The Russian stock market opened Thursday for limited trading under heavy restrictions for the first time since Moscow invaded Ukraine, coming almost a month after prices plunged and the market was shut down as a way to insulate the economy.

Trading of a limited number of stocks, including energy giants Gazprom and Rosneft, took place under curbs meant to prevent a repeat of the massive selloff on Feb. 24 that came in anticipation of Western economic sanctions.

The Germany government has announced a package of measures to help cushion the blow of high energy prices for consumers, with fuel subsidies, discounted public transport, tax benefits and additional support for the poorest.

Senior lawmakers unveiled the measures Thursday after lengthy haggling between the three parties that make up the center-left governing coalition.

French automaker Renault moved to pause production at its Moscow plant in an apparent move to fend off mounting criticism, breaking ranks with other major French companies that have defied pressure to keep operating in Russia.

The company's board of directors voted Wednesday night to suspend "activities at the Renault Moscow plant." It came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the company and others in France of aiding Russia's war effort during an emotional virtual address to parliament.

Africa's World Cup playoffs will serve up a Mohamed Salah vs. Sadio Mané sequel as the Liverpool teammates face off on opposite sides again with their countries, this time for a place at soccer's biggest show.

Salah's Egypt will face Mané's Senegal in one of the continent's five decisive World Cup playoffs, with the first leg in Cairo on Friday. The draw for the playoffs was made before the two Liverpool stars met in last month's African Cup of Nations final, which was won by Senegal in a shootout thanks to Mané's winning penalty.

Brazil coach Tite and his players are doing their best to boost Neymar's morale after the striker's recent struggles at Paris Saint-Germain, where he has been booed by his own fans.

Neymar and Argentina great Lionel Messi have both faced heavy criticism in Paris after the team's loss to Real Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League. But ahead of the team's final two World Cup qualifiers, Brazil coach Tite is hoping Neymar can forget about his club's troubles and rediscover his best form. Brazil has already qualified for this year's tournament in Qatar, meaning Neymar won't be facing the same level of scrutiny.

Japan qualified for a seventh straight World Cup by beating Australia 2-0 Thursday and ended the Socceroos' chances of automatic qualification.

The result in Sydney also qualified Saudi Arabia from Group B.

At first glance, the Souq Waqif clinic in the historic center of Doha, the capital of Qatar, could be any other state-of-the-art hospital.

Nurses in blue scrubs move briskly through the bright wards, conducting rounds. Radiology and operating rooms whir with the beeps and blinks of monitors. Specialists squint at X-rays and masked doctors make incisions with all the high-tech tools of modern surgery on hand.

As the war in Ukraine grinds into a second month, President Joe Biden and Western allies are gathering to chart a path to ramp up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin while tending to the economic and security fallout that's spreading across Europe and the world.

Over the course of a half-day Thursday, the European diplomatic capital will host an emergency NATO summit as well as a gathering of the Group of Seven industrialized nations and a summit of the 27 members of the European Union. Biden will attend all three meetings and plans to hold a news conference at the end of the day.

Iran, under sweeping economic sanctions, was hawking weapons on Wednesday at a Qatari defense exhibit, a surprising sight at the major conference also showcasing American companies and fighter jets.

Tucked away in the far left corner of the carpeted convention center, commanders from Iran's defense ministry marketed their missiles and air defense weapons systems. The defense ministry manufactures arms for both Iran's military and its powerful paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard, a group that plays a singular role in the creation and execution of Iran's national security and foreign policy.

Russia's war in Ukraine has killed thousands of people, reduced entire cities to rubble and forced millions to flee their homes. The largest military conflict in Europe since World War II has also upset the international security order and sent dangerous ripples through the global economy.

A look at pivotal moments of the conflict, a month later: