>> live from the city is in berlin, this is the journal. i matter herman. >> i'm brian thomas. our headlines at this hour. the referendum on scottish independence sees record voter turnout as britain awaits vote on the future. >> ukraine's fight is america's fight, too. that is what the ukrainian president tells the u.s. congress. scotland is poised on the brink of history with the hours ahead

determining whether it will become the world's newest nation or become part of the united kingdom. >> a turnout is expected to be very high. home and abroad. >> to the tough streets of glascow, people are almost equally divided over scotland's future according to the latest opinion polls. >> the last chance to make themselves heard. >> a lot of enthusias for the campaign. but obviously can't translate hat to votes. >> the emotional debate.

>> of think the people of scotland should run scotland. >> i think it will make things worse. >> he is hoping he and the scottish national party have done enough. >> in the hands of the people of scotland. >> if scotland decides to break away, there will be no return. the final results are expected early friday. >> polling stations to close and

just a few hours, what is the feeling among scots? >> speaking to some, i have the feeling that they are quite relieved that the campaign phase being over because it has been a lot of hard work. there is no room for complacency, both sides are neck and neck. exciting days and exciting night for scotland. >> the campaigns in the run-up? >> definitely the yes campaign was very positive and very energetic. they managed to mobilize a lot of people from the grassroots. people that have never been active in our life before. he may be a bit complacent.

they were quite negative, you won't really make it. you're not strong enough. they were not emotional. it came in the last days with a very emotional day for a long time. they probably did not take this threat seriously enough. >> a vote for independence, people will be waking up to a very different country. it would be a big shock, wouldn't it. >> it will be the start of really intense negotiations.

there's a lot of uncertainty so far, so it would be the start of a very long process. >> the polling continues for the next few hours in edinburgh. >> what happens when all the votes are counted? has been a promise that scotland will get more independence. >> there are questions about decoupling from london and finances. >> scotland might have plenty of oil but also has a costly social welfare system. in the next report, we look at economic challenges and independent scotland will be facing. >> the last three referendum polls pointed to an even split with half of the scottish voters intending to vote yes for independence. with the outcome too close to call, one survey question has provoked particularly heated

debate on if scotland could survive on its own. they say gas and oil revenues will ensure a secure economic future. britain is the eu's biggest oil producer. 8% benefit scotland. most of the british oil from the north seabed comes from wells off scotland's coast. there is little industry in scotland but it does produce a major export goods. it scotch whiskey and scottish salmon. but it's not enough to support a national economy. another hotly debated problem is that scots would no longer receive subsidies from britain. it benefits most from revenue provided by the u.k..

scotland already enjoys a degree of autonomy. it has its own parliament. yes supporters say it is not enough. they want complete self-determination. and they want their own foreign and defense policy. the scottish government says even if voters decide for independence, the british pound will remain the national currency. the bank of england governor has spoken out against a currency union. he calls it, incompatible with sovereignty. a major british political parties agree with him. it is unclear if an independent scotland would be a member of the ee you. that depends on how the currency issue is resolved. it had to apply for eu entry, scotland would most likely have to adopt the euro. i'm unpopular outcome.

the queen of england has been reticent on scottish independence and undoubtedly doesn't want to see the union torn apart during her reign. she would most likely remain monarch of scotland as she is for most commonwealth realms. >> the u.k. would face a host of uncertainties. let's get the perspective from london. you've heard a little bit about what scots have been saying. what are londoners telling you about the vote? >> i went to a popular tourist destination and i talked to vendors of shops and i could not find a single vendor who, as they put it -- whether they are concerned that they will, in the future, be able to sell products full of union jack's and that is the least problem.

in case the scotland would become independent in the union jack would change, it would wait for a new product which would come in around a background. >> if the flag is the least of their worries, what are some of the bigger concerns of scotland does leave? >> given the far-reaching consequences, is quite surprising that so many things are still unclear. take the pound, take insurance. take the debt of the u.k.. how will this be split up? take the position of atomic submarines. case of a yes vote. one thing, however, is certain. this could be the last night of the u.k. as we know it.

a struggle for money and power. >> keeping an ion things in london. >> from all angles, you can find the very latest updates. >> president francois hollande made the announcement at a news conference in paris. france will not be committing any ground troops. german weapons are about to leave this country for a rack.

>> chancellor angela merkel said the decision was not taken lightly. they will be training soldiers for some of that weaponry. >> the german army says these weapons are either new or hardly used. even though it replaced some of them such as the g3 assault rifle with more modern weapons years ago. 16,000 rifles, 8000 pistols, and hundreds of rocket launchers are ready to be sent to a rack. hundreds of vehicles will also be on their way to the kurdish fighters. >> we have been doing this job and a certain amount of time pressure. germany said we should supply the peshmerga and ordered a rack -- in northern iraq.

the material we are putting together, and rightly so. >> two kilometers away. >> here on the front and fire. >> the kurds will receive 600 tons of weapons worth 70 million euros. >> after that, iraq will have full responsibility for the equipment and material.

>> they will be handed over. >> this is what we have become accustomed to. on the sunny streets of australia, that is according to the prime minister tony abbott. >> it involves all of it hundred police and security forces. the supporters were plotting to kidnap random members of the public and had them. -- and behead them. >> we have disrupted that particular attack.

>> it is described as the biggest anti-terror manhunt. it is believed to be australian. >> coming from an australian, networks of support. so this is not just suspicion. this is intent. that is why police and security agencies decided to act in the way they have. >> they believe 60 is chilean nationals are currently fighting the islamic state in the middle east. >> ukraine wants american weapons.

>> don't go away.

>> welcome back. the ukrainian president has urged the u.s. to provide military assistance. >> ill-equipped young ukrainians were fighting a war for the free world against russia. >> barack obama has condemned russia's actions. they sit military support would only include nonlethal+ equipment. >> everybody should understand that. it is europe's. it is the war for the free world. >> 20 of soaring rhetoric from the ukrainian president. let's bring in richard walker.

tell us more about what he had to say. >> and an emotional punch in that speech. they are talking about the young boys and the only thing standing between the west and the return to the barbarity of the 20th century. pretty strong stuff there. >> they change the ill equipping of his army and comes with a very long wish list and doesn't

seem like he will be getting the weapons that he wants. >> he made a very explicit call for legal aid. weapons going beyond what the united states is prepared to provide. he said, night goggles and blankets are great but you don't win a war with blankets. the white house put out a fact sheet and said it was boosting military aid by $50 million. there in the list of items, the night vision equipment and no blankets but tents. the white house is insisting that the equipment there --

>> a lot of talks continuing today. richard walker, thank you very much for that. the separatists appears largely -- one of the hardest hit cities in this country. >> as a reporter reports for us, people are returning to areas that a short time ago were at the center of the fire. the sound of not-too-distant shelling. it's not what they expected. >> when the cease-fire was announced, we returned. we came back a week ago.

all this week there has been bombing and shelling. the children are hiding in basements and shelters. they don't go to school. >> even with the cease-fire, we can't open the school. parents are afraid to take the children to school. it is no substitute for proper

education. >> they all really miss it. >> and then got a house hasn't been destroyed yet but i don't know if going to happen in the next five minutes. we are constant shelling and the children are traumatized. they are afraid of every sound. >> the shelling is indiscriminate and often hits residential areas. and this is the stark reality of why people don't feel safe. six civilians were killed here when a mortar hit this market.

>> the family tried to manage as best they can. >> pensions and salaries aren't being paid. i have dealt the fighting doesn't come any closer to their home. it may be some time before life gets back to normal. >> the effort to contain the worst ebola outbreak in history continues. the u.n. holding an emergency meeting to address the crisis right now. >> secretary-general ban ki-moon issued combating the virus to hit the worst affected areas. >> the government is going to extreme measures. >> residents of freetown's stocking up on supplies hours before lockdown. all 6 million people fallen

tears from house to house. >> a very clear message about ebola and be able to tell people what they should do. >> hospitals and aid organizations are overwhelmed. the government hopes the lockdown will help discover the second hiding and slow the spread of ebola. that is a hugely difficult task. the virus is by rolling. 700 cases were reported in the last week alone. half of those infected have died. liberia and sierra leone are the worst affected and their outbreaks in nigeria.

corpses are constant. president barack obama has said he will send 3000 u.s. troops to west africa to set up 17 treatment centers. a number of other countries are also providing aid. what is really needed here is doctors and fast action. the fear is it may already be too late. >> the u.n. development program country director for liberia. it is a very poor country but the economy has seen some strong growth. his ebola going to put a stop to that? >> they are making tremendous progress.

they are trying to put a dent in that. [indiscernible] it is 50% from 5.9 initial projections down to 2.5%. >> and what does the slowdown look like on the ground in the country's all-important agriculture air? -- agriculture sector? >> it means that farmers cannot get to their farms. it means -- [indiscernible] some farmers are eating deep into their savings. and it does mean that there will be desperate food situations. there is increasing

vulnerability. >> joining us from liberia. to some business news, german pharmaceutical giant selling off plastics unit with an estimated value of 8 billion euros. the supervisory board says it aims to position itself as a global leader in life sciences and animal health. >> heavily influenced by global economic fluctuations and tends to suffer during times of stagnation. sales were down 2% last year in 2013. the pharmaceutical industry as a whole is booming right now. several takeover bids are in the works. >> wets take a quick look at the markets and how they did today. the dax in frankfurt was up by

about 1.5%. euro stoxx at a good day, too. in new york city, the dow jones industrial average is up by .6%. and the euro also going up against the dollar. >> voting underway, we will be following that.

what do high altitude market mean for portfolio selection? asset allocation david darst and jay caplan discuss the roots they are taking to stay at peak performance in pricey markets. they are next on "consuelo mack wealthtrack." the art life along with mainstay family of mutual funds offer investment and retirement solutions so you can help your clients keep good going. additional