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Duke Energy Progress has been ordered to pay $25.1 million in as fine due to coal ash contamination at a plant near Wilmington, North Carolina.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina State Department of Environmental and Natural Resources made the announcement. The department stated that Duke Energy for several years has allowed huge amount of coal ash contaminants to enter into the groundwater at the facility.

The complete amount will be given to a state fund for public schools. DENR Secretary Donald R. van der Vaart said, "In addition to holding the utility accountable for past contamination we have found across the state, we are also moving expeditiously to remove the threat to our waterways and groundwater from coal ash ponds statewide".

Aircraft leasing companies have been encouraging aircraft manufacturing company Boeing to come up with a replacement for its discontinued 757. The companies also said that priority of all aircraft manufacturing companies must be to work on existing orders.

During a press conference, Steven Udvar-Hazy, chief executive officer of American aircraft leasing company Air Lease Corp, and some of the industry's most influential figures said that a jet with 200 to 250 seats will be in great demand in near future. As the jet will be in demand in next eight to 12 years, Boeing will have enough time to focus on upgrading its smaller 737 jet that has capacity of 85 to 215 passengers. It will also allow the company to make improvements in engine.

The US and California officials have shrunk area for renewable energy plants in California desert. The officials announced Tuesday that they have more than halved the amount of California desert land, which allows local governments to decide how they want to handle large-scale solar, wind and geothermal projects on private land.

The Renewable Energy Action Team agencies, which include the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and California Energy Commission, said that regulators will initially concentrate on about 10 million acres of federal land. Their initial plan, which was revealed in September, designated 22.5 million acres across seven counties.

President Obama, on Tuesday, has issued a clarion call to all the Americans who are saddled by student debt, and has advised the student borrowers to fight for their rights. President Obama declared a combination of modest steps to bring a notoriously chaotic system into some order.

Obama revealed his "student aid bill of rights" in the front of a gymnasium full with around 10,000 students at Georgia Tech. He said that the nation should work together to bring about deeper changes to student loans.

He added that it should be done in such a way that not only every American should be able to afford college, but should also be able to afford the loan payments that kick in with a vengeance after their graduation.

An announcement has been made by Dunkin' Donuts that it is dropping titanium dioxide from its list of ingredients after an environmentalist group said that it can cause DNA and chromosomal damage and is also unsafe for human use.

According to the group, titanium dioxide is a nanomaterial that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned. The chain said that titanium dioxide is not a nonmaterial, but still took the decision to remove the chemical.

The company revealed that this step is not going to change the look of its baked goods. According to experts, titanium dioxide is utilized so that the powdered sugar can appear brighter. It is also used in sunscreen and paints.

Taxi-hailing service Uber has planned to hire more female drivers, citing safety concerns. The San Francisco-based company announced Tuesday that Uber will create 1 million jobs for women within the next five years in a partnership with the United Nations. The alliance aims to recruit drivers not just in the United States, but around the world.

Uber has been criticized in the past for a number of driver assaults on passengers. Also, highly-publicized assaults on women passengers, including the rape of one passenger in New Delhi, which has been cited as the main reason behind Uber's new move.

According to Salle Yoo, Uber's general counsel, driving for Uber offers flexibility and options that are particularly attractive for women.