Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Mar 20, 2026 03:01 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

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 Markets Mixed as Oil Volatility and Inflation Fears Weigh on Sentiment

Asian stock markets traded in a choppy, directionless pattern on Friday as surging crude oil prices tied to escalating Middle East tensions rattled investor confidence across the region. The uncertainty followed a weak...

Dollar Weakens as Middle East War Reshapes Global Rate Expectations

The U.S. dollar retreated from multi-month highs this week as surging energy prices, triggered by the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran, dramatically shifted global interest rate forecasts. The greenback is...

Saudi Arabia Warns Oil Prices Could Surge Past $180 a Barrel Amid U.S.-Israel-Iran Conflict

Global oil markets are facing severe turbulence as escalating geopolitical tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran threaten to push crude prices beyond $180 per barrel. According to a Wall Street Journal...

China Holds Benchmark Loan Prime Rate Steady for Tenth Consecutive Month

Chinas central bank kept its benchmark lending rates unchanged on Friday, marking the tenth straight month without an adjustment as policymakers weigh additional measures to strengthen the countrys economic momentum. The...

Gold Prices Stabilize but Head for Worst Weekly Drop in Six Years Amid Iran War Inflation Fears

Gold prices found modest footing during Asian trading on Friday, yet remained on track for their steepest weekly decline since early 2020. The ongoing U.S.-Israel military conflict against Iran has stoked inflation fears...

Politics

U.S. Officials Express Optimism Over New CDC Director Selection Amid Vaccine Policy Turmoil

The United States is moving closer to naming a permanent leader for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a top health official. Chris Klomp, chief counselor at the Department of Health and Human...

S&P 500 Rebounds After Netanyahu's Statements on Iran's Military Setbacks

U.S. stock markets showed resilience Thursday as the SP 500 recovered from a 1% intraday decline to trade nearly flat, driven by remarks from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming significant damage to Irans...

Brazil's Haddad Leaves Finance Ministry to Run for São Paulo Governor

Brazils Finance Minister Fernando Haddad officially confirmed his departure from the federal government on Thursday to launch a gubernatorial campaign in São Paulo, the countrys most populous and politically...

Trump Administration Quietly Approves $7 Billion in Unannounced Weapons Sales to UAE

The Trump administration has greenlit approximately $7 billion worth of weapons for the United Arab Emirates through channels that bypass mandatory public disclosure requirements under U.S. arms export regulations,...

Russia Calls for Ceasefire in Gulf Conflict, Offers Diplomatic Mediation

Russia has renewed its appeal for an immediate end to hostilities in the Gulf, placing the responsibility for de-escalation squarely on the United States and Israel. In an official statement released by the Russian Foreign...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Jeff Bezos Eyes $100 Billion Fund to Transform Manufacturing With AI

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is in early-stage discussions to raise a massive $100 billion investment fund focused on acquiring manufacturing companies and accelerating their automation through artificial intelligence. The...

OpenAI's Desktop Superapp: Unifying ChatGPT, Codex, and Browser Tools for Enterprise AI

OpenAI is moving forward with an ambitious plan to consolidate its flagship products ChatGPT, Codex, and its browser-based tools into a single, unified desktop application, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The...

Super Micro Computer Shares Plunge After Co-Founder Charged in AI Chip Smuggling Case

Super Micro Computer Inc (NASDAQ: SMCI) saw its stock drop as much as 14.6% in after-hours trading Thursday following a major legal development tied to illegal exports of artificial intelligence technology to China. The...

Xiaomi's AI Model "Hunter Alpha" Mistaken for DeepSeek's Next Release

A mysterious artificial intelligence model that appeared anonymously on the developer platform OpenRouter last week has been identified as a product of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, not the widely anticipated next release...

Apple Defies China's Smartphone Slump with Strong Early 2026 Sales

Apple has recorded a remarkable 23% jump in China smartphone sales during the first nine weeks of 2026, outperforming a broader market that contracted by 4% over the same period. The surge highlights Apples strengthening...