The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped almost 300 points early this morning after a selloff in global markets. The Dow fell to its lowest level since Nov. 4, 2009, amid worries over the European debt crisis. Read more.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership and the Ames Chamber of Commerce have extended the registration deadline for a September business mission trip to China. The deadline to register, which requires full payment, was originally today but has been extended to June 1, spokeswoman Susan Ramsey said. As of today, 25 people are confirmed for the trip, and five others have expressed interest, she said. “We wanted the trip to pay for itself, and with the guests we have so far, it will break even, and that is great,” Ramsey said. The eight-day trip, designed to provide participants with opportunities to explore new business relationships in China, will include visits to Beijing and Shanghai with an optional two-day extension to visit Des Moines’ sister city of Shijiazhuang. “We’re very excited, and we’re very pleased with the interest,” Ramsey said. “We’ll be looking at the success of this and then determining what other opportunities we might offer in the future.” To learn more about the trip, click here.

Judges have narrowed the entries for the John Pappajohn Iowa Business Plan Competition down to 24 from 54. The field will eventually be narrowed down to three businesses that will present their ideas at the Iowa Venture Capital and Entrepreneurs Conference on Oct. 5. Ames-based company BodyViz won the competition last year.

Eleven communities in Iowa were awarded grants from the Regional Tourism Marketing Grant Program for out-of-state marketing. The grants totaled almost $80,000. For a list of the communities, click here.

The Iowa College Student Aid Commission is asking for help in applying for a Pepsi Refresh grant. The grant would be used to fund an online financial literacy course for Iowa students. For more information, click here.

Retail giant Wal-Mart announced today that it will drop the price of the iPhone 3GS to $97 from $199, a month before some say Apple will release a new iPhone. “It is our commitment to always lead on price,” wrote Mehrdad Akbar, senior category director for wireless at Wal-Mart. Read more.