Uber partners with China's Baidu to deploy self-driving taxis in international markets
The first rollouts are expected in Asia and the Middle East later this year, the companies said.
Baidu's Apollo Go operates a fleet of over 1,000 fully driverless vehicles globally, with its presence spanning 15 cities, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. As of May, Apollo Go had completed more than 11 million rides.
The partnership is the latest in a series of alliances by Uber in recent months, as the ride-hailing company intensifies efforts to compete with rivals such as Lyft (LYFT.O), opens new tab in the robotaxi market.
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Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
US auto safety nominee calls for active oversight of self-driving cars
WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's nominee to head the nation's auto safety regulator will argue on Wednesday that the agency must actively oversee self-driving vehicle technology, a potential sign of a tougher approach than some critics expected. Jonathan Morrison, chief counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the first Trump administration, will testify to the U.S. Senate that autonomous vehicles offer potential benefits but also unique risks. "NHTSA cannot sit back and wait for problems to arise with such developing technologies, but must demonstrate strong leadership," Morrison said in written testimony seen by Reuters. The comments suggested NHTSA will continue to closely scrutinize self-driving vehicles. Some critics of the technology had expressed alarm over NHTSA staff cuts this year under a cost-cutting campaign led by Elon Musk, who was a close adviser to Trump and is CEO of self-driving automaker Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab. The Musk-Trump alliance prompted some critics to speculate that NHTSA would go easy on self-driving vehicle developers. But the relationship began to unravel in late May over Trump's spending plans, and the two are now locked in a feud. NHTSA said last month it was seeking information from Tesla about social media videos of robotaxis and self-driving cars Tesla was testing in Austin, Texas. The videos were alleged to show one of the vehicles using the wrong lane and another speeding. Since October, NHTSA has been investigating 2.4 million Tesla vehicles with full self-driving technology after four reported collisions, including a 2023 fatal crash. "The technical and policy challenges surrounding these new technologies must be addressed," Morrison's testimony said. "Failure to do so will result in products that the public will not accept and the agency will not tolerate." Other companies in the self-driving sector also were subjects of NHTSA investigations including Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Waymo, which last year faced reports its robotaxis may have broken traffic laws. Waymo in May recalled 1,200 self-driving vehicles, and the probe remains open. Regulatory scrutiny increased after 2023 when a pedestrian was seriously injured by a GM (GM.N), opens new tab Cruise self-driving car. The first recorded death of a pedestrian related to self-driving technology was in 2018 in Tempe, Arizona.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia news live: Australia-China relations have recovered from low point, says Li
Update: Date: 2025-07-15T20:39:23.000Z Title: China hails Albanese's 'personal efforts' to restore ties Content: Relations between China and Australia reached a 'low point' but are back on track under Anthony Albanese's leadership, the Chinese premier, Li Qiang, said last night after the pair met in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. China's premier congratulated Albanese on his re-election, Australian Associated Press reports, and for his 'personal efforts' to stabilise the China-Australia relationship, which soured under the former Liberal government during the Covid pandemic. 'China-Australia relations have moved beyond a low point and returned to the right track of stability and development,' Li said. Since the pair last met in October last year 'a lot has happened in the world', Li said, and there was growing instability and uncertainty in the global economy. 'The development of all countries is faced with new challenges. Given such circumstances, China and Australia as important trade partners, should strengthen dialogue and cooperation,' he said. Albanese said he looked forward to the two nations exploring new opportunities in trade, climate change, tourism and culture. 'We'll also have an opportunity to have a frank and open dialogue that enables us to navigate issues that need to be discussed,' he said. For more on Albanese's visit and his meeting with Xi Jinping yesterday, check out Tom McIlroy's report here: Update: Date: 2025-07-15T20:37:10.000Z Title: Welcome Content: Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I'm Martin Farrer with the stories making the news this morning and then it'll be Nick Visser to take the controls. China's premier, Li Qiang, last night hailed Anthony Albanese for his 'personal efforts' to stabilise the China-Australia relationship, which went south under Scott Morrison's leadership and the Covid pandemic. After a meeting in the Great Hall of the People wrapped up a busy day of diplomacy for Albanese, Li said relations had 'moved beyond a low point'. More coming up. As Albanese continues with his diplomatic offensive in China, the shadow defence minister, Angus Taylor, told ABC's 7.30 that he believes the prime minister should be making more progress on shoring up Australia's relations with the US. Taylor said the reset of relations with Washington should include a deal to protect Taiwan – despite the problems that it might pose with China. More coming up.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Trump claims tariff deal with Indonesia
US President Donald Trump said he has settled on another tariff deal - this time with said he had agreed to lower tariffs he had threatened on goods entering the US from Indonesia country to 19%, in exchange for what he called "full access" for American firms. Terms of the deal were not immediately confirmed by the southeast Asian country, which boasts a small but growing trade relationship with the US. The pact is the latest to emerge after the White House unveiled a barrage of tariffs this spring, kicking off a flurry of trade talks over the duties. After suspending his most aggressive tariff plans from earlier this year, Trump this month renewed his threats, sending warning letters to dozens of countries that he intended to start charging high tariffs from 1 August. His targets included all of America's biggest trade partners, including the European Union, Canada, Mexico, Japan and South Korea. Indonesia also received a letter from Trump last week outlining plans for a 32% tariff on its goods, reportedly bewildering officials who had thought a deal was close. Trump said on Tuesday he had reduced that rate after a phone call with the president of Indonesia. He said as part of the deal, Indonesia had agreed to lower its trade tariffs for products from the US."They are going to pay 19% and we are going to pay nothing ... we will have full access into Indonesia," he said in remarks to reporters. The country has also agreed to purchase $15bn worth in US energy, $4.5bn in American agricultural products and 50 Boeing jets, he later wrote on social figures are lower than those outlined in a trade deal Reuters had reported earlier this month was expected to be signed. As well as Indonesia, the administration has announced agreements with just the UK, China and Vietnam. In all three of those cases, the deals left high US tariffs in place while key issues and terms went unconfirmed or unresolved. Everett Eissenstat, a partner at Squire Patton Boggs whose served as an economic adviser during the first Trump administration, said he expected the White House to unveil more deals in the coming weeks, while noting that many countries appeared to have lowered their expectations of what they hope to pointed to recent comments on Tuesday by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, which raised the possibility that the country might accept tariffs at levels once considered unthinkable."The tone is changing a lot," he said.
