers, 375 Aster 30 missiles and 200 Aster 15 missiles. Another 80 Aster 30 and 40 Aster 15 were purchased for France's Horizon-class frigates under a separate programme.

In January 2023, the Italian and French Minister of Defense signed with MBDA a $2 billion contract for the purchase of 700 Aster missiles.

Characteristics
There are two versions of the Aster missile family, the short-medium range version, the Aster 15, and the long range version, the Aster 30. The missile bodies are identical. Their difference in range and intercept speed is because Aster 30 uses a much larger booster. Total weights of the Aster 15 and Aster 30 are 310 kg and 450 kg respectively.

The Aster 15 is 4.2 m long, rising to just under 5 m for the Aster 30. Aster 15 has a diameter of 180 mm. Given the larger dimensions of the Aster 30, a naval based system requires the longer tubes of the Sylver A50 or A70 vertical launching system (VLS). The American Mark 41 Vertical Launching System can accommodate Aster 30.

Variants

 * Aster 15: Short to medium range surface-to-air missile
 * Aster 15 EC : New version of the Aster 15 with twice the range (60+ km); under development as of 2023 and expected to be introduced in 2030
 * Aster 30 Block 0: Medium to long range surface-to-air missile. It can pull manoeuvres in excess of 50g.
 * Aster 30 Block 1: Variant with anti-ballistic missile capability; tailored to counter 600 km-class short-range ballistic missiles.
 * Aster 30 Block 1NT: NT standing for "New Technology", it is a new variant of the Aster 30 designed to counter short and 1500 km-class medium-range ballistic missiles.
 * Aster 30 Block 2 BMD – Anti-ballistic missile under development and intended to counter up to 3000 km-class ballistic and maneuvering missiles.

The Aster 30 Block 1 is used on the Eurosam SAMP/T system operated by the French Air and Space Force and the Italian Army. In 2015, France launched the development of the Block 1NT variant, a programm Italy would join in 2016. The same year, the United Kingdom showed interest in acquiring the Block 1NT version for its Type 45 destroyers currently operating the Block 0. In 2022, the United Kingdom announced a series of upgrades to its Type 45 destroyers. This included the implementation of the Block 1 version for anti-ship ballistic missile defense.

Naval systems

 * FRENCH AIRCRAFT CARRIER Charles de Gaulle
 * ITALIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Cavour
 * Horizon-class frigate
 * Type 45 destroyer
 * FREMM multipurpose frigate
 * Formidable-class frigate
 * Al Riyadh-class frigate
 * Kalaat Béni Abbès class
 * Frégate de défense et d'intervention
 * Thaon di Revel-class offshore patrol vessel
 * Doha-class corvette

Land systems
The Aster 30 has been incorporated by Eurosam into a mobile SAM system, fulfilling the ground-based theatre air defence/protection requirement. It comes in the form of the Sol-Air Moyenne-Portée/Terrestre (French for "Surface-to-Air Medium-Range/Land-based"), abbreviated as SAMP/T. The system uses a network of radars and sensors – including 3D phased array radar – enabling it to be effective against various air threats such as aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles, standoff missiles, cruise missiles or anti-radiation missiles.

The SAMP/T uses an upgraded version of the Arabel long range radar, developed under the Aster 30 block 1 upgrade program, in order to extend the system's capability against higher speed and higher altitude targets. The Aster 30 Block 1 can intercept missiles with a 600 km range (short-range ballistic missiles).

Testing

 * In April 2008, RSS Intrepid, a Formidable-class frigate of the Republic of Singapore Navy, shot down an aerial drone off the French port of Toulon during a naval exercise. Then again in 2010, a frigate of the same class, RSS Supreme fired an Aster 15 and shot down an aerial drone off the coast of Hawaii as part of exercise RIMPAC 2010. The RSN conducted 6 successful live-firings of the Aster missile over 11 years.
 * Beginning with HMS Dauntless (D33) in September 2010, all of the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers have successfully intercepted Mirach drones with Aster missiles at the Benbecula ranges off the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Mirach is a 13 ft jet which flies at speeds of up to 600 mph at altitudes as low as 10 ft or as high as 39,000 ft.
 * In December 2011, an Aster 30 missile downed an Israeli Black Sparrow ballistic missile target, the first time an Aster missile had attempted such an engagement.
 * In April 2012, the Horizon-class frigate, FRENCH FRIGATE Forbin, of the French Navy downed an American GQM-163 Coyote target simulating a sea-skimming supersonic anti-ship cruise missile traveling at Mach 2.5 (3000 km/h) with an altitude of less than 5 metres. It was the first time a European missile defence system destroyed a supersonic sea-skimming missile. The trial was described as a complex operational scenario.
 * In 2021, during the Exercise At-Sea Demo: Formidable Shield 2021, the Horizon-class frigate Forbin, intercepted a supersonic (>3000 km/h) sea skimming target using an Aster 30 missile.
 * In 2024, during the EU operation in the Red Sea, it is likely that the French Navy utilised Aster 30 to intercept three Houthi ballistic missiles. The missile was also likely used by the Royal Navy to down another Houthi ballistic missile in April 2024.

Current operators

 * 🇩🇿 Algeria
 * Algerian National Navy – ALGERIAN AMPHIBIOUS TRANSPORT DOCK Kalaat Béni Abbès

 * 🇪🇬 Egypt
 * Egyptian Navy

 * 🇫🇷 France
 * French Navy
 * French Air and Space Force

 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * Hellenic Navy – Aster 30 for FDI HN frigates

 * 🇮🇹 Italy
 * Italian Navy
 * Italian Army
 * Italian Air Force

 * 🇲🇦 Morocco
 * Royal Moroccan Navy

 * 🇶🇦 Qatar
 * Qatar Navy

 * 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
 * Royal Saudi Navy

 * 🇸🇬 Singapore
 * Republic of Singapore Navy
 * Republic of Singapore Air Force

According to a news report of May 2023, "The Franco-Italian anti-aircraft missile system has arrived in Ukraine, and it will be serviced by 20 local experts." Italy announced that it was sending a second SAMP/T system to Ukraine. The date of arrival was not announced.
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine

 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * Royal Navy

Potential operators

 * Armed Forces of Armenia – French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu mentioned its possible sale during his visit to Armenia in February 2024.
 * 🇹🇷 Turkey
 * Turkish Air Force – In January 2018, a contract was signed during a state visit by the President of Turkey in Paris for a project with Eurosam for a future Long Range Air and Missile Defense System (LORAMIDS) for a period of 18 months where Turkish companies Roketsan and Aselsan would participate in the joint-production of the missile system. It was stated that the SAMP/T air defense system project, which was stopped at the end of 2019 due to Turkey's launch of Operation Peace Spring in Syria, came to the agenda at the NATO Summit, and that Turkey, France and Italy would revive the project.
 * Turkish Air Force – In January 2018, a contract was signed during a state visit by the President of Turkey in Paris for a project with Eurosam for a future Long Range Air and Missile Defense System (LORAMIDS) for a period of 18 months where Turkish companies Roketsan and Aselsan would participate in the joint-production of the missile system. It was stated that the SAMP/T air defense system project, which was stopped at the end of 2019 due to Turkey's launch of Operation Peace Spring in Syria, came to the agenda at the NATO Summit, and that Turkey, France and Italy would revive the project.

🇸🇰 Slovakia
 * 🇭🇷 Croatia
 * Croatian Air Force – In a decisive strategic initiative to fortify its national air defense grid, the Republic of Croatia has committed to the acquisition of the Ground-to-Air Medium Range/Terrain (SAMP/T) missile defense system, outfitted with Aster 15 missiles. This procurement underscores Croatia's proactive efforts to bolster its military infrastructure amidst dynamically evolving global security challenges.

 * Slovak Air Force – Ministry of Defence of Slovak Republic is now negotiating and comparing offeres for MRAD systems from Israeli comapnies, American–Norwegian NASAMS and French Aérospatiales SAMP/T system. Systems will replace old Soviet 2K12 Kub systems. Systems should be aquired in 2024.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Aster (missile family)


text:
Wikipedia talk:Submission Standards/copyright compliance opt out application

I'm opting out because I have and will release works under licenses other than the GFDL (CC-ShareAlike and others) which I have and will also license to the Wikipedia under the GFDL. It would be contrary to my licenses to those other parties to authorize the Wikipedia to act against them for infringements of the GFDL, which they aren't bound by, just because I've also granted the Wikipedia a license restricted to the GFDL terms. Jamesday 02:22, 26 Jan 2004 (UTC)

 * Please note the Submission Standards states that you can apply to opt out and that it is up to the Board of Trustees to decide. Also the above statement is incoherent. Obviously since the only license granted to Wikipedia is the GFDL license it can only police compliance of GFDL licenses, all other uses of the author's copyright is not covered. Isn't that clear? The author retains the copyright of their work, the only copyright granted to Wikipedia is the GFDL license. [[User:Alex756|— Alex756 talk]] 13:14, 27 Jan 2004 (UTC)

 * What happens when I grant you a CC-ShareAlike license and the Wikipedia takes legal action against you for GFDL infringement? That's what I'm trying to prevent with the opt out. Jamesday 06:58, 28 Jan 2004 (UTC)

 * There is a rule in property law that we learn in first year property that is a guiding principle even in the realm of intellectual property, you can only grant as much of an entitlement as you have. A corollary to this is the idea that when you have two partially overlapping rights your rights include all of the rights granted to you. Using this logic of entitlements you can see that if there are let us say, four entitlements to a CC license: {A, B, C, D} and three elements to a GFDL license: {A, E, F}, together one has six entitlements: {A,B,C,D,E,F}. If a CC license says you do not have to have notice when the GFDL does, well you have granted more rights in the CC license, so the licensee is covered, some intermediate GFDL user cannot point the finger at you, your license is greater than their license; as long as everything you do is within the ambit of some license you have you are not infringing on any of them. [[User:Alex756|— Alex756 talk]] 07:53, 28 Jan 2004 (UTC)

 * Yes, of course the Wikipedia will fail - the Wikipedia action would be completely meritless. That's not the problem - we agree that the Wikipedia can't possibly win a baseless action. Consider what you wrote about the scenario at Wikipedia talk:Submission Standards. I can do without someone I've granted a non-GFDL license suing me because the Wikipedia takes GFDL infringement action against them using an agency permission I've granted the Wikipedia. I also want to protect the Wikipedia from that risk, by advising it of the risk and saying don't do that. Jamesday 02:25, 30 Jan 2004 (UTC)

 * Once again if you grant someone a license greater than what you grant Wikipedia then they have that greater license to defend upon. No one would be going after some licensee in such a case so I don't know what your problem is. As I cannot understand what point you are trying to make, perhaps you can restate it in a clearly manner so an average person without a background in copyright will understand the problem. Thank you. [[User:Alex756|— Alex756 talk]] 22:30, 13 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I agree with Alex, and don’t understand the problem. Wikipedia is trying to make sure that it will be able to take action against GFDL infringements — that makes sense. For example, this will enable Wikipedia to enforce the GFDL for articles written by authors who have since passed away. The FSF insists on complete copyright assignments for largely the same reasons: if they can act on behalf of all contributors to, e.g., GNU Emacs, then they may have a stronger case if and when they ever want to (or are forced to) go to court.

Let’s say Alice wants to use an article written by Jamesday in a way forbidden by the GFDL but allowed by CC-By-SA-2.0. That’s fine, because Jamesday agrees to license his contributions under CC-By-SA-2.0. Now, Jamesday appears to be worried that Wikipedia might try to sue Alice for GFDL infringement. But that would not make sense, because Alice has not agreed to the terms of the GFDL and thus is not bound by it. What Wikipedia could do in this case is act upon any violations of CC-By-SA-2.0 that Alice might make, which again makes sense.

Jamesday says, “It would be contrary to my licenses to those other parties to authorize the Wikipedia to act against them for infringements of the GFDL, which they aren't bound by.” That’s right — those other parties are not bound by the GFDL, so they would in no way by affected by your authorizing Wikipedia to act on your behalf against GFDL infringements. Well, I mean, I wouldn’t want, like, Johnnie Cochran to sue me for infringement of any kind, shape, or form, regardless of what grounds he had, but Wikipedia is not Johnnie Cochran and cannot afford to hire him.

— Daniel Brockman 14:11, 13 December 2005 (UTC)


text: Template:Departments of France

title: Template:Departments of France


text:
Through-composed music

In the theory of musical form, through-composed music is a continuous, non-sectional, and non-repetitive piece of music. The term is typically used to describe songs, but can also apply to instrumental music.

While most musical forms such as ternary form (ABA), rondo form (ABACABA), and sonata form (ABA') rely on repetition, through-composed music does not re-use material (ABCD). This constant introduction of new material is most noticeable in musical settings of poems, in contrast to the often used strophic form (AAA). Through-composed songs have different music for each stanza of the lyrics. The German word durchkomponiert is also used to indicate this concept.

Examples
Musicologist James Webster defines through-composed music in the following manner: "In general usage, a 'through-composed' work is one based on run-on movements without internal repetitions. (The distinction is especially characteristic of the literature of the art-song, where such works are contrasted with strophic settings.)"

Many examples of this form can be found in Schubert's lieder, in which the words of a poem are set to music, and each line is different. In his lied "Erlkönig", in which the setting proceeds to a different musical arrangement for each new stanza and whenever the piece comes to each character, the character portrays its own voice register and tonality. Another example within instrumental music is Haydn's 'Farewell Symphony'.

Opera and musicals
The term "through-composed" is also applied to opera and musical theater to indicate a work that consists of an uninterrupted stream of music from beginning to end, as in the operas of Wagner. This stands in contrast to the practice, as for example occurs in Mozart's Italian- and German-language operas, of having a collection of songs interrupted by recitative or spoken dialogue. Examples of the modern trend towards through-composed works in musical theater include the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Claude-Michel Schönberg. In musical theater, works with clear delineations between songs yet no spoken dialogue – such as Les Misérables or Hamilton – are usually instead referred to by the term "through-sung".

In popular music
While through-composed form is very uncommon in popular music, several notable examples do exist:

 * "2 + 2 = 5" by Radiohead shifts through four main sections, none of which repeat. Starting with the first part (in ), each section gets progressively louder until the climax of the song's final portion.
 * Many Genesis songs, including "The Musical Box" and "Supper's Ready", are through-composed.
 * Trey Anastasio, guitarist and vocalist of the band Phish, has written many compositions that utilize through-composed structure. Examples include "You Enjoy Myself" (the band's signature song), "Guyute", "Divided Sky", "Reba", and "Foam".
 * "In Dreams" by Roy Orbison features seven distinct sections, none of which repeat.
 * "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and "You Never Give Me Your Money" by The Beatles.
 * "Rudy" by Supertramp from the album "Crime of the Century".
 * "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.

title: Through-composed music


text:
Talk:Robert Sheckley

Twilight Zone
Are we sure that Mr. Sheckley, who just passed away, wrote episodes for The Twilight Zone? The imdb only credits him with Captain Video, not TZ. Is this right in the article? 12/9/05

No, I don't believe so, certainly not during the days of Serling. Sheckley wrote for Twilight Zone Magazine, including book reviews and many excellent stories such as "Shootout in the Toyshop", "5 Minutes Early" and also "Juleeeeeeeen!" which was cowritten with his wife Jay Rothbell Sheckley. He wrote so many stories in the 1950's that Robert Sheckley was believed by many other writers to be a pseudonymous "house name." Sheckley himself said that he heard that the Sheckley name was used by tv writers for The Twilight Zone as a character name, to show that they knew he wasn't real. He was.

Slapstick
Should Sheckley's novels be considered slapstick? Lefty 15:32, 2004 Feb 21 (UTC)

Describing Sheckley's books as slapstick is debatable, I think. I'm going to mull this over for future modification. Additional comments on the subject welcome! kjfasimpaur 14:06, 20 Jul 2004 (UTC)

IMHO Sheckley's novels are not slapstick in general, although slapstick is used in some of them as a vehicle. Perhaps I would consider Mindswap a slapstick novel, but I find Immortality Incorporated and The Status Civilization to be deeper. His short stories have even more conveyed meaning than his novels, very recently I recommended someone to read A Ticket to Tranai to convey a philosophical point :-)

 * It has been reported that Robert Sheckley died. I'm not going to add that information until confirmation and I ask others don't either. General sources for things like this are Locus Online and the SFWA News--T. Anthony 17:55, 9 December 2005 (UTC)
 * As there is now an obituary up at this SFWA News link, the information can probably be added to the article now by someone who wishes to. Brendan 19:22, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

"cited" v. "claimed"
"His novel Dimension of Miracles is often cited as an influence on Douglas Adams, although in an interview for Neil Gaiman's book Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Companion, Adams claimed not to have read it until after writing The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy."

Perhaps it is my imperfect grasp of the English language (I am a native Dutch speaker), but to me this sounds like the author thinks Adams was lying. "Cite" sounds more authoritative to me than a mere "claim". But perhaps I am seeing things that aren't there?--82.92.181.129 03:53, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

Sheckley's work _prefigured_ Adams.

Too many low-value links
I would like to do some work on this article. One thing that strikes me is the large number of redlinks to works of fiction and the links to years (or, in some case, xxxx in fiction). Would anybody mind if I removed these? The redlinks are probably not realistic (if somebody seriously intends to write these in the near future I'll hold off), and the year links add little. --Guinnog 15:18, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Less Personal Information, More Career
I would like to take out the references to Mr. Sheckley's marriages and stick to his career. I don't see the particular relevance for scholarship by opening discussions about his private life in this case. Also, I would like to add more about Condorman and Freejack, and his years as editor at Omni - there is some career material that is lacking. I'd also like to add a better picture - one that makes him look alive. —Preceding unsigned comment added by JohnVHenley (talk • contribs) 22:21, 7 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Mentioning a person's marriages and children is not a "discussion about their private life", it's standard procedure in biographies. For example, our article on Johann Sebastian Bach mentions his two marriages and lists his children, as does the article on Bach in New Grove (which covers the topic in much more detail, too) and nobody ever complained about either. I can't see why Sheckley should be an exception. It's not like we're starting a gossip column here. As for career material that is lacking, you're very welcome to add anything, provided you have reliable sources; at some point I tried very hard to find those to expand this article (which was in an even worse state before I worked on it), and failed. Also, the photograph is indeed horrible, but Wikipedia only allows using copyright-free or CC-licensed pictures, and none surfaced so far. A copyrighted image may be useable under fair use, but we would have to include publisher and photographer information, and again, I've tried finding suitable pictures with that information intact, and found none. --Jashiin (talk) 22:48, 7 November 2010 (UTC)

Jashin - thank you for your thoughtful reply. I am working on compiling some material that can be referenced and cited. I fully agree with that policy and position. And I want to add more material on Robert Sheckley. However, I am new to Wikipedia and need to figure out some of the ropes. May I email you or contact you on this page for help on getting content in? Also, regarding the personal information - maybe there is a way we can work together - a matter of writing style or something like that - so that the personal material is present, but not presented in such a way that makes it look like Robert Sheckley was married every other year. My thanks for your reply. Oh, point of order: so, if editing this page, I should come to this page first and talk with you about it, or run it by you? johnhenley.henley@gmail.com   http://www.johnVhenley.com  —Preceding unsigned comment added by JohnVHenley (talk • contribs) 23:25, 7 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Sure, contact me if you need any help. You can use my talk page to do that. But getting material in is usually easy, provided it's cited; your previous edits were reverted because you deleted a lot of information and haven't given any explanation, such edits always look suspicious. And I'm pretty think the problem you describe ("was married every other year") will go away on its own if more material is added. Finally, you don't have to contact anyone in order to edit articles, per WP:OWN nobody "owns" any articles, they're all collaborative efforts. But some substantial edits, like massive deletions or addition of uncited material, usually require some sort of explanation in the edit summary at least, or a discussion at the article's talk page. --Jashiin (talk) 21:01, 8 November 2010 (UTC)

Thank you Jashiin - I totally get why you revised the revisions now. I like the way you think - more information to serve as a blanket. I'm currently awaiting a photograph of Robert Sheckley that the family will allow to become publically acessible. And, I've gotten some old OMNI's and Galaxies on order in high hopes that these will shed some more information about his work in those magazines. Can't be sure - but perhaps. Also, I've contacted Playboy to see if they will allow me/wikipedia/us to use a picture from 1971 that shows Hugh Hefner with a number of "cutting edge" writers - which includes Sheckley. Their copyright agent is looking into it and will talk with me on the phone sometime soon. They might not allow it, but we'll see. Unfortunately, the editor of Penthouse/Omni, Bob Guccione, just passed away, as did his wife a few years ago - so I won't be able to get much from that angle. The family is willing to share stories, but I want it to be more than a series of oral histories, though I suppose that would be alright if it were so framed? What do you think about that? I look forward to learning more about Wikipedia and working with you on this project. More soon. My gratitude. John Henley —Preceding unsigned comment added by JohnVHenley (talk • contribs) 02:46, 10 November 2010 (UTC)

Jashlin,

My apologies for having been out of contact for three or more months. To make a long story short: new job. Mrs. Gail Sheckley has given me a photograph of Robert Sheckley with his daughters Molly and Robin. It's a much better picture than the picture up online now. Mrs. Sheckley understands that this photograph will become universal property, but I believe that she would like some kind of note that this picture was hers. Also, after a long discussion with Playboy, it seems that there is no contention about using the group Photo from the Playboy Book that has Robert Sheckley way in the back. It is not a great photo of Robert Sheckley. Please email me at johnhenley.henley@gmail.com and I can send you the photograph as an attachment. I'm still trying to get my hands on some of the OMNI magazines to see if I can glean any biographical information about Robert Sheckley from them - though I am not sure that I can. Thank you. John V. HenleyJohnVHenley (talk) 00:23, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

Collections vs compilations
Is there a good reason to have a list of "short story collections" followed by a list of "short story compilations"? I don't understand the difference, especially as the only Wikilinked "compilation" is described on its own page as a "collection". Can these lists be merged? Pastychomper (talk) 13:49, 18 October 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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Popularity in Soviet Union
If it has any sense, I think, it should be mentioned that Robert Sheckley's stories and novels were extremely popular in USSR. He is still one of the most popular science fiction writers in post-soviet countries.178.68.90.2 (talk) 03:10, 22 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Do you know of a source for this? Mike Christie (talk - contribs - library) 03:19, 22 January 2021 (UTC)

It is really hard to confirm taking into account the fact that USSR didn't publish any book sales statistics. But as a Soviet-born man I can say that it is true. He has been to former USSR republics many times (for example his final international trip was to Ukraine). The Russian version of the article mentions this fact too.176.59.11.0 (talk) 23:55, 17 September 2021 (UTC)

title: Talk:Robert Sheckley


text:
Sydney Harbour Tunnel

The Sydney Harbour Tunnel is a twin-tube road tunnel in Sydney, Australia. The tunnel was completed and opened to traffic in August 1992 to provide a second vehicular crossing of Sydney Harbour to alleviate congestion on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is one of two transportation tunnels under the harbour, the other being a set of rail tunnels for the Sydney Metro.

The tunnel joins the Warringah Freeway at North Sydney and the Cahill Expressway at the entrance to the Domain Tunnel. It has two lanes in each direction, and runs at an angle of approximately thirty degrees (north to south) to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which has eight lanes, with a tidal flow operation. In 2017, the tunnel was carrying around 96,000 vehicles per day.

Construction
The tunnel is made up of three sections: twin 900 m land tunnels on the north shore, twin 400 m land tunnels on the south shore and a 960 m immersed tube (IMT) structure. The tunnel falls about 55 m from the northern entrance and about 35 m from the southern entrance to its deepest point, 25 m below sea level. The construction was undertaken by Thiess Contractors.

The IMT structure consists of eight precast concrete units. The units were constructed over 100 km away in a casting basin at Port Kembla and then towed to Sydney Harbour. A trench was dredged before the arrival of the IMTs and then the IMTs were lowered into the trench by a system of pontoons and control towers. After the IMTs were in place, the trenches were backfilled and then a rock armour was placed over the top to protect the units against marine hazards, such as anchors or sinking vessels. The land tunnels were constructed by a combination of driving and cut-and-cover techniques, designed to be strong enough to withstand the impact of earthquakes.

Ventilation
The northern end pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge were altered to allow for air exhaust from the tunnel to rise over the harbour. Bradfield Park on the northern side of the bridge also has air intakes. Fresh air is drawn by an underground ventilation station on the north shore and is pumped to all sections of the tunnel through vented ducts. The air supply uses fourteen axial flow fans, each up to 2.5 m in diameter. The exhaust uses sixteen (eight in each northern pylon tower) fans that draw exhaust air through two underground ducts from the tunnel ventilation station and transfer the air to the top of the pylon. They can expel it at up to 1500 m³/s – equivalent to changing all the air in the tunnel every two minutes with the capability of running in reverse in an emergency and all fans are rated for smoke extraction. Each of the fans has a duty of 53 to 103 m³/s. The testing of the fans was one of the most comprehensive ever, covering flowrate and pressure, power measurements, sound levels, bearing vibration, x-raying of all impeller components, high-temperature tests at 200 C for two hours, impeller strain, and 24-hour run tests for reversals.

Operations and maintenance
The Harbour Tunnel was a partnership between the New South Wales government and private investors by tender. Transfield and Kumagai Gumi formed a 50/50 joint venture company which constructed the tunnel under contract; with a 30-year operating contract, including revenue collection and maintenance, from 1992 until 2022. As a result of the 1997 separation of assets of Transfield and the creation of the Tenix group (owned by Olbia), the ongoing 30-year operating contract for management of the tunnel was split between Kumagai Gumi (50%), Transfield (25%) and Olbia (25%).

The total construction cost of the project was $554 million. $223 million of this was an interest-free loan from the NSW Government, to be repaid at the conclusion of the operating contract in August 2022 when the tunnel would be transferred to public ownership. The government had also guaranteed an Ensured Revenue Stream (ERS) to the operator, whereby it makes up the shortfall between toll collections and the guaranteed amount. As toll revenues have been below the projected amount, in 2008 for example, the government paid the operator $58.9 million, with the total amount forecast to be $1.1 billion from 2008 to 2022. The NSW Auditor-General had also raised concerns that the tunnel's expenses may make the operating company default on the $223 million loan, however the government remained confident in it.

With the 30-year operating contract about to expire, in April 2022, the state government signed a 15-year contract with Ventia for the asset management, operations and maintenance of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel as well as the under-construction Western Harbour Tunnel. Tolling arrangements were unrelated to the new agreement. On 1 September 2022, the tunnel reverted back to state government ownership.

Tolls
In 2006 the New South Wales government announced that all cash tolls on the Sydney Orbital Network would cease by 2010. The Sydney Harbour Tunnel went fully electronic in July 2007 with both e-TAG and e-pass video tolling arrangements in use, similar to technologies used by the Westlink M7, Cross City Tunnel and the Lane Cove Tunnel. This measure has substantially eased the traffic jams heading towards the electronic gantries, and providing increased convenience and time savings. The Sydney Harbour Tunnel attracts a varying toll (that was introduced in 2009) of between $2.50 and $4.00, depending on the time of day. The toll is levied on the southbound approach to the tunnel entrance.

Until July 2022 it was unannounced whether tolls would continue after the transfer of ownership to the state government on 1 September 2022. It was eventually announced by the state government that the toll would continue, to be used for maintenance just like the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Tolls will rise in October 2023 for the first time in 14 years.

History
The tunnel was opened to the public to walk through from North Sydney (Falcon Street) to Eastern Sydney (The Domain) on 30 August 1992. The proceeds of the tickets sold for this event were donated to the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children.

The tunnel opened to traffic on 31 August 1992.

title: Sydney Harbour Tunnel


text:
Template talk:Departments of France

For the layout used see WikiProject French départements and its talk page. -- User:Docu

The revised layout is based on that of the latest version of the fr: template. -- Picapica 23:30, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

 * The revised template is far too heavy. I am reverting to the previous one. olivier 06:31, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Hmm: I think you forgot to include the words "in my view". The trouble with the old layout, for me, is that it was a fat lot of use as a navigation aid to anyone unfamiliar with the official numbering system for the départements.

I thought fr:Modèle:FranceDep not only neat but much more informative and easily navigable, myself. But since it's Templates Lite you hanker for: how about my revision Mark II? At the very least, I don't think we can dispense with the names of the départements. Numbers alone is just too anorexic, à mon avis. -- Picapica 23:17, 29 November 2005 (UTC)

European Collectivity of Alsace
I think European Collectivity of Alsace should be added to the 'Special' section. Also, the 'Former' section does not include former departments of Alger, Oran, Constantine, Seine, Seine-et-Oise etc., which also should be added. Excellenc1 (talk) 13:39, 27 June 2022 (UTC)

title: Template talk:Departments of France


text:
Lovage

Lovage, Levisticum officinale, is a tall perennial plant, the sole species in the genus Levisticum in the family Apiaceae, subfamily Apioideae. It has been long cultivated in Europe and the leaves are used as an herb, the roots as a vegetable, and the seeds as a spice, especially in southern European cuisine. Its flavour and smell are reminiscent both of celery and parsley, only more intense and spicy than either. The seeds can be used in the same way as fennel seeds.

Description
Lovage is an erect, herbaceous, perennial plant growing to 1.8–2.5 m tall, with a basal rosette of leaves and stems with further leaves, the flowers being produced in umbels at the top of the stems. The stems and leaves are shiny glabrous green to yellow-green and smell somewhat similar to celery when crushed. The larger basal leaves are up to 70 cm long, tripinnate, with broad triangular to rhomboidal, acutely pointed leaflets with a few marginal teeth; the stem leaves are smaller, and less divided with few leaflets. The flowers are yellow to greenish-yellow, 2–3 mm diameter, produced in globose umbels up to 10–15 cm diameter; flowering is in late spring. The fruit is a dry two-parted schizocarp 4–7 mm long, mature in autumn.

Distribution
Levisticum officinale is native to Afghanistan and Iran, but has been introduced to most of Europe, and parts of South-East Asia, North and South America. It has been long cultivated in Europe, the leaves being used as a herb, the roots as a vegetable, and the seeds as a spice, especially in southern European cuisine.

Properties and uses
The leaves can be used in salads, or to make soup or season broths, and the roots can be eaten as a vegetable or grated for use in salads. Its flavour and smell are reminiscent both of celery and parsley, only more intense and spicy than either. The seeds can be used as a spice in the same way as fennel seeds.  In the Netherlands, lovage leaves are traditionally cooked with white asparagus and salt and served with boiled eggs. In Ukraine, lovage (in Ukrainian любисток/liubystok) is considered an aphrodisiac. Traditionally, an infusion prepared from lovage leaves has been used by women for rinsing their hair, in order to attract men with the pleasant spicy smell of the plant. Nowadays, hair conditioners can be bought which contain lovage extract to strengthen the hair. Lovage leaves and roots are also used in salads and as a spice in Ukraine. In Romania, the leaves are a preferred seasoning for the various local broths and are just as popular, in this respect, as parsley or dill. Furthermore, the dried foliage and seeds are added to pickled cabbage and cucumbers both to aid in their preservation and to add flavour to them. In the UK, an alcoholic lovage cordial is traditionally added to brandy as a winter drink and is or was popular in Cornwall where it was originally added to slightly spoiled smuggled brandy to hide the taste of salt.

The roots, which contain a heavy volatile oil, are used as a mild aquaretic. Lovage root contains furanocoumarins which can lead to photosensitivity.

Etymology

The name "lovage" is from "love-ache", ache being a medieval name for parsley; this is a folk-etymological modification of the older French name levesche, from late Latin levisticum, in turn thought to be a modification of the earlier Latin ligusticum, 'of Liguria' (northwest Italy), where the herb was grown extensively. In modern botanical usage, both Latin forms are now used for different (but closely related) genera, with Levisticum for (culinary) lovage, and Ligusticum for Scots lovage, a similar species from northern Europe, and for related species.

title: Lovage


text:
Indecent assault

Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in some common law-based jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime and has significant overlap with offences referred to as sexual assault.

England and Wales
Indecent assault was a broadly defined offence under sections 14 and 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956. It was replaced, with prospective effect only, by sexual assault under section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. A range of acts toward the more severe among those in its actus reus augmented other offences, including rape (section 1).

Prosecutions can proceed under sections 14 and 15 of the 1956 act for offences committed before the new law came into force.

The mens rea and actus reus of the crime are similar to that for common law assault and/or battery, but with an additional element of "indecent circumstances". These were present if a "reasonable person" would believe the act indecent, whatever the belief of the accused.

India
In India it is punishable under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. The accused may be punished up to two years' imprisonment and/or a fine.

Australia
In New South Wales, the offence of indecent assault is punishable under Section 61L of the Crimes Act 1900.

The mens rea and actus reus are the same for the common law offence of assault, the only distinction being that the act committed must have a sexual connotation.

title: Indecent assault