Vienna  - Ailing low-cost carrier SkyEurope reported Tuesday that passenger numbers dropped by 23.5 per cent in January, compared with the same month of the previous year.

The Slovakia-based airline, which is listed on the Vienna stock exchange, has said it would reduce capacity by some 19 per cent during the winter months of 2009.

SkyEurope's operating losses more than doubled to 56.1 million euros (72.8 million dollars) in the 2007/08 business year running until September, according to preliminary figures published last November.

Vienna - The price for oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose to 43.85 dollars Monday, as the cartel's chairman indicated that production might be slashed further.

One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC-produced crude climbed 0.55 dollars Monday, the 12-member organization announced Tuesday.

Given current low prices, OPEC would consider cutting output at its next meeting in mid-March, OPEC Chairman Abdalla Salem El-Badri said Monday in London, according to media reports.

Innsbruck, Austria  - Doctors believe Swiss skier Daniel Albrecht has recovered sufficiently from injuries sustained in a crash in downhill training at Kitzbuehel, Austria on January 22 that they can slowly begin to bring him out of his induced coma.

Albrecht suffered head and lung injuries in the crash but doctors at the Innsbruck University Hospital where he is being treated said Sunday that the skier's medication was now being reduced to shorten the length of time he remains unconscious.

Albrecht's lung function has improved significantly and there have been no complications with the treatment of his head injury.

Vienna  - Austrian media were critical Sunday after its men's alpine ski team were left without a world championship medal in the downhill or super-g races for the first time in 20 years.

"What a slap in the face!" the daily Oesterreich wrote. The race, in which John Kucera of Canada won the first downhill gold for his country at world championships, was a "historical downhill flop," the tabloid wrote.

On sixth place, the fastest Austrian was two-time downhill world champion Hermann Maier, who was unable to match Switzerland's Didier Cuche and Carlo Janka on second and third place.

The Austrians also came up empty-handed in Wednesday's super-g race won by Cuche.

Seefeld, Austria  - Magnus Moan of Norway clinched his sixth Nordic combined World

Seefeld, Austria  - Austria's Mario Stecher won the nordic combined World Cup event in Seefeld Saturday, holding off compatriot Lukas Klapfer for victory.

Stecher lay fourth after the jumping portion but made up the deficit in the 10-kilometre cross-country skiing section to win in a time of 25 minutes 29.0 seconds.

Klapfer finished 4.8 seconds behind Stecher while Norway's Jan Schmid, who led after the ski-jumping section, had to be satisfied with third spot, 4.9 seconds behind the winner.