In addition to Airbnb and Swvl, we also have some updates from a Chinese robotics startup and a rape allegation involving JD founder
Airbnb faces lawsuit in Israel following delisting – Reuters
Lawyers in Israel on Thursday launched a class action lawsuit against Airbnb following its withdrawal of listings in the occupied area of West Bank, accusing the company of discrimination and demanding monetary damages.
Reuters reported that based on court papers presented at the Jerusalem District Court, the class action lawsuit would seek an as yet unspecified sum on behalf of listing owners.
One owner has claimed ILS15,000 (US$2,573) in personal damages.
An Airbnb spokesperson declined to comment on the filing of the lawsuit.
Egypt’s Swvl to enter Southeast Asia following Series B funding round – Dealstreet Asia
Egyptian transportation startup Swvl announced a plan to expand to Southeast Asia following a “tens of millions of dollars” Series B funding round it has recently secured from new and existing investors, Dealstreet Asia reported.
The company plans to launch in Manila in Q1 2019, followed by other cities in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand, with the goal to be in seven “mega cities” in emerging markets by Q4 2019.
Founded in April 2017, the Cairo-based startup is a bus transportation service where passengers reserve their seat and pay their fare through a mobile app.
Passengers will then be directed to the nearest bus station, and its buses are traveling on a fixed route.
Chinese robotics startup Geek+ raises US$150M – TechCrunch
Beijing-based robotics startup Geek Plus (Geek+) announced that it has raised US$150 million in Series B funding round led by Warburg Pincus, TechCrunch reported.
The funding round also included the participation of Volcanics Venture and Vertex Ventures.
It will be used to support product development, sales, and customer service.
Geek+ said that it has delivered more than 5,000 robots across some 100 robotics warehouse projects in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Europe, and the US.
It named companies such as Alibaba’s Tmall and VIP.com as clients.
The funding round is also said to be the largest-ever for a logistics robotics startup.
JD founder’s lawyer criticises Reuters for “one-sided” rape report – South China Morning Post
Jill Brisbois, a US-based lawyer representing JD founder Richard Liu Qiandong on his rape allegation case, has slammed Reuters for its “one-sided” and “inaccurate” report of the case.
“[Reuters] jeopardises the integrity of the investigation and amounts to trying a case in the media before that investigation has concluded, and well before my client has even been charged with a crime,” Brisbois wrote in an email.
She reiterated Liu’s innocence and said that the client will remain silent out of respect for the judicial process.
Reuters did not immediately reply to request for comments.
The post Today’s top tech news, Nov 23: Airbnb faces lawsuit in Israel, Egypt’s Swvl to enter Southeast Asia appeared first on e27.