"We are 100% committed to building 3 World Trade Center to the top as quickly as possible, " said Janno Lieber, Mr. Silverstein's deputy who oversees the World Trade Center development.

WSJ: New Hitch in Ground Zero Plans: No Takers

The Hong Kong talks, from 13 to 18 December, mark the end of the World Trade Organization's Doha development round, aimed at eliminating unfair trade barriers and giving the world's poorest countries easier access to global markets.

BBC: NEWS | Business | G7 urges progress on trade talks

Last week the International Financial Institution Advisory Commission, created by the U.S. Congress and made up of 11 American economists and other experts, released its reform recommendations for the IMF, the World Bank, the Asian, Latin American and African development banks, the World Trade Organization and the Bank for International Settlements.

CNN: ASIANOW - Asiaweek | Intelligence | The Week Ahead