ss the leader of the pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine agrees to allow trapped ukranian troops to leave. hello, you're with al jazeera, we are live from doha, i'm martine dennis. also to come - a grim milestone, a number of syrian refugees fleeing the civil war reaches 3 million. 43 u.n. peacekeepers are taken hostage by syrian rebels in the golan heights. why being a tax collector is

one of the most dangerous jobs in somalia. first, the leader of pro-russipr pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine has agreed to open up corridors to allow some troops to leave the zone. this was made after vladimir putin asked the rebels to allow troops safe passage and give urgent medical aid to the wounded. up to 7,000 soldiers have been surrounded in nearly a dozen separate locations south-east of donetsk. >> there was a call from the russian president to provide the encircled units of the army with the corridors. with all respect to vladimir putin, the president of the country that gives us moral help, we are ready to give them

corridors, if we don't take weapons and ammunition, so they in the future could not be used against us. >> n.a.t.o. is due to hold an emergency meeting to talk about the crisis in ukraine. the alliance released satellite images that appear to show russian troops operating inside the country. pro-russian separatists are in control of large parts of eastern ukraine, including areas in the luhansk and donetsk region. rebels have taken the coastal town of novasosk. there are fears pro-russian separatists are trying to create a land corridor between russia and crimea. ukraine says these are the areas from where the separatists are getting help from russia. paul brennan reports from mariupol. >> reporter: evidence is mounting. invasion is used at the highest

levels. in brussels n.a.t.o. officials raised satellite images. the russian military column was shown on the move. the ukranian president petro porashenko cancelled a working visit to turkey, so as to deal with the chris circumstances and the ukranian prime minister urged the o.s.c.e. and the european union to act with the highest urgency. >> we can confirm that russian military are on ukranian ground. ukranian forces are capable to tackle and cope with the russian led forces. this is quite difficult for us to fight with russia. and it's army. for the first time, the involvement of russian regular forces has been effectively confirmed by the separatist leader in donetsk. >> among volunteers from russia,

there has been many retired military servicemen. they fight alongside us understands that this is their duty. moreover, i will be frank are you. there are currently serving soldiers among this, who prefer to spend the vacations among us. >> waiting to meet the soldiers outside the southern city of maria poll are ukranian reinforcements. they are reinforcing around mary app ol, attempting to stem the advance of russian forces. at this checkpoint there are four soldiers, and they complain that they are hopelessly outgunned by the opposition they face. >> now we get orders not to give up our positions. what does that mean? against tanks, i don't understand. >> this is a conflict with victims on both sides, and footage emerging from donetsk

shows how ukranian army efforts to dislodge the separatists with shelling are taking a heavy toll on the civilian operation. russia's intentions in the south-east corner is unclear. the use of the word invasion, and the pressure now for a response from ukraine's western allies means a declaration possibly of war becomes very real indeed. president obama said it was clear that russia is now operating inside ukraine. >> russia is responsible for the violence in eastern ukraine. the violence is encouraged by russia, the separate its are trained by russia, they are armed by russia, they are funded by russia. russia has deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty of ukraine, and the military forces inside ukraine make it plain for the world to

see. the u.n. security council has been distressing the growing crisis in ukraine, and the u.s. ambassador to the u.n., samantha power says that moscow lied about its role in the country. >> the russians and ukrainians traded barbs over who is responsible for escalating violence and putting civilians in harm's way. every member of the security council expressed alarm, and all members, with the exception of china expressed concern over russia's involvement. the united states laid out what it said was evidence that russians are not only equipmenting and arming the separatists, but fighting alongside them, while the russians are defiant. >> translation: everyone knows there are russian volunteers in eastern ukraine. no one is hiding that. we'd like to see similar transparency shown by other countries, for example, maybe

the american colleagues can tell us about what the tense of american advisors in the ukranian security council building are doing. >> the mask is coming off. in these acts, recent acts, we see russia's actions for what they are, an effort to support and fight alongside illegal separatists in another sovereign country. >> the united states and others called on the international community to take action to stop russian intervention, but with russia, a veto-wielding member, no one laid out what the action could be. now, the syrian civil war has forced 3 million people to flee the country, and the u.n. says it is the biggest humanitarian emergency of our time, that not enough is being done to help. when the fighting began, few could have predicted how the crisis unfolded, or few predicting how it could rise.

>> the unhcr said the number of syrians that left the country crossed the 500,000 mark. that figure doubled in just three months, when the 1 mill n 1 millionth syrian was registered as a refugee. it took 6 months for the number to swell to 2 million, and a year after, 3 million syrians crossed the border in search of safety. the bulk went to lebanon and turkey, the rest settling in jordan, iraq and egypt. the overall impact of the exodus is being felt across the middle east, especially in the neighbouring countries. rula has been to akar in northern lebanon, and sent this report. >> they endured the loss of their homes, settling in tents. they endured the snow and the cold. endured the heat and the lack of water and electricity. lost their jobs. lived on food rations and

survived on people's charity. almost all refugee parents will tell you, their children not going to school is a devastating aspect of the refugee life. >> it's a crime. it's a crime that the children are not going to school and learning. there's not much i can do. >> this man came from aleppo, his 14 children have not been to a proper school in two years. including 7-year-old tim and 12-year-old. less than 14% of syrian refugee children are enrolled in school. u.n.i.c.e.f. says 17% of refugee children are not receiving formal education. drop out rates is on the rise as the numbers increase and funds to help them decrease. >> some of the refugee children are likely to be enrolled in public schools in lebanon. they have to struggle to catch up with a curriculum they are

not familiar with. some n.g.o.s offer basic alternative schooling. some of the refugee children have not been to school in three years, and it's unlikely they'll be able to enrol this year. >> my children's future is destroyed. we used to dream that our children would become doctors or engineers. now our ambitious is to find a place to sleep in, and stay alive until the next day. >> a whole generation of syrians is under threat, and so is the future of syria. >> with not more now, here is sonya who is with the charity save the children. >> i think children are getting lost now in this crisis. as you said, there's 3 million refugees, a third of those in lebanon. in lebanon half a million children are school-going age,

20% of that are managing to go to school. in the crisis in general, it's important to remember that 600,000 children of the refugees alone are under the age of four. all they have known is war and terror. i think as many of us know, becoming a refugee is an act of absolute desperation. we see families, children coming across. they have been displaced a number of times, witnessed horror, the last act to leave syria, we see children psychologically disturbed, damaged. nightmares, bed-wetting, terror. >> in some of our children's centers, we see the work we do with the save the children. slowly the parents are reporting that the fears are less, the psychological impact is less. we need to do more. it's nowhere near enough. lebanon has per cap ita the most refugees in the world today. it's unprecedented. turkey has taken in huge amounts.

for lebanon the economic impact is massive, coming up to a third of the population - it's made up of refugees, that's the equivalent of 80 million refugees going into the u.s. they need water, health, sanitation, education, it's enormous. >> now, on the al jazeera website, aljazeera.com, there you can see a cask representation of the -- graphic representation of the crisis. you can see how many are leaving the country by the hour, aljazeera.com. now, syrian rebel fighters have taken 43 u.n. peacekeepers hostage in the golan heights. the fijian troops were captured they are crossing. more than 80 other peacekeepers have been trapped and most of the golan heights were seized by

israel as erica wood reports. >> reporter: smoke from the battle between the syrian army and rebels, there has been days of intense fighting in the region, on wednesday, government fighters took control of a crossing, in the occupied golan heights. a day later dozens of u.n. peacekeepers stationed in the area were taken hostage. >> there are 43 fijian troops detained in the vicinity of abbing winna tria. our understanding is they are in the southern part of the area of separation. >> since then more than 80 filipino troops have had their positions threatened. >> the syrian anti-government are elements. in turn, they demanded they surrender firearms. we will not heed to their demands. >> it's the third time

peacekeepers have been taken hostage. later they have been freed. the proximity of the latest fighting is bound to make israel nervous. one of its soldiers petroling inside the golan heights was wounded on wednesday, after stray fire from the battle crossed over. there are other front lines in firia. this bat -- syria. this battalion shows forces marching and cheering for their can'to, the islamic state -- can'tors. the islamic state said dozens were executed. 120 killed in the past 24 hours. the soldiers were captured after the islamic state group took over a government airbase. more than 500 were killed. the islamic state has been gaining more and more territory. taking it from government forces or other groups. it's the battle and their quiet border areas which will be making neighbouring countries

worried. >> now, the wife of one of the al jazeera journalists gaoled in egypt has given birth to a baby boy. this is mohammed badr's third child. he visited his wife and the newborn in hospital, and mohammed badr wrote a letter to his newborn son in which he said that: well, mohammed badr, and mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste have been in prison for 244 days. they are wrongly accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. in june, mohamed fadel fahmy and peter greste from given 7-year

sentences. is mohammed badr got an extra three years because he had a spent bullet on him, picked up at a protest. lawyers have filed appeals against the convictions. the al jazeera network continues to demand their relief. more to come - including half a million indians don't have a bank account. many are signing up in a new campaign to help beat poverty. the killing of a gun instructor by a 9-year-old girl was an industrial accident.

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hello again. i'm martine dennis, these are the top stories at al jazeera - pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine agreed to open corridors to allow trapped ukranian troops to leave the battle zone. the decision was made after the russian president vladimir putin arrived the rebels to allow the soldiers out. the u.n. says a number of refugees escaping syria's war has reached 3 million. neighbouring counties in the middle east is feeling the impact, especially lebanon, where more than a million sought refuge. syrian rebels have taken 43 u.n. peacekeepers hostage in the golan heights. troops were captured near the rebel held crossing. 80 others have been trapped.

the indian economy has been racing ahead since the election of the prime minister narendra modi. now the government is launching a campaign to help millions of poor people open bank accounts. >> reporter: this person has just opened her first bank account. for years the local savings group has looked after the little she can afford to put away. soon she'll be able to handle her savings by herself. >> translation: i have decided to open a bank account here today. the bank is giving me a zero balance facility, and $700 worth of accident insurance. i can earn interests on my government. >> reporter: the government says helping people save will help them beat poverty. it wants 75 million families to register through bank accounts. >> we have to get rid of

financial untouched ability, and connect every citizen. the megabanking initiative, through this process, has been launched. india has one of the world's highest rates of household savings. little of this is banked. opening a bank account can be difficult for everyone, not least the poor. these people have had fewer opportunities to participate in the banking system, because of issues like a lack of formal identification. that does not seem to be a problem any more. >> translation: i'm here to help people open bank accounts as part of the new campaign. we came with 150 forms. i called the bank and asked them to send more. the response is overwhelming. >> social workers who are helping the process say opening the bank account is an easy part.

all these people know that the government is giving something away for free, and they should come and get it. what they need is reputation, people need to be aware of how a bank account will help them. >> reporter: meet india's newest customers - soon to be part of one of the biggest banking systems. by opening a bank account now, they are hoping to cash in later. we have news just in, regarding malaysia airways which had a disastrous year. as many as 6,000 staff jobs are due to be cut as a result of the disastrous year. trading has been suspended in the airlines shares, and a restructuring path is currently being worked on. the carrier has reported losses of $100 million in three months, bookings have slumped after the death of 537 passengers and

crew, and the loss of two airliners. up to 6,000 staff to go from malaysia airlines. >> now, police in the u.s. have not filed criminal charges after a 9-year-old girl accidentally shot dead a gun instructor in arizona, saying it was an industrial accident. the case is being vetted by occupational -- investigated by authorities. >> reporter: children firing guns that are no toys. the sponsors says to teach gun safety at an early age. it's a way to promote the long-american-tradition of gun ownership to a new generation. in most parts of the u.s., it's legal for children to handle guns, designed for children, so long as they are accompanied by an adult. the practice was followed when a

9-year-old girlfriend killed a range instructor, who was teaching her to fire an use in full automatic mode. >> these submachine guns are for military purposes, children shouldn't shoot them. >> reporter: it was a the a range called bullets and burgers. >> it's common here, because it is a sport. it's just like doing any other sport together with a group of friends. >> reporter: the u.s. is not unique in allowing gun access to the young. in switzerland, the range welcomes shooters as young as 11. the u.s. offers opportunities for foreign tourists, who make the ranges a holiday destination. >> there should be a limit. it's a recreation. >> reporter: it could be deadly

on officers, who get hands on an unsecured gun off the firing range. american children under 15 are nine times more likely to die in a firearm accident than those in the rest of the developed world. one of the world pharmaceutical giants is to fast-track trials of a drug that could protect against ebola. the decision by glaxosmithkline comes as the who warns that the spread of the virus could ineffect as many as 20,000 people. more than half have died. tim friend reports. >> reporter: it is a virus that mainly affects the poor and malnourished. now the world health organisation revealed the true extent of underreporting of cases. in some urban areas the system of recording victims has not

kept up. there are currently more than 3,000 cases in liberia, sierra leone, guinea and nigeria. at least 40% of them have been in the last three weeks. and the final figure could be 20,000. >> these are big numbers and, again, we have talked about the numbers in the past ebola outbreaks. the total number globally, in previous outbreaks, we have outstripped. 20,000 is a scale that has, i think, not ever been anticipated in terms of an ebola outbreak. world health organisation plan is to stop ebola transmission within 6-9 months and prevent it spreading internationally. it will cost $489 million over the next nine months, and will involve 750 international workers and 12,000 national workers. >> i think that it is achievable. given the injection of resources

and funny and obviously coordination. now, that is where the difficulty will come in, because a come of health care workers are afraid of taking on the jobs, and the report discusses the way that is people should be re-rated -- remunerated for the dangers, but they are poor countries and don't necessarily have the resources. >> reporter: as the outbreak accelerates, safety trials on an ebola vaccine are being fast-tracked. it could be given to healthy volunteers in the united states as early as next week. the move was announced on thursday, by pharmaceuticals giant glaxosmithkline. to find a cure will take time. something that many in west africa don't have. >> now, for the first time in decades market traders in somalia are being forced to pay taxes.

it's not at all popular. this report from mogadishu. >> reporter: this is a tax man. perhaps one of the most dangerous jobs in the somali capital mogadishu. clutching a bag with his collections, he asks one shopkeeper after another to pay up. they pay a tax. $0.25. an armed policeman helps him go about his business. >> translation: most people are willing to pay up. some reject it. i wish i was doing my job under different circumstances. the need for an armed escort fritens me every -- frightens me every day. dozens have been killed in the last two years. >> this woman is mourning the death of her husband, killed while collecting taxes a few weeks ago. >> translation: we still don't know who killed him. we received a call from the

mayor's office and asked to collect his body. he was the only breadwinner. >> reporter: her family was paid $250 by the city administration as compensation. this is a new concept to most in somalia. there's been municipal authorities, as the current administration tries to assert its influences, its efforts to meet taxes is meeting resistance. >> reporter: this market was shot for three days in protest over what was called government taxes. >> translation: we are not against paying taxes. we disagree with paying tax on goods 20 minutes after they leave the port where we pay duty on them. >> reporter: the idea of paying taxes for social services may seem outlandish where a few see functioning hospitals or

schools. officials say if the somalia government is to win itself of or rid itself of foreign aid, businessmen have to play their part. for now, that remains an uphill task. russian incur jens, probes aid convoys whatever they are, they are now morphed into something else, what more and more in ukraine, and western capitals seem comfortable with calling an invasion. it is inside story.