Discussions among European Union members about excluding Russia from the Swift international payment system are close to reaching a successful conclusion, a French presidential official said on Saturday.

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Global said on Saturday that it would continue to operate in Russia, reversing a decision announced on Monday that it was leaving that country as well as Kazakhstan.

Italy will support any European Union line on sanctions against Russia in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, including measures on the SWIFT global payment system, Prime Minister Mario Draghi's office said on Saturday.

U.S. curbs on exports to Russia for invading Ukraine look tough at first glance, but exemptions on everything from mobile phones to airplane parts coupled with the difficulty of policing shipments suggest a softer economic blow.

British Airways said it would cancel all short-haul flights from London's Heathrow airport until midday on Saturday as it deals with an IT failure.

Short interest on the New York Stock Exchange rose 4.8 percent in mid-February, the exchange said on Friday.