US airman gets 5-year jail term for kidnapping, sexually assaulting teen girl in Japan
By Kyodo
A US air force member stationed in Okinawa prefecture was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday on charges of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 16 in December last year.
The Naha District Court handed down the ruling on Brennon Washington, 25, who had pleaded not guilty. The case not only triggered fresh anti-base sentiment in the prefecture, which hosts the bulk of US military facilities in Japan, but also drew attention as local police and the central government did not disclose the incident to the prefectural government.
It was only in June this year, three months after his indictment, that the case came to light through a local media report, sparking protests from the prefectural government.
The following month, the central government reviewed information-sharing arrangements with local governments, vowing to notify municipalities of any crimes allegedly committed by US military members “without exception”.
According to the indictment, Washington, stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, allegedly asked the girl to speak to him in his car at a park in the village of Yomitan on December 24 last year and then drove her to his off-base residence before sexually assaulting her despite knowing she was under 16.
Under Japanese law, sexual intercourse with a person under 16 is illegal regardless of consent, with an exception made for cases in which an individual aged 13 to 15 has consensual intercourse with a person less than five years older than them.
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By Kyodo
A US air force member stationed in Okinawa prefecture was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday on charges of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 16 in December last year.
The Naha District Court handed down the ruling on Brennon Washington, 25, who had pleaded not guilty. The case not only triggered fresh anti-base sentiment in the prefecture, which hosts the bulk of US military facilities in Japan, but also drew attention as local police and the central government did not disclose the incident to the prefectural government.
It was only in June this year, three months after his indictment, that the case came to light through a local media report, sparking protests from the prefectural government.
The following month, the central government reviewed information-sharing arrangements with local governments, vowing to notify municipalities of any crimes allegedly committed by US military members “without exception”.
According to the indictment, Washington, stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, allegedly asked the girl to speak to him in his car at a park in the village of Yomitan on December 24 last year and then drove her to his off-base residence before sexually assaulting her despite knowing she was under 16.
Under Japanese law, sexual intercourse with a person under 16 is illegal regardless of consent, with an exception made for cases in which an individual aged 13 to 15 has consensual intercourse with a person less than five years older than them.
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Elon Musk wants to turn SpaceX Starbase into a new Texas city
By Associated Press
SpaceX is launching a new mission: making its Starbase site a new Texas city.
Billionaire Elon Musk ‘s company on Thursday sent a letter to local officials requesting an election to turn what it calls Starbase – the South Texas site where SpaceX builds and launches its massive Starship rockets – into an incorporated city.
Residents of the area known as Starbase submitted the petition, according to the company.
The area is on the southern tip of Texas at Boca Chica Beach, near the Mexican border. Earlier this year, Musk announced he was moving the headquarters of SpaceX and his social media company X from California to Texas.
“To continue growing the workforce necessary to rapidly develop and manufacture Starship, we need the ability to grow Starbase as a community. That is why we are requesting that Cameron County call an election to enable the incorporation of Starbase as the newest city in the Rio Grande Valley,” Kathryn Lueders, the general manager of Starbase, wrote in a letter to the county.
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By Associated Press
SpaceX is launching a new mission: making its Starbase site a new Texas city.
Billionaire Elon Musk ‘s company on Thursday sent a letter to local officials requesting an election to turn what it calls Starbase – the South Texas site where SpaceX builds and launches its massive Starship rockets – into an incorporated city.
Residents of the area known as Starbase submitted the petition, according to the company.
The area is on the southern tip of Texas at Boca Chica Beach, near the Mexican border. Earlier this year, Musk announced he was moving the headquarters of SpaceX and his social media company X from California to Texas.
“To continue growing the workforce necessary to rapidly develop and manufacture Starship, we need the ability to grow Starbase as a community. That is why we are requesting that Cameron County call an election to enable the incorporation of Starbase as the newest city in the Rio Grande Valley,” Kathryn Lueders, the general manager of Starbase, wrote in a letter to the county.
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Singapore, Vietnam eye undersea cable link as US flags risks of choosing Chinese contractors
By Reuters
Singaporean asset manager Keppel and Vietnamese conglomerate Sovico Group are discussing plans for new undersea fibre-optic cables that would boost the region’s data centre industry, people familiar with the discussions said.
Southeast Asian countries, a major junction for cables connecting Asia to Europe, are seeking to expand their networks to meet booming demand for AI services and data centres. Vietnam alone plans to have 10 new submarine cables by 2030.
Undersea cables are at the centre of the Sino-American tech war, with the two powers vying to win contracts, especially in Asia, to build and maintain the strategic infrastructure that carries most internet data, including sensitive information.
Under one plan under discussion, a cable would be laid to link Vietnam directly with Singapore, five people directly involved or briefed on the matter said.
It would cost US$150 million, according to one source with direct knowledge of the talks.
This option is favoured by Sovico, but talks with Keppel on the direct cable are in flux and no agreement has been reached yet, two sources with direct knowledge said.
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By Reuters
Singaporean asset manager Keppel and Vietnamese conglomerate Sovico Group are discussing plans for new undersea fibre-optic cables that would boost the region’s data centre industry, people familiar with the discussions said.
Southeast Asian countries, a major junction for cables connecting Asia to Europe, are seeking to expand their networks to meet booming demand for AI services and data centres. Vietnam alone plans to have 10 new submarine cables by 2030.
Undersea cables are at the centre of the Sino-American tech war, with the two powers vying to win contracts, especially in Asia, to build and maintain the strategic infrastructure that carries most internet data, including sensitive information.
Under one plan under discussion, a cable would be laid to link Vietnam directly with Singapore, five people directly involved or briefed on the matter said.
It would cost US$150 million, according to one source with direct knowledge of the talks.
This option is favoured by Sovico, but talks with Keppel on the direct cable are in flux and no agreement has been reached yet, two sources with direct knowledge said.
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Chinese students at UK universities face ‘acute’ integration challenges: report
By Jane Cai
Chinese university students in the UK face “particularly acute” integration challenges, meriting further attention from British institutions, according to a new think-tank report.
The students struggle with English language proficiency, lack of familiarity with non-Chinese social media and a lack of targeted career support from universities, according to the report released on Thursday by Oxford-based think tank HEPI and education consultancy Uoffer Global.
International student tuition fees account for around 43 per cent of British universities’ tuition revenue, according to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Chinese students account for a quarter of all international students in the UK, and the £2.3 billion (US$2.9 billion) in fees they pay annually is vital to Britain’s cash-strapped education sector.
“Given the financial contribution of Chinese students and increasing uncertainty about their future in the UK, institutions must improve the services on offer,” the report states.
“The better integration of Chinese students would benefit the entire campus community and UK society at large.”
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By Jane Cai
Chinese university students in the UK face “particularly acute” integration challenges, meriting further attention from British institutions, according to a new think-tank report.
The students struggle with English language proficiency, lack of familiarity with non-Chinese social media and a lack of targeted career support from universities, according to the report released on Thursday by Oxford-based think tank HEPI and education consultancy Uoffer Global.
International student tuition fees account for around 43 per cent of British universities’ tuition revenue, according to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
Chinese students account for a quarter of all international students in the UK, and the £2.3 billion (US$2.9 billion) in fees they pay annually is vital to Britain’s cash-strapped education sector.
“Given the financial contribution of Chinese students and increasing uncertainty about their future in the UK, institutions must improve the services on offer,” the report states.
“The better integration of Chinese students would benefit the entire campus community and UK society at large.”
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China woman in labour unable to start car due to software update, undergoes emergency C-section
By Zoey Zhang
A pregnant woman in China, on the verge of going into labour, was unable to start her car due to a system upgrade. In pain, she walked to a taxi to reach the hospital, where she later underwent an emergency C-section.
On December 5, a man from Shandong province in eastern China posted a video on Douyin, explaining that his wife, while experiencing labour pains, found their car requiring a 51-minute over-the-air (OTA) update and unable to start.
Their vehicle was an SUV from Li Auto, a Chinese smart electric vehicle manufacturer, with average prices typically exceeding 300,000 yuan (US$41,000).
The man, who chose to remain anonymous, explained that he inadvertently activated the system upgrade prompted on the car’s screen.
When he called Li Auto customer service to cancel the upgrade, he was informed that it could not be stopped.
With their driveway blocked by other cars and an ambulance unable to enter, they walked out of their community in the cold and eventually took a taxi to the hospital.
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By Zoey Zhang
A pregnant woman in China, on the verge of going into labour, was unable to start her car due to a system upgrade. In pain, she walked to a taxi to reach the hospital, where she later underwent an emergency C-section.
On December 5, a man from Shandong province in eastern China posted a video on Douyin, explaining that his wife, while experiencing labour pains, found their car requiring a 51-minute over-the-air (OTA) update and unable to start.
Their vehicle was an SUV from Li Auto, a Chinese smart electric vehicle manufacturer, with average prices typically exceeding 300,000 yuan (US$41,000).
The man, who chose to remain anonymous, explained that he inadvertently activated the system upgrade prompted on the car’s screen.
When he called Li Auto customer service to cancel the upgrade, he was informed that it could not be stopped.
With their driveway blocked by other cars and an ambulance unable to enter, they walked out of their community in the cold and eventually took a taxi to the hospital.
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200,000 daily visitors expected in Hong Kong over Christmas, back to pre-Covid levels
By Olga Wong
The number of travellers visiting Hong Kong over the Christmas holidays could reach 200,000 a day, a senior airport authority official has estimated, adding the daily number of flights had returned to “normal” pre-pandemic levels.
Airport Authority executive director Steven Yiu Siu-chung said on Friday at a two-day recruitment event that both the daily number of visitors and flights were returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Soon after the launch of the three-runway system on November 28, the authority had received applications for 1,150 flights a day – close to the daily 1,200 flights recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic – while the airport could expect about 200,000 travellers a day at the peak of the holiday season, he added.
“We can say that we are already back to normal,” Yiu said.
The authority said the peak travelling season would begin on the afternoon of December 20 and was expected to go on until December 27 or as late as December 29. More manpower will be assigned and all security channels will be open to handle the increased number of visitors.
Speaking to media at the Airport Youth Career Day, Yiu said the authority would need to hire an additional 40,000 workers for the airport, with priority given to local recruitment, as the three-runway system would require about 100,000 employees to handle it at maximum capacity.
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By Olga Wong
The number of travellers visiting Hong Kong over the Christmas holidays could reach 200,000 a day, a senior airport authority official has estimated, adding the daily number of flights had returned to “normal” pre-pandemic levels.
Airport Authority executive director Steven Yiu Siu-chung said on Friday at a two-day recruitment event that both the daily number of visitors and flights were returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Soon after the launch of the three-runway system on November 28, the authority had received applications for 1,150 flights a day – close to the daily 1,200 flights recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic – while the airport could expect about 200,000 travellers a day at the peak of the holiday season, he added.
“We can say that we are already back to normal,” Yiu said.
The authority said the peak travelling season would begin on the afternoon of December 20 and was expected to go on until December 27 or as late as December 29. More manpower will be assigned and all security channels will be open to handle the increased number of visitors.
Speaking to media at the Airport Youth Career Day, Yiu said the authority would need to hire an additional 40,000 workers for the airport, with priority given to local recruitment, as the three-runway system would require about 100,000 employees to handle it at maximum capacity.
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Hong Kong bank employees jump shots to raise money for Operation Santa Claus
By Cindy Sui
Two basketball teams from Dah Sing Bank squared off at Hong Kong Kowloon Centre, with players fighting for the ball to score.
During the game at the gymnasium of the Chinese YMCA on December 7, financial service manager Tony Lau Tung-kit practically flew snatching the ball.
The tournament aimed to support Hong Kong’s charities that help people in need, from the elderly to those with disabilities and youth from low-resource backgrounds.
“Usually, when we play ball, it’s mainly for our health, to practice our techniques and to build fellowship with our colleagues,” Lau said.
“It’s great that today the company has given us such a good platform to play ball and at the same time help disadvantaged groups. It’s a very meaningful activity.”
The bank hosted the “Dah Sing Charity Score Challenge” basketball match in support of Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fundraising initiative held by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK since 1988.
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By Cindy Sui
Two basketball teams from Dah Sing Bank squared off at Hong Kong Kowloon Centre, with players fighting for the ball to score.
During the game at the gymnasium of the Chinese YMCA on December 7, financial service manager Tony Lau Tung-kit practically flew snatching the ball.
The tournament aimed to support Hong Kong’s charities that help people in need, from the elderly to those with disabilities and youth from low-resource backgrounds.
“Usually, when we play ball, it’s mainly for our health, to practice our techniques and to build fellowship with our colleagues,” Lau said.
“It’s great that today the company has given us such a good platform to play ball and at the same time help disadvantaged groups. It’s a very meaningful activity.”
The bank hosted the “Dah Sing Charity Score Challenge” basketball match in support of Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fundraising initiative held by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK since 1988.
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China’s video gaming revenue hits new high in 2024 on back of blockbuster releases
By Ann Cao
China’s video gaming industry grew 7.53 per cent this year, reaching record sales of 325.8 billion yuan (US$44.8 billion), aided by the release of new hit games, according to the country’s semi-official gaming industry association.
The figures for the domestic video game market, the second-largest in the world, mark the highest annual sales since the data started being tracked in 2003, although growth slowed from the double digits it saw last year. The numbers were released by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association at its annual conference in Beijing on Friday.
The number of gamers in the country rose 0.94 per cent to 674 million this year.
“The scale of the domestic market has been steadily increasing, with new mobile titles and single-player titles making outstanding contributions,” the association said in its report. Policy support and the public opinion environment regarding video gaming has continued to improve, it added.
In 2023, the country’s video game sales surged 14 per cent to 303 billion yuan, amid a post-Covid recovery of consumer spending and the launch of a significant number of new titles.
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By Ann Cao
China’s video gaming industry grew 7.53 per cent this year, reaching record sales of 325.8 billion yuan (US$44.8 billion), aided by the release of new hit games, according to the country’s semi-official gaming industry association.
The figures for the domestic video game market, the second-largest in the world, mark the highest annual sales since the data started being tracked in 2003, although growth slowed from the double digits it saw last year. The numbers were released by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association at its annual conference in Beijing on Friday.
The number of gamers in the country rose 0.94 per cent to 674 million this year.
“The scale of the domestic market has been steadily increasing, with new mobile titles and single-player titles making outstanding contributions,” the association said in its report. Policy support and the public opinion environment regarding video gaming has continued to improve, it added.
In 2023, the country’s video game sales surged 14 per cent to 303 billion yuan, amid a post-Covid recovery of consumer spending and the launch of a significant number of new titles.
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South Korea’s first lady filmed praising reporter for sexual ‘power’ after palm-reading
By Park Chan-kyong
A video featuring South Korea’s first lady Kim Keon-hee appearing to be praising a male journalist for his supposed sexual prowess after reading his palm has gone viral.
The three-minute YouTube clip, uploaded by local media agency Voice of Seoul, was released to coincide with the premiere of its documentary on Kim, who has been accused of wielding significant influence over embattled President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Yoon is currently facing impeachment following a botched bid to impose martial law on December 3.
The footage, reportedly self-filmed in August 2021 by investigative journalist Lee Myung-soo from the Voice of Seoul, appears to support claims that Kim is deeply interested in fortunetelling, palmistry, geomancy, and other similar practices.
She is seen in the clip to be commending the male reporter for his sexual prowess as indicated by his palm lines.
Allegations of Kim’s superstitious nature gained traction in 2021 when Yoon appeared in a live televised debate with the Chinese character wang (王), meaning “king”, written on his palm, raising eyebrows about his wife’s influence and how these shaped his belief in his presidential campaign.
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By Park Chan-kyong
A video featuring South Korea’s first lady Kim Keon-hee appearing to be praising a male journalist for his supposed sexual prowess after reading his palm has gone viral.
The three-minute YouTube clip, uploaded by local media agency Voice of Seoul, was released to coincide with the premiere of its documentary on Kim, who has been accused of wielding significant influence over embattled President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Yoon is currently facing impeachment following a botched bid to impose martial law on December 3.
The footage, reportedly self-filmed in August 2021 by investigative journalist Lee Myung-soo from the Voice of Seoul, appears to support claims that Kim is deeply interested in fortunetelling, palmistry, geomancy, and other similar practices.
She is seen in the clip to be commending the male reporter for his sexual prowess as indicated by his palm lines.
Allegations of Kim’s superstitious nature gained traction in 2021 when Yoon appeared in a live televised debate with the Chinese character wang (王), meaning “king”, written on his palm, raising eyebrows about his wife’s influence and how these shaped his belief in his presidential campaign.
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US asks court to reject TikTok’s bid to stave off law that could ban the app
By Reuters
The Justice Department late on Wednesday asked a US appeal court to reject an emergency bid by TikTok to temporarily block a law that would require its Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest the short-video app by January 19 or face a ban.
TikTok and ByteDance on Monday filed the emergency motion with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia pending a review by the US Supreme Court. They warned that without court action the law will “shut down TikTok – one of the nation’s most popular speech platforms – for its more than 170 million domestic monthly users”.
The Justice Department said the court should not delay the law’s effective date arguing “continued Chinese control of the TikTok application poses a continuing threat to national security”.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DOJ said Wednesday if the ban takes effect on January 19 it would “not directly prohibit the continued use of TikTok” by users who had downloaded TikTok but it conceded that the effect of the prohibitions on providing support “will eventually be to render the application unworkable”.
On Friday, a three-judge panel of the appeal court upheld the law requiring ByteDance to soon divest TikTok in the US or face a ban in just six weeks.
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By Reuters
The Justice Department late on Wednesday asked a US appeal court to reject an emergency bid by TikTok to temporarily block a law that would require its Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest the short-video app by January 19 or face a ban.
TikTok and ByteDance on Monday filed the emergency motion with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia pending a review by the US Supreme Court. They warned that without court action the law will “shut down TikTok – one of the nation’s most popular speech platforms – for its more than 170 million domestic monthly users”.
The Justice Department said the court should not delay the law’s effective date arguing “continued Chinese control of the TikTok application poses a continuing threat to national security”.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DOJ said Wednesday if the ban takes effect on January 19 it would “not directly prohibit the continued use of TikTok” by users who had downloaded TikTok but it conceded that the effect of the prohibitions on providing support “will eventually be to render the application unworkable”.
On Friday, a three-judge panel of the appeal court upheld the law requiring ByteDance to soon divest TikTok in the US or face a ban in just six weeks.
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EU-China agenda stalls under Donald Trump’s long shadow
By Finbarr Bermingham
Five years ago, the newly minted EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan was fresh off the plane from his first overseas mission: a trip to Beijing.
The Irish official was thrashing out a long-negotiated investment deal that would be hastily concluded barely a year on, then frozen in perpetuity after a dispute over human rights sanctions a few months later.
Now, with a new European Commission team in place, none of its commissioners are talking about going to China. Frantic bursts of dialogue over the course of the summer and autumn have been replaced by silence.
Negotiations over a deal to end a long-running row over the EU’s electric vehicle tariffs have paused without delivering anything, while stiff retaliatory measures that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao promised EU leaders would land early November – in their “dozens” – have not materialised. It is, in part, a measure of how times have changed.
There are few positive items on the EU-China agenda today, certainly not anything as constructive as a trade or investment pact. There was also a need for commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to get her college of commissioners confirmed, after a messy six months since the EU elections.
But in reality, a holding pattern was adopted as Brussels and Beijing await with trepidation the return of Donald Trump to the White House on January 20.
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By Finbarr Bermingham
Five years ago, the newly minted EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan was fresh off the plane from his first overseas mission: a trip to Beijing.
The Irish official was thrashing out a long-negotiated investment deal that would be hastily concluded barely a year on, then frozen in perpetuity after a dispute over human rights sanctions a few months later.
Now, with a new European Commission team in place, none of its commissioners are talking about going to China. Frantic bursts of dialogue over the course of the summer and autumn have been replaced by silence.
Negotiations over a deal to end a long-running row over the EU’s electric vehicle tariffs have paused without delivering anything, while stiff retaliatory measures that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao promised EU leaders would land early November – in their “dozens” – have not materialised. It is, in part, a measure of how times have changed.
There are few positive items on the EU-China agenda today, certainly not anything as constructive as a trade or investment pact. There was also a need for commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to get her college of commissioners confirmed, after a messy six months since the EU elections.
But in reality, a holding pattern was adopted as Brussels and Beijing await with trepidation the return of Donald Trump to the White House on January 20.
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Malaysia’s space defence plan sparks outrage in flood aftermath
By Joseph Sipalan
Malaysia’s government drew a fresh round of brickbats earlier this week when it unveiled plans to launch a multi-year space defence programme replete with military satellites and missile systems, as the country reels from the aftermath of one of the worst floods in a decade.
The government on Wednesday said it intended to establish a Space Defence System “to provide early warnings and increase our situational awareness” of threats such as missile launches and nuclear strikes.
Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari told the Senate the system would eventually also incorporate rocket and missile functions operated out of space to boost the country’s defence capabilities.
The plan, however, earned a swift rebuke on Malaysia’s raucous social media, with many pointing out that the government had not been able to solve the annual floods that routinely inundate parts of the country.
“Space defence plans? Can’t even stop the floods in KL they are worrying about nuclear explosions and missile launches. Unbelievable!” former diplomat Dennis Ignatius said on X.
Widespread floods that started in the final week of November killed six people and displaced over 150,000, as a La Nina-driven monsoon unleashed exceptionally heavy rainfall, wreaking havoc in the Malaysian peninsula’s northern region and southern Thailand.
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By Joseph Sipalan
Malaysia’s government drew a fresh round of brickbats earlier this week when it unveiled plans to launch a multi-year space defence programme replete with military satellites and missile systems, as the country reels from the aftermath of one of the worst floods in a decade.
The government on Wednesday said it intended to establish a Space Defence System “to provide early warnings and increase our situational awareness” of threats such as missile launches and nuclear strikes.
Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari told the Senate the system would eventually also incorporate rocket and missile functions operated out of space to boost the country’s defence capabilities.
The plan, however, earned a swift rebuke on Malaysia’s raucous social media, with many pointing out that the government had not been able to solve the annual floods that routinely inundate parts of the country.
“Space defence plans? Can’t even stop the floods in KL they are worrying about nuclear explosions and missile launches. Unbelievable!” former diplomat Dennis Ignatius said on X.
Widespread floods that started in the final week of November killed six people and displaced over 150,000, as a La Nina-driven monsoon unleashed exceptionally heavy rainfall, wreaking havoc in the Malaysian peninsula’s northern region and southern Thailand.
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Intel says chip spin-off is an ‘open question’ for next CEO
By Bloomberg
Intel chief financial officer Dave Zinsner said that a formal separation of the company’s factory and product-development divisions is an open question that will be decided by the chipmaker’s next leader.
Zinsner, who is serving as interim co-chief executive officer following this month’s ouster of Pat Gelsinger, made the remarks Thursday at the Barclays technology conference in San Francisco alongside co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus.
Intel’s struggles to keep pace with rivals – along with its deteriorating financial condition – have spurred speculation that the next CEO will make dramatic changes. That’s included talk of a split of the company’s manufacturing and product-design operations.
“That’s an open question for another day,” Zinsner said in response to an analyst question.
The two units are already separated operationally, with different oversight and accounts, he said. Gelsinger, who served as CEO from 2021 until last week, had maintained that the two main parts of the company were better kept together.
Johnston Holthaus said that access to leading production technology is a an advantage for Intel’s products.
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By Bloomberg
Intel chief financial officer Dave Zinsner said that a formal separation of the company’s factory and product-development divisions is an open question that will be decided by the chipmaker’s next leader.
Zinsner, who is serving as interim co-chief executive officer following this month’s ouster of Pat Gelsinger, made the remarks Thursday at the Barclays technology conference in San Francisco alongside co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus.
Intel’s struggles to keep pace with rivals – along with its deteriorating financial condition – have spurred speculation that the next CEO will make dramatic changes. That’s included talk of a split of the company’s manufacturing and product-design operations.
“That’s an open question for another day,” Zinsner said in response to an analyst question.
The two units are already separated operationally, with different oversight and accounts, he said. Gelsinger, who served as CEO from 2021 until last week, had maintained that the two main parts of the company were better kept together.
Johnston Holthaus said that access to leading production technology is a an advantage for Intel’s products.
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