In Brief.(includes Britney Spears settles breach of contract suit)

POLLINI FOOTWEAR ON THE ROCKS: Armando Pollini, also known as the ?King of Elast? for his elastic fabric footwear, may have to shut down his business, weighed down by $3 million in debt. In a phone interview, Pollini attributed the debt to hefty investments in a new manufacturing and design research plant, just months before the footwear industry was hard hit by a stall in the economy in 2001 and the post-Sept. 11 aftermath. Pollini?s main markets are Germany and the U.S. The designer said his company?s sales have dropped as much as 40 percent compared with three years ago. ?I am in talks with several investors and hope to be able to save my company and reestablish my brand,? …