World
Father called UK police to confess to killing daughter, 10, in England after he fled to Pakistan
The father of a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in England called U.K. police after fleeing to Pakistan to admit that he had killed his daughter, prosecutors said Monday.
Urfan Sharif, 42, is on trial at London’s Central Criminal Court on allegations he, his partner Beinash Batool and his brother Faisal Malik murdered Sara Sharif, according to The Associated Press.
Prosecutor William Emlyn Jones said all three defendants played a part in a “campaign of abuse” against Sara in the weeks leading up to her death.
Police found Sara’s body under a blanket in a bunk bed at her home in Woking, which is located southwest of London, on Aug. 10, 2023, with dozens of injuries, including extensive bruising, burns and fractures. The child died of unnatural causes, according to a post-mortem examination.
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This court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook shows Sara Sharif’s father Urfan Sharif, right, and her uncle Faisal Malik appearing via video-link, from Belmarsh prison, at the Old Bailey in London, Dec. 14, 2023 as three members of her family have pleaded not guilty to her murder. (Elizabeth Cook/PA via)
Jones said law enforcement learned of Sara’s death after her father called U.K. police from Pakistan and said: “I’ve killed my daughter. I legally punished her, and she died.”
He also told the phone operator he did not intend to kill her, but he had “beat her up too much,” the prosecutor said.
Urfan Sharif, Batool and Malik fled the U.K. for the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Aug. 9.
Police in Pakistan located the three suspects following a search and subsequently sent them to the U.K., where they were arrested upon landing at London’s Gatwick Airport. They were held in prison as they awaited trial.
A view of HM Coroner’s Court Surrey in Woking, following the death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif who was found dead at a property on Hammond Road in Woking, Surrey, on August 10. (Getty Images)
Jones said the three suspects had lived in the same house as Sara and that it was “inconceivable” that only one of them was responsible for the girl’s death.
The prosecutor said each of the suspects attempted to blame the others for the killing. Urfan Sharif had claimed that Batool, who is Sara’s stepmother, was responsible for the girl’s death and that he made a false confession to protect her.
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Sharif family lawyer, Attiq Malik, outside Guildford Magistrates’ Court, where Urfan Sharif, the father of Sara Sharif, is among three people to face court on Friday charged with the 10-year-old’s murder. (Getty Images)
A recording of a phone call made on the evening of Aug. 8, 2023, the day Sara was believed to have been killed, was played for the jury. In the recording, Batool can be heard asking about booking a flight to Islamabad for four adults and four children.
The three suspects deny murdering Sara or causing or allowing the girl’s death.
The trial is expected to continue until December.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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By Jorge Mitssunaga
May 16, 2026
World
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Central Africa a public health emergency after 80 suspected deaths
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The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa an international public health emergency on Sunday after dozens of suspected deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency, the WHO said.
The declaration follows reports of 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases as of Saturday across at least three health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
The development comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which left multiple passengers and crew members sick, and caused three deaths.
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A health worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP)
As of May 13, the WHO said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case.
In neighboring Uganda’s capital, Kampala, the WHO said two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases — including one death — were reported Friday and Saturday involving people who had traveled from the DRC.
Another laboratory-confirmed case was reported in the DRC capital of Kinshasa involving a person returning from Ituri province.
Initial tests suggested the outbreak does not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which caused Congo’s devastating 2018–2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.
EBOLA OUTBREAK REPORTED IN AFRICAN COUNTRY — HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, on July 13, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
However, unlike Ebola-Zaire strains, there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain, which the WHO described as making the outbreak “extraordinary.”
The WHO warned the outbreak could be larger than currently reported due to the high positivity rate among initial samples and the growing number of suspected cases.
The outbreak also poses a public health risk to other countries, the WHO said, urging nations to activate emergency-management systems and implement cross-border screening measures.
‘DISEASE X’ HAS KILLED DOZENS IN THE CONGO — HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MYSTERY ILLNESS
Ambulances parked at Bunia General Referral Hospital following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2026. (REUTERS/Victoire Mukenge)
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease spread through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said Congo has a “strong track record” responding to Ebola outbreaks while announcing the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts.
The WHO said it will convene an emergency committee to review recommendations for how affected countries should respond.
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Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo, on July 16, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
The organization did not recommend border closures or travel restrictions.
Congo has now recorded 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Brittany Miller, along with Reuters, contributed to this report.
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