Facebook said it plans to hire 10,000 workers in the European Union over the next five years to work on a new computing platform that promises to connect people virtually but could raise concerns about privacy and the social platform gaining more control in people's online lives.

The company said in a blog post Sunday that those high-skilled workers will help build "the metaverse," a futuristic notion for connecting online that uses augmented and virtual reality.

World shares were mostly lower on Monday after China reported its economy grew at a meager 4.9% annual pace in July-September.

Germany's DAX declined 0.5% to 15,506.11 and the CAC 40 in Paris gave up 0.8% to 6,676.21. Britain's FTSE 100 lost 0.2% to 7,216.79.

Ford Motor Co. plans to spend up to 230 million pounds ($315 million) to turn a transmission factory in northwest England into a plant that will make electric power units for cars and trucks sold throughout Europe.

The carmaker said Monday that the Halewood plant would begin producing the power units, which replace the engine and transmission used in internal combustion engines, by mid-2024. Capacity is planned to be around 250,000 units a year.

China's central bank said Friday that financial risks from China Evergrande Group's debt problems are "controllable" and unlikely to spill over, amid growing investor concerns that the crisis could ripple through other developers.

Evergrande is the world's most indebted developer, with over $300 billion in liabilities. The company has missed a third round of interest payments on its offshore bonds this week, spooking investors globally and sparking concern that other companies in the sector may also default on payments.

Italy's new national airline, ITA, flew its inaugural flights Friday and unveiled its brand and logo, recycling the red, white and green of its Alitalia origins as it tries to chart a new future for the troubled sector.

ITA, or Italy Air Transport, officially launched after the bankrupt Alitalia landed its final flights Thursday night, ending a 74-year business history that has been marred in recent years by a series of financial crises.

Nippon Steel Corp. is suing Toyota Motor Corp. over a patent for a technology used in electric motors in a rare case of legal wrangling between Japan's top steelmaker and top automaker over intellectual property.

Tokyo-based Nippon Steel filed the lawsuit Thursday in Tokyo District Court, demanding compensation for damages totaling 20 billion yen ($177 million). Also named in the lawsuit is Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., or Baosteel, a Chinese steelmaker that produces and supplies the steel that allegedly violates the patent.

Shares were mostly higher in Europe and Asia on Friday after technology companies powered the biggest rally on Wall Street since March.

Investors have been encouraged by strong earnings reports, as every S&P 500 company that has reported earnings this week has beaten forecasts.

Hong Kong and mainland authorities have seized about $540,000 worth of smuggled Australian lobsters believed to be bound for the mainland, after China restricted imports of the crustacean amid escalating tensions with Australia.

Hong Kong authorities said at a news conference Friday that its customs and Chinese law enforcement agencies confiscated about 5,300 kilograms (11,650 pounds) of lobsters and arrested 13 people.

The Turkish lira hit record lows against the dollar Thursday after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fired senior central bank officials, heightening concerns over the Turkish leader's interference in the bank's activities.

Erdogan dismissed deputy central bank governors Semih Tumen and Ugur Namik Kucuk as well as Abdullah Yavas, a member of the bank's monetary policy committee, according to the Official Gazette. He appointed Taha Cakmak as a deputy governor and Yusuf Tuna as a member of the monetary policy committee.

Drilling by ExxonMobil set for late next month to confirm how much natural gas is contained in a sizable deposit off Cyprus' southwestern coast will map out how the fuel will reach potential markets in Europe and Asia, the island nation's energy minister said on Wednesday.

Minister Natasa Pilides says the "significant" drilling at the 'Glaucus-1' well inside block 10 of Cyprus' exclusive zone scheduled to start in 6-8 weeks will determine if the deposit is at the higher or lower end of its estimated size of 5-8 trillion cubic feet (142-227 billion cubic meters) of natural gas.