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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

Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Fed Outlook Offsets Middle East Tensions

Asian currencies traded in narrow ranges on Monday as investors weighed renewed demand for the U.S. dollar following escalating tensions in the Middle East against lower U.S. Treasury yields and expectations that the...

China Holds Loan Prime Rates Steady for 14th Month as Economic Recovery Remains Uneven

Chinas central bank left its benchmark lending rates unchanged on Monday for the 14th straight month, in line with market expectations, as policymakers continued to prioritize monetary policy stability while navigating an...

Gold Prices Slip Near $4,000 as U.S.-Iran Conflict Fuels Inflation Fears

Gold prices edged lower on Monday, hovering near the critical $4,000-an-ounce level as escalating military tensions between the United States and Iran pushed oil prices higher and renewed concerns that inflation could...

Deutsche Bank Says Fed Balance Sheet Cuts Could Weaken US Dollar Instead of Boosting It

Deutsche Bank believes the U.S. dollar could come under pressure if the Federal Reserve chooses to tighten monetary policy primarily by shrinking its balance sheet rather than raising interest rates. The view comes as the...

Oil Prices Surge as U.S.-Iran Conflict Escalates, Raising Supply Fears

Oil prices climbed sharply in early Asian trading on Monday as escalating military exchanges between the United States and Iran intensified concerns over potential disruptions to global crude supplies, particularly through...

Politics

Trump Says Qatari-Donated Air Force One Jet to Undergo Security Upgrades Soon

U.S. President Donald Trump said the Qatari-donated Boeing 747 currently serving as Air Force One will soon be sent for additional upgrades aimed at maximizing its capabilities, addressing ongoing questions about the...

Trump Calls for Review of Federal Judicial Center Climate Science Manual

U.S. President Donald Trump has called for a review of the Federal Judicial Centers (FJC) scientific reference manual related to climate change, claiming the publication contains discredited information that has...

Trump Urges Canada to Curb Ontario Wildfires, Floats Tariffs Over Smoke Impact

U.S. President Donald Trump said he urged Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to strengthen efforts to control the ongoing Ontario wildfires, arguing that the smoke drifting into the United States has disrupted daily life...

Hungary President Tamas Sulyok Removed After Constitutional Amendment Signed

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok has signed a constitutional amendment that immediately ends his term in office, formalizing a major political overhaul led by Prime Minister Peter Magyar and his ruling Tisza party. The...

US Service Member Killed During Explosive Disposal of Downed Iranian Drone in Iraq

A U.S. service member was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday while taking part in a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone, according to a statement released by U.S....

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

Bank of America Says These Overlooked AI Stocks Could Be the Next Winners

While semiconductor companies, AI hardware makers, and the Magnificent Seven have dominated the artificial intelligence rally, Bank of America believes the next phase of AI-driven gains could come from less obvious...

Foxconn Wins First SpaceX AI Server Contract Worth Estimated $52 Billion

Taiwans Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, has reportedly secured its first contract to manufacture artificial intelligence (AI) servers for Elon Musks SpaceX, marking a major expansion of its AI...

SpaceX Targets Thursday Launch for Starship's 13th Test Flight After Last-Minute Delay

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) plans to launch the 13th test flight of its Starship rocket as early as Thursday, following the cancellation of a previous launch attempt just minutes before liftoff due to engine startup issues. The...

TSMC Sees Multi-Year AI Chip Demand as Arizona Expansion Reaches $265 Billion

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) expects strong long-term demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips as it accelerates its U.S. expansion, committing a total of $265 billion to its Arizona operations. The...

Nationwide Data Center Protests Highlight Growing Backlash Against AI Expansion

Opposition to the rapid expansion of AI data centers spread across the United States on Saturday as activists staged 142 protests in 42 states, marking the first coordinated nationwide demonstration against the industrys...