News In Brief

JUST CALL IT KNIGHT SCHOOL

Do you think you're pretty good at chess? Then you may be interested in an opportunity offered by the University of Aberdeen. The Scottish school is setting up what's believed to be the first PhD program based on the game and is looking for applicants. Its aim is to aid in the development of supercomputers capable of beating even the grand masters. Boasts director Peter Vas, who hopes to lure world champion Garry Kasparov as a lecturer: "My computers will be as clever as 1,000 Einsteins."

ALL WE EVER DO IS EAT

When last we looked in on Lisbon, the Portuguese capital was angling for a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records with a feast for 15,000 people on the deck of the brand-new Vasco da Gama bridge. The experience must have been a kick, because the city is at it again, serving up a 250-foot-long traditional chocolate salami for local kids in honor of International Children's Day - under the gaze of a Guinness representative.

Economy superstars: states that lead in US expansion

Eight Western states outperformed the rest of the US in economic growth during most of the 1990s, the Commerce Department reported. Arizona ranked No. 1, with an average annual growth rate of 7.3 percent from 1992 to '99. (Overall, the economy grew at a 4 percent rate during this period.) High-growth states especially reported big gains in computer and software manufacturing and sales. Hawaii and Alaska had the worst growth rates: minus 0.3 percent and plus 0.5 percent, respectively. States with the highest average growth rates from 1992 to '99:

Arizona 7.3%

Nevada 7.0%

Oregon 6.8%

Colorado 6.6%

Idaho 6.6%

New Hampshire 6.3%

Utah 6.3%

New Mexico 6.2%

Georgia 5.8%

Texas 5.4%

- Associated Press

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor