Global shares advanced Tuesday following a rally on Wall Street as investors shrugged off concerns about the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus.

France's CAC 40 edged up 0.2% in early trading to 7,155.68, while Germany's DAX added 0.3% to 15,878.65. Britain's FTSE 100 was little changed at 7,372.10. U.S. shares were set for gains, with Dow futures up nearly 0.1% to 26,200.00. S&P 500 futures were little changed, up less than 0.1% at 4,783.25.

The multibillion-dollar world's fair in Dubai has warned that some venues on site may shut down as coronavirus cases rapidly rise in the United Arab Emirates.

Dubai's Expo 2020 said that virus outbreaks among staff may force some parts of the fair to "close temporarily for deep cleaning and sanitization," without elaborating on the scope or the location of the infections.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati said Tuesday that his government's talks with the International Monetary Fund are inching closer to a "final formula" for a draft on an agreement before the end of February.

Najib Mikati said the Cabinet was doing "its homework" ahead of talks with the IMF in mid-January. An IMF delegation will visit Lebanon again in late January or early February to lay out "the final formula for the agreement with them and then we will announce to the Lebanese where we stand," Miqati said.

World markets diverged in thin holiday trade on Monday as fears lingered over the spreading Omicron coronavirus variant.

The highly mutated strain has fuelled a massive increase in cases across the globe, with countries reviving lockdowns, thousands of flights cancelled, and cruise ships returning to port with Covid-infected passengers.

The latest COVID-19 variant is upending holiday plans for tens of thousands of travelers — but it didn't do much damage to holiday shopping.

Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19, as the nation's travel woes extended beyond Christmas, with no clear indication when normal schedules would resume.

The bitter cold of Afghanistan's winter has small children huddled beneath blankets in makeshift camps. Sick babies in hospitals lie wrapped in their mothers' all-enveloping burqas. Long lines at food distribution centers have become overwhelming as Afghanistan sinks deeper into desperate times.

Since the chaotic Aug. 15 Taliban takeover of Kabul, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals.

Bulgarian shoppers are crossing Turkey's western border in packed cars and buses, taking advantage of a declining Turkish lira to fuel their own shopping sprees.

Their first stop is the currency exchange and then it's off to the markets and grocery stores in the northwestern Turkish city of Edirne.

The World Bank said it has agreed with its partners to repurpose $37 million in funds to help Lebanon's public school teachers survive a crushing economic crisis.

Nations around the world are lurching into lockdown, steeling themselves for a brutal surge as the omicron variant spreads like wildfire.

But in Dubai, Donna Sese is bracing for a very different surge: countless restaurant bookings and meter-long drink bills.

The Tokyo Olympics cost $1.8 billion less than anticipated, local organizers said Wednesday, 4 1/2 months after the Games ended.

Organizers said the estimated official costs were $13.6 billion. Officials said part of the reduction was because there were no fans — forced by the pandemic — and therefore vastly reduced labor costs. They also said other outlays were lower than expected.