Newswatch: Economy, U.s. Debt In Market Spotlight Next Week

The lawsuits focus on PFAS that contaminated groundwater after being sprayed in firefighting foams at fire houses and airports across the U. S. German chemical company BASF said on Tuesday it reached a $316.5 million settlement with some U. S. public water systems that claimed toxic “forever chemicals” in firefighting foam made by the company contaminated their water supplies.

By 1941, testing had proved the design and the system were ready for mass production. Palestinians in Gaza have begun receiving humanitarian aid delivered through a newly completed floating pier off the coast of the besieged territory. Built by the U. S. military and operated in coordination with the United Nations, aid groups and other nations’ militaries, the pier can trace its origins back to a mid-20th century U.

AI assistant Khanmigo can help time-strapped teachers come up with lesson ideas and test questions, the companies say. Khan Academy’s AI assistant will now be free to K-12 teachers in the U. S., thanks to a new deal with Microsoft, the companies said Tuesday during Microsoft’s Build conference.

Olympic crowds in Paris will likely shift retail traffic to other cities like Barcelona or London. Luxury retailers in European cities outside France are jockeying for business from deep pocketed tourists this summer, betting on a surge in visitors avoiding crowds and street closures in Paris during the Olympic Games.

The health and wellness brand said this week that it will offer drugs with the same ingredient as blockbuster medications Ozempic and Wegovy. Hims & Hers Health got a shot in the arm this week that sent its share prices to near all-time highs.

The European Union’s AI Act, the first of its kind, will set the global standard for safeguards on artificial intelligence. Europe’s landmark rules on artificial intelligence will enter into force next month after EU countries endorsed on Tuesday a political deal reached in December, setting a potential global benchmark for a technology used in business and everyday life.