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

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Jul 31, 2026 03:08 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Simon Sweeney

Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy and Business, University of York
I lecture on International Political Economy (IPE) and international business. I joined York Management School full time in January 2011, moving from Sheffield Hallam University where I was Senior Lecturer in International Business and Governance. Before that I was Head of MA International Studies at York St John University. I’ve a long association with York, being a graduate (MA Linguistics and ELT, 1990) and working as an Associate Lecturer in three departments over several years.

In 2006 I won a National Teaching Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy. I have always had a multidisciplinary approach to my work, having taught politics and International Relations, management, teacher training, English Language Teaching, modern foreign languages, European studies, and educational studies.

Between 2006-13 I was one of 15 UK Socrates Erasmus Bologna Experts, sponsored by the European Commission and the British Council. This involved promoting reform in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). I am the author of Europe, the State and Globalisation (Longman, 2005; Routledge, 2016) and numerous books in the field of ELT and Business Communication. I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy/Advance HE.

I completed a PhD on EU common security and defence policy at the University of Leeds (2015). I continue to research and write on security and defence.

I run half marathons, and raise funds for Freedom from Torture. I like listening to the music of Miles Davis and Radiohead.

Global Geopolitics Series

Breaking the law over Brexit: how the UK is playing dirty in EU talks

Sep 10, 2020 08:54 am UTC| Politics

The UK government seems to be doubling down on threats to leave the European Union without a deal unless the EU gives in on issues of state aid and fisheries. These two concerns are as important in Brussels as they seem to...

Economy

Oil Prices Head for 21% Monthly Surge as Middle East Conflict Fuels Supply Fears

Oil prices edged higher during Asian trading on Friday and remained on track for their strongest monthly performance since March, as escalating tensions between the United States and Iran fueled concerns over prolonged...

Japan Yen Surges on Reported FX Intervention as Dollar Slides After Fed, BoE Holds Rates

The Japanese yen posted its biggest gain against the U.S. dollar since late April after reports suggested Japanese authorities intervened in the foreign exchange market by buying yen and selling dollars. The move came as...

South Korea’s KOSPI Soars as Samsung, SK Hynix Rebound on Microsoft-Fueled AI Rally

South Koreas benchmark KOSPI index surged more than 16% on Friday, staging a powerful recovery after one of its sharpest weekly selloffs, as technology heavyweight stocks Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rallied alongside...

China PMI Falls Into Contraction as Manufacturing, Services Weaken in July

Chinas economic recovery lost momentum in July as both manufacturing and services activity unexpectedly slipped into contraction, highlighting persistent weakness in domestic demand despite resilient exports. Official data...

US Stock Futures Rise as Amazon Earnings Boost AI Optimism Despite Apple Selloff

U.S. stock index futures moved higher late Thursday after strong quarterly results from Amazon and Microsoft renewed investor confidence in artificial intelligence, although gains were capped by a sharp decline in Apple...

Politics

Suez Canal Shipping Faces New Risk After Drone Strike on Gas Tankers in Egypt

A drone strike that ignited fires aboard two gas vessels at Egypts Damietta port has heightened concerns over the security of the Suez Canal, one of the worlds most important energy shipping routes, as the U.S.-Iran...

Lebanon Lawyers Seek Probe Into Banker Over Alleged Netanyahu Dinner in Washington

A group of Lebanese lawyers has filed a legal complaint urging the countrys top prosecutor to investigate prominent banker Antoun Sehnaoui over allegations that he co-hosted a dinner in Washington attended by Israeli Prime...

U.S. Launches Air Strikes on Iran After Alleged Missile Attack on American Forces

The United States launched air strikes against targets in Iran on Wednesday night, marking a sharp escalation in tensions across the Middle East following what Washington described as an attempted Iranian attack on U.S....

New Jewish-Arab Party Seeks Young Voters Ahead of Israel Election Amid Debate Over Arab Vote

A newly formed Jewish-Arab political party is aiming to attract younger voters ahead of Israels October 27 parliamentary election, but critics argue its emergence could divide the Arab vote and strengthen Prime Minister...

Oman Proposes Strait of Hormuz Plan as U.S. Rejects Iran Shipping Fee Idea

Oman has presented Iran with a Gulf-backed proposal to help manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, including a system of voluntary contributions from vessels, according to Reuters sources. The initiative aims to...

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

Amazon Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates as AWS AI Growth Surges, But Q3 Revenue Forecast Disappoints

Amazon exceeded Wall Street expectations for second-quarter revenue, driven by rapid growth in its cloud computing business and rising demand for artificial intelligence services. However, the companys weaker-than-expected...

Apple Q3 Earnings Beat as Record iPhone Sales Offset Services, China Weakness

Apple delivered stronger-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, driven by record June-quarter iPhone sales that reinforced the strength of its core smartphone business. Despite the earnings beat, Apple shares fell...

Sony Eyes $1.3 Billion Tamron Acquisition as Lens Maker Reviews Offer

Tamron (TYO:7740) confirmed Thursday that it has received a non-binding acquisition proposal from Sony (TYO:6758), following reports that the potential deal could be worth approximately 200 billion yen ($1.3 billion). The...

Samsung Q2 Profit Surges on AI Memory Chip Demand, Forecasts Strong Second Half

Samsung Electronics reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings, driven by soaring demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory chips as global investment in AI infrastructure continued to accelerate. For the...

Russia Charges Telegram Founder Pavel Durov With Facilitating Terrorism, Seeks International Arrest

Russia has formally charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activity, accusing the messaging platform of being used by Ukrainian intelligence services to recruit operatives and organize attacks...