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Thu, Jul 23, 2026 02:38 AM 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

Asian Stocks Rally on AI Spending Optimism as Middle East Tensions Push Oil to Six-Week High

Asian stock markets advanced on Thursday as strong artificial intelligence (AI) investment plans from major U.S. technology companies boosted confidence in the regions semiconductor sector, while escalating conflict in the...

Australia Jobs Surge in June Strengthens Case for More RBA Rate Hikes

Australias labor market posted a stronger-than-expected performance in June, reinforcing expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) could raise interest rates again to curb persistent inflation. Data released by...

Oil Prices Rise as Houthi Attacks on Saudi Tankers Heighten Middle East Supply Fears

Oil prices extended their rally for a fifth consecutive session during Asian trading on Thursday as renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East fueled concerns over potential disruptions to global crude supplies. The...

South Korea Q2 GDP Beats Forecasts as AI Chip Exports Drive Growth

South Koreas economy expanded faster than expected in the second quarter of 2026, supported by resilient semiconductor exports as global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies continued to boost the countrys...

Nasdaq Drops as AI Earnings, Oil Surge and Middle East Tensions Weigh on Wall Street

U.S. stocks ended mixed on Wednesday as investors turned cautious ahead of key earnings from major technology companies while rising oil prices and escalating tensions in the Middle East added to inflation concerns. The...

Politics

ASEAN Forum Puts Middle East Conflict, South China Sea Tensions in Spotlight

Top diplomats from Asia, Europe, and North America gathered in Manila on Thursday for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), with the escalating Middle East conflict and South China Sea tensions expected to dominate discussions....

Rubio Rejects AI ‘Kill Switch’ Claims as U.S. Defends American Technology Abroad

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed American diplomats to push back against claims that the United States has a kill switch capable of shutting off access to U.S. technology products, according to a State...

Maduro U.S. Drug Trafficking Trial Set for June 2027 as Immunity Defense Looms

A U.S. federal judge has scheduled the criminal trial of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for June 1, 2027, in a high-profile drug trafficking case that could carry a life sentence if...

Trump Praises Nigeria’s Tinubu, Signaling Stronger U.S.-Nigeria Security Ties

U.S. President Donald Trump has praised Nigerian President Bola Tinubu for his efforts to combat violence and strengthen security, marking a notable improvement in relations between Washington and Abuja after months of...

Russia Says It Hit Ukrainian Ports, Cargo Ships in Odesa and Chornomorsk

Russia said Wednesday that its forces launched strikes on the Ukrainian port cities of Odesa and Chornomorsk, targeting port infrastructure, cargo vessels, and military-related facilities that Moscow claims were supporting...

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

Alphabet Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates as AI Spending, Google Cloud Growth Fuel Outlook

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) delivered stronger-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, driven by rapid growth in Google Cloud and continued investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Despite beating Wall Street...

Elon Musk Fuels SpaceX-Tesla Merger Speculation After Earnings Call

The possibility of a merger between Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SpaceX gained fresh attention after Teslas second-quarter earnings call, with Deepwater Managements Gene Munster increasing the odds of a deal taking place in...

IBM Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates as Software Growth Offsets Infrastructure Weakness

International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) reported second-quarter 2026 earnings that missed Wall Street expectations, although its shares gained about 3% after the company had already warned investors about weaker...

OpenAI Australia Data Center Switches Cooling Strategy After Recycled Water Plan Fails

OpenAIs planned mega data center in Australia will rely on a more energy-intensive cooling system after developers abandoned plans to use recycled water, according to a Reuters report published Thursday. The change comes...

US Investigates Moonshot Over Alleged Use of Advanced AI Chips and IP Theft

The U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has launched an investigation into whether Chinese artificial intelligence companies, including Moonshot AI, have gained access to advanced U.S. AI chips in violation of U.S....