this is bbc news with lois von jones. lewis vaughanjones. a former ukrainian mp who britain says could be installed by moscow as head of a pro russian government in kiev has mocked the claim, but says his country needs new political leaders. ukraine s ambassador to britain has urged allies to stand with them. two members of the british cabinet have called for an investigation after former government minister nusrat ghani says she was sacked from herjob, in part because of her muslim faith. the government chief whip says the claims are false. the world health organization s european director says it s plausible that the region is moving towards a kind of pandemic endgame . the taliban has held a first day of talks with civil society groups in norway in an attempt to access to billions of dollars frozen in us banks.