New York - Luxury goods concern Tiffany said Wednesday that the financial crisis had badly hurt company outlook, with the company now reducing payrolls and shelving new store openings.

In the third quarter which ended October 31, Tiffany's surplus had plunged more than 55 per cent to 44 million dollars.

However, the company said special bookkeeping factors accounted for some of the decline, noting that in the previous-year third quarter profts had been boosted by earnings from real estate sales.

Revenues in the third quarter, at 618 million dollars, were 1.4 per cent down from the same 2007 period, Tiffany said.

Vienna - Austrian skier Matthias Lanzinger plans to take the sport's ruling body FIS, Norwegian organizers and an Oslo clinic to court as he seeks compensation over a crash at a World Cup race in Kvitfjell in which he lost his lower leg.

The Austrian Press Agency APA reported on Wednesday that Lanzinger's lawyer, Manfred Ainedter, will press charges in Norway for compensation of "at least 100,000 euros" (129,000 dollars).

Rome - Italy's conservative government presented Wednesday a state-sponsored credit card which will be provided to needy people to help them cope with the country's current economic recession.

The "carta per gli acquisti" or "social card" as local media have dubbed it, is worth 40 euros (51 dollars) per month and allows bearers to buy goods at chain stores and supermarkets that have adhered to the initiative, Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti said.

The government estimates that some 1.3 million people will benefit from the card. It is set to cost the state 450 million euros per year.

Athens- Greece is violating international law in its treatment of asylum seekers attempting to enter the country, New York-based Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.

In a report titled, "Stuck in a revolving door," Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims Greek coast guard officials push migrants out of Greek territorial waters and sometimes puncture inflatable boats and disable their vessels.

Greek authorities routinely round-up would-be migrants, detains them in dirty and inhumane conditions, and then expels them to neighbouring Turkey, the group said.

Oslo- The Hurtigruten shipping company that operates the Norwegian coastal express Wednesday posted weaker third-quarter results over higher fuel costs and fewer passengers and said it would cut half its land-based staff.

The company posted a pre-tax profit of 60 million kroner (8.5 million dollars), a 81-million-kroner drop year-on-year.

The group reported 934 million kroner in sales for the quarter, compared to 978 million kroner in the corresponding business period last year.

Management said it aimed to trim costs by 35 per cent during 2009, resulting in 200 fewer land-based jobs, of which 80 in Norway.

Thanjavur/Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Nov 26 : Heavy and continuous downpour for three days in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur District of Tamil Nadu has adversely hit the harvest of paddy crops causing a huge loss to farmers.

Large areas of paddy fields submerged under water due to incessant rain have left the farmers complaining.

“Last few days in Thanjavur district, there has been continuous rainfall. Due to heavy rains, paddy crops are submerged in water. Around 3000 hectares of land has been damaged due to water logging in Kalimedu, Sankasamam, Kadampakudi and Thenakudi.