IBT Staff Reporter

There is a bucket of data out this week which should provide traders with a closer insight into the current economic situation in the United States.

Australian Dollar: The Aussie dollar drifted lower in local trade on Friday after posting a high of 0.7130 in early morning trade.

Picture it: I am sipping champagne listening to Mozart just before Christmas in the Governor's Suite at the Langham Hotel in Auckland New Zealand. The fabulous suite is all 83 square metres, seven plush rooms - the works! This is where celebrities and the rich and famous hideaway. A blind man could tell why the Langham in Auckland was named New Zealand's best hotel in 2007.

Costa Rica is battling to find survivors in one of the strongest earthquakes to hit Costa Rica in 150 years.

The conflict between Israel and Gaza continues entering its 16th day and neither side is willing to respond to international calls for an immediate cease fire.

A top leader of Palestinian paramilitary group Hamas said Saturday the war in Gaza has killed the last chance for settlement and negotiations with Israel.

Five Somali pirates who freed a hijacked oil-Saudi supertanker died Saturday after their boat capsized with a reported $3 million ransom in the Gulf of Aden, the Associated Press reports.

A pair of China's top industrial regions showed signs of economic strain at the end of 2008.

Walt Disney Co. announced Friday it will move forward with submitting a proposal to build a theme park in mainland China.

Five of the pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a $3 million ransom after the boat they were traveling in capsized.

Microsoft Corp. has begun handing out unlimited free license keys for the Windows 7 beta, after its license servers were unable to handle a huge surge in applications.

As Stargate Atlantis is about to end the Stargate Universe weekly series will debut as a movie first will begin this summer of 2009.

On Saturday, Indian police arrested the chief financial officer of embattled outsourcing giant Satyam Computer Services Ltd for his involvement in a major fraud scandal.

Brittney Bergeron, a handicapped teenager with aspirations to be a Paralympian for the 2012 London Paralympics shared her story last night with 20/20 after surviving 27 stabs.

Revenue is growing at the News Corp division which includes social networking site Myspace despite the economic downturn but measuring the value of online friends has let to setbacks in growth.

Manufacturers have been using touch screen technology to make products from calculators to computers but some of the gadgets are not friendly the blind people, say blind advocates.

The first full week of Wall Street in 2009 is Colorless,no huge shocks or happiness.

Researchers are attempting to discover the chemical processes that allow people to experience emotions, including what people describe as love.

On Friday British-based Lloyds TSB Bank agreed to pay a 350 million dollar penalty to settle an investigation for illegally authorizing access by Iran and Sudan in to the US financial system.

Rebels in Congo fought pro-government militiamen in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday in a gunbattle that left six people dead.

Talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials continued late into Friday with both sides failing to agree on the resumed gas supply to Europe via Ukraine.

Patrick Swayze, the Dirty Dancing star, who is battling pancreatic cancer checked himself into hospital after contracting pneumonia, A&E President Abbe Raven announced Friday at the Television Critics Association.

The Illinois House of Representatives impeached Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday 114-1. After the decision, he sustained that he is not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing.

Citigroup announced that Robert Rubin has retired as Senior Counselor effective Friday and will finish out his term as a director on the company's board.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich who was arrested and accused of scheming to sell off Illinois' vacant Senate seat said the decision to impeach him was not a surprise for him.

News program 60 Minutes is presenting a special edition disc covering the president-elect's path to the White House.

President-elect Barack Obama's mother in law will be living with the first family in the White House after he takes office.

Ryan O'Neal pleaded guilty on Friday to a felony charge of drug possession for his September arrest and agreed to enter an 18-month drug deferment program.

The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards viewer ratings this year will surely beat last year's.