:00:00. > :00:09.Five Britons serving in Afghanistan have been killed after their
:00:10. > :00:19.helicopter crashed in the south of the country. The helicopter crashed
:00:20. > :00:23.near a busy airbase during what officials say it was a military
:00:24. > :00:26.exercise, denying claims the Taliban shot it down. Russia faces new
:00:27. > :00:29.economic sanctions over Ukraine as it is accused of further fuelling
:00:30. > :00:33.tension in the east of the country. And a hero's welcome for Ryan Giggs
:00:34. > :01:41.at Old Trafford in his stand-in role as Manchester United manager.
:01:42. > :01:48.troops that remain are packing up equipment. Helicopters are a way of
:01:49. > :01:52.moving equipment and people across the hostile environment of the
:01:53. > :01:56.South. Lynx helicopters have been used throughout Britain's
:01:57. > :02:01.intervention in Afghanistan and have a very good safety record. This is
:02:02. > :02:09.the first helicopter crash since the war began in 2001. Investigators say
:02:10. > :02:14.the crash was not due to enemy fire, but the Taliban quickly claimed they
:02:15. > :02:18.had shot it down. A statement from the international force said it was
:02:19. > :02:22.still in the process of reviewing the circumstances to determine more
:02:23. > :02:28.facts. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends
:02:29. > :02:31.affected by this tragic event. I would imagine the initial
:02:32. > :02:36.investigation will report very quickly because the Lynx helicopter
:02:37. > :02:40.is ubiquitous to the Army and the Royal Navy of the back of its
:02:41. > :02:45.frigates and destroyers and it is so important to the role that is being
:02:46. > :02:49.carried out in Afghanistan. Far smaller than at the Merlin and
:02:50. > :02:54.Chinook helicopters, the Lynx has been the workhorse of the war. They
:02:55. > :03:00.can be lightly armed, but more often carry supplies or a very senior
:03:01. > :03:14.personnel across areas where road to travel is too dangerous.
:03:15. > :03:17.This is the largest, single British loss of life in Afghanistan since
:03:18. > :03:19.the crash of a Nimrod killed 14 in 2006. But these deaths are a
:03:20. > :03:21.reminder that although combat operations are winding down, there
:03:22. > :03:23.are thousands of British troops still in active service in
:03:24. > :03:27.Afghanistan. Where the accident happened was
:03:28. > :03:32.close to a steep hillside and tonight after recovering the bodies,
:03:33. > :03:36.investigators are going through the wreckage to find out exactly how the
:03:37. > :03:41.Lynx helicopter crashed. Let's turn to our defence
:03:42. > :03:47.correspondent Caroline Wyatt who is at the Ministry of Defence. What are
:03:48. > :03:52.they saying tonight? At this stage very little. They say clearly this
:03:53. > :03:58.was a UK helicopter. They have not yet confirmed it is a Lynx, but this
:03:59. > :04:03.is what we understand from all other sources and it is the first time a
:04:04. > :04:07.Lynx helicopter has crashed in Afghanistan. They have been used
:04:08. > :04:12.mostly to take personnel from place to place. There is some speculation
:04:13. > :04:16.that they could have been taking special forces because of where it
:04:17. > :04:21.came down, but the MoD will not comment. They have given a number
:04:22. > :04:26.for concerned relatives to call. I think we can put that number up on
:04:27. > :04:31.screen. It was technical problems that caused the crash and not as the
:04:32. > :04:36.Taliban have claimed enemy action that brought it down. But clearly a
:04:37. > :04:42.real sense of shock and numbness of this happening so late on in the
:04:43. > :04:48.campaign. This was the third, single biggest loss of life after the
:04:49. > :04:52.Nimrod crash and the six soldiers killed in the Warrior vehicle in
:04:53. > :05:00.2012. There will be investigations to find out how it happened and next
:05:01. > :05:04.of kin are being informed. The leaders of the G-7 group of
:05:05. > :05:08.industrialised countries said they will impose further sanctions on
:05:09. > :05:13.Russia over its role in the crisis in Ukraine. The White House says
:05:14. > :05:17.measures could be introduced as early as Monday. A team has been
:05:18. > :05:21.sent to eastern Ukraine to try to secure the release of a team of
:05:22. > :05:28.observers detained by pro-Russian separatists.
:05:29. > :05:32.For the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine Sloviansk remains
:05:33. > :05:38.their stronghold. They have taken full control and they have taken
:05:39. > :05:43.hostages. These ID cards and nametags allegedly belonged to a
:05:44. > :05:47.group of military observers. They were taken hostage yesterday near
:05:48. > :05:54.Sloviansk. It was Russian television that was allowed to film this. The
:05:55. > :06:00.self-proclaimed peoples Mayor of Sloviansk said he believed the
:06:01. > :06:05.military observers were spies. Ukrainian security forces are trying
:06:06. > :06:11.to seal of Sloviansk. They call it an anti-terrorist operation. They
:06:12. > :06:17.fear the hostages will be used as human shields, but Russia has said
:06:18. > :06:19.it will try to secure their release. In the neighbouring town we found
:06:20. > :06:27.pro-Russian groups in control there as well. They are heavily armed, but
:06:28. > :06:31.they say it is people power. The people say they are not terrorists
:06:32. > :06:36.and they want their part of Ukraine to become independent and if he
:06:37. > :06:41.ever's counterterrorist operation reaches their town, they will be
:06:42. > :06:46.counting on Russia to protect them. From wedding bells straight to the
:06:47. > :06:50.barricades. Despite all the violence and a threat of war, some people
:06:51. > :06:59.here are still hoping for a better future.
:07:00. > :07:02.Tim Farron, president of the Liberal Democrats, says members of his party
:07:03. > :07:05.need to answer serious questions about what they knew of the alleged
:07:06. > :07:08.sexual abuse by the late Cyril Smith. Police are investigating
:07:09. > :07:11.claims that the former MP for Rochdale, who died four years ago,
:07:12. > :07:13.abused boys at care homes and hostels in the town. Our political
:07:14. > :07:20.correspondent Louise Stewart reports.
:07:21. > :07:26.Do you want a man to represent you or a party robot? Famously
:07:27. > :07:31.outspoken, Sir Cyril Smith was a prominent political figure with both
:07:32. > :07:36.Labour and the Liberals. He was the MP and Mayor in Rochdale for 20
:07:37. > :07:41.years, but for decades there were allegations he sexually abused boys
:07:42. > :07:47.at homes and hostels in the town. He died in 2010, but two years ago new
:07:48. > :07:51.claims emerged he had abused boys on the premises of Knowl View School.
:07:52. > :07:55.Nick Clegg has rejected calls for the party to investigate.
:07:56. > :07:59.The most important inquiry of all, because they are the only people who
:08:00. > :08:05.can get to the bottom of this, either police. But the Liberal party
:08:06. > :08:10.Democrat says there are serious questions to be answered. The party
:08:11. > :08:14.absolutely, as must the Labour Party also because Cyril Smith also belong
:08:15. > :08:19.to them when these allegations are said to have taken place, need to
:08:20. > :08:23.answer serious questions as to who knew what and when. The current MP
:08:24. > :08:29.for Rochdale has written to Nick Clegg calling for an independent
:08:30. > :08:34.review within the Liberal Democrats. They need to come back with an
:08:35. > :08:38.internal inquiry, independently chaired, that gets to the bottom of
:08:39. > :08:43.why they managed to cover it up for so long in their party. Cyril Smith
:08:44. > :08:49.was never charged with any offence, but there is growing criticism of
:08:50. > :08:53.the way the Liberal Democrats are handling the allegations. Lord steel
:08:54. > :09:00.has admitted he had been informed that Cyril Smith was being
:09:01. > :09:04.investigated for child abuse. He has said he will cooperate with any
:09:05. > :09:07.police inquiry. Manchester United are playing their
:09:08. > :09:10.first game since David Moyes was sacked and Ryan Giggs took over as
:09:11. > :09:13.interim manager. They are playing Norwich City at Old Trafford amid
:09:14. > :09:14.speculation that the club's new permanent manager may already have
:09:15. > :09:27.been approached. David is there for us.
:09:28. > :09:32.It has been a fairly wretched season by Manchester united's standards and
:09:33. > :09:36.that culminated in the sacking of David Moyes. Up stepped Ryan Giggs
:09:37. > :09:43.as interim manager and that has lifted the spirits of the fans. I
:09:44. > :09:52.think he will take us all the way. He will bring back the feel-good
:09:53. > :09:58.factor. You want somebody who has already got the T-shirt and has won
:09:59. > :10:03.a cup medal. Ryan Giggs walked down the touchline took a huge ovation,
:10:04. > :10:09.quite impressive scenes. He wanted his team to make a fast start. He
:10:10. > :10:13.made six changes, that fast starters did not come, but eventually the
:10:14. > :10:21.breakthrough arrived with Wayne Rooney scoring a goal just before
:10:22. > :10:26.half-time. Shortly after he scored another goal. We have just heard a
:10:27. > :10:31.loud roar and it might be three. The search continues for the permanent
:10:32. > :10:38.manager with Louis van Gaal said to be the favourite. For today at least
:10:39. > :10:41.it has belonged to Ryan Giggs. Much more on the BBC News channel
:10:42. > :10:42.through out the