Welcome to this week’s IT Sunday, a curated collection of quality journalism exclusively for our subscribers. David McWilliams in his latest column ponders over what the trials and tribulations of Tesla and Elon Musk can help us understand about US-China relations. Tesla stocks have taken a hit this year owing to the company’s struggles in China, where it has been surpassed by local competitor, BYD. As McWilliams explains, this scenario is indicative of China’s strategy to “devour” the globe by pilfering intellectual property and enhancing it. The whole Tesla saga serves as a word of caution to firms considering hefty investments in China, McWilliams suggests.
McWilliams surmises the economic showdown between America and China to be akin to the pre-World War financial warfare between Britain and Germany. The battlegrounds will be technological, industrial, and fiscal. While the US will continue to laud the exceptional brilliance of individuals like Musk, China will push the narrative of communal national endeavour. Stripped down to its basics, it’s a fight for worldwide dominance, making Musk’s trials seem insignificant in the grander scheme of things.
Director of the film Civil War, Alex Garland, expresses his concern over the rising contempt for journalists in contemporary times, a sentiment he passionately disagrees with.
Focusing on European affairs, it appears that the European Central Bank is preparing to slash interest rates in its early June meeting. Columnist Cliff Taylor examines the potential outcomes of such a move which, while beneficial to those with mortgages, might not bode well for the Irish real estate market, leaving younger first-time buyers in a perplexing situation.
Moving onto the Weekend Review, Colm Keena discusses Paddy Cosgrave’s comeback as the CEO of Web Summit, a position he relinquished half a year ago following his remarks on the Israel-Hamas conundrum. Keena also talks to Bobby Healy, the man behind drone company, Manna, which benefits from a fund set up by Cosgrave and co-shareholders of Web Summit.
Healy advocates for the brilliance of Web Summit, attributing its success significantly to Paddy Cosgrave. He emphasises that Paddy’s leadership skills are indispensable to the success of the business. However, Healy also adds a word of caution. If those businesses and venture capitalists who were affected last year by Cosgrave’s actions do not reconsider their decision to participate in Web Summit conferences, Paddy’s decision to reappear as CEO could be viewed as misguided, hence Healy’s terming it as a “high-risk” decision.
This week, Corinna Hardgrave expresses her impressions of the Yew Tree in the Food department with a glowing four-star assessment. Hardgrave is impressed by their unconventional approach to operating in a challenging restaurant industry. Yet, they maintain surprisingly affordable prices for their excellent food and she is delighted to have such a place in her neighbourhood.
Over the weekend, within the Health department, Roe McDermott responds to a concerned woman who finds herself in a formidable challenge with her considerate and humourous boyfriend. Discussion agonises both of them when arguments occur. The couple desires to tie the knot but anxious doubts loom, making it challenging to initiate a conversation without worsening the situation.
During the week, relationship counsellor Trish Murphy addresses a predicament of a reader, a man in his early 60s, married to a woman twenty years younger. The couple has one child and his wife desires another. The reader is unsure if he can manage the demands of parenting a second child, given that he would be in his 80s when the child enters college. He feels cornered as he had not fully considered this scenario and had not thought to express his concerns to his wife.
Meanwhile, in the sports world, Leinster single-handedly halted La Rochelle’s pursuit of their third consecutive Champions Cup. They forcefully unseated the defending champions in a thrilling match at Aviva Stadium. The triumphant team will now prepare for a semi-final match on home ground at Croke Park in a few weeks.
This week’s ‘On the Money’ newsletter features Dominic Coyle deliberating if it’s an opportune moment for drivers in Ireland to invest in an electric car.
As per usual, there’s an abundance of additional content on irishtimes.com, comprising summaries of the newest cinema releases in our film critiques, recommendations for superior eateries in our gastronomy segment and up-to-the-minute sports coverage. This includes exclusive subscriber-only reportage and Masters’ games dissections.
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