Ex-Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, Architect of Growth, Dies at 97

Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji has died at the age of 97 after a prolonged illness. Known for his blunt comments, Zhu's speeches from his years in power became best-sellers, finding eager readers in a nation whose then leaders were seen as wary, prone to often bland public pronouncements.

An electrical engineering graduate from Tsinghua University, Zhu rose through the party ranks and served as central bank governor before he was handpicked by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping to follow through on economic reforms as Premier between 1998 and 2003.

His reforms included a broad programme to privatise unprofitable state-owned Enterprises and the promotion of home ownership.

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong sent a Condolence letter to Chinese Premier Li Qiang following the passing of Zhu Rongji.

His Obituary, published on China's state media, described him as an "outstanding member of the Communist Party of China and loyal Communist fighter...and an outstanding leader of the party and state." In the letter, sent on behalf of the Singapore government, PM Wong described the late Zhu Rongji as "an old friend of Singapore."

Reference Sources

1. asiaone - Zhu Rongji, Chinese premier who cajoled economy into modern era, dies at 97, China News - AsiaOne
2. nikkei - Zhu Rongji, Chinese leader who oversaw WTO debut, dies at 97
3. asiaone - PM Wong pays tribute to late former China premier Zhu Rongji: 'An old friend of Singapore', Singapore News - AsiaOne
4. abcnetau - Ex-Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, architect of growth, dies at 97
5. malaymail - Anwar mourns Zhu Rongji, remembers ‘good friend’ who helped deepen Malaysia-China ties

Trump Signed Memo to Allow Use of Cyber Tools to Target Transnational Criminal Organizations, White House Says

US President Donald Trump has signed a national security Presidential memorandum aimed at empowering Federal law enforcement to use Cyber tools against Transnational criminal organizations operating in foreign jurisdictions to attack Americans.

The memorandum directs the administration to leverage the capabilities and innovation of the private sector to help conduct Cyber operations under the direction, control, and authority of the US government.

The move addresses Ransomware attacks, financial fraud, and other crimes carried out by Foreign-Based Transnational criminal organizations.

The memorandum allows private companies participating in the government’s program to conduct surveillance, like using Spyware to collect intelligence, as well as make disruptive attacks aimed at the destruction of criminals ’ data or systems.

The policy change marks a significant shift for the US, where such operations have been largely conducted by government agencies.

The NSPM will create a new program run by the Department of Homeland Security, which will be overseen in coordination with the Justice Department.

The move marks a seismic shift in the us government’s Long-Standing position under US Federal computer hacking laws.

The White House cited Ransomware attacks, financial fraud, and other crimes run by Foreign-Based Transnational criminal organizations, referred to in the memo as “ Transnational criminal organizations. ”

Reference Sources

1. sana - Trump signs memorandum to expand cyber operations against criminal groups
2. techcrunch - In a first, US will allow some private firms to carry out cyberattacks
3. thestarmy - Trump signed memo to allow use of cyber tools to target transnational criminal organizations, White House says
4. whitehouse - Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Expands Capabilities to Combat Transnational Cyber-Enabled Crime
5. bloomberg - Trump Enlists Private Sector to Boost Cyber-Offensive Arsenal

Google Debuts New Gemini Flash While Top AI Model Still Delayed

Google has released another installment of its Gemini Flash artificial intelligence model, but did not say when it would release its most powerful AI model, GEMINI 3.5 Pro, which has been hampered by delays.

The new Gemini 3.7 Flash model outperforms its predecessor in coding tasks like debugging, and is more capable at generating deployable, production-ready code on the first try, Google said in a blog post Thursday.

The models can also complete App production in fewer prompts, deliver a better developer experience, and lower the price of tokens needed to operate it, the company added.

Despite expanding its Gemini flash lineup, Google has struggled to keep pace with rivals OpenAI and Anthropic PBC in the high-stakes race to build the most advanced AI models. Delays to Gemini 3.5 Pro have left investors questioning Google’s roadmap, especially in commercially important areas like AI coding.

The uncertainty around timing for its next flagship model has intensified broader questions about whether the Tech giant can outpace its competitors and successfully convert its massive AI investments into market-leading tools and services.

Reference Sources

1. Bloomberg - Google Debuts New Gemini Flash While Top AI Model Still Delayed

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.

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