>> clz e.u. leaders are considering further sanction against russia, accused of invading ukraine. hello, you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also on the programme - egypt's ties to religious leaders decide whether to uphold a death sentence against the leader of the muslim brotherhood. a perilous voyage across the mediterranean could these snapshots of

history be confined to the history book. we look at the changing face of india's post at service. the european union is considering more sanctions against russia after accusing moscow of invading eastern ukraine. leaders who will meet in brussels are expected to discuss ukranian requests for military assistance. pro-russian separatists are in charge. large parts of eastern ukraine. they have recently taken the coastal town. al jazeera's bren -- paul brennan is live from mariupol. many live it will be the next front. >> tell us about the situation from the ground and the military manoeuvres from both sides. >> the military manoeuvring has been intensifying in the last

couple of days. here in mariupol, there's a state of nervous tension, frankly. the reinforcements arrived that the ukranian army promised to bolster defenses to the east of the city, in between the main body, and the town that has been captured and occupied by pro-russian forces. we saw volunteer residents digging with the ukranian army, new trenches on the city limits to try to improve the defenses there. we have not seen with our own eyes russian troops or hardware, but reliable sources that we trust have seen significant numbers of military vehicles moving out of the area, heading north, not towards us in mariupol, but north. one n must presume to engage in combat with the ukranian army somewhere in the border area. as fun as the combat goes, the

latest from the military is that they have announced in the last hour that a ukranian jet has been shot down, and in a statement what the ukranian military said, by a russian anti-aircraft system, it was described as. they didn't give a location. they said it happened op friday morning, it's taken 24 hours for the news to come out. that statement has dropped in the last hour. you could see the ukranian army were sweeping the separatists before them. >> thank you, paul. reporting from mariupol in eastern ukraine. >> let's turn to al jazeera's intoed each barb are -- nadine barber. this is the last of the foreign meeting in milan. is there an indication of how the leaders meeting in brussels

later will respond - how strong is the feeling over russia's actions? >> okay, we are having a bit of a sound difficulty, a technical difficulty with nadine barber in mill yn, hopefully we'll establish the connection. nadine barber, can you hear me. >> yes, i can. >> i was asking you about the feelings there over russia's perceived actions in eastern ukraine. >> that's right. well, the foreign ministers on friday told us that they were concerned with what is happening in eastern ukraine. places where paul was reporting from. some said it was a russian invasion. when we pushed on what sanctions they'd like to see, there was no detail. they were expected to come up with proposals to hand over to the e.u. meeting.

the e.u. foreign policy chief will be flying there from milan, and at the moment they are limiting themselves to symbols like that. the leaders could ask the european commission to draft the proposals, but it's far from the tough actions that the government wants. >> nadine barber reporting live. in afghanistan - six die after an attack on intelligence headquarters in the eastern city of jalalabad. a suicide car bombing was followed by a sustained gun attack. the taliban claimed responsibility. >> al jazeera has learnt a group of gangs in el salvador re-established a truce. homicides dropped by half after ns 13 and 18 street gang made a pact in 2012. violence broke out in january,

when the rates crept up to nine murders a day. >> a fugitive columbian militia leader linked to 500 murders has been captured in panama, after posing as the owner of a construction company. he led 1500 militia men who killed thousands during the 1990s. >> now, to egypt, and a final decision on the death sentence handed town to the spiritual leader of the muslim brotherhood is expected today. mohammed backdeer was sentenced in june. the grand mooustie had overturned the death sentence. in a surprise move he was asked by the court to review his ruling. >> reporter: for months the spiritual leader of the muslim brotherhood has been living on death roll. sentenced to death in june, his

fate and that of 13 other muslim brotherhood supporters has largely been resting on the view of one man, egypt's highest official, the grand mufti, whose opinion must be sought before any execution can take place. earlier this month he rejected the death sentence, but it was a highly unusual move. an egyptian court asked him to reconsider. >> translation: it is strange to return it again to the grand mufti. it is unprecedented for the egyptian judiciary. >> in june they were convicted of murder of a police station and an attack on a police station last year. defense lawyers dismissed the charges as fabricated and politically motivated. that day police had killed hundreds of muslim brotherhood supporters in cairo. human rights watch believed over weeks as many as 1,000 may have

decide in the crackdown over anti-government protests, following the overthrow of mohamed mursi. overall, more than 1,000 muslim brotherhood supporters are on death row. in a separate case the grand mooustie confirmed death sentences hand down to others. they have the right to appeal. no executions have been carried out. most are awaiting the grand mufti's opinion. while his decisions are not legally binding, it is customary for the court to adopt them. asking him to reconsider his opinion, may be unprecedented for the grand mooustie. >> three al jazeera journalists

have spent 245 days in prison. peter greste and mohamed fadel fahmy were given 7-year sentences. badr received an extra three because he had a spent bullet in his possession picked up at a protest. lawyers have filed abeels. the al jazeera network calls for their release. 44 peacekeepers held hostage by syrian rebels have had their release called for. dozens of others are trapped. most of the golan heights was seized by israel in 1967. jackie rowlands reports from there. >> smoke from the battle between the syrian army and rebels - there has been fighting here for days. on wednesday, anti-government forces, including fighters affiliated to al-qaeda. took control of the crossing into the israeli occupied golan heights.

a day later dozens of u.n. peacekeepers stationed in the area were taken hostage. >> the united nations continues to engage with a wide range of parties and is making every effort to ensure the safety and security of its personal. >> since then, more than 80 u.n. troops from the philippines had their positions surrounded. >> peacekeepers in golan heights are in a standoff with syrian rebe rebels. our peacekeeping forces are holding their ground to defend their respective positions. speaking at a u.n. forum held in indonesia, the secretary-general condemned the detention of the peacekeeping trooxes. >> the peace keepers deployed to bring greater stability to the people of the area. we do everything possible to

secure their release. >> it's the third time peacekeepers have been taken hostage in the area. on previous occasions the hostages have been freed. >> israel is largely unaffected by 3.5 years of fighting. on sunday five rockets fired from syria landed here. on wednesday, an israeli soldier was moderaty wounded by stray fire from syria. >> reporter: elsewhere inside syria, there are different front lines. this video shows irrian army soldiers in the north-east. being forced to march and choor by the captors. the syrian human rights observatory says dozens were executed. the soldiers were captured after the islamic state took over a government air base. more than 500 people were killed during that fighting. in the past week the islamic state has been gaining more and

more territory inside syria. taking it from government forces or other rebel groups. it's the battles in previously quiet frontieres which are making neighbouring countries worried. israel is bracing for a spill over of the war in syria. all right, and breaking news. we are hearing reports of a possible coup in the small southern african country of ley so theo. a government minister told the newsagency that the army seized control of the police headquarters in les otto and jammed radio stations there. we'll have more when we speak to our correspondent in southern africa in a few minutes. still ahead - fight for democracy, can activists and

hong kong save their political future. >> saving the postal service - can they deliver in this technological time. stay with us.

welcome back, you're watching al jazeera, live from doha, a reminder of the top stories. the european union is considering more sanctions against russia after accusing moscow of invading eastern ukraine. e.u. leaders will meet in brussels, and are expected to discuss ukraine's request. egypt's highest religious leader

is expected to rule on a death sentence handed down to the religious leader of the muslim brotherhood. the sentence was given in june. the grand mufti rejected it once, but was asked to reconsider. >> the united nations is calling for the unconditional and immediate release of the 42 peacekeepers in the occupied golan heights. they've been taken hostage by syrian rebels and peacekeepers are trapped in the area. >> more on the breaking news story we reported earlier, and reports of a coup in ley so theo in southern -- lesotho in southern africa, let's speak to tania page who is in southern africa. what are you hearing? >> the latest information from witnesses on the ground is that early this morning there were reports of gunshots being fired, and currently at the moment, it's about 9 o'clock in the

morning, it is the army - they are on the steep. they were called not out. boots on the ground. the army appears to have taken control of the capital police stations. this is unhappy news for south africa, which attempted to media after an attempted coup back in june, when parliament was postponed. and what we are hearing from the contacts here is this could be a move by the lesotho congress party to demand the reopening of parliament. the prime minister perhaps making a move or making a move against the prime minister to lead the country. >> more information on this breaking news sorry as and when we have it. >> hundreds of migrants arrive every day, and a record number,

150,000, have been rescued at sea. italian authorities are concerned about the number of children travelling alone. al jazeera is live from the port of posalo on the island of sicily. tell us about the situation there and what the might raned find. >> well, it is a dire situation, in the sense that you look at what happened here, at least 1,200 migrants were rescued at sea by the italian navy. others are taking to other ports around sicily, but a new development, more and more will be taken to mainland italy, because of the sheer volume of these people is too much for one place alone and one regional administration. as you said, there's a concern of the amount of children

travelling alone. that arrive here. we have seen some of them, looking as young as 10 years old. they are barefoot. they don't speak the long whimming and want to go into europe. the authorities here try to keep a record of all the people. they take pictures, numbers and try to see if the people have a connection that could allow them to travel further north, but they also say that indian, a lot is it can - continuing their journey as illegal immigrants. >> reporter: they escape war and poverty and are hiving in an abandoned school. each has a staffy of survival. like 17-year-old mohammed. it took his six months to travel from gambia by foot and bus, before reaching tripoli and crossing the sea. he did not want to show his

face. >> i escaped to libya. i was captured, kidnapped. they asked to call my parents and send them - leave me. y yes. >> this was meant to be a first reception center. the sheer volume of minors mean they have to wait for months for the paperwork to be processed. >> a lot of children are on the boat. officials say the numbers are increasing at a staggering rate and the issue is what to do with them. >> under-italian law they cannot be returned home because they are under age. the first steps are difficult. they don't know where fresh, and don't speak the language. >> translation: we informed them of the risks. the dangers are not only crossing the desert. they face riskss being exploted

for labour or sex. italy is a transit point. many of the children want to travel further. >> like most migrants many of the children travel further. 30-year-old hassan wants to go to roam. his parents paid $3,500 for the crossing. >> we were going to drown and die. the boat was full of holes, water was coming in. we were emptying the pockets. now i alive and my dream is to make my mother and father proud of me. i want to help them pay my debts. it's a dream coming to many of these young boys. the road ahead is complicated and lonely. so far, the number of migrants rescued at sea is more than a double of the total number of migrants in 2013. it's cost ag italy about

9 million euros per month. italy has warned it's a european issue, and it has been heeded by the european union as in nef. there'll be a european mission called frantic plus, which will be organised by several european countries to keep on with the flow of migrants that will continue to hedge here as long as there is wars in the south of the mediterranean. >> hoda abdel-hamid reporting from the port of vasalo in sicily. there is new hope in the fight against ebola. trials of a new drug proved successful on monkeys, it came as senegal is the latest country to be hit by the outbreak. >> reporter: a student from guinea came to the hospital infected. without haemorrhaging, but hiding that he had been in contact with victims of the disease in guinea.

the person was put in quarantine and given care. he was tested positive for ebola. at this time the patient is in a stable condition. >> china's top leaders are meeting in the capital to decide how they should pick their next leader. china correspondent brown reports on the showdown. >> reporter: 17 years since hong kong returned to chinese rule, the deal making it possible is starting to be threatened. china promised hong kong a high degree of political autonomy. that pledge is being tested. the political temperature has been rising ever since this protest in early july. >> it was organised by pro-democracy groups, demanding a vote for every adult in the election for the next leader. china says fine, so long as candidates are patriotic and

approved by beijing. critics say that's not real democracy and warn of more scenes like these. >> they try to give us a fake democracy, 10,000 or more people will come out and sit on the streets of central to launch a movement. >> the threat to occupy hong kong's central district led to a protest. many of those taking part had been bussed in, paid and treated to lunch. the protest showed that the mood is hardening on both sides. >> we expect serious polarization in the society. >> certainly law and order will not be an issue, but we expect a difficult scenario for all parties concerned. >> hong kong's current chiefive

is cy long. he was chosen by a committee whose 1200 members were approved by beijing. that's the election china wants in 2017. it appears in no mood for compromise. protesters meed to keep in their mind that when you use demonstrations of protests for the goal of advancing democracy, you cannot vial out democracy and rule of law. >> china's government wants to avoid confrontation. it may feel the time has come to remind everyone of who is ultimately in charge. >> more than 200 jews have been forced out of a guatemala village over claims they were mistreating local mayans and tourists. members of the ultra orthodox community began to leave the village in march, after getting

in legal trouble in canada. some resettled in guatemala, others returned to canada. rescue workers freed 20 trapped in a goldmine. the miners are dehighlighted rated but -- dehydrated but otherwise in good health. nine are missing. marina silva opened up a double digit leave five weeks before election in venezuela. it's adding to antoine roussel's wows. the government's approval rating plunged to 35%. elections talk place on october 5th. now, a volcano in papua new guinea erupted sending smoke and ash high over the pacific island. people living near the volcano have moved to safer grounds. >> iceland is on volcano watch.

the aviation warning has been downgraded. an hour-long red alert was nut place after a small eruption in the bardarbunga system. a no-fly zone remains. >> india's prime minister narendra modi has begun a 5-day visit to japan. they'll discuss a nuclear energy deal, and they hope to lure african investment. it's an attempt by japan and india to balance the rising influence. of china. india has a large, postal network. they've been a life line for hundreds of people. the advent of the internet may be making stamps obsolete. >> this man is 94 years old, and fondly remembers the golden age of india's postal service.

for more than 50 years he designed some of the country's important stance. glued to letters and packages, his canvases travelled across india and the world. >> when a letter arrived people used to gather around to read it and share the information. now when a message is sent, the excitement is missing. >> it's not just how messages are being sent that is less intimate. things 2012 all of india's mail is processed by two automated facilities. this machine soughts 500,000 individual items every day. mechanized sorting facilities may have made india's postal service more efficient. in a country as large and diverse as india, many that operate the machines say human interaction is not only

important, but necessary. >> technology may have helped to cut costs and halve delivery times, this is india post frontline. >> the emails game, nab the post office will die down, there will not be relevance. if you look at the growth of the postal services, even - not - globally, it is growing. >> moving mail does not make money the way it used to. after years of losses, india post wants a banking licence. with 155,000, it says it can reach more people than a traditional bank. small time investors like me can two to traditional banks. they will not understand the savings. the only way we can come with our money is to the post office.

>> the stamps are not just snapshots of india's vibrant history, it's a reminder of how much the postal service has evolved. this century's old institution is working hard to develop prosperity. sh >> next thursday the giant system embarks on a new big experiment. making preschool available to everyone who wants it. it's going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. whether it makes sense is the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez.