Pope Francis’ trip to Africa draws excitement.

Pope Francis’ visit to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi Nov. 25_27 will bring healing and reconciliation to the East African nation that has suffered key setbacks in the recent past, senior bishops here say.

Kenya, a country with 14 million Catholics, recently announced the theme of the papal visit: “Stand firm and be strong.” Organizers expect nearly 1.5 million people to attend the papal Mass on Nov. 26 in Nairobi; there are nearly 4 million Catholics in the Archdiocese of Nairobi.

The pope’s Nov. 25-30 pilgrimage to Africa, also includes travel to Uganda and the Central African Republic. But in remarks Sunday to a crowd of faithful in St. Peter’s Square, Francis raised the possibility that security risks could cause the Central African Republic leg of his trip to change or even be scrapped.

The encounter with a pope is the cause of major excitement and anticipation in Kenya — the largest country on his Africa tour — but bishops here worry ongoing political strife and ethnic incitement could blight the visit.

In the last few weeks, Kenyan government and opposition leaders have torn into each other over what is viewed as runaway corruption, greed and mismanagement.

“We declare and demand an honest cease-fire and an end to the incessant name-calling among our politicians,” Bishop Alfred Rotich, chairman of the pope’s visit for the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, said at a news conference Sunday (Nov. 1).

On Saturday Cardinal John Njue, the archbishop of Nairobi, described the visit as a “real blessing” for the church and the nation, which is on the front lines of the expanding Islamist terror group al-Shabab.

In April, the group killed 148 people — mostly Christian students — at Garissa University College. The militant group attacked the upscale Westgate shopping mall in September 2013, killing 67 people and injuring more than 200.

Kenya is also yet to recover from the 2007-2008 post-election violence, which left over 1,200 dead and more than 600,000 forced into Internally Displaced Persons camps, known as IDPs. The violence also divided the Kenyan church.

He is coming to bring a message of peace and hope,” said Njue, adding that he hoped Francis would also speak on other critical issues such as corruption and tribalism.

In an interview, the Rev. Stephen Okello, coordinator of the visit said the post-election violence was one of the biggest setbacks so far and the church was keen to hear the pope’s advice on how to deal with its fallouts.

“We have a lot of suspicion, of division, hatred and there are people in IDP camps, who are constantly reminding us what happened,” said Okello.

Neither church nor state got an opportunity to actively spearhead healing and reconciliation among the people, according to Okello.

“The people have hardened and got used to divisions in tribal lines because our political parties are divided along tribal lines. It is very hard for us to heal under those circumstances,” said Okello. “So the pope is coming to strengthen us.”

For some Kenyan bishops, climate change is an important issue and they hope Francis will also talk about it, given the recent release of his environmental encyclical.

“The worst famines are in Africa; many children and even adults have lost their lives out of hunger and thirst in the last half century,” said Bishop Anthony Muheria of the Diocese of Kitui. “The thirst for Christ that we seek to quench, must also be accompanied by satisfying the human thirst for water, and hunger for real food.”

Meanwhile, Catholic priests who left the church to claim their right to marry want to meet Francis when he visits Kenya.

The priests said they will urge him to make celibacy optional, express their concern about excessive authority of the Africa bishops and seek support for Communion for divorced Catholics.

“We want him to know that celibacy is a reason why the church is losing its members to other denominations,” said Peter Njogu, a former Catholic priest who left to form the Restored Universal Apostolic Church.

Copyright: For copyright information, please check with the distributor of this item, Religion News Service LLC.

Sony Recognized as a Leader in Combating Climate Change in the CDP Japan 500 Climate Change Report

Tokyo, Japan - Sony Corporation ("Sony") has been recognized for its carbon reduction activities by the CDP (formerly the "Carbon Disclosure Project") in the Japan 500 Climate Change Report 2015. Sony was listed in both the CDP's "Climate A List"^*1, which assesses performance relating to climate change mitigation strategies and measures, and its Climate Disclosure Leadership Index ("CDLI"^*2), which rates transparent information disclosure. Sony's inclusion in the A List is recognition of the company's efforts to reduce the energy consumption of its products, curb greenhouse gas emissions at its operating sites, and accelerate the use of renewable energy.

Since its inception in the UK in 2000, the CDP has - supported by global institutional investors - conducted surveys analyzing climate change strategies at leading global companies. This year, the CDP surveyed over 5,000 companies globally - including 500 leading companies in Japan - on behalf of 822 institutional investors representing more than 95 trillion dollars in managed assets. The survey was based on a questionnaire spanning three sections: "Management," which covers governance and emissions reduction goals, "Risks & Opportunities," and "Emissions."

In this year's report, Sony was awarded the CDP's highest performance band of "A" for its actions to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change, and a perfect disclosure score of 100 in the CDLI, making it a standout performer in both indices. It is the second time that Sony has received an "A" performance band and the third time it has been included in the CDLI. Sony's high marks are a direct result of the company's wide-ranging efforts to mitigate climate change, starting with Sony's longstanding dedication to making both its products and its operations - spanning everything from manufacturing to distribution to office buildings - increasingly energy efficient. Added to this is Sony's comprehensive disclosure of a range of information, including its strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, progress of reductions, and emission levels at every stage of its value chain.

This past June, Sony announced its new "Green Management 2020" group environmental mid-term targets that will take effect from fiscal 2016 through 2020, the next step in the company's "Road to Zero" environmental plan that plots a course forward toward a zero environmental footprint by 2050. These targets place a particular emphasis on reducing the average annual energy consumption of Sony's electronics products by 30%^*3, reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all of its operating sites by 5%^*4, leveraging the influence of its entertainment assets, and enhancing engagement across its entire value chain including manufacturing partners and component suppliers. Through these and other measures, Sony will accelerate its efforts to bring forth environmentally conscious products and services in an environmentally conscious way, and to minimize its environmental footprint toward the ultimate goal of "zero."

2.7 million South African homes affected by drought.

Residents of a South African coastal town say their drinking water "tastes like the sea" as a worsening drought affects fresh water sources, according to a local newspaper.

Citizens of Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal province lined up with buckets for fresh water distributed by officials as one of the driest periods in 50 years increased the salt content of rivers, reported the South Coast Herald newspaper. Elsewhere in the province the levels of dams have dipped to about a third of capacity, according to South Africa's ministry of water and sanitation.

An estimated 2.7 million households, about 18 percent of the population, are affected by the drought, according to the ministry of water and sanitation.

The ministry declared the KwaZulu-Natal and Free State provinces as disaster areas and warned that rural communities in two more provinces face water shortages. South Africa's capital, Pretoria, also implemented water restrictions.

Facebook Replaces 'Maybe' With 'Interested' On Events

Facebook has decided to completely replace the “Maybe” button on Events with an “Interested” button, according to a spokesperson in an interview with The Next Web. The “Interested” button option has been rolled out to every Facebook user and you will likely see it on public Event pages soon. However, private events still appear to have the “Maybe” button.

By selecting the “Interested” option, you are indicating to the Event organizer that you are interested but cannot decide yet. And if you press “Interested,” you will receive notifications and updates from the events. Selecting “Maybe” seemed ambiguous about whether you would actually show up to the event.

Changing the wording from “Maybe” to “Interested” may increase the likelihood that users will respond to invitations. And since more users are expected to respond to invitations, event promoters would be able to reach more users. Facebook has been testing the wording change since March 2013. 

Facebook Events work well for organizing get togethers, including birthday parties and baby showers. Earlier this year, Facebook started alerting users about nearby events and upcoming events. You can also subscribe to events so you will receive notifications when your favorite Pages host events near you.

Facebook Events product manager Aditya Koolwal recently told Mashable that some of the feedback received in regards to events is that users cannot invite all their friends because not all of them use the social network — especially in emerging markets. Eventually users will still be able to invite a friend by entering their email address. That person will receive an email which lets them RSVP without requiring a Facebook account. “You won’t have the full Facebook experience, but for me, that’s fine, because as the organizer of that event, it’s important to know that I can invite you,” said Koolwal in the interview.

The least popular feature added to Events this year was “read receipts.” The read receipts will allow hosts to see who received invitations and reviewed the updates posted to the Event page. The read receipts look similar to the ones used in the Facebook Messenger and Groups services 

Back in July, Facebook revealed that there are 450 million active users on Facebook Events. Eventually Facebook may launch a standalone Events app, but there are no plans to develop one as of right now.

YouTube Red: Is Google's ad-free media-streaming service worth the price of admission?

Going down the YouTube rabbit hole can be frustrating. You want to catch up on last night’s late show or check out a few sports highlights, but you soon find yourself trapped in mind-numbing loop of annoying advertisements. It can bad enough to make you think your pay-TV bundle is a great deal.

But the ads are there for a reason: content producers deserve to get paid. It might not matter as much for the big companies who throw their stuff on YouTube merely for exposure; but for video bloggers and other independent creators, it can mean the difference between making a living and going back to their day jobs.

Google thinks it has the answer for both viewers and content producers: YouTube Red, a $10-per-month subscription service that grants you ad-free access to virtually all of YouTube’s video vault. YouTube Red works anywhere you encounter YouTube videos: youtube.com, embedded videos across the web, and within YouTube’s Android and iOS apps.

In addition to that, your subscription also includes the unlimited version of Google Play Music (and if you already have a paid subscription to that service, you now have access to YouTube Red, too). More on that later.

Here’s what you get

In addition to Google Play Music and ad-free videos, you get two other goodies with a YouTube Red subscription: First, when watching on a mobile device, you can save videos offline so you can watch them even when you don’t have an Internet connection. Second, videos will continue to play in the background even if you lock your mobile device or switch to another app.

Those features are the outgrowth of YouTube Music Key Beta, which Google rolled out last year as a trial run at how it might reinvent YouTube. The company provided the same offline access and background playing, while eliminating advertisements on music videos.

I’ve been a Play Music subscriber since day one, and I really came to appreciate the ability to save a video offline or to keep a song playing while zipping over to another app. Be aware, however, that you’ll need to hop into the settings to enable background play; by default, YouTube kicks it on only if your device is connected to headphones or a speaker.

But YouTube Red feels liberating: there’s no dreading an irritating advertisement every time I go to launch a new video. It’s made me go to YouTube more often to seek out a how-to video or to just glance at the various subscription channels. I know I’m a member of the “in” crowd now, so I’m more apt to spend time there.

YouTube is subtly integrated with Google Play Music: If there’s a video for the song you’re listening to, you’ll see the album art in both the mobile apps and browser-based player. Each artist page also has a collection of their YouTube videos.

If you’re not all that into music videos it might be uninteresting, but I like the ability to discover a new song through one of Play Music’s curated stations and then see what the artists can do on camera. It’s a great add-on.

It’s a compelling package, for some

From what I’ve seen so far, YouTube Red—combined with Google Play Music—is a compelling package. For $10 a month you get an excellent streaming-music service plus a supercharged YouTube experience.

If you’re already a Play Music subscriber, you automatically get YouTube Red. And if you’re one of the few early adopters who signed up for Play Music at launch (and stuck with it) you’re still locked in at the $8-per-month rate. Now that is an absolute steal.

That’s what Google hopes, of course. This ad-free bliss, however, is limited to paid YouTube content, such as movie and TV rentals and purchases, and YouTube’s gaming channel. But Google will soon offer more to hook you in. There’s a YouTube Music app in the works (YouTube is the home to most of the world’s music videos, so it’s the right kind of vertical to launch), and YouTube is developing original programming, just like Amazon has done with its Prime service.

The original content looks to be quite the mashup of comedy, drama, and romance, but we’ll need to actually see how it turns out to determine if the quality is there. This excites me less, especially since none of it’s ready yet; but it does give me the feeling that there will be at least some extra value for my monthly fee.

A gateway to Google Play Music

As I mentioned earlier, a YouTube Red subscription includes the unlimited version of Google Play Music. Similar to Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and other services, this gives you a broad catalog of music for streaming and/or offline listening. You can also upload music that you own (up to 50,000 tracks) to an online music locker and play them through the Play Music site and its mobile app.

The 320Kbps streaming bit rate isn’t audiophile quality—Tidal streams in lossless FLAC—but it’s better than what some other streaming-music services offer. If you’re concerned about going over your mobile data plan’s cap, you can configure the app to stream at the highest bit rate only when you’re on a Wi-Fi network.

What's unknown at this point is if you’ll get to join the YouTube Red party as part of the new Play Music family plans that will launch soon. It seems likely, but we won’t know for sure until Google chimes in.

I won't formally review YouTube Red at this point, because none of its original series are available for screening, but I'm a fan of what Google has put together so far. If you don't care about music videos, and you're already subscribing to another music-streaming service (paid or free), you might not feel the same. Google is offering a 30-day free trial if you're curious. Just remember, this is still YouTube: For every piece of quality content, you'll encounter 100 painfully amateur videos.

What’s Happening in Your Brain and Body as You Listen to Music

You wake up to a song as your alarm clock, stream music while you crunch numbers at work, blast power workout playlists at the gym, and attend music festivals on the weekend. But did you know that what you’re listening to can actually affect how you act, feel, and think?

“The effect of music on the brain or body depends in part on its genre,” Frank A. Russo, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Ryerson University, tells Yahoo Health. But it also depends on whether or not you like the song. “Someone who is a ‘metalhead’ will be able to hear all sorts of emotions in music that others would generally hear as being aggressive,” he says.

Regardless of your taste in music, here are some things that happen in your brain and body every time you push play on Spotify. Your mood improves. Listening to “Happy” by Pharrell Williams can actually cheer you up. Research published in the Journal of Positive Psychology shows that listening to upbeat music improves mood, with one catch — it only works if you have the desire to be happy. Test subjects who listened to the upbeat music without feeling an urge to be happy did not see their moods change. “Listening to positive music may be an effective way to improve happiness, particularly when it is combined with an intention to become happier,” the study says. A separate study also showed that the “feel-good” neurochemical called dopamine is released when we listen to music. 

You work better. A 1993 study on “the Mozart effect” showed that listening to Mozart could improve standardized test scores. However, it’s not just classical music that has this effect. A study published in the journal Intelligence shows that people exposed to music performed better at spatial tasks than those not listening to music, but this was not dependent on the musical genre. One of the researchers in the Mozart effect study, Frances Rauscher, explained the implications to NPR: “The key to it is that you have to enjoy the music. If you hate Mozart, you’re not going to find a Mozart effect. If you love Pearl Jam, you’re going to find a Pearl Jam effect.” 

Xiaomi moves to sell its phones in Africa

Fresh from its June launch in Brazil, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is hoping to make a splash in a totally new continent -- Africa.

This time, however, Xiaomi won't be on its own. It will work with the Mobile in Africa Group to sell two of its smartphones in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria.

he budget-friendly Redmi 2 and the slightly higher-end Mi 4 phones will go on sale in the middle of November.

"We see Africa as the next frontier for smartphone growth," said Xiaomi's global strategy director, Raymond Tian, in a statement. "And we are excited to be partnering with MIA Group to offer consumers in these three countries our high-quality smartphones at amazing prices."

For the first time in the company's history, Xiaomi won't directly sell its phones to consumers. Instead, the MIA Group will handle sales, marketing and customer support.

Valued at $45 billion, Xiaomi has gone from strength to strength. It's now the world's fifth-largest smartphone maker and it overtook Apple in the Chinese smartphone market earlier this year. However, it's since lost that position to Chinese rival Huawei.

Xiaomi will need to succeed in the African market to hit its 100 million smartphone sales target for 2015. In the first half of 2015, it sold just under 35 million ​phones. However, China's upcoming Black Friday equivalent, Singles Day on November 11, will likely help inch it closer to its sales target.