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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

Fed Holds Interest Rates Steady as Kevin Warsh Says Rising Treasury Yields Tighten Financial Conditions

The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged on Wednesday, maintaining the federal funds rate at 3.50% to 3.75% for a fifth consecutive meeting as policymakers continued to monitor inflation and broader...

US Stocks Slide as Fed Holds Rates, AI Chip Selloff Deepens and Oil Prices Surge

U.S. stocks ended sharply lower on Wednesday as investors reacted to a prolonged selloff in semiconductor stocks and a sharp rebound in oil prices, while awaiting earnings from Microsoft and Meta Platforms for fresh...

Oil Prices Jump as Trump Vows Response to Iran Attack, Supply Risks Return

Oil prices rebounded sharply on Wednesday after the United States said it intercepted a surprise Iranian missile attack and President Donald Trump pledged a forceful response, reigniting concerns over potential supply...

Gold Price Rallies as Fed Holds Rates, Middle East Tensions Boost Safe-Haven Demand

Gold prices climbed nearly 1% on Wednesday as investors flocked to safe-haven assets following renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, while a weaker U.S. dollar after the Federal Reserves latest policy decision...

Fed Holds Rates Steady as US Dollar Slides, Euro and Yen Gain

The U.S. dollar recorded its biggest one-day decline in nearly four weeks on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, easing concerns that policymakers could unexpectedly tighten monetary policy....

Politics

Ukraine F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes During Mission, Pilot Ejects Safely

Ukraines Air Force confirmed on Wednesday that one of its U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets crashed while carrying out a combat mission, although the pilot survived after successfully ejecting from the aircraft. According to a...

Trump, Netanyahu Discuss Iran Nuclear Options as Tensions Escalate

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed a range of strategies to curb Irans nuclear program during their White House meeting, including diplomacy, economic pressure, and...

UN Warns of Rising Israeli Settler Violence in West Bank as Palestinian Death Toll Grows

The United Nations human rights office has raised alarm over escalating Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, warning that attacks on Palestinians and the rapid expansion of Israeli settlements have reached...

Ukraine Drones Strike Russian Oil Refineries, Wildberries Warehouses as Cross-Border Attacks Escalate

Ukraine launched another wave of long-range drone strikes overnight, targeting Russian oil refineries, logistics hubs, and military-related infrastructure in Perm, Ryazan, Taganrog, and Russian-controlled Crimea,...

California ICE Detention Center Found to Have Inadequate Medical Care, Court Monitor Says

A court-appointed monitor has concluded that Californias largest immigration detention center failed to provide adequate medical care to detainees, finding the facility out of compliance with a previous federal court order...

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

Meta Stock Drops After Earnings Miss as AI Spending and Legal Costs Weigh on Profit

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) shares fell 8% in after-hours trading after the social media giant reported second-quarter earnings that missed Wall Street expectations and issued weaker-than-expected third-quarter revenue...

Microsoft Stock Jumps as Azure Growth, AI Revenue Beat Expectations

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) shares surged more than 7% in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the technology giant reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, delivered robust Azure cloud growth, and reaffirmed its...

OpenAI Revenue Surges After GPT-5.6 Launch as IPO Expectations Grow

OpenAI has reportedly reached a major financial milestone, with its annualized recurring revenue (ARR) in July exceeding the revenue generated during the entire second quarter of 2026. The update, shared by Chief Financial...

Arm Holdings Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates, Strong Q2 Outlook Fails to Lift ARM Stock

Arm Holdings delivered stronger-than-expected first-quarter fiscal 2027 results, beating Wall Street estimates on both earnings and revenue while issuing an upbeat outlook for the current quarter. Despite the solid...

Qualcomm Stock Falls as Weak Q4 Forecast, Apple Revenue Decline Overshadow AI Data Center Growth

Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) shares dropped more than 4% in after-hours trading after the chipmaker issued a weaker-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter profit forecast and warned that revenue from Apple-related products will...