TopNews

According to a report released on Thursday by California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA), the state's air quality is in much better shape than it was in 1990.

The CAPCOA report is compiled from information provided by the administrators of 35 air quality management districts in California. The reported released on Thursday was the second major report this year that pointed to better air quality in the region.

The issued report showed that compared to levels in 2014, toxic emissions from all sources have dropped 80%. Smog-forming emissions declined by 50% since 1990.

Attorney General Maura Healey and top law enforcement officials for eight other states have sent a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

In the letter, they have asked the authority to forgive the student loan debt for students who became victim to unjust and misleading practices of for-profit schools.

“These are situations where students are simply seeking a way to better themselves, and they get lured in by these false promises, and then they’re on the hook for $15,000, $20, 000”, affirmed Healey.

The United States Department of Labor released a weekly report, stating that the number of Americans filing jobless claims increased. But, according to the report, the four-week average was the lowest in last one and half decade.

According to the cabinet-level department of the United States federal government, jobless claims by people in the United States have increased by about 14,000 to 281,000 in the week that ended on April 4. The department also stated that the claims were less than forecasts by economists. Before this, the economists forecasted that jobless claims would be 283,000. The jobless claims in the previous week were revised to about 267,000 and the four- week average fell by about 3,000 to 282,250.

The business-oriented social networking service LinkedIn is going to buy lynda.com, privately held online education company, for about $1.5bn. The education company provides courses in many languages aimed at improving technology, business and creative skills. According to the company’s website, subscription fees for the company’s course range between $250 and $375 a year.

LinkedIn, which has been headquartered in Mountain View, California, has decided to expand its services for audiences of professional users. LinkedIn also has its European headquarters in Dublin. The new deal will allow users to know what skills are required to get jobs in desired city, according to Ryan Roslansky, who is head of content in LinkedIn.

Research firm Gartner said that personal computer shipments worldwide have dropped during the first quarter compared to the shipments for the previous year.

The research firm revealed that PC shipments that totaled 71.7 million units during the Jan-March period have declined by about 5.2 % from the same period last year.

The data showed the lowest number of PC shipments since the second quarter of 2009. The decline during the March quarter happened mainly by change in consumption habits of a generation of data-hungry technology customers who use smartphones, tablets and hybrid notebooks.

US bank earnings have been supported by mortgage lending in the first quarter as lower rates led to an increase in applications to refinance home loans. This is good news for the sector that has struggled with weak growth for the past many quarters.

There were probably other factors offering boost for the biggest US banks in the first quarter, together with higher underwriting revenue and bond trading. The big banks begin reporting for the quarter next week. On Tuesday, Wells Fargo & Co and JPMorgan Chase & Co started reporting.