Bloomberg Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte extended the ban on UK flights by two weeks and said he’s open to reinstating tighter movement curbs if coronavirus infections spike. Returning to some form of a lockdown “is a possibility if the severity in numbers will demand that we take corrective measures immediately,” the president said at a meeting of the task force …

Bloomberg Air travel from Britain to France resumed, though eligibility restrictions and a new Covid-19 testing requirement limited the number of people able to board. A British Airways flight to Paris departed at 9:24 am from London Heathrow, followed by one to Nice, according to the airport’s website. Both were delayed, and an earlier Air France departure was canceled, reflecting …

Bloomberg US holiday season sales beat low expectations for the pandemic year as online shopping surged. Total retail sales grew 3% over the extended 75-day holiday period, versus a forecast of 2.4%, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks online and in-store retail sales across all payment methods. The number is far better than the 3.5% drop recorded during 2008, the …