Staff picks: 9 top news stories this week on Tech in Asia

As ever, this was a week of crazy news. Here are our picks for the top stories this week:

Gwen’s pick: Alibaba invests $50 million in US-based app search engine Quixey

Yes, Chinese companies are playing big in the US.

Terence and Phoebe’s pick: Kyoto University launches new $60 million fund to invest in Asian startups

Terence: More moolah for startups. What can be better than that? Of course, to get funded, startups must have some ties to Kyoto University. A good option to consider if you’re expanding to the Japanese market.

Phoebe: Indeed, ditto to my colleague Terence. Institutions being willing to shed out some cash for a good startup in the region is always promising. I wish we could see more funding in Asian countries that both deserve and need it like the Philippines, though.

Paul’s pick: Shanghai’s new free trade zone bans online gaming, internet cafes, and media businesses

China is playing take-backs with what many hoped would be a new oasis of free trade and opening up. Is this an attempt to keep China’s internet “pure” or does China just want the FTZ to be used for other types of investment?

Saiyai’s pick: Huawei is quietly taking over the world, minus the US

Huawei is definitely on a path to conquer the world. Earlier this year, I reported on how it came to Thailand and planned to have a flagship store in the heart of Bangkok. It’s nice to see a new brand entering the consumer phone market. Plus, Huawei has been in the industry for a long time. Apple and Samsung might have to start watching their backs.

Steven’s pick: GREE offers voluntary retirement to 11% of workforce, shuts Osaka office

Japanese social gaming juggernaut GREE is losing momentum and beginning to struggle. People still love social gaming, but they’re doing it within Line or KakaoTalk or Apple’s Game Center. That leaves GREE with an increasingly empty platform.

Minh’s pick: India’s Zoom gets extra $1 million seed funding to accelerate car rental business