Briefly

ITALY

Gunman shoots three women dead

Three women, including a friend of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, were killed on Sunday when a man pulled out a gun and opened fire at a meeting of residents of an apartment block in Rome. Police arrested a 57-year-old man who had been overpowered by other residents after the shooting in a meeting held at a bar in the Fidene district. The suspect was a local man who had been in a series of disputes with the residents' association, a witness told Rai News. Four other people were wounded in the shooting, with at least one with serious injuries. Meloni said a shooting range from which the suspect had taken the gun used in the attack had been placed under investigation.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Coffee growers get boost with policies

The government of Papua New Guinea will implement some new policies to boost the coffee-growing industry in the Pacific Island country. A statement from the Prime Minister's Office said on Sunday that the government will encourage as many families as possible within the 17 coffee-producing provinces to grow 2,500 trees per family. To encourage farmers' interest in this traditional cash corp, the government will make sure the price of coffee would not drop below 7 kinas ($2) per kilogram beginning next year onward.

PERU

President moves to bring elections forward

New Peruvian President Dina Boluarte announced on Sunday that she would seek to hold elections two years early. "Interpreting the will of the citizens … I have decided to take the initiative to reach an agreement with the Congress of the Republic to advance general elections to the month of April of 2024," Boluarte said in a televised address, noting that a bill on moving the poll forward from 2026 would be submitted in the coming days.

Agencies - Xinhua