Walmart’s online grocery delivery partnerships with ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft have ended, according to two sources, a potential setback for the retailer’s ambitions to challenge Amazon.com head-on with speedy delivery of groceries to people’s homes.

The end of the Walmart partnerships, which has not been previously reported and was confirmed by Walmart and Uber, undercuts a vision the ride-hailing companies laid out: a service that can efficiently deliver anything on-demand,

including people and cargo, at the touch of a smartphone app.

“It is incredibly hard to deliver people and packages together,” said a source with a delivery company that works with Walmart and has direct knowledge of the matter. “They are two completely different business models.”

The decision marks an abrupt end to a business relationship that Walmart and Uber announced with much fanfare less than two years ago. At Walmart’s shareholders meeting in June 2016, CEO Doug McMillon touted the company’s investments in technology and spoke about the partnerships in front of a cheering crowd of 14,000 employees.

Soon after, Uber’s grocery delivery service was launched and expanded to four markets. As recently as March, just before Uber ended the arrangement, Walmart said Uber would be a partner in its plans to deliver groceries to more than 40 percent of the country.

“There was clearly some lack of communication there,” said one of the sources with knowledge of the partnerships ending.

Walmart spokeswoman Molly Blakeman confirmed the end of the tie-ups when asked by Reuters, but did not detail the reasons behind the decision. She said Walmart will use other delivery service providers in the four markets where it had previously used Uber.

“Customers shouldn’t notice any difference as the transition takes place,” said Blakeman, who added that the partnership with Lyft never expanded beyond the initial test market of Denver.

Blakeman said the end of the partnerships will not impact Walmart’s plans to scale grocery delivery as they are not tied to any single provider.

Uber put a stop to the grocery partnership when it informed Walmart in March that it would cease delivery operations on June 30, Uber spokeswoman Ellen Cohn told Reuters. The retailer was Uber’s largest partner for its ‘Rush’ service, which delivered groceries as well as clothes, flowers and other goods.

Uber will shutter the entire Rush program at the end of next month. “We are coordinating with Walmart to make this change as seamless as possible,” Cohn said.

Lyft declined comment and deferred to Walmart on the issue.

For Walmart, which is the country’s largest grocer and gets 56 percent revenue from groceries, the partnerships offered a fast solution to expand its online grocery offerings and improve overall revenue from internet shoppers.

For example, Walmart delivers groceries in China through a partnership with ecommerce company JD.com Inc, and in Japan through an alliance with Rakuten.

But the retailer was recently punished for its fourth-quarter online sales performance, which investors say is key to the company’s future.

Last-mile competition

Last-mile delivery of packages is an intensely competitive business, with companies ranging from Amazon to United Parcel Services Inc, FedEx Corp and the U.S. Postal service, as well as startups like Instacart and Deliv, vying for a share.

Since the dot-com boom, companies have tried to crack the business model for online grocery delivery. The rush to solve the technological and logistical challenges has gotten even more frenzied since Amazon acquired high-end grocery chain Whole Foods Market Inc for $13.7 billion last year, a deal that has intensified competition in the sector.

Former Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick touted the idea of carrying a person in the backseat and a bag of groceries in the trunk as the ultimate cash-generating transportation service in a smart-phone era.

The delivery service marked the first time Uber publicly committed to a business outside of ride-hailing that was supposed to be meaningful to its bottom line and support its stratospheric valuation, although the private company never offered exact dollar projections.

But startup investors and experts in on-demand delivery say there is a much different set of logistical and economic challenges for moving around cargo than people, requiring a single company to be proficient in two distinct business models.

Uber’s Cohn said Rush was “an experiment” and the company has turned its focus and resources to UberEats, a restaurant delivery service that in the fourth quarter last year generated $1.1 billion, or about 10 percent of Uber’s overall revenue.

New partners

Walmart has added startups Deliv, Postmates and DoorDash to its list of delivery partners. These companies have the singular business of delivering goods, not people, and drivers have more experience safely transporting perishables.

It remains unclear if these startups will step in and replace Uber in the various markets they served.

A particular challenge for companies such as Postmates, however, will be offering rush delivery in suburban and rural areas, where most Walmart stores are located. Such startups have been most successful in urban centers, where there is a high density of customers and couriers can use bicycles or walk to deliver multiple packages in one trip.

“Density has been a challenge historically for all types of delivery companies, all the way back to the Pony Express,” said Ben Narasin, a partner at venture capitalist firm NEA who has been critical of the on-demand delivery business model. “The reality is that the far-away drives will likely be subsidized.”
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The worst drought in living memory has hit vineyards in South Africa’s Western Cape hard, reducing grape harvests and adding to pressure on the region’s centuries-old wine industry, officials said on Tuesday.

In its latest wine harvest report, industry body Vinpro said South Africa’s wine-grape production was down 15 percent from last year, and would lead to a production shortfall of 170 million liters of wine and prices rising as much as 11 percent.

South Africa’s wine sector, which dates back to the arrival of the first European settlers in the 1650s, employs 300,000 people directly and indirectly and contributed about $3 billion to the economy in 2015, according to an industry study.

The government has declared the drought a disaster in the Western Cape, the country’s main wine-producing region around the tourist city of Cape Town. Besides vineyards, it has decimated wheat crops and cut apple, grape and pear exports, most of which go to Europe.

Vinpro managing director Rico Basson said more than a third of vineyards were operating at a loss and overall numbers were shrinking as farmers uprooted vines to make way for more profitable fruit crops or simply failed to replace old vines.

Over the last decade, the amount of land used for growing grapes had shrunk by 9 percent, he said.

The problems in South Africa mirror those in other wine-growing countries and are likely to fuel concerns about changes in weather patterns as a result of global warming.

Globally, wine output fell to its lowest in 60 years last year due to unfavorable weather, especially in Europe, according to the international wine organization OIV.

In April, the OIV said South Africa, the world’s eighth largest producer, had produced 1.1 billion liters of wine in 2017, a 3 percent increase on the previous year.

The Western Cape’s historic vineyards, nestled in mountains to the east of Cape Town, are a major draw for tourists, with tens of thousands of overseas visitors enjoying tours and tastings every year.
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Former President Robert Mugabe will not appear before Zimbabwe’s parliament as scheduled on Wednesday to answer questions on diamond mining operations, a legislator said.

Temba Mliswa, who leads the parliamentary committee on mines, said the clerk of parliament hadn’t written to Mugabe to invite him to appear.

“It has been delayed but that resolution still stands,” Mliswa said. “He will have to appear before the committee whether he likes it or not.”

The committee had ordered the 94-year-old Mugabe to face legislators over his previous pronouncements that the state had been deprived of at least $15 billion in diamond revenue by mining companies.

Mugabe said in March 2016 the country was robbed of the revenue by diamond companies, including joint ventures between Chinese companies and the army, police and intelligence services, whose operations were shielded from public scrutiny.

Specifically, he said Zimbabwe lost $15 billion from the Marange gem fields, more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital. He later expelled the companies and replaced them with a state-owned diamond company.

Mliswa said a new date for Mugabe to testify would be set.

The questioning on Wednesday would have been Mugabe’s first public appearance since the army deposed him last November in a de facto coup.
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You’ve seen it among a group of friends, the inflated and often irritating “humblebrag.”

Maybe it was even you who did it.

Wanting to seem more important or smarter or wealthier or something, whatever, you blurted out how messy your hair looks as you pull off a Taylor Swift-worthy hair toss of your beautiful, long locks. Or you utter something about how irritating the traffic was Friday as you drove your new Porsche Panamera to your parents’ country house.

Or how you can’t believe you got 1580 on your SATs, especially when you didn’t have time to study because you were volunteering at a homeless shelter.

According to new research, the fake “humblebrag” will boomerang.

“Humblebragging, in fact, does not create more favorable impressions than either bragging or complaining,” according to a study authored by Ovul Sezer recently published in Harvard Business Review.

Because sincerity, the researchers said, is more highly valued than competence or success.

How it’s done

There are two types of humblebragging, explained Sezer, who now teaches at University of North Carolina. One is based in complaining and one tries to feign humility.

“It’s like, ‘Oh my god, I’m so exhausted by all these dating requests, like, everyone just asks me out constantly, even in the grocery store,’” Sezer uses as an example. “Or, ‘I’m so tired of being the one my boss trusts in this company.’

“That’s very annoying to hear,” said Sezer.

The humility-based brag tries to make yourself look humble, but not really. Like saying you can’t believe you got into all your dream schools after being at the top of your class all through high school.

Sezer argues that the humility-based humblebrag is often more subtle and less annoying to peers than the complaint-based humblebrag. But either one is likely to repel rather than attract others.

“Research suggests that sincerity is desirable and is seen as particularly fundamental to people’s identity,” she and Harvard co-authors Francesca Gino and Michael I. Norton wrote.

For example, “It lowkey sucks being attractive because then if people don’t like you you know it’s your personality,” reddit user alg0e wrote.

According to Sezer, “The reason why humblebragging fails to pay off, and it’s even worse than just straightforward bragging, is because it comes across as very fake.”

Becoming widespread

With social media, humblebragging has become more visible and maybe even more acceptable.

“With the digitalization of the world, it became more common everywhere. Now when I go to my Instagram feed or I check my Facebook and Twitter, I know that I will see a humblebrag on that day,” she told VOA. “There is something happening that people will be putting on their profiles, and that makes it seem like it’s okay.”

There are ways that you can be proud of your accomplishments and talk about them without bragging or humblebragging.

“I really think the best way to let others know about your accomplishments is really to get a wingman,” she said, describing someone who will promote and boast for you. “If you [are talking] to someone and they say, ‘Oh, he is amazing!’ or ‘She is just wonderful,’ it’s such a powerful way of knowing about someone’s accomplishments because it’s coming from somebody else, so I would highly recommend that.

 “Because imagine, if it’s coming from someone else, it’s just like, more beautiful,” she said.

“If there’s no wingman for you, I would say still avoid the humblebrag,” Sezer said. “Because sincerity is very important in life. We really care about whether the people we interact with are being sincere or not.”
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As the United States considers ramping up trade tariffs and other actions in response to China’s economic policies, tensions in another area heated up in recent days: How airlines should refer to Taiwan.

The White House released a statement over the weekend criticizing China for demanding international air carriers not refer to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as countries. Airlines recently reported they had been asked to remove references on their websites that suggest the three are countries independent from China.

China classifies Macau and Hong Kong as “special administrative regions,” and calls Taiwan a renegade province. 

The White House called China’s demand “Orwellian nonsense” and said it is “part of a growing trend by the Chinese Communist Party to impose its political views on American citizens and private companies.” 

China rejected the White House criticism.

“Foreign enterprises operating in China should respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, abide by China’s law and respect the national sentiment of the Chinese people,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Sunday.

The White House statement came as the U.S. trade delegation headed by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin returned from China following a two-day meeting with Chinese counterparts aimed at avoiding a possible trade war.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that members of the delegation briefed the president Monday morning and the talks will continue in Washington next week.

“The president has a great relationship with President Xi, and we’re working on something that we think will be great for everybody,” Sanders said, adding, “China’s top economic adviser, the Vice Premier [Liu He] will be coming here next week to continue the discussions with the president’s economic team.”

Trump has threatened to levy new tariffs on up to $150 billion of Chinese imports while Beijing shot back with a list of $50 billion in targeted U.S. goods.

New pressure on Taiwan

Last month, Chinese Civil Aviation Administration sent letters to 36 foreign airlines, including a number of American carriers, and demanded they remove references on their websites or in other material that suggests Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are independent territories from China.

Hong Kong and Macau, former British and Portuguese colonies respectively, are now “special administrative regions” of China that maintain separate administrative and judicial systems from the rest of the country.

Taiwan, however, has been self-ruled since the 1949 civil war and has been deemed by Beijing a renegade province.

“We call on all businesses to resist #China’s efforts to mischaracterize #Taiwan,” tweeted Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Sunday.

Earlier this year, Delta Air Lines issued a formal apology to China for referring to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet as countries on its website.

Richard Bush, co-director for Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution and former chairman of American Institute in Taiwan, says Taiwan’s legal and political status is an issue for countries, but not companies.

“It should not be an issue between the Chinese government and American companies or any companies for that matter,” he contended.

Bush pointed out China has been taking a number of steps to intimidate and pressure Taiwan, and it is appropriate for the United States government to push back.

“This is an effort to, in effect, change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, so it is something the United State government should oppose,” he said, adding, “I’m not sure bringing George Orwell or talking about political correctness are the precise terms I would use.”

The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in the 1979 U.S.-P.R.C. Joint Communique, in which the United States recognized the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. As part of that agreement, Washington acknowledged the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.

However, U.S. lawmakers have continued to lobby to support Taiwan, and the United States still sells hundreds of millions of dollars of weapons to Taiwan, despite China’s objections. In March, President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that encourages high-level exchanges of officials with Taiwan.
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Egypt’s parliament has approved a law to govern popular ride-hailing apps Uber and Careem, which had faced legal challenges stemming from regulations designed for traditional taxis.

The new law, as described Monday by state news agency MENA, establishes operating licenses and fees. It requires licensed companies to store user data for 180 days and provide it to Egyptian security authorities upon request.

Uber and Careem welcomed the move.

“This is a major step forward for the ride-sharing industry as Egypt becomes one of the first countries in the Middle East to pass progressive regulations,” Uber spokeswoman Shaden Abdellatif said. “We will continue working with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet in the coming months as the law is finalized, and look forward to continuing to serve the millions of Egyptian riders and drivers that rely on Uber.”

Careem called the passage “a remarkable step for Egypt, Careem and our region.” It said it marked the first time in any of its markets “that a regulatory framework for ride-hailing has emerged from a consultative legislative and parliamentary process.”

Both companies provide smartphone apps that connect passengers with drivers who work as independent contractors. An administrative court in Cairo ruled in March that it is illegal to use private vehicles as taxis, but another court overruled it on appeal, and both companies have continued operating.

Data privacy is a major concern for Uber in its dealings with the Egyptian government. A strict new European law called the General Data Protection Regulation comes into effect May 25 and would affect its operations worldwide.

Uber was founded in 2010 in San Francisco, and operates in more than 600 cities across the world. Careem was founded in 2012 in Dubai, and operates in 90 cities in the Middle East and North Africa, Turkey and Pakistan.

The applications took off in Cairo, a city of 20 million people with near-constant traffic and little parking. The services have recently started offering rides on scooters and tuk-tuks, three-wheeled motorized vehicles that can sometimes squeeze through the gridlock.

The apps are especially popular among women, who face rampant sexual harassment in Egypt, including from some taxi drivers. Cairo’s taxi drivers are also notorious for tampering with their meters or pretending the meters are broken in order to charge higher rates.

In 2016, taxi drivers protested the ride-hailing apps. They have complained that Uber and Careem drivers have an unfair advantage because they do not have to pay the same taxes or fees, or follow the same licensing procedures.
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