Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs. Canada police accused of poor communication during Nova Scotia mass shooting

Canadian police faced mounting criticism on Wednesday for using social media and not a provincial emergency alert system to notify the public that a gunman was at large for some 13 hours after he murdered the first of his 22 victims over the weekend. During the worst mass shooting in the country's history, the Nova Scotia provincial detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) sent a series of tweets to about 90,000 followers warning that there was an active shooter in the area. Trump tells Navy to destroy Iranian gunboats if they 'harass' American ships

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had instructed the U.S. Navy to fire on any Iranian ships that harass it at sea, a week after 11 vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came dangerously close to American ships in the Gulf. Close interactions with Iranian military vessels were not uncommon in 2016 and 2017. On several occasions, U.S. Navy ships fired warning shots at Iranian vessels when they got too close. Trump to sign executive order on immigration on Wednesday

U.S. President Donald Trump, said in a tweet he would sign an executive order later on Wednesday "prohibiting immigration" that he has said would protect U.S. workers amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. As of late Tuesday, some questions remained unanswered as the Trump administration continued to work on the order, which the Republican president has said would temporarily suspend immigration to the United States. Trump, Qatari leader agree Taliban need to reduce violence in Afghanistan, White House says

U.S. President Donald Trump and Qatari leader Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani agreed in a phone call on Wednesday on the importance of the Taliban reducing violence in Afghanistan, the White House said in a statement. The two leaders also agreed on the importance of continuing discussions on prisoner releases in Afghanistan, the statement said. Egypt amends emergency laws amid coronavirus outbreak

Egypt's parliament approved on Wednesday amendments to the country's emergency laws that give expanded powers to the presidency and the military prosecution as authorities try to counter the new coronavirus outbreak. The amendments allow the state to take and enforce a series of measures, some of which have already been deployed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Special Report: Peruvian coca farmers to Paris pushers, coronavirus upends global narcotics trade

Countries around the world have spent billions of dollars bailing out businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Peru's coca farmers, who grow the bushy plant used to make cocaine, say they want help, too. Prices for coca leaves sold to drug gangs have slumped 70% since Peru went on lockdown last month, according to Julián Pérez Mallqui, the head of a local growers' organization. He said his members cater to Peru's tightly regulated legal coca market, but acknowledged some growers sell on the black market. Peruvian officials say more than 90% of the country's coca crop goes to traffickers who are now struggling to move product. Clashes across Afghanistan kill dozens of security force members, militants

Clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban militants killed dozens nationwide over the past 24 hours, authorities said on Wednesday, even as the United States tries to broker peace talks between the warring sides. Eight security force members were killed in a Taliban attack on a checkpoint at the Mes Aynak Copper Mine in eastern Logar province on Tuesday evening, Abdul Qadeer Mutfi, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Mine and Petroleum Ministry, said in a tweet. Iran says it puts first military satellite into orbit, triggers U.S. condemnation

Iran said on Wednesday it successfully launched the country's first military satellite into orbit, triggering protests from the United States and stoking already high tensions over Tehran's nuclear and missile programs. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps said the satellite "Noor", or "Light", was orbiting 425 km (264 miles) above the earth's surface. WHO chief urges U.S. to reconsider funding, says 'virus will be with us for a long time'

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that he hoped the Trump administration would reconsider its suspension of funding, but that his main focus was on ending the pandemic and saving lives. There were "worrying upward trends" in early epidemics in parts of Africa and central and South America, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. UK to test prevalence of COVID-19 in general population

Britain's government plans to test a sample of 20,000 English households for COVID-19 in the coming weeks to try to establish how far the disease has spread across the country. Health minister Matt Hancock - who has faced criticism over limited testing facilities for some health and social care workers - said on Thursday the research would help the government understand the trajectory of the disease better.