
China stepped up its economic recovery in the third quarter from the coronavirus shock but missed forecasts, pointing to continued challenges for one of the few drivers of global growth this year.

Currently, the drug dexamethasone is still the only therapeutic shown to be effective against the novel coronavirus for severe patients, the chief of the World Health Organization said Friday.

Brazilian iron ore exports increased by 18.5% in September compared to the same period last year, to 37.86 million tons, after Vale increased the pace of production. The volume shipped last month is the biggest since December 2015, when Brazil exported a monthly record of 39.5 million tons, according to the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services.

Ratings agency Moody’s cut the United Kingdom’s debt rating on Friday over the huge economic hit from the coronavirus crisis, Brexit and the lack of clear budget plans from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government.

Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean must continue to ratchet up stimulus to beat back the devastating economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the UN agency ECLAC said in a report issued this week.

Starting from next year, Switzerland will not allow the export of five hazardous plant protection products already banned in the European country. The Swiss government approved the amendment to the law on chemical substances this week as part of measures to reduce risks associated with toxic chemicals. It added that the move is intended to help protect health and the environment in importing countries, particularly in the developing world.

Dutch health authorities said on Thursday they had found the first infection with the West Nile virus to have originated from the Netherlands last week. The patient is a man who had not been abroad recently, the National Institute for Public Health said.

Hospitals in the Netherlands on Thursday said they would ask their German counterparts to take patients after the number of those hospitalized with the coronavirus doubled in the past week, to 1,526.

The risk of exposure to the coronavirus on flights is very low, a US Department of Defense study released on Thursday found, a positive sign for the airline industry as it tries to rebound from the pandemic's crushing effect on travel.

The negotiations between Britain and the European Union over their future relationship are lurching toward a crisis after European Union leaders told Boris Johnson he must make concessions only hours before the prime minister is due to decide whether to walk away.