Official in Kenya says 16 students killed in an overnight fire at a girls’ school

GILGIL, Kenya (AP) — At least 16 students died in an overnight fire that started in the dormitories of a girls’ boarding school in Kenya, a government official said, in the latest such incident to rock the East African nation.

APTOPIX Kenya School Fire

Education Minister Julius Ogamba said Thursday that 79 others were injured at the Utumishi Girls School, which has more than 800 students in the Gilgil area of central Kenya.

The cause has not yet been established. Ogamba said authorities would investigate whether the school’s fire safety manual had been adhered to.

Police said they were leading the rescue and emergency response efforts at the school, which is located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the capital, Nairobi.

The government-owned secondary school is managed and sponsored by the Kenya Police Service. Many of the students are daughters of police officers.

The victims have not yet been identified.

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One person at the scene, Wambui Nderitu, said the matron opened one of two dormitory doors “without alerting the children to exit.”

“The second door remained closed, and even though my cousin escaped with a leg injury, we’ve been told many children are injured and some died,” Nderitu said.

The Kenya Red Cross said several students were evacuated and are receiving treatment in various hospitals.

The group said it deployed "tracing and psychosocial support teams to support affected students and families.”

Kenya’s deadliest school fire in recent history occurred in 2001 when 67 students died in a dormitory fire in Machakos County.

In 2024, 21 studentsburned to deathin a school fire in central Kenya. President William Ruto declared three days of mourning.

In 2017, 10 students died in a school firein Nairobi. A student was charged with murder.

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 28, 2026

Official in Kenya says 16 students killed in an overnight fire at a girls’ school

GILGIL, Kenya (AP) — At least 16 students died in an overnight fire that started in the dormitories of a girls’ boarding school in Keny...

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Mistral rejects Pope Leo criticism of AI military use

By Elizabeth Howcroft and Leo Marchandon

PARIS, May 28 (Reuters) - Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch on Thursday rejected criticism from Pope Leo over the military use of AI, saying Europe ‌needed its own tools to deter rivals using the technology.

Pope Leo issued a document on ‌Monday urging international regulation to curb the development ofAI systemsand warning it could spread false information and fuel ​constant conflict. He also criticised the use of AI in warfare.

Mensch, who is also Mistral's co-founder, said Europe could not ignore the use of AI by adversaries.

"We're all for peace, but if you look at our rivals and adversaries in the world, they're using artificial intelligence [...] As long as we have adversaries that ‌are threatening, and they are threatening, ⁠we do need to have our own capabilities," he told reporters.

NEW DATA CENTRE

Mistral, which was valued at €11.7 billion last year, positions itself as a European alternative ⁠to U.S. AI giants as part of a wider push in Europe to reduce dependency on U.S. technology companies.

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The company said on Thursday it would build a data centre in Les Ulis, France, with 10 megawatts of ​computing ​power, due to open in the second half of ​2026. The move, part of a broader €4 ‌billion investment strategy, will complement existing facilities in Sweden and France and help the company reach a planned 200 megawatts of computing power by the end of 2027 and 1 gigawatt by 2030. It said the capacity would serve its own needs and be rented to other AI labs.

The expansion is part of Europe's broader effort to accelerate data-centre infrastructure to compete with the U.S., with support ‌from French President Emmanuel Macron, who has highlighted the ​country's energy exports as an enabler for such projects.

Around the ​world, including in France, data-centre construction increasingly ​faces opposition from people who live near the sites.

AI BACKLASH, GRADUATES BOOING

Mistral's announcement ‌follows growing scepticism towards tech firms, particularly among ​younger generations. Videos have ​recently surfaced of students booing executives during U.S. graduation ceremonies, highlighting concerns over the societal impact of AI.

"I think there is some expected anguish around artificial intelligence," Mensch said. "It's not the ​first time that people are ‌a bit anguished at something coming up. But we'll be fine. We'll find a way ​to use it efficiently."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft in Paris and by Leo Marchandon in ​Gdansk; Editing by Mark Potter and Matt Scuffham)

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 28, 2026

Mistral rejects Pope Leo criticism of AI military use

By Elizabeth Howcroft and Leo Marchandon PARIS, May 28 (Reuters) - Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch on Thursday rejected criticism from ...

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Kenya school fire kills 15 students, police say

By Humphrey Malalo and Vincent Mumo Nzilani

NAIROBI, May 28 (Reuters) - A fire tore through a dormitory ‌at a girls' school in a town in ‌Kenya's Rift Valley overnight, killing at least 15 students, police said on ​Thursday.

An unknown number of students were also injured at Utumishi Girls' Academy Senior School in Gilgil in Nakuru County, the Gilgil Police Station said in a report seen ‌by Reuters. The cause ⁠of the fire was not known, it said.

Footage aired by Citizen Television showed broken ⁠window panes and smoke-stained walls.

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Kenya has a long history of school fires, with more than 60 cases of arson ​in public ​secondary schools recorded in 2018 ​alone, according to government ‌data. Many of the fires have been set by students protesting harsh discipline and poor conditions, researchers have found.

Masoud Mwinyi, a senior police commander, told reporters at the school that 50 officers were combing areas around the ‌school for students who may ​have fled when the fire broke ​out.

"Of that shock ​and fear and anxiety, many people went out, ‌and it was at night," ​he said.

In ​2024, a fire killed 21 students at a primary boarding school in nearby Nyeri County. The cause ​of that fire ‌has not been conclusively established.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa ​and Vincent Mumo Nzilani; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, ​Aaron Ross and Tomasz Janowski)

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 28, 2026

Kenya school fire kills 15 students, police say

By Humphrey Malalo and Vincent Mumo Nzilani NAIROBI, May 28 (Reuters) - A fire tore through a dormitory ‌at a girls' school i...

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Office of Courts asks MS Legislature for more money to pay judges

Mississippi's judicial system has amoney problem.

Judges, lawyers andSupreme Courtjustices met withMississippi House committeemembers on May 26, most asking for cash infusions next legislative session to continue their operations. The Administrative Office of Courts is "getting close," said director Katharine Surkin, to running out of money to pay its employees.

Mississippi's judges, from the county level to the Supreme Court, receive a minimum amount of money from the state's general fund each year. That amount is dictated by a Mississippi statute that hasn't changed since it was enacted, Surkin told the legislators.

But judges make more than the statutory minimum outlined in the law. That's where the Judicial Systems Operation Fund comes in, Surkin said, to make up the different between the state's general fund payment and the amount that judges are required to make by law.

Including fringe benefits, Surkin said, the special fund pays for more than half of all judges' salaries. That percentage will likely increase next year when judges will receive an average raise of around $13,000 thanks to a Mississippi Senate bill.

How much more?:Pay raises for judges too much, some Mississippi legislators say

The special fund allotted solely for the Office of Courts isn't enough to keep up with rising judge salaries, Surkin said, and she requested for the legislators to consider raising the amount of general funds directed toward judicial payments. Some of the representatives in the hearing, including committee chair Rep. Angela Cockerham, I-Magnolia, seemed reluctant to commit more money from the state's pot given the special fund.

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"There have been instances of agencies wanting to go all the way back to special funds … then changing their minds and wanting to go back to a special fund," Cockerham said. "I've always had a bit of heartburn in increasing the general funds for a particular source if there is a special fund available."

The special fund had been helpful, Surkin said, but there isn't enough money coming in. Counties are supposed to collect case filing fees, which she noted have not been increased since 2008, and direct them to the Department of Finance and Administration, which routes it to the Administrative Office of Courts.

There is some money unaccounted for, Surkin said. In 2024, for example, the office should have collected around $4.7 million in filing fees for the fund, but it ended up with around $4.2 million instead. She estimated that around $1.5 million has not been accounted for in the last three years alone. However, because each county has its own method of sending in money and the Office of Courts doesn't have a way to track it, she said she couldn't identify which counties were underpaying the fund.

The Legislature could take a few courses of action. It could, as Surkin requested, increase its general fund contribution to the fund, which would be difficult in a slim state budget that seems to be getting slimmer. Lawmakers could also increase case filing fees, which has been debated in both chambers in recent years.

Without an increase in funds, Surkin warned, regardless of their source, the department was on the precipice of not being able to catch up with the judicial pay raises coming out of the Legislature.

Bea Anhuciis the state government reporter for the Clarion Ledger. She has covered the Mississippi Legislature since the start of 2026. Email her at banhuci@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger:Courts ask Mississippi Legislature for more money to pay judges

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 28, 2026

Office of Courts asks MS Legislature for more money to pay judges

Mississippi's judicial system has amoney problem. Judges, lawyers andSupreme Courtjustices met withMississippi House committee...

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Hannah Berner Goes Full "'Bridgerton' Vixen" in a Blood Red Corset at the AMAs 2026 (Exclusive)

Hannah Bernergiggled her way to theAmerican Music Awardson May 25. The comedian and internet personality doesn't just land jokes; she lands outfits, and she pulled out quite the ensemble for the award show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As Berner exclusively tellsInStyle, she knew she'd have to "go hard with the look to (try to) keep up with her" co-presenterLisa Rinna, so she tapped up-and-coming avant garde designerErik Charlotte. Together, they imagined a custom blood red corset and skirt that was equal parts sexy and dramatic. Berner tried her hand as a glove girl (pun intended), with matching fingerless accents, and added sky-high Charles and Keith stilettos and the perfect amount of bling. While the "Giggly Squad" co-host's outfit gave Regency era, her glam channeled the '90s via a sultry brown smoky eye and soft waves.

Whether it's theSummer Housescreen, aSports Illustratedcover, or the MGM Grand Garden Arena stage, Berner always brings cheeky quips and keeled-over laughter. And, best believe she had her fair share of what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas fun at the ceremony, which she so aptly describes as "a concert buffet of all the hottest artists right now." She did share some of those details, however—from her bougie pre-carpet ritual to her "raging" after-party plans—withInStyle. Read on for Berner's giggle-worthy secrets as she got ready for the AMAs.

Her 2026 AMAs Look

"I've been a fan of Erik Charlotte for a while, and my amazing stylist,Kat Typaldos, was like, 'Shoot her a DM and maybe she'll have time to do a custom look.' I slid in and we immediately started working on it. I loved an outfit she did for Ice Spice last year, so we worked off that and went with a maroon striped pattern with a halter spaghetti strap bra under the corset. I love the final look so much—I feel like aBridgertonvixen."

The Glam

"Kat sent a mood board to help us come up with the overall look. For glam, I worked withMeg Boeson a '90s brown smoky eye and brown lip. It’s moody and fun. For hair,Shelley Gregorydid loose, messy waves with a bunch of hair extensions."

The Bling

"I’m wearing Vogue sunglasses, because every outfit needs to be paired with intimidating shades, and a deep maroon Vera by Verafied bag that matches my nails and shoes perfectly. My Charles and Keith shoes are really high but surprisingly comfortable despite my wide feet. I also wore beautiful thin Pandora earrings and an Ettika ear cuff. Plus, Erik Charlotte used extra fabric to make custom gloves with buttons to make the outfit even more interesting. Am I a glove girl now?"

Her Sense of Style

"I love to have fun with fashion and never take it too seriously. I love playful pieces that look good on my body. I don't like to follow trends."

Why She Loves Red Carpets

"I love the adrenaline of knowing people are about to see either a gorgeous photo or the worst photo you've ever taken. It's like when your friend would post a Facebook album from a party and only edited herself and you just had to pray you came out okay. Was that too millennial?"

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The Bougiest Thing She Does Before a Red Carpet

"Call me a minimalist, but I just get a spray tan and tell myself I look likeCindy Crawford."

Her Getting-Ready Playlist

"Anything Lil Wayne."

Who She's Most Looking Forward to Seeing

"Queen Latifahhosting is going to be iconic, and it's just so cool to be in the room with greatness."

Her Favorite Beauty Products

"I love the It Cosmetics CC cream, Supergoop, Revision Skincare Youthful Lip Replenisher, Maybelline Lifter Liner, Tower28 Lip Jelly, and L'Oréal Telescopic Mascara."

Her Favorite Designers

"I love finding independent designers, like Erik Charlotte. In the past, I've worn Mila Sullivan, Fleur du Mal, Jane Wade, Nicklas Skovgaard, Vossia Kostara, and Contessa Mills. I'm also addicted to vintage finds. Recently, I've worn '90s and 2000s dresses from Carolina Herrera, Robert Cavalli, and Ralph Lauren."

Her Style Icons

"Rihanna,Chloë Sevigny, and my grandpa."

Her After-Party Plans

"I'm bringing my mom, so we may rage, but I'm also known for ordering room service and taking out my hair extensions in the Uber."

How She Unwinds

"A big water with Emergen-C and gossiping with my best friend about everyone I saw and every awkward thing I did."

Read the original article onInStyle

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

May 27, 2026

Hannah Berner Goes Full "'Bridgerton' Vixen" in a Blood Red Corset at the AMAs 2026 (Exclusive)

Hannah Bernergiggled her way to theAmerican Music Awardson May 25. The comedian and internet personality doesn't just land jokes; s...

Read More