There is "no sensible alternative" to Russian gas to meet Europe's energy needs, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Friday.

Many people acted as if there plenty of other sources from which Europe could draw its gas, but this is not the case, Gabriel told a energy forum organised by the local daily Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung on Thursday.

Spain reported Friday its first fall in consumer prices in more than four years, feeding fears that the eurozone could fall into the grip of a deflationary spiral.

Consumer prices fell at annual rate of 0.2 percent in March after crawling 0.1-percent higher the previous month, the National Statistics Office said in a preliminary report that surprised market analysts.

French gas group GDF Suez revealed on Friday a giant deal, the first of its kind, to ship liquefied natural gas from the United States to supply Taiwan.

The contract, of undisclosed value, will include natural gas from shale production, and is a sign of huge changes in global energy markets driven largely by the shale energy revolution in North America.

Jean-Romain Beltinor plunged a hoe into the rocky dirt on his parched hillside to prepare for planting seeds he does not have.

After months of drought in northwest Haiti, the subsistence farmer struggles to find food for his 13 children. To earn a little money, he must turn to work that only makes things worse, cutting what little wood remains for charcoal.

The International Monetary Fund announced on Thursday a $14-$18 billion bailout for Ukraine to avert bankruptcy for the crisis-hit country amid its escalating standoff with Russia.

The agreement in principle, worth the equivalent of 10.8-13.1 billion euros, is tied to tough reform conditions which will have a big impact on the Ukrainian economy and people.

Air passengers in Germany faced delays, disruption and hundreds of flight cancellations across the country Thursday as ground staff, baggage handlers and maintenance workers walked out over pay.

Lufthansa, Germany's biggest airline and hardest hit by the strike, on Wednesday announced that it would cancel around 600 of its European and domestic flights until 2:00 pm (1300 GMT).

A major Chinese tour operator is breaking ties and canceling bookings with Malaysia Airlines while another is seeing country reservations drop as travelers grow wary after Flight MH370's disappearance, state media reported Thursday.

China Youth Travel Service said it will suspend new bookings with the airline and change currently booked itineraries that include the carrier to alternative firms, the state-run China Daily newspaper said, quoting a statement by the agency which was founded by the Youth League of the ruling Communist Party.

The Russian economy could shrink by up to 1.8 percent this year because of the effects of the crisis in Ukraine, the World Bank estimated on Wednesday.

The World Bank said that if the impact of the crisis turned out to be low because it was resolved in "a peaceful fashion", the economy could grow by 1.1 percent this year.

Consumer confidence in Germany appears to be steady after rising sharply in recent months, a new poll found on Wednesday.

"Consumer sentiment remains at a very good level, but lacks a clear direction," market research company GfK said in a statement.

China and France are expected to sign scores of business deals on the first full day of President Xi Jinping's state visit Wednesday after he was wined and dined in the gastronomic capital of Lyon.

France lags behind some European neighbors, most markedly Germany, in trade and investment links with China but has worked hard to catch up and accords in the aviation, nuclear, space, agriculture and urban development sectors are expected to be unveiled.