Spain's economy grew at a steady pace in the first quarter, official figures showed Friday, as the country continues to recover from a damaging crisis marked by sky-high unemployment.

Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.8 percent between January and March from the previous three months, slightly higher than the last quarter's 0.7 percent growth, according to preliminary figures from the national statistics institute INE.

Calls have been growing on social media for Saudi Arabia's jobless to protest on Sunday, after a similar appeal before the government restored benefits to civil servants last weekend.

Europe needs its own European monetary fund that could replace the Washington-based IMF in any future bailouts in the eurozone, Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Thursday.

Dijsselbloem, who is also Dutch finance minister, gave the European Parliament his strongest backing yet to the idea amid an ongoing row between the eurozone and IMF over the level of debt relief needed by Greece in its current bailout.

Australia will enforce export restrictions on major gas producers, the prime minister said Thursday, to shore up domestic supply as a growing energy crisis sees power prices rise and blackouts more common.

NAFTA partners Mexico, Canada and the United States plan to swiftly renegotiate their free trade deal, the White House announced Wednesday.

The Trump administration is poised to unveil its long-awaited tax reform plan Wednesday that will slash corporate taxes to 15 percent, in the "biggest tax cut" in U.S. history.

Ukraine's prime minister lashed out Wednesday at the security service for conducting a surprise search at the headquarters of the country's largest investment bank.

Deutsche Bank could move up to 4,000 jobs away from Britain, the group's compliance chief said Wednesday, as Germany's largest lender struggles to work out the consequences of Brexit.

Germany expects Greece's international creditors to agree soon to unlock billions of euros in crucial bailout loans, a senior finance ministry official said.

European businesses and households enjoyed easier access to credit in the first quarter of 2017, the European Central Bank said Tuesday, reversing tighter lending conditions seen at the end of last year.

A loosening of the standards banks use to judge creditworthiness "continued across all loan categories" as banks compete for borrowers' business, the ECB said in a press release.