DIGEST DIGEST  
New unemployment claims rose a moderate 11,000ÛÓto 415,000ÛÓin late April. Massachusetts and New Jersey bore the brunt of layoffs in the week ended April 25 due to cutbacks in the service sector, the Labor Department said.</br></br>GM, HughesÛªs parent, confirmed the talks with Falls Church-based General Dynamics, but did not give details of the negotiations or mention any price. Lawrence Harris, an analyst with Kemper Securities, estimated the business was worth $450 million.</br></br>Rising optimism about the economy pushed a key business confidence index to its highest level in two years, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said. The index, which measures business executivesÛª view of the economyÛªs direction, sales and employment prospects, rose in April to 63.3 from 59.1 in February.</br></br>Child World, the nationÛªs second-largest toy retailing chain, filed for bankruptcy protection and said it would close 54 stores, primarily in the Upper Midwest land South.</br></br>.Texas Instruments unveiled a Jong-awaited super chip that is expected to heat up an already ^competitive market for workstation computers.