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Mon, Jun 08, 2026 10:45 PM All times are UTC

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Kate Macdonald

Associate Professor, Political Science, The University of Melbourne
I joined the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne in January 2009. Before coming to Melbourne, I did my DPhil in the Department of International Development at Oxford (jointly supervised in the Department of Politics and International Relations), and I worked as a Fellow of Government (Global Politics) at the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the Australian National University and a Research Officer at the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford University.

My research focuses on transnational governance and accountability systems, especially in relation to transnational business regulation, and accountability in the international development sector. I have conducted research and consultancy work on these topics for a range of Australian and international organisations including the Forest Stewardship Council, Amnesty International, ActionAid Australia, Oxfam Australia and the UK’s Corporate Responsibility Coalition, and I am currently on the advisory board of the Jubilee Australia Research Foundation.

Economy

US Dollar Dips as Middle East Tensions Ease; Markets Await Key US Inflation Data

The U.S. dollar edged lower on Monday as improving risk sentiment reduced demand for traditional safe-haven assets. Investors reacted positively after Iran and Israel halted military strikes following a call for restraint...

Gold Prices Ease as Markets Await Key U.S. Inflation Data and Fed Rate Outlook

Gold prices remained under pressure on Monday despite a slightly weaker U.S. dollar, as investors stayed cautious ahead of critical U.S. inflation reports that could influence the Federal Reserves next interest rate...

Oil Prices Rise as Iran-Israel Tensions Ease Following Trump-Led Ceasefire Push

Global oil prices remained higher on Monday, although they gave back part of their earlier gains after Iran and Israel announced a halt to military operations following diplomatic efforts led by U.S. President Donald...

Wall Street Rebounds as Chip Stocks Rally and Iran-Israel Tensions Ease

U.S. stock markets closed mostly higher on Monday, recovering from a sharp sell-off in the previous session as investors welcomed a rebound in semiconductor stocks and signs of easing tensions between Iran and Israel. The...

US Stocks Rebound as Iran Eases Military Operations; Tech Shares Lead Wall Street Recovery

U.S. stocks opened sharply higher on Monday, recovering from last weeks steep market decline as investors reacted positively to reports that Iran had ended its military operations against Israel. The development helped...

Politics

Lebanese President Urges Israel to Negotiate End to Conflict, Calls Military Approach Ineffective

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has issued a rare direct appeal to Israel, urging its government and citizens to engage in negotiations to bring an end to the ongoing conflict between the two countries. In an interview with...

Zelenskiy Praises Positive Talks With U.S. Envoys as Ukraine Peace Efforts Regain Momentum

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he held a very positive conversation with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, highlighting renewed diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Speaking...

Mauritius Rejects Report of Trump Administration Plan to Buy Chagos Islands

Mauritius has stated that it has not received any proposal from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the purchase of the Chagos Islands, following a report suggesting the White House was exploring...

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan Suspended as Member States Consider Removal

The International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan has been suspended from his position while member states consider his future following the conclusion of an investigation into allegations of sexual...

Kosovo Election 2026: Albin Kurti’s Party Wins Most Votes but Falls Short of Majority

Prime Minister Albin Kurtis Vetevendosje party emerged as the leading force in Kosovos 2026 parliamentary election, securing the largest share of votes but failing to obtain the outright majority needed to end the countrys...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

OpenAI Files Confidential IPO Draft as AI Giants Race Toward Public Markets

OpenAI has confidentially submitted a draft S-1 registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), taking a major step toward a potential initial public offering (IPO). The move positions the...

Apple Unveils Enhanced Apple Intelligence and Next-Generation Siri at WWDC 2026

Apple has introduced the latest version of its Apple Intelligence platform at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026, signaling a stronger push into the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence market. The...

Qualcomm Stock Gains After Jensen Huang Endorsement

Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) shares moved higher in after-hours trading on Monday, rising approximately 2% after NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang publicly praised the semiconductor company and encouraged investors to...

Naver Stock Jumps on NVIDIA Partnership to Build South Korea’s AI Infrastructure

Naver Corp. (KS:035420) shares surged on Monday after the South Korean technology giant announced a major artificial intelligence partnership with NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA). The news fueled strong investor...

Nvidia Expands South Korea AI Partnerships to Strengthen Data Center and Memory Chip Supply

Nvidia has announced a series of strategic partnerships with leading South Korean technology companies as the AI chip giant seeks to strengthen its supply chain and accelerate the growth of its artificial intelligence...