"[It would be] considered a strong signal to reinforce the multilateral order and a clear signal towards Africa, as a sign of mutual trust."

That's what one European Union official told CGTN's Toni Waterman in Brussels, as the bloc moves to support Nigerian WTO presidency candidate Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. 

The former Nigerian finance minister is up against current South Korean finance minister Yoo Myung-hee in the final round. 

In the news today, there are quarterly statements from BP, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, and Petra Diamonds – as well as forecasts from some of the world's largest consumer brands. 

We also heard from the Swiss chocolate body Chocosuisse, and the head of French customs, as they look forward to 2021. 

In today's video, we take you on another trip to the Alps. But instead of going up, today we're going down – to discover the secrets hidden beneath the glaciers of the region. They could kill you... or save your life.

Happy reading, 

Patrick Atack

Digital business correspondent 

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Oil major BP made a small profit in the third quarter of 2020, after big losses mounted in the first half of the year due to the global pandemic and deeper issues in the oil production sector. While not as volatile as the Brent crude price, the WTI price graph could reveal one reason behind BP's move back in black. Scroll down to see the chart of the per-barrel dollar price over the year. 

The Swiss chocolate industry is reeling from the knock-on effects to travel and tourism brought on by the pandemic, according to industry body Chocosuisse. In the four months to August sales diminished by 21 percent. At least 70 percent of profits come from exports, but even here Chocosuisse is pessimistic, stating "no recovery is in sight, even longer term." 

U.S. drug maker Pfizer reported a 4.3 percent drop in Q3 sales, despite the pandemic. Fellow pharma giant Eli Lilly said its sales rose 5 percent year-on-year to $5.7 billion, but income actually dropped 4 percent to $1.2 billion.

X5, Russia's largest food and grocery retailer, said it plans to expand its 12 million customer online base "several times over" as it competes with new food delivery apps. Sberbank, Russia's biggest bank, and tech firms like Yandex and Mail.ru have all started to deliver food as the public try to stay away from shops. 

A new survey from Oracle Retail revealed how shoppers' priorities have been changed by the pandemic. Nearly 80 percent of respondents want to see masks being worn by staff, 82 percent demand visible cleaning efforts, and 76 percent want reduced occupancy in stores. Answers came from across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. 

Iconic British engine building firm Rolls-Royce said it is aiming to reduce costs in reaction to the global aviation slowdown. The firm said it will temporarily close at least one factory and cut back on hours and benefits, with an aim of cutting management costs by a third. 

Japanese car maker Nissan said it plans to increase its production capacity in China by 30 percent in 2021, in an effort to take advantage of the world's largest automotive market and to turn the company's financial fortunes around. 

Have you ever reached the end of a mobile phone contract only to learn your handset is "locked" and can't be transferred to a new carrier? Customers in the UK will no longer face the problem (and the long and complicated route to getting a phone "unlocked") after regulator Ofcom banned suppliers from taking the action. 

The head of the French customs service has warned many European businesses may not be ready for Brexit. Isabelle Braun-Lemaire told Reuters that while French customs are ready for customs checks, "that's a reality we think some companies have not taken into account yet."

Food and consumer goods firms Nestle and Unilever are among firms that have said they will focus on smaller and more affordable products as the financial backlash from the pandemic hits customers around the world. "We'll give (affordable products) more emphasis," Nestle CEO Mark Schneider said when releasing the firm's third-quarter tallies. 

Despite a drop in both production and sales numbers, South African firm Petra Diamonds said it increased revenues by more than 30 percent in its first quarter, which it reported today. Although the mining for diamonds in South Africa and Tanzania has slowed to a halt with the pandemic, and consumers are also not buying diamonds at the rate seen before March, a 21 percent hike in diamond prices due to the aforementioned slowdowns has propelled the firm to a quarterly revenue account of $82 million. 

The United Nations said the level of global foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by almost 50 percent in the first half the year, and predicted it could fall by 40 percent for the full 12 months. Across Europe FDI went negative for the first time, and in the U.S. it fell by 61 percent. The drop is caused by the pandemic, which has led multinationals to conserve cash until a recovery is in sight. 

Profits for China's major industrial companies climbed by 10 percent year-on-year to $96.5 billion in September, narrowing 9 percent from August, National Bureau of Statistics data showed. Monthly profits saw growth for the fifth straight month, as business activities continued to recover from the coronavirus-induced slump.

HSBC, the main street bank, said it will flip its business model from interest rate-driven to fee-based business after reporting a 35 percent drop in quarterly profits. As global interest rates remain feeble, and in some cases look to turn negative, HSBC is struggling to balance its loan charges with depositor payments. It could start charging customers for opening a current or checking account. 

CLICK: MICROSCOPIC LIFE EMERGING FROM MELTING ICE COULD SHAPE OUR FUTURE

WATCH: Climate change is melting permafrost and glaciers, presenting threats and opportunities. Swiss scientists studying the layers beneath the receding ice have discovered ancient bacteria, fungi and viruses that could be revived by the warmer temperatures. 

CGTN Europe spoke to Alexandra Brazinova, an epidemiologist at Comenius University in Bratislava, about Slovakia's attempts to test its whole population for COVID-19, and thereby stop any need for a second national lockdown. 

Talk us through how mandatory testing can work... 

It's voluntary to some extent – a person that doesn't get tested has to stay at home for 10 days. Everybody who needs to go to work or needs to do anything else needs to be tested because they need to have the result of the test as a proof with them any time they go somewhere.

Is it just testing, or are there other measures?

We already have a partial lockdown: we can go only to work and then back home. We can walk a child to school, we can go to a park to nature, but we have to wear masks every everywhere, outside and inside.

People are growing weary of COVID-19. How would you judge the mood in Slovakia? 

Of course, there are people that are not happy and that complain about all the restrictions. But I would say the majority understand that the situation is really serious. For two months already we have had increasing numbers of new cases, so people are aware that the situation is really serious – and they're willing to respect all the measures.