New numbers out this week on the social needs of Missourians paint a bleak picture of a state hurting from the national economic downturn. More: continued here

Biz break: Yahoo CFO leaves amid management shake-upSan Jose Mercury News,  USAPlus: Facebook considers user "Bill of Rights," Cisco cuts jobs in SJ, eBay wins German court case. Yahoo management shake-up: Yahoo's chief financial officer is leaving and chief executive Carol Bartz said she is rolling out a new management …

Lord Mandelson plans to rush through the sell-off of Royal Mail within months in the face of Cabinet opposition, it emerged today. More: continued here

ReadWriteWeb eBay: Good in PartsReadWriteWeb, CAAt the Accel Symposium, we heard John Donahoe, eBay CEO, admit that there was little synergy between core eBay, PayPal, and Skype. He lauded PayPal, showed some false modesty around Skype, and talked about core eBay in a way that indicated a clear … More: continued …

Lord Mandelson the Business Secretary said the Government’s plan to partprivatise the Royal Mail was the only option to save the service. More: continued here

Proposed Law Targets Stolen Goods on eBay, AmazoneWeek,  NYThe bills, targeting organized retail crime, would allow retailers to slap take-down notices on sites like eBay, Overstock, Amazon and other online marketplaces without as much a police report indicating the goods for sale are of suspicious origin. … More: continued here

Prime Minister Gordon Brown risked a confrontation with unions and supporters on Thursday with a plan that could lead to the sale of 30 percent of Royal Mail. More: continued here

Partial privatization of Royal Mail proposedInternational Herald Tribune, FranceBy Simon Marks Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain announced legislation Thursday to put up to 30 percent of the Royal Mail in the hands of investors, part of a plan to raise capital to modernize the government-owned postal service. … More: continued …

The Star-Ledger – NJ.com Ever lose your child's blankie? Ebay has a black market for themThe Star-Ledger – NJ.com, NJI never did make anything to insure it's safety, just was hyper neurotic about it. Well, have no worries parents, lose your child's favorite blankie? Just pop on over to ebay where …

Union threatens to cut its aid to Labour over Royal Mail rowTimes Online, UKThe Labour Party will lose the support of the postal workers’ union in the forthcoming European elections if it fails to back down over the part-privatisation of the Royal Mail. Gordon Brown, who is already preparing for defeat …