Judge spikes MOSIRA science startup fund

The new fund designed to spur science startups in Missouri has been declared unconstitutional by a judge in Cole County.
Circuit Judge Dan Green tossed out the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA) in a ruling Tuesday morning, saying that the way it was approved by lawmakers in last fall’s special legislative session violated the […]

China Cuts Reserve-Ratio for Growth as Inflation Deters Interest-Rate Move - Bloomberg

China is seen making more cuts to banks

Pinterest quietly profits off its users’ links

The social networking field’s buzziest startup is under fire this week for not being completely transparent with its users.
Pinterest, which allows users to create a virtual pinboard showcasing items they find around the Web, has quietly been appending affiliate links to some pins — the ones featuring goods for sale online through Amazon […]

As Facebook IPO nears, the case for dull stocks

Investors thinking of buying a piece of Facebook after it goes public are hoping it will perform like Google, whose stock has risen 500 percent since its debut seven and a half years ago.
But they may want to spare a thought for companies slightly less exciting _ a truck leasing company, perhaps, or a manufacturer […]

Nigeria oil line on fire; militants claim attack

An oil pipeline run by a subsidiary of Italian oil firm Eni SpA has ruptured and caught fire in Nigeria as a militant group claimed responsibility for an attack.
The fire happened Saturday night near Brass River in Nigeria’s Bayelsa state. Witnesses told a local environmental group they heard the blast from their homes.
The Movement for […]

Costa offers $14,460 per person for ruined cruise

Costa Crociere SpA is offering uninjured passengers euro11,000 ($14,460) apiece to compensate them for lost baggage and psychological trauma after its cruise ship ran aground and capsized off Tuscany when the captain deviated from his route.
Costa, a unit of the world’s biggest cruise operator, the Miami-based Carnival Corp., also said it would reimburse passengers the […]

Stocks erase losses on Fed promise of low rates

Stocks turned mixed Wednesday afternoon, erasing earlier losses, after the Federal Reserve said it will keep interest rates near zero for much longer than it had previously announced. Demand for ultra-safe Treasurys soared, pushing bond yields lower.
The Fed’s monetary policy committee said it is unlikely to raise interest rates before 2014, extending a period of […]

Spain

Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said Spain is sticking to its deficit goal even as the economy shrinks, underlining a rift in the month-old Cabinet over whether the nation can halve its shortfall during a recession.
De Guindos said the government

Housing starts fell 4.1 percent in December

New construction of U.S. houses retreated in December, putting an end to a year in which builders broke ground on a record-low number of single-family homes, the Commerce Department estimated Thursday.
Housing starts fell 4.1 percent to an annualized rate of 679,000 last month, after a strong gain in November had put starts at their highest […]

Groups lock horns over Missouri’s green energy future

There’s a battle afoot to reshape Missouri’s green energy law.
Renewable energy advocates and utilities are squaring off to establish how much of Missouri’s electricity is derived from renewable resources — with the cost to consumers in the balance.
Renew Missouri, the group formed several years ago to advance the state’s existing renewable energy initiative, known as […]