Latest news with #AndrewJohnson
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh tourist attraction Camera Obscura wins TripAdvisor award after more than 11,000 5-star reviews
Camera Obscura & World of Illusions has been awarded a TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice award for 2025, after receiving more than 11,000 five-star reviews. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Travellers' Choice award celebrates businesses that have received great reviews from visitors around the globe over the last 12 months. Camera Obscura & World of Illusions stood out by consistently delivering positive experiences, and to reach 11,000 five-star reviews alongside the award is a huge achievement. Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, Edinburgh Andrew Johnson, general manager at the Castlehill attraction, said: 'We're absolutely delighted to receive a Travellers' Choice Award. Every single review on TripAdvisor is read and responded to and our visitors' feedback really matters to us. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We regularly adapt what we do based on these comments, and we believe that's a big part of why more than 11,000 of our guests have rated us a five-star attraction. 'It's a brilliant reflection of the fun, interactive, and memorable experiences we strive to deliver every day.' Camera Obscura & World of Illusions, Edinburgh. Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is a 5-star VisitScotland rated visitor attraction in the heart of Edinburgh at the top of the Royal Mile in the shadows of Edinburgh Castle, and last year it was the eighth most visited paid attraction in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Housed in an historic building, it offers visitors the chance to get hands-on with over 100 interactive illusion exhibits and see a demonstration of the 172-year-old Camera Obscura and outstanding panoramic views of the city from the rooftop terrace.
Japan Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Little-known U.N. Command bases in Japan play a critical security role in Asia
It is a curious point that seven U.S. military bases in Japan fly the United Nations flag. While the reason is rooted in history, its significance for peace on the Korean Peninsula, and with it in the rest of Northeast Asia, is as important today as it has ever been. From Futenma, Kadena and White Beach in Okinawa to Sasebo on Kyushu and Yokota and Yokosuka on Honshu — these flags indicate bases across Japan designated for multinational usage. Alongside the U.S., their operations are overseen by a small but important headquarters west of Tokyo that is part of the United Nations Command (UNC) force structure established in 1950 to support South Korea during the Korean War. It's called the UNC's rear area headquarters — or UNC-Rear — and the roles it plays could prove crucial in the event of a renewed breakout of hostilities on the peninsula as it would facilitate the flow of forces, assets and materiel from nine UNC member states through Japan. While not in command of military forces, the five-member team currently led by Royal Australian Air Force Group Capt. Andrew Johnson would support critical logistical operations through the seven U.S./UNC bases, all of which were designated by both Washington and Tokyo in the 1954 UNC-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). 'We prepare and plan for contingency operations and engage with UNC member states constantly so that they know how to access Japan under the SOFA and are familiar with the concept of defending the Korean Peninsula in times of crisis,' Johnson told The Japan Times in an exclusive interview at UNC-Rear's Yokota Air Base headquarters. 'We (UNC-Rear) don't own those forces,' he noted, 'but we can facilitate their entry into Japan and so they can prepare through a process known as RSOI — reception, staging, onward movement and integration — to become part of the fighting force.' UNC-Rear's mission remains as critical as ever, with North Korea improving its nuclear and missile development programs while deepening its military alliance with Russia. UNC-Rear commander, Royal Australian Air Force Group Capt. Andrew Johnson, at the UNC-Rear Command at Yokota Air Base in Fussa, Tokyo, on Tuesday. | GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ Last week, North Korea warned of 'grave consequences' should the United States, Japan and South Korea continue to 'deliberately ignore' its security concerns. The warning followed a recent joint aerial exercise by the three nations that featured at least one U.S. B-52 heavy bomber, marking the aircraft's first deployment to the Korean Peninsula this year. Amid the heightened tensions, Johnson stressed the importance of keeping destabilizing forces in the region at bay, with UNC keeping a laser focus on its main mission: to enforce the terms of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement. 'The work that we do as a command, namely to be ready for a contingency or crisis at any moment, has become really important now,' the UNC-Rear director said. Part of the concern, he noted, is that there are already a number of potential flash points throughout the region. 'If North Korea looks like it could be the one triggering the region, then you'd want to make sure that you do everything to deter them as well as prevent any situation that may, for instance, exacerbate the Russian conflict in Ukraine, or whatever else might flow from it.' To maintain both readiness and preparedness, UNC member states regularly send ships, aircraft and personnel to the bases in Japan, rehearsing the procedures necessary to conduct missions during a contingency while also carrying out other activities such as monitoring United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang. However, despite operating under the U.N. Security Council mandate, the UNC is not a subsidiary or subordinate organization of the United Nations. The United Nations's rear area headquarters — also known as UNC-Rear — could prove crucial in the event of a renewed breakout of hostilities on the Korean Peninsula as it would facilitate the rapid flow of forces, assets and materiel from nine UNC member states through Japan. | GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ 'Even though it was established under U.N. Security Council Resolution 84, UNC is a multinational, United States-led command,' Johnson noted, explaining that as there is a standing mandate that does not require follow-on U.N. decision, 'no single country, including Russia or China, can block UNC activation in response to North Korean aggression.' That said, there is no defense treaty between the UNC's 18 member states that binds them to any specific military action in the event of a Korean contingency. Instead, the countries have committed to support the implementation of the armistice and, should North Korea renew hostilities on the Korean Peninsula, be 'united and prompt to resist.' How they do so, however, remains up to the individual governments. 'There is no obligation,' Johnson said. 'Each member state can contribute in any way they want,' he added, pointing to the diverse range of capabilities each can bring to bear, be it in terms of troops, assets or technologies, including in areas such as cyber and space. Others might choose to contribute through financial or other nonlethal support such as logistics or medical aid, he said. Yet there is more to the UNC-Rear's role than logistics and contingency plans. 'From my vantage point, our mission is also to continue working closely with the Japanese government to support peace and security in Northeast Asia, which is in our nations' best interests,' Johnson said. 'We give them a broad outline of the types of UNC activities that are occurring so they're aware of both the flow and effect that these have on Japanese security.' 'The work that we do as a command, namely to be ready for a contingency or crisis at any moment, has become really important now,' Johnson said. | GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ Maintaining close relations with Japan is important not only with regard to the bases, but also the intermediate staging areas that UNC forces would be using in the event of a conflict. At the same time, the UNC-Rear coordinates requirements on behalf of the nine SOFA signatories with Tokyo while also relaying Japanese interests to the UNC headquarters in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, which has a staff of around 90 multinational personnel along with three other subordinate organizations such as the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission. The much larger UNC, which marked its 75th anniversary this month, fulfills other roles, including co-administering the Korean Demilitarized Zone with the (North) Korean People's Army, building interoperability between allies and facilitating dialogue with North Korea. These roles have come into focus as Tokyo seeks to manage regional security challenges. While Japan hasn't joined UNC as a formal member state, cooperation with the command allows routine engagement with multinational forces and meaningful contributions to the effort to preserve peace on the Korean Peninsula. Experts say that UNC has played a quiet but consistent role over the years. While it has evolved with time, having an organization specifically dedicated to deterrence through a ready-made coalition has helped temper potential clashes and manage escalation in the region. They also say that UNC-Rear is a reminder of the important role that Japan plays in any Korean Peninsula conflict. The small multinational team is prepared to continue this decades-long work in collaboration with the Japanese government and other partners. 'We are in this for the security of Northeast Asia,' Johnson noted, 'so we do work towards the mutual outcome of peace and stability for the region.'
CTV News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
CTV National News: Man who stole Cessna charged with hijacking and terrorism
Watch Norad scrambled Canadian and U.S. fighter jets to Vancouver airport to intercept a stolen small plane. Andrew Johnson has the latest.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- CTV News
CTV National News: How a 'hijacked' Cessna caused dozens of flight delays in Vancouver
Watch Andrew Johnson has the latest on the arrest of the pilot of a 'hijacked' small airplane at Vancouver airport, resulting in several flight delays.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (ASTS) Secures Additional $100M Liquidity From Non-Dilutive Equipment Financing
AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) is among the 13 Best Booming Stocks to Buy Now. On July 3, the company announced it had secured an additional $100 million equipment financing facility led by Triniti, intended to aid ASTS's network deployment and manufacturing goals in 2025 and 2026. An aerial view of a communications satellite in orbit, beaming its signal down to Earth. Andrew Johnson, Chief Financial Officer of AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) stated the following on the development: 'This new non-dilutive financing enables AST SpaceMobile to continue its strong momentum executing against its accelerated operational plans. This facility is the first such type of financing agreement for the company and reflects our stage of rapid growth and transition from Research & Development to full-scale manufacturing and network deployment.' The non-diluting facility provides the company with further long-term liquidity available through 2031, including the $25 million drawn at closing against equipment purchased in the past. The facility will use planned and existing equipment as collateral. Moreover, it is designed to fit into a long-term, mature capital structure to facilitate AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS)'s future debt capital, continued growth, and enable flexibility. While we acknowledge the potential of ASTS as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 13 Best German Stocks to Invest in Now and Goldman Sachs Stock Portfolio: 10 Large-Cap Stocks To Buy. Disclosure: None.
