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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

Oil Prices Surge as U.S.-Iran Tensions Fuel Supply Fears

Oil prices jumped on Thursday as escalating U.S.-Iran tensions revived concerns over Middle East supply disruptions, with reports suggesting Washington is preparing to deploy additional forces to the region. Brent crude...

Wall Street Edges Higher as Treasury Yields Retreat

Wall Street opened October with modest gains on Thursday as falling U.S. Treasury yields helped offset a sharp rise in oil prices and renewed concerns over inflation. The SP 500 gained 0.3% to close at 7,670.36, while the...

Nasdaq Futures Jump as Micron Earnings Boost AI Trade

U.S. stock futures climbed Thursday, led by a sharp rise in Nasdaq futures after strong earnings and guidance from Micron Technology reinforced investor confidence in artificial intelligence-driven chip demand. Wall Street...

South Korea Exports Surge 83.5% on AI Chip Boom

South Korean exports surged far more than expected in September, driving the countrys trade surplus higher as strong global demand for artificial intelligence chips and electronics continued to support Asias fourth-largest...

Oil Prices Steady as Middle East Crude Flows Recover

Oil prices were largely stable in Asian trading on Thursday as investors assessed recovering Middle East crude exports against persistent risks to regional supplies and uncertainty surrounding Iran-U.S. ceasefire talks....

Politics

US Waives $320M Egypt Military Aid Conditions After Iran War Role

The United States has waived human rights conditions tied to $320 million in military aid for Egypt, citing Cairos national security importance and its helpful role following the launch of the US-led military campaign...

TRUMP Memecoin Launches New Dinner Contest

TRUMP memecoin organizers have launched a new holder contest offering access to a gala dinner featuring U.S. President Donald Trump, marking the projects third event linking token ownership with presidential access. The...

Netanyahu Vows Probe Into Foiled Flydubai Crash Attempt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intends to determine the full circumstances surrounding an alleged attempt by a co-pilot to crash a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, including whether the incident...

Trump Praises Boeing 737 Max After Flydubai Crash Attempt

U.S. President Donald Trump praised Boeings 737 Max on Thursday, highlighting the aircrafts durability after the model survived an attempted crash involving a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv. Trump said the Boeing 737...

US Officials See China Taiwan Invasion Before 2028 as Less Likely

U.S. officials increasingly believe China is unlikely to invade Taiwan before 2028, despite Chinese President Xi Jinpings reported directive for the Peoples Liberation Army to be capable of taking the island by force by...

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

California AG Subpoenas OpenAI Over AI Cybersecurity Incidents

California Attorney General Rob Bonta served OpenAI with an investigative subpoena Wednesday, escalating a state investigation into cybersecurity incidents involving the artificial intelligence company and its models. The...

WordPress Malware Uses Ethereum to Evade Removal

Security researchers have uncovered a persistent WordPress malware strain that uses Ethereum infrastructure for command-and-control communications, making infected websites unusually difficult to clean. According to...

DogeOS Launches Testnet to Bring DeFi Apps to Dogecoin

DogeOS has launched a public testnet designed to bring Ethereum-style decentralized finance applications to Dogecoin, potentially expanding DOGEs utility beyond payments and price speculation. The Ethereum-compatible...

Tencent Signs $7 Billion Oracle AI Chip Lease Deal

Tencent has signed a $7 billion agreement with Oracle to access roughly 100,000 advanced artificial intelligence chips, marking a major expansion of the Chinese technology giants AI infrastructure, according to the...

Micron Forecast Tops Estimates as AI Memory Demand Stays Strong

Micron Technology delivered a stronger-than-expected fiscal first-quarter 2027 outlook, supported by robust demand for memory chips used in artificial intelligence infrastructure, although signs of slowing earnings growth...