03/05/2014 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon. Seven international military observers taken captive in

Eastern Ukraine over a week ago by pro-Russian separatists have been

released. The men were taken in the city of Sloviansk along with five

Ukrainian officers. It comes as the Ukrainian government says it will

continue its military operation to control unrest in the country after

42 people died in clashes in the Black Sea port of Odessa. Sarah

Rainsford reports from Eastern Ukraine.

Finally freed after more than a week in captivity. These were the first

images of the international military observers released in the

pro-Russian stronghold of Sloviansk. The men were held there, accused the

first of being NATO spies. Now they and five Ukrainians travelling with

them are free and obviously relieved. According to the word

given by the Mayor, we have been treated as good as possible. This is

a miserable situation. But we were under his protection. It feels

great. We are very relieved. And we are longing to get back home to our

families and loved ones. There had been tense talks to secure their

release. They were first held here in the rubbles' occupied

headquarters. Russia was under strong international pressure to

intervene. It is a member of the OSCE, the security organisation the

former hostages worked for. The rebel leader in Sloviansk did not

explain why they were released. He said they were leaving after

celebrating his birthday. But it seems an envoy from Moscow was

critical to securing their freedom. Everyone in securing the release of

these men is obviously hugely relieved to have them here safe and

well. It had been hoped that their freedom would help reduce tensions

here in eastern Ukraine but the situation has developed very quickly

since they were captured. A Ukrainian military operation is now

under way around Sloviansk as Kiev tries to reassert its control in

this region. There have been casualties on both sides. Ukrainian

troops are in position around the city, pushing pro-Russian groups

back inside. Both sides report heavy fighting. And the violence has been

spreading. This was a death on Friday, a once peaceful seaside town

in the south-east of the country. It was thrown into chaos as pro-Kiev

and pro-Moscow groups fought running battles in the streets. It ended in

tragedy, as bottle bombs were thrown at this building, killing more than

30 inside. There was no sign of any kind of dialogue to stop the

violence. Ukraine's government vowed its military operation will go on.

Pro-Russian forces show no sign of surrender.

Up to 2,000 people are missing, feared dead, following a series of

landslides in north-eastern Afghanistan. The United Nations has

confirmed at least 350 dead and a major relief effort is now under

way, with thousands without food or shelter, as our world affairs

correspondent, Emily Buchanan, reports.

It was mid-morning when the entire side of this hill collapsed,

triggered by torrential rain, a torrent of mud sweeping down the

ravine into the village below. Hundreds of people were buried under

tonnes of earth and rock. Many crushed after rushing to rescue

others following an earlier landslip. This woman narrowly

survived. She said four or five from her family were killed. Four or five

of life. I am only half alive, she says. Local rescue teams try to dig

for survivors. But their shovels were no match for the sheer scale of

the disaster. This man appealed for help. He said, we have found a few

bodies but the rest of the villagers are trapped. In this remote

mountainous part of north-eastern Afghanistan, life was already

precarious. The UN and government agencies have now sent aid but there

are not enough tents. Many are at the mercy of the elements. And more

landslides. The size of the Search and Rescue operation, what we are

doing now is helping to facilitate the need of around 700 families,

more than 4000 people, who have been displaced either directly or

indirectly by what has happened. This valley has now become a mass

grave. Many of the bodies buried up to 100 metres deep will never be

found. Police in Northern Ireland are

continuing to question the Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams in connection

with the murder of Jean McConville, a mother of ten, in the 1970s. Mr

Adams, who denies any involvement in her death, has now spent three

nights in custody at a police station in Antrim. Our correspondent

Jon Brain is there. It seems a long time ago now that Gerry Adams

arrived here voluntarily on Wednesday afternoon. He has now been

in custody for three days and three nights as he has continued to be

questioned about the murder and abduction of Jean McConville back in

1972. Something he says he had no involvement in whatsoever. But as

this continues, Sinn Fein becoming more and more angry about this

arrest, because right from the start they claimed it was politically

motivated. But the police have since got an extension to question him to

8pm tomorrow night, the rhetoric has really been ramped up. Last night,

Martin McGuinness said Sinn Fein may even consider withdrawing its

support for policing in Northern Ireland, and that support is one of

the bedrocks of the peace process. This morning, another of the

party's senior figures rode back on that slightly but he did say there

are elements within the police service here that he believes are

biased not just towards Sinn Fein but also are hostile to the entire

peace process itself. A woman has been arrested on a

suspicion of assaulting a resident at a care home in Essex that was

featured in the BBC's Panorama programme. Seven members of staff at

the Old Deanery Care Home in Braintree were sacked after the

documentary, which showed residents being taunted and humiliated. The

arrested woman was subsequently released on police bail pending

further inquiries. Scotland Yard has confirmed it is

looking into fresh allegations against the publicist Max Clifford,

who was jailed yesterday for against the publicist Max Clifford,

years. Clifford, who is 71, was found guilty of indecent assault of

young women in the 1970s and 80s. The judge said he had used his

celebrity to Louis his celebrity to Lewis victims. -- to attract his

victims. An American court has ordered the

Korean technology firm Samsung to pay $120 million to its rival Apple.

A jury in California ruled that Samsung had made unauthorised use of

Apple's technology but the compensation is much lower than

Apple had asked for. The court also decided that Apple had infringed

Samsung's patents but fined it less than $160,000.

Women priests are preparing to march through the streets of London to

mark 20 years of female ministry in the Church of England. A special

service is being held at St Paul's Cathedral, as our religious affairs

correspondent Robert Pigott reports. Send down the holy spirit. Upon your

servant Angela. This was the moment being celebrated today. The first

women ordained as priests in the Church of England in Bristol 20

years ago. As we processed into the cathedral, those great wooden West

End doors opened and it felt like something really important was

happening in the Church of England as men and women were ordained in

the church, and although there have been the ups and downs, it has been

a rocky road sometimes, we are here to celebrate today that women are

now serving in virtually all areas of the life of the Church of

England. Women now make up nearly a third of the church's 1300 priests.

The organisers of the anniversary celebration say it will demonstrate

the church's public approval of their ordination and help to raise

the sense of doubt around their status with the post of bishops

still being closed to women. The event will have a festive air.

Hundreds of clergy will gather here at Westminster Abbey before

following a marching band through London to St Paul's Cathedral. The

service will be presided over by a senior woman priest and her

assistant will be the Archbishop of Canterbury. However, there are

clouds hanging over the celebrations. A disproportionate

number of women work without pay and recruitment of young women priests

has dried to a trickle. Only a third of the paid clergy women, and of

course women are not equally distributed up the hierarchy, so

they are concentrated in the lower status, lower paid and lower powered

jobs. The first woman bishop is likely to be ordained early next

year. Only then, say women clergy, will be church's male dominated

ethos start to change. You can see more of all of those

stories on the BBC News Channel. We are back on BBC One at 6:30pm.

Goodbye. It is dry nearly everywhere and

that's the good news, but getting the detail of where the sun and

cloud or is proving to be rather difficult and will continue to be so

after the -- over the next few days. Things brightened up rather

more than we expected