News In Brief

DOORS OPEN AT 7:30 A.M.

Some "mall rats" should feel right at home in September when the new academic year opens in Providence, R.I. Reason: They'll be attending classes only a few feet from where they spent much of the summer hanging out. The city's Providence Place Academy is believed to be a first for the US: a public high school inside a shopping mall. Courses will cover the traditional subjects, but with specialized instruction in the retail industry.

BRING YOUR OWN BOAT

Planning to see the new millennium in with a bang? Then Taveuni may be just the place for you. Since it's part of Fiji, and astride the International Date Line, it will be one of the first places in the world to welcome 2000. It also has resort hotels and first-class scuba diving for your leisure activities. But, geologists warn, Taveuni is a sleeping volcano that's overdue for an eruption. Warning signs, they say, could come only a couple of days before it blows.

June's auto sales boost bid by US firms for record year

The US auto industry sold units last month at a pace that would translate to 17.16 million light vehicles for the entire year. "It's got a chance of beating the 1986 record year, and I think we're on track to do just that," said Roy Roberts, GM sales and marketing vice president. In 1986, light-vehicle sales topped 16.05 million. The following are the 20 best-sellers in the US through June as reported by the automakers (with rankings for 1998 in parentheses):

1. Ford F-Series pickup (1) 449,951

2. Chevrolet Silverado pickup (2) 307,533

3. Toyota Camry (7) 223,892

4. Ford Ranger pickup (9) 216,076

5. Dodge Ram pickup (4) 208,985

6. Ford Explorer (3) 206,425

7. Honda Accord (5) 199,930

8. Ford Taurus (6) 189,057

9. Dodge Caravan (10) 168,813

10. Honda Civic (8) 158,727

- Reuters