>> china's days of high-speed growth are over, but the leaders say it is going to expand to a more sustainable pace. >> the nasdaq markets in times square new york. in a holding pattern on interest rates as they await a decision on its stimulus plan.

>> also from our broadcast quarters, a bigger residence to look at the remarkable turnaround and the women of wall street trying to climb the corporate ladder. >> the members met a few hours ago behind closed doors to discuss the next step on syria. it would allow syria to turn over the stockpile of chemical weapons but russia might voice its displeasure with the deal. we will have a live report from the united nations coming up. tension will move between europe and the secretary of state on thursday with diplomacy taking over for military rhetoric.

it has been 12 years since the worst terror attack on the united states, terrorist forcing two planes into the world trade center towers killing nearly 3000 people. families of the victims gathered wednesday to mark that day and the somber ceremonies. i will be back with more. >> all eyes on the chinese premier as he gave a candid assessment of china's economy. that this is a crucial stage of restructuring. >> in the face of economic downturn, a short-term stimulus policy could be one way to drive up wealth. we concluded that such an option would not help address the underlying options. hence we opted for keeping the macroeconomic policies table.

>> a shift in monetary policy is causing concern for emerging economies, but analysts say a gradual recovery could cushion any decision by the u.s. fed to taper the stimulus program. we are joined by our correspondent. announcing the decision on interest rate soon, what can we expect barry? >> analysts predict the central bank to freeze the rate at the current 2.5%. the south korean economy is heavily influenced by the decision and the bank of korea might be forced to raise rates in the near future. one expert says the fallout could lead to other potential problems. >> changing monetary policies,

the emerging economy is relatively, in general, the korean economy is very sound. it will have little effect on the korean economy. one concern, the only concern is raising the rates because of the strategy of the central banks and developed nations. we will raise the interest rates. in korea, also, the interest rate will be raised. it will lead to the rise of costs for companies. it will result in the reduction of the economy. >> they posted solid export figures, an estimated gdp growth

for the second quarter. there is very little incentive to slash rates. they expect them to remain the same. >> pretty volatile of late. >> numbers show the south korean currency gaining the most value. it climbed nearly 2.5% against the u.s. dollar. investors tend to shift when they take them on an easing stance. we are seeing a rise in investors. they can deal a blow to exports, a country that relies on shipments. >> we want to get so -- back to

our documents. we are joined by an economist and the author of what the u.s. can learn from china. we are getting a real clear vision of the economic policy. it seems the last government did not leave a lot of options. >> i think it has a chance of working. it is using what china already has as a talent base and it is about really opening up because if they do that, you will introduce moreon edition which creates more entrepreneurial activity. this is something they can do because they are grabbing more college educated people. i think this will be good for china and the world.

>> based on supporting data which seems to signal no hard landing, is that your judgment as well? >> as long as there are no egg zogenix factors that interject themselves because you can have things like military warfare that spills out of control in the middle east. these other things that china doesn't have any control over can certainly derail its progress economically. those factors, i think it is possible that china doesn't have a hard landing and continues to grow at its current trajectory. >> it appears the premier is promising a fair playing field. do you think it will have any impact on the investment

environment? >> i believe the investment thesis for any company is the fact that they have a growing middle class and their economy is more robust than any other one in the world. companies can't afford not to be in china. the fact that chinese companies want to invest overseas, it means that china has to play quid pro quo with other companies. if chinese companies want to be abroad, they have two of allow foreign and direct investment to complete on a level playing field. this is an inevitable development that will happen. with that said, i am not saying that with a level playing field, foreign companies are going to succeed, necessarily.

when china opens it up to foreigners, they are opening it up to domestic competition as well. that means competition will be very fierce. usually, and foreign companies will not be used to that level of competition. this will create a situation where they may feel like it is not going to be anything that is so different than what they are experiencing now. that is the reality of china. >> fierce competition and a cluttered environment, no doubt about that. they also said china imports will reach $1 trillion. what does china need to do to hit that mark? >> they need to continually open up and upgrade the population to a growing middle class. when you have a growing middle

class, it means a broad consumption base. it means they will spend more on services, they will spend more on even products. if they buy a home or rent a home, they will need to have more furniture, appliances, tv services, telecommunication services. this will generate more jobs and this is how they will grow gdp. the other area would be to grow more sectors and open up more sectors so that they are integrated into more supply chains. this will also import more and the china. >> i just wanted to get briefly, talk to us about the differences you are seeing in premier league versus his predecessor. >> the biggest difference is he has a completely different style. he is trained as a lawyer and

will be much more like barack obama in terms of his ability to appeal rhetorically to people. i would just say that it is more a stylistic difference. >> always a pleasure talking to you, thank you for joining us from new york. kenya is on course to have all of its automated teller cash machines compliant with emv technology. a joint effort to ensure the global operability of chip --based payment cards. >> this one is specifically

designed to fight money laundering. >> there is a blacklist, and their money is going. >> lots of technology on display . they stay ahead of the growth. 50% of the population has bank accounts and the latest to embrace the system. banks have adopted mobile phone banking and agency banking. and to meet the demand for such services, they offer more security and protect customers money. >> and they will be complying by

the end of this month. >> and the systems in kenya. >> mobilephone payment and terminals. banks have themselves to blame. >> apple's big iphone push extends in a bid that boosts sales growth. some say the cheaper version of the smartphone is still not affordable for emerging economies. that led apple shares lower. and the remarkable turnaround of a special report on yahoo and

ceo marissa mayer.

>> welcome back to the much- hyped iphone rollout from apple in the states. it is met with much disappointment, shares plunging five percent in new york trading and in china where the company held a simultaneous rollout for the first time ever. the main issue is cost. many analysts predicted one of the new models, the 5c will cost $490, the retail cost $735, about the same as iphone 5. the 5s features faster hardware

and a fingerprint reader. and it is even pricier, retailing $865. the talk of silicon valley, not often do audiences get to hear the chance to hear from marissa mayer directly. she took to the stage at the techcrunch conference to discuss personal strategies. >> named as the 14th most powerful businesswoman in america, she has been at the helm of yahoo for 14 months. the company's stock has doubled. >> we are seeing a lot of usage on home page, mail, search. my strategy has been to be focused on daily habits. >> and the issue of the logo.

michael poke fun at the much- publicized 30 day campaign to change the font. the old logo had been around for 18 years and the new one was more representative of today. >> i like the way the logo turned out. we pride ourselves as being the world's largest startup. we are a big and established company that needs to be entrepreneurial and our attitude is to be scrappy. >> what superpower would she like to have? >> empathy. to see a path of how we get there together. that was not going to happen if i cannot empathize and be part of what happened to them. >> it has been about organizing the web and making it a more personal place to visit. it also has one of the most sophisticated algorithms.

she spent 13 years working as an engineer at google. >> women in the u.s. workforce. we will find out why both industries seem to have glass ceilings to try to advance their careers.

>> in 2010, women marked a major milestone, outnumbering men in the u.s. workforce. the gap in pay gradually narrowed, but one of the few industries where women are losing ground is health care. we have more from los angeles. >> since the 1972 legislation to end gender discrimination in education, many doors have opened for american women in sports, education, and the workplace.

>> women account for half a u.s. workforce and the majority nearly 60% of all professional and technical occupations. of the gains made in the past four decades, there is a huge salary gap in one particular profession. medicine. according to a study by the university of southern california, overall wages have increased for everyone. but the gap between what female doctors and dentists has actually widened. >> it was $30,000, a little more than that. it rose to a little over 50,000. males are making $50,000 more than female physicians. >> get paid for the work you do regardless of race or gender. it is not fair. >> not fair, but not surprising since emergency medical intern.

>> the long-standing history of the profession has a lot of paternalism involved. there has been a trend that women have made less in this field, but there are other factors as well. >> the unknown factors are more men choosing higher paid areas like cardiology. and women choosing things like pediatrics. >> there are problems and something we need to address. >> legislation is being introduced that looks for further measures to close the pay gap. >> over the past few decades, women have also made strides on wall street. they have gone head-to-head with some of the biggest players in what was and still is a dominated industry by males. when it comes to promotions and

equal pay, women still face a glass ceiling. >> wall street has been a high testosterone environment where almost no executive street finance like a blood sport. but not all executives on the who's who list of the most powerful women in wall street. the partner and senior investor strategists at goldman sachs famously predicted the bull market. she is rightly recognized for reducing conflicts of interest. and meredith whitney saw the crisis coming and prevented the losses by the major banks. >> women are making greater impact on finance, there are still significantly fewer women at senior executive levels than there are men.

>> according to the women's advocacy group, one in 10 women were chief financial officers of fortune 500 firms. >> if you look at the numbers, and there are not numbers based on the talent base. they are getting full-time in the a's. and are they getting in the top jobs. >> the outlook is better. financial services say the discrepancy has more to do with life choices. >> it is actually pretty good. the problem comes at the vp and above level which coincides with

the time where a person decides to start a family. >> the pay gap is widening. earning $.93 for every dollar a man earned. they were nearly on par. >> there is an old boy network that still exists. >> corporate banks are making efforts to improve diversity in the workforce by requesting women candidates for positions. but with fewer women joining the ranks, that path is likely to remain steep. >> for more on why women have had difficulty breaking the glass ceiling in finance, we are joined by a former investment strategist currently the ceo of clear alternatives. thank you for joining us.

about a year ago, you started your own firm. what made you want to have an all-female firm? >> the most important thing for me is just to deliver to clients. i want to deliver good investment ideas and make sure to meet client needs. to do everything right and get all my ducks in a row. as i ventured to room i wall street career, i discovered it was not necessarily as easy as i thought by virtue of the fact that there were plenty of men in the room and a very few women there. ultimately, i heard countless overeducated women saying that they did all the right things. i went to the associates program and i have five years of training. for us, when we started clear alternatives, we said the thing we really want to do is create an environment where everybody

is purely judged on their ability to generate returns on clients and have nothing to do with gender. we just eliminated the gender card by saying we will be an all woman firm from this moment on. you get you evaluated. lee based on performance. >> there are sectors where we see women reaching the top like in the tech sector. the yahoo ceo, ibm, hp. in silicon valley, women can reach the top, but not wall street. >> we used to say it was because they did not have the same education levels and that is not true anymore. women have come very far but also have a great tendency to leave this field pretty quickly. that is surrounding the time going from middle management to

senior management. i don't think it has to do with family obligations, i think it has to do with the people that make their way up. if you think about the difference between technology and financial services, many of the places where women are running technology firms have a much shorter duration. companies are newer. for the finance companies, you have a bottleneck of men that have been groomed. >> so do you think the culture about new firms and a more progressive -- younger people are starting these companies. is that why? >> it has an awful lot to do with it, and there is also a perception issue that i think is quite fascinating to me. if i think about myself and a colleague that started their career at the same time as i did

, people might say, he is gray and he has a lot of experience. this is someone i can trust my money with. for women, the perception is different. we get older, and she is not necessarily wiser. >> there have been times where it is easier for women to get into finance, particularly bull markets. the first people to be laid off in a recession are women. >> it is interesting that you would think the women would be the last to go because the message from the top is that we need to cut expenses. and there is a compensation gap. we want to get rid of the most expensive assets of the firm. i think a lot of that has to do with the way that it comes back to tradition. it is easier to lay off the

perceived second income in the house rathe than the primary income. >> what about networking skills? they say women are not as good as networking. >> this is a very good question. i think women are just as good or perhaps even better at networking and finding mentors. men are much better off finding sponsors. there comes a point in every professional's life where you have to stop looking for mentors and start looking for sponsorship. it is one thing to open up your calendar and contact list, let me get you into these meetings. it is another entirely to say, i am going to share a budget with you. that is what women need to reach for.

>> a fascinating conversation but we are out of time. the ceo of clear alternatives who joined us tonight. >> diplomatic efforts in this area crisis are intensifying. world leaders are designing a plan to place serious chemical weapons under international control. we have three live reports tonight. we begin with stephen with the latest between the five permanent un security council members. >> delegates from russia, france, the united kingdom, and the united state all met behind closed doors this afternoon. we don't know quite what was said, but the meeting lasted dirty minutes. we do know that they have been bitterly divided on the next steps, a day after the french floated a draft resolution that

would have brought the chemical stockpile under international control. it came with caveats. that it would come under chapter seven, meaning it would be militarily enforceable. the russians have said they prefer a simpler declaration, something known as a presidential statement that doesn't necessarily have the legal binding force of a resolution but the secretary- general welcomed the new diplomatic effort. in particular, barack obama calls for more diplomacy. >> could the five come up with some sort of workable plan? >> this is happening in parallel tracks. they were preparing to meet together in geneva.

they will hash out how to get one of the largest chemical stockpiles under control in syria while a bitter sectarian conflict is ongoing. diplomats reportedly handed over the proposal today. ecial representative is also expected to be in geneva and ready to meet on this very important issue. >> also a new report out of highlighting the atrocities. can you give us more information on that? >> they issued a new report and accuse all sides of this conflict in engaging in murder, rape, and indiscriminate killings. they say it constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity. the panel did its very best to be impartial.

but it did say of the nine event , eight of those could be attributed to forces aligned with syria's government. >> as one of five permanent members of the un security council, china is reiterating the stance on the serious crisis. for more, let's cross to zoe joining us from beijing. what are you hearing there? >> at the invitation of the chinese association of foreign affairs, one branch of the opposition visited beijing while the chinese foreign ministry said that china has always been involved in mediation efforts with all parties to bring about a political solution and the invitation of the national coordination committee.

remember, this is not the first time the opposition has reached out to the chinese government. they have also been trying to maintain contact with those in the government and the opposition. remember that the envoy of president assad visited beijing. china still believes in diplomacy. >> we would like to emphasize china's position on the use of chemical weapons. we firmly oppose the use of chemical weapons by any country and always disapprove the use of force in international relations. it is against international law and the basic principle of international relations. >> china has been trying to --

elaine? >> barack obama addressed americans yesterday to inspire support for military action against the regime. it what is their reaction to the speech? >> china has been consistent being opposed to military strikes for any country to solve a political issue. and that the 12th anniversary of 9/11, after staging to long- lasting and costly wars in iraq and afghanistan, it could be never known if the u.s. policy makers get any wiser on anti- terror war or potential threats of serious chemical weapons falling into the hands of extremists. china opposes military action to solve a political issue and a military attack against syria might lead to more chaos in

syria and probably the middle east. when china and russia is agreed to put chemical weapons in international surveillance. meeting the united kingdom and the u.s. at the u.n., it will be tougher for china to accept that plan at the moment. >> thank you for that report. reaction to the white house speech has been coming in from around the world. the speech was met with a mixed and muted reaction. >> muted is exactly right. the speech was meant to prepare the public for military action but it held out the prospect for peace. it wasn't an end to the discussion, but signaling the beginning of diplomacy.

and we may be able to secure the weapons arsenal. >> the speech was washed from sports bars to social clubs. in washington, the reaction was swift but mixed. >> i will not vote to send my son or anyone's daughter unless a compelling american interest is present. i am not convinced that we have an interest. >> john mccain issued a statement saying that we regret, however, that he did not speak morecefullt increasing our assistance to moderate opposition forces and that he did not lay out a clearer plan for the russian and syrian proposal is to transfer chemical weapons to international custody. >> i believe russia's goal is to eliminate chemical weapons.

lacks the democrats barely hid their excitement that not having to make a difficult vote. and it saved president obama an embarrassing defeat in congress. >> there will be a slight pause to see if diplomacy works. they have put the world on notice that the u.s. is likely to take these targeted military actions. >> all eyes are on john kerry and his russian counterpart. >> frustration in washington, but the plan is still not clear. how long will he give diplomacy to work? will he insist on a resolution? what will constitute a solution that will take the military option off of the table for good? >> what about the talks you

mentioned? will they talk about washington red lines or the world's redlines? >> in the advent of the use of chemical weapons, i think moscow and washington scrambled to put these talks together. the fact they are happeningin geneva is key. an area where they first met to talk about bringing the syrian parties together over a year ago. this is where they hoped to have a peace conference after the war really stacked up. the idea of meeting in geneva is common ground and it can't be underestimated. if they work out not just common ground on how to inspect weapons , but also to talk about a way forward bringing parties together, it can show a complete

seachange. the only two countries that can do it are the americans and the russians. >> a big day on thursday. the european union has called the chemical weapons attack a crime against humanity and says it was probably carried out by the government. the foreign-policy chief called for a strong response urging member states to back a deal that could lead to the containment, inspection, and ultimate destruction of the chemical weapons stock while. the foreign minister said any punitive attacks should not be carried out until after the delivery of the inspectors report. >> they welcome the international community. >> saudi arabia >, they have ben

striving to reach a political solution. >> the united states must take responsibilities. >> they said not to leave those unpunished. >> it is necessary for those that committed other crimes against the syrian people. we must charge them with war crimes. >> syrians need a paved road for

democratic transition. russia turned the table at the arab league, those that supported a western attack on syria now join countries like egypt, iraq, and algeria. the only three arab countries against a strike. >> with so much attention focused on diplomacy, and the possible u.s. strike tom a little is being reported on the opposition. joining me to talk about the civil war is the retired u.s. army major and a fellow at the national security project. the headlines we are hearing the last few days involve what to do with these chemical weapons. but what about the syrian opposition? what are they doing as all of this is going on? >> the free syrian army are the biggest losers.

it is almost like president obama traded them off. it will be fairly impossible for americans to be funding, giving them arms and weapons. while they attempt to account for political weapons, a big setback for the free syrian army. senator mccain talked about that this morning and there'll be confusion as to what the future holds. >> could this mean that members of the opposition refused to deal with the international community at some point? do they feel abandoned? >> it could cause a problem for inspectors or blue helmet soldiers that decide to come to syria and are part of the process of getting rid of chemical weapons. a group was poised to strike when the americans were about to strike. they were going to tip the

balance in favor back to what they saw. if they are going to go to the table with the government that god demands, i don't see why they would have to pay attention to the demands if they comply. >> do they think russia's proposal is just a stall tactic? this could take a really long time. >> they have to continue to press the fight. he was not gaining momentum and possibly losing the upper hand on the ground. the russians created this diplomatic position with the americans as well. they are now going to have a hard time funding, sending equipment, things they really need to fight the tactical battle.

they are going to be very isolated likely. the best scenario for them is that it does not work out with the syrians and the russians. >> thank you for joining us from new york city. despite the uncertainty of what is next, hundreds of syrians flood the streets to celebrate their president's birthday. joining a convoy of cars in the district to honor him. and nearly one million people linked together, protesters forming a 400 kilometer human chain.

>> 35 people are dead and dozens injured after a cord needed car and suicide bomb attack on a shia mosque in baghdad. it exploded as worshipers were leaving the mosque and as witnesses rushed to help those victims, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the crowd. six soldiers have been killed in a double suicide bombing in the sinai peninsula. the bomber struck the headquarters. 17 people were injured, seven civilians. >> egypt's military has launched a major offensive. at least 15 militants have been killed in the last three days, but still capable of striking back. >> the latest attacks were

suicidal. it proves they are in desperation, a sign of defeat when you know that soon, you will either be killed or caught. >> the crackdown follows the ousting of the islamic president. critics accused him of being too lax on militants. the military is trying to drive out 3000 fighters and also seeding the border with libya. >> the largest operation since the 1973 befor war. >> sinai is part of egypt.

the inside towns are between civilians to make it hard for soldiers. and the sporadic attacks on checkpoints. >> experts say the operations will take some time to achieve its targets. >> the group responsible for the assassination attempt of the minister of the interior has also claimed responsibility for wednesday's bombings. the army said these attacks will not deter it from continuing this crackdown until total security is retained. >> suspected islamic insurgents have killed five plainclothes police officers in thailand. they followed the officers and attacked their vehicle. the bodies of four of them were found next to the vehicle and another was found inside.

the officers belongs to a regional police squad that cracks down on oil smuggling. the standoff between the government continues with no end in sight. negotiations have failed and the insurgents are demanding international mediators. barnaby has the story from the city. >> a city on lockdown. >> sporadic gunshots increasingly becoming more frequent. these streets, deserted. government forces locked in tense standoffs for the muslim separatist group are slowly finding their way into villages that have been held hostage. but not without having to fend off snipers. >> this is the village of santa barbara where some of the heaviest fire fights have been

going on between forces of the government. it is believed this is where he is in hiding and holding 20 civilians hostage. >> people are pouring out by the hundreds. >> afraid to let us leave because we might get caught in the crossfire. we told them we felt in more danger here. >> we could hear the gunshots getting closer and closer. >> thousands of families have been displaced by the standoff. the government says negotiations are ongoing but the priority is to prevent the violence from spilling over to other areas. >> we will try to secure the safety of every civilian held hostage. that is my priority as the local chief executive. the military will have its own truck to ensure that the tactical operations are seen.

i wish the deadlines would be over now. >> it appears that it is far from over. and more violence, a group of armed men in gauge in a chase. both signs that there is no end in sight. >> almost one million people in northeastern spain joining hands to form a human chain across the region as part of a campaign for independence. demonstrators want to press the spanish government to let them vote on breaking away and forming their own country. many claim the region which has its own language and is wealthier than many parts of spain subsidizes the government in madrid. the chain stretched 400 kilometers from spain's border along motorways and towns, eventually reaching the city of barcelona.

another look at the top business stories up next and a live report from hong kong. remembering the victims of 9/11 on the 12th anniversary of the terror attacks.

>> on the 12th anniversary of the terror attacks on the u.s., a new time lapse video shows the construction of one world trade center in new york city from 2004 -- 2013. -- from 2004-2013. >> amazing to watch. asian markets close with mixed results on wednesday after trenton -- 10 straight days of gains. a series of central-bank meetings across the region. >> even with confidence in

china's economy on the upswing again and the fear of the u.s. attack on syria fading, investors in these doff the gas pedal a bit. the nikkei index started flat but is dipping into the negative territory. the cost be index is slightly higher and china's shares are on a lower footing. even with many investors still jittery over the prospect that the fed will start scaling back its massive stimulus program as early as next week. several central banks are holding ratesetting meetings today including south korea, the philippines, and new zealand. investors are watching indonesia very closely. the largest economy needs capital to support a surging account deficit. with the currency plummeting this year, the country already raised rates and economists

expect the central bank to keep banks on hold this time, but several say indonesia may need to raise rates again to stave off a currency crisis. disappointment over the price point for the new iphone 5c hit suppliers. rumor had it the c was supposed to stand for "cheap" or "china." the cheaper 5c isn't cheap enough to capture market share in china, losing to samsung and the mastic brands. the microphone supplier fell four percent on wednesday and is down nearly three percent in early trade. they supply speakers for apple, 10% wednesday. the maximum loss permitted in china for a single trading session. it is regaining a bit of traction up 1.25%.

>> thanks so much. who is your stockbroker? believe it or not, he joined with prince harry to be a stockbroker for a day. they did it in memory of the staff members of the investment bank killed in the attacks. they joked with each other making million-dollar deals. they lost 600 and 58 or their employees. the profits are donated to good causes including the skill force charity and the well-child organization. we hope you will join us tomorrow night.