Chinaccelerator Daily Digest 11/27

Overseas:

1. Google just spent $1 billion to buy property near its Silicon Valley headquarters

2. Fearful of bias, Google blocks gender-based pronouns from new AI tool

3. Japan’s Line ties up with Tencent, Mizuho; shares jump

4. WPP combines famous JWT ad agency with digital arm Wunderman

5. Apple launches app development program for female entrepreneurs

6. GM plans to cut more than 14,000 jobs, close factories as downturn looms

7. Amazon closes its restaurant delivery service in London

8. Amazon launches a cloud-based robotics testing platform

9. Facebook’s Watch (YouTube competitor) is pivoting to older audiences as teens tune out and publishers balk

10. Online shoppers are expected to spend $7.8 billion Cyber Monday

11. Enterprise messaging startup Eko Communications raises $20M for its European expansion

12. Corvus Insurance lands a fresh $10 million to turn sensor data into actionable info for its food and pharma customers

13. AR company Banuba raises $7M to supercharge any app or device with the ability to really see you

China:

1. WeChat e-wallet teams up with Line to target Japan’s 7M Chinese tourists

2. Popular Chinese news app Jinri Toutiao offers rewards to stories that quash rumours amid government campaign to ‘clean up’ online content

Cross-border:

Lime launches electric-assist bikes in its first UK city

Blockchain:

Coinbase and others invest $12.75M in project to create ‘digital security offerings’

Emerging Market:

1. Cocoon Capital launches new US$20M fund for Southeast Asian startups

2. SME-focussed cloud provider Deskera secures US$60M from multiple investors

3. Singapore’s Ark raises US$40M to expand its non-invasive cancer detection technologies in Asia

4. Indonesia’s SMDV leads US$20M funding round for Thai SaaS platform Eko

Cover picture credits from Financial Times.