The German government's panel of independent economic advisers on Wednesday slashed its 2022 growth forecast for Europe's biggest economy in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and concern over energy supplies and prices.

The group forecast that Germany's gross domestic product will expand by only 1.8% this year, compared with the 4.6% it predicted in November. It said the economy won't return to its pre-pandemic level until the third quarter.

The number of Ukrainians who have fled the Russian war reached the dramatic new landmark of 4 million people, the United Nations announced Wednesday, as Moscow kept up its attacks — even in places where it had vowed to ease its military operations.

"I do not know if we can still believe the Russians," said Nikolay Nazarov, a young man who fled from Kharkiv with his father in a wheelchair as he crossed the border into Poland.

As millions of people in Shanghai line up for coronavirus tests, authorities are promising tax refunds for shopkeepers in the closed-down metropolis and to keep the world's busiest port functioning to limit disruption to industry and trade.

This week's shutdown of most activity in China's most populous city to contain virus outbreaks jolted global financial markets that already were on edge about Russia's war on Ukraine, higher U.S. interest rates and a Chinese economic slowdown.

Through the enduring howls of outrage over Qatar, Gianni Infantino is not completely isolated from the divisiveness of the looming World Cup.

"I was one of those as well criticizing when I was elected president," the FIFA leader recalled.

Brazil coach Tite complained about playing a World Cup qualifier in the altitude of Bolivian capital La Paz and is now under fire from the host country.

Brazil traveled to Bolivia for a match that had no bearing on the World Cup aspirations of either team — the visitors had already secured their spot in Qatar and the hosts were playing for pride.

Peru beat Paraguay 2-0 on Tuesday in the last round of South American World Cup qualifiers to secure fifth place in the standings and entry to an intercontinental playoff for a spot in Qatar.

Gianluca Lapadula opened the scoring in Lima in the 5th minute and Yoshimar Yotún scored in the 42nd.

Cristiano Ronaldo will get another shot at lifting the World Cup.

Portugal beat North Macedonia 2-0 in a European playoff on Tuesday, securing a fifth World Cup appearance for the leading men's international scorer. It was one of seven spots in soccer's premier tournament decided on the day.

Israeli forces operating in the West Bank on Wednesday arrested five Palestinians allegedly involved in a deadly shooting attack in central Israel, where a Palestinian gunman used an assault rifle to kill five people.

Police identified the shooter as Diaa Hamarsheh, 27, from the Israeli-occupied West Bank village of Yabad. Police shot and killed him late Tuesday, putting an end to the shooting rampage.

Russian forces pounded areas around Kyiv and another Ukrainian city overnight, local officials said Wednesday, just hours after Moscow pledged to scale back military operations in those places. The shelling further tempered optimism about possible progress in talks aimed at ending the punishing war.

Russia did not spell out what exactly a reduction in activity would look like, and while the promise initially raised hopes that a path toward ending the bloody war of attrition was at hand, Ukraine's president and others cautioned that the commitments could merely be bluster.

Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday that Russian forces had bombarded the northern city of Chernigiv despite Moscow's earlier claims that it was "radically" scaling back military activity in the area.

"The enemy has demonstrated its 'decrease in activity' in the Chernigiv region with strikes on Nizhyn, including air strikes. Chernigiv was shelled all night," regional governor Vyacheslav Chaus wrote on social media.