Christmas plea by emergency workers after rise in assaults
A Nigerian billionaire’s firm is set to roll out the first AI-powered Radio station in Nigeria The new radio station will commence operations in January 2025, combining entertainment and e-commerce KongaFM will be a pioneer said station in Africa, combining artificial intelligence with entertainment PAY ATTENTION: Follow our WhatsApp channel to never miss out on the news that matters to you! Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade. Nigeria is set for a historic launch of its first AI-powered radio station, marking a breakthrough initiative by Konga, an e-commerce company. The station is reportedly scheduled to begin operations in January 2025 and will be known as KongaFM. KongaFM to combine AI and entertainment The station is said to be the first in Africa to combine artificial intelligence with entertainment and commerce. PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! According to reports, a source disclosed that KongaFM will be a pioneer platform to empower brands, distributors, and original equipment manufacturers to connect with unreached markets and change the e-commerce landscape. Read also Nigerian billionaire starts another building material business as cement price increases Leadership reports that the station will deliver non-stop music and a unique mix of entertainment and commercial opportunities. The platform's latest media push is part of its wider plans to disrupt conventional marketing communications and amplify consumer engagement across sectors such as FMCG and electronic and digital solutions. Company promises statement in January The move is reportedly set to ignite the FX market, influencing the pricing and availability of critical goods and commodities. It aligns with Konga’s history of innovation in the e-commerce sector. The company has not commented on the new move, although Konga Group CEO Nnamdi Ekeh promised an official statement in January. Konga was acquired by the Chairman of Zinox Technologies, Leo Stan Ekeh, merging with Yudala, a then-burgeoning e-commerce firm. Nigerian billionaire launches cable television Legit.ng earlier reported that KongTV, Africa's first 24-hour buyers and sellers television platform , launched in 2023. The television station launched on November 6, 2023, which coincided with the company's biggest sale of the year. Read also Nigerian entrepreneurs share N11m in TrendX’s Pitch2win competition The television station is designed to offer competitive pricing from sources including manufacturers, distributors, merchants, and resellers. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: Legit.ngHouse approves $895B defense bill with military pay raise, ban on transgender care for minors
European countries suspend Syrian asylum decisions after Assad’s fallBy TRÂN NGUYỄN SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday. The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including Bonta, after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year, saying social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. “These companies know the harmful impact their products can have on our children, and they refuse to take meaningful steps to make them safer,” Bonta said at a news conference Monday. “Time is up. It’s time we stepped in and demanded change.” State officials haven’t provided details on the bill, but Bonta said the warning labels could pop up once weekly. Up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 say they use a social media platform, and more than a third say that they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center. Parents’ concerns prompted Australia to pass the world’s first law banning social media for children under 16 in November. “The promise of social media, although real, has turned into a situation where they’re turning our children’s attention into a commodity,” Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored the California bill, said Monday. “The attention economy is using our children and their well-being to make money for these California companies.” Lawmakers instead should focus on online safety education and mental health resources, not warning label bills that are “constitutionally unsound,” said Todd O’Boyle, a vice president of the tech industry policy group Chamber of Progress. “We strongly suspect that the courts will set them aside as compelled speech,” O’Boyle told The Associated Press. Victoria Hinks’ 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died by suicide four months ago after being “led down dark rabbit holes” on social media that glamorized eating disorders and self-harm. Hinks said the labels would help protect children from companies that turn a blind eye to the harm caused to children’s mental health when they become addicted to social media platforms. “There’s not a bone in my body that doubts social media played a role in leading her to that final, irreversible decision,” Hinks said. “This could be your story.” Related Articles National News | Biden creates Native American boarding school national monument to mark era of forced assimilation National News | How should the opioid settlements be spent? Those hit hardest often don’t have a say National News | ‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year National News | Supreme Court rejects appeal challenging Hawaii gun licensing requirements under Second Amendment National News | Supreme Court rejects appeal from Boston parents over race bias in elite high school admissions Common Sense Media, a sponsor of the bill, said it plans to lobby for similar proposals in other states. California in the past decade has positioned itself as a leader in regulating and fighting the tech industry to bolster online safety for children. The state was the first in 2022 to bar online platforms from using users’ personal information in ways that could harm children. It was one of the states that sued Meta in 2023 and TikTok in October for deliberately designing addictive features that keep kids hooked on their platforms. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, also signed several bills in September to help curb the effects of social media on children, including one to prohibit social media platforms from knowingly providing addictive feeds to children without parental consent and one to limit or ban students from using smartphones on school campus. Federal lawmakers have held hearings on child online safety and legislation is in the works to force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The legislation has the support of X owner Elon Musk and the President-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr . Still, the last federal law aimed at protecting children online was enacted in 1998, six years before Facebook’s founding.