The Common Pulse

 B y   Mutunga Tobbias / The Common Pulse/latest news /US/ Kenya/Abroad/Africa / NOVEMBER2025 A Giant of Science, a Complex Legacy The world of science is marking the passing of James Dewey Watson, the American molecular biologist who, together with Francis Crick, helped unlock one of the most profound secrets of life: the structure of the molecule known as DNA. He died at the age of 97 on November 6, 2025, after a brief illness in hospice care in East Northport, New York. Watson’s career spans triumph and controversy, brilliance and missteps. He co‑discovered the elegant double‐helix configuration of DNA in 1953, shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, shaped the direction of molecular biology for decades, and later faced sharp criticism for statements on race and genetics that many found unacceptable. His story is a reminder that scientific breakthroughs live within human context with all its complexity. From Chicago bird‑watcher to scientific prodigy ...

  By   Justin Kirangacha| The Common Pulse/latest news /US/ Kenya/Abroad/Africa / NOVEMBER2025. The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into newsrooms has transformed journalism in ways few could have anticipated a decade ago. Major media organizations, including Standard Media Group, which made headlines yesternight for its extensive use of AI-generated reporting, exemplify both the promise and peril of this technological shift. While AI offers tools for efficiency, data analysis, and even automated content creation, its overuse raises fundamental questions about the integrity, accuracy, and human dimension of journalism. The proliferation of AI in media is not merely a technical issue; it speaks to the ethical, cultural, and economic pressures shaping the industry today. Efficiency Versus Editorial Integrity One of the most compelling reasons news outlets turn to AI is efficiency. Algorithms can scan through enormous datasets, monitor breaking news on social ...

B y   Mutunga Tobbias / The Common Pulse/latest news /US/ Kenya/Abroad/Africa / NOVEMBER2025 October ended with a familiar storm of arguments, celebration, and controversy as the Premier League announced its monthly awards. Ruben Amorim, the young tactician at the helm of Manchester United, was named Manager of the Month, while Bryan Mbeumo took home the Player of the Month award. The recognition capped off an impressive October for United, who won all three of their league fixtures, including a statement 2–1 victory at Anfield, a comfortable win over Sunderland, and a composed triumph over Brighton. Yet, while United fans celebrated a long-awaited double recognition, their first since November 2023,  not everyone agreed with the verdict. Arsenal supporters, and many neutral observers, felt Mikel Arteta’s perfect defensive run should have earned him the managerial honor, reopening the old debate about what success really means in the modern Premier League: attacking flai...

B y   Mutunga Tobbias / The Common Pulse/latest news /US/ Kenya/Abroad/Africa / NOVEMBER2025 The United States has entered yet another painful chapter of political brinkmanship as the federal government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, continues to ripple through every layer of public life. What started as a familiar standoff in Congress over budget priorities has quickly evolved into one of the most consequential shutdowns in modern history. The current impasse is no longer just about fiscal restraint or partisan messaging, it has become a slow-motion crisis that exposes the fragility of America’s administrative machinery, the growing disconnect between government and citizen, and the deep fissures defining U.S. politics in this decade. The shutdown has brought Washington to a grinding halt, forcing tens of thousands of federal workers into furloughs, freezing critical services, and constraining basic operations in sectors that citizens depend on daily. Agencies from ...

 B y   Mutunga Tobbias / The Common Pulse/latest news /US/ Kenya/Abroad/Africa / NOVEMBER2025. The Etosha National Park in northern Namibia has long stood as one of Africa’s most breathtaking wildlife sanctuaries, a shimmering salt pan surrounded by semi-arid savanna that supports elephants, lions, rhinos, and countless other species. Yet in recent months, the park’s tranquil rhythm has been violently disrupted by a series of wildfires that tore through large swathes of grassland and bush. The flames, fueled by prolonged drought, high winds, and extreme heat, left a scar on the landscape that has reignited debate about conservation practices, climate change, and the fragile balance between nature and tourism in southern Africa’s ecological crown jewel. The wildfire season in Etosha has been growing more unpredictable, with 2025 bringing some of the most intense fires recorded in years. Sparked initially in late September by lightning strikes and worsened by human negligen...

  By   Justin Kirangacha| The Common Pulse/latest news /US/ Kenya/Abroad/Africa / NOVEMBER2025. The tension between the United States and China has evolved far beyond military or ideological rivalry, becoming an intricate struggle for dominance in the technological and economic spheres. Today, technology and trade are not merely sectors of growth, but weapons of influence, tools of containment, and instruments of national pride. From semiconductor chips to artificial intelligence, and from trade restrictions to intellectual property battles, this rivalry has become the defining feature of global geopolitics in the 21st century. It has reshaped alliances, redefined the meaning of economic security, and infiltrated domestic politics in both Washington and Beijing. At the heart of this conflict lies technology, the new oil of our era. Semiconductors, the tiny brains behind modern computing, are now treated like strategic assets on par with nuclear materials. For the United S...

  By   Justin Kirangacha| The Common Pulse/latest news /US/ Kenya/Abroad/Africa / NOVEMBER2025. When Tanzania’s National Electoral Commission announced that President Samia Suluhu Hassan had secured an overwhelming 97–98% of the vote in her reelection, the country was immediately plunged into a heated debate over the credibility of the process and the future of its democracy. While the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), celebrated the result as a reflection of the people’s trust in Suluhu’s leadership and her steady hand in navigating both domestic and regional politics, opposition parties, civil society groups, and international observers voiced deep skepticism. They questioned whether such a staggering margin could truly represent the will of a diverse and politically aware nation or whether it symbolized a tightening grip of power under the guise of stability and continuity To understand the magnitude of the controversy, one must look beyond the final figures an...