Title: Baidu Launches Self-Driving Taxi Service in Beijing

Chinese search engine giant Baidu has received permission to operate fully self-driving taxi services in the Chinese capital, Beijing, as announced on Friday. The company's official statement indicated that "the permit will allow its Apollo service to dispatch ten fully autonomous vehicles to a technology park developed by the Beijing government." Baidu will operate the self-driving taxi services in three Chinese cities, including Wuhan and Chongqing. The Beijing-based company, which earns most of its profits from its popular search engine, has been focusing on self-driving technology in the past five years as part of its diversification efforts.