Briefly

GUYANA

Dorm fire deliberately set by student: Official

Investigators in Guyana believe a fire that killed 19 mostly girls trapped in a school dormitory was deliberately set by a student who was upset that her mobile phone was confiscated, a top official said on Tuesday. The suspect, who is among several injured people in the fire late on Sunday, had been disciplined by the dorm administrator for having an affair with an older man, National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia said. The student allegedly threatened to torch the dorm and later set fire to a bathroom area. The fire raced through the wood, concrete and iron-grilled building after it had been locked for the night by the dorm administrator to prevent the girls from sneaking out.

UNITED STATES

Typhoon Mawar pounds Guam with strong winds

Typhoon Mawar roared over the US territory of Guam on Wednesday, bringing destructive winds to the Pacific military outpost. The eye of the storm passed just north of the island, its governor said, after forecasters had warned that winds of up to 225 kilometers per hour could cause major damage. Local authorities earlier issued evacuation orders and opened temporary shelters. Warnings of extreme winds and flash floods have been issued for Guam, with the Office of Civil Defense cautioning that "widespread destructive winds of 115 to 140 mph" were moving over northern areas of the island.

AUSTRALIA

95-year-old woman tasered by police dies

A 95-year-old great-grandmother died Wednesday a week after being tasered by an Australian police officer inside her nursing home, police said. Clare Nowland had been in critical condition in hospital since being shot with an electronic stun gun on May 17 in a confrontation that shocked Australians and made international headlines. Nowland passed away "peacefully" in hospital surrounded by family and loved ones, police said. Just hours earlier, a 33-year-old senior constable was charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault over the tasering.

Agencies - Xinhua