At least 930 people have died in Congo's Ebola outbreak

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — At least 930 people have died in Congo’s Ebola outbreak, the country’s Ministry of Health said.

The deaths were recorded out of the 2,344 cases confirmed as of Saturday, the health ministry said overnight into Monday. Thirty-seven new deaths were recorded in the previous 24 hours in one of the highest single-day totals.

The Ebola outbreak that was declared in eastern Congo on May 15 is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. The Bundibugyo virus responsible for the outbreak is less common than others that cause Ebola disease, and there is no approved vaccine or treatment.

The surge in deaths comes as safety fears have restricted the response in the worst-affected province of Ituri.

At least 12 attacks have been recorded against health facilities and teams since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, authorities said on Saturday. Many health workers meanwhile have walked off their jobs as they protest lack of payment.

At least 36 health workers infected with the virus have died.

The health ministry 724 patients are currently in isolation and hospitals, adding that it is intensifying response efforts in affected health zones.

A health worker checks the temperature of a woman at the ebola treatment centre in Bunia, Congo, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Prosper Heri Ngorora)

A health worker stands at an ebola treatment centre in Bunia, Congo, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Prosper Heri Ngorora)

A health worker at an ebola treatment centre in Bunia, Congo, Monday, July 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Prosper Heri Ngorora)

A police officer removes rubble as health workers involved in Congo's Ebola response go on strike to protest over payment issues in Bunia, Congo, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Constant Same Bagalwa)

Health workers involved in Congo's Ebola response go on strike as they protest over payment issues in Bunia, Congo, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Constant Same Bagalwa)

LONDON (AP) — Former British politician Ann Widdecombe was struck 21 times on the head with a hammer as she was eating lunch at home, a prosecutor told a court hearing on Tuesday for the man charged in her murder.

Joshua Kerry, 28, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London over the killing that shocked the public and the political establishment.

Widdecombe, 78, was eating around noon on July 8 when Kerry drove to her house in an isolated southwest England village, prosecutor Kashif Malik said. Kerry walked through the front door and beat her with a hammer, took her wallet and was gone two minutes after the attack began.

Blunt force injury to the head was listed as the provisional cause of death.

Kerry was charged Monday while in custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder and acts of terror. Police are investigating his motive, including a potential political or terrorist connection, prosecutors said.

Kerry, who wore a gray sweatsuit, spoke only to confirm his identity and did not enter a plea. He was ordered held in custody and is scheduled to appear in the Central Criminal Court on Oct. 9.

Widdecombe, a former member of Parliament and government minister, was a prominent political voice known for her blunt-spoken, socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.

When she failed to appear for a scheduled interview on July 8, TV producers called her assistant, who contacted her gardener, prosecutors said. He found Widdecombe lying face down on her kitchen floor the next day.

Kerry was arrested July 11 in South Yorkshire, a northern England county where he lived, more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) from Widdecombe's home in the village of Haytor, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park.

Widdecombe was a MP in the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, serving as a prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s 1990s Conservative government.

She found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the reality television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”

She later joined the Brexit Party, briefly serving as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020. Most recently, she joined the anti-immigration Reform UK, often appearing in the media as the party's immigration and justice spokesperson.

Widdecombe's killing has renewed concerns over the security for politicians, which had been tightened in the past decade after the murders of two prominent MPs. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.

A prison van arriving at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, Tuesday, July 21, 2026 where Joshua Kerry is due to appear charged with the murder of MP Ann Widdecombe. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)

This court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook shows Joshua Kerry, 28, appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 charged with the murder of MP Ann Widdecombe. (Elizabeth Cook/PA via AP)

Police outside the house of former lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, in Haytor, England, Friday July 10, 2026, after she was found dead in her home on Thursday with serious injuries. (Matt Keeble/PA via AP)

FILE -Ann Widdecombe, Brexit Party member, is interviewed after Nigel Farage, Leader of Britain's Brexit Party, spoke on stage at the launch of their policies for the General Election campaign, in London, Nov. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)