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

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Wed, Dec 17, 2025 06:05 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

James Sweeney

Professor, Lancaster Law School, Lancaster University
Prof. James A. Sweeney's research is about the after-effects of conflict: principally human rights in transitional democracies, and the rights of refugees. His monograph, 'The European Court of Human Rights in the post-Cold War Era: Universality in Transition' was published in hardback by Routledge in November 2012, and in paperback in 2014. His work on the human rights of failed asylum seekers was cited by the House of Lords in the case of R (on the application of M) v Slough BC [2008] UKHL 52, by the Court of Appeal in R. (on the application of SL) v Westminster City Council [2011] EWCA Civ 954, and most recently in R. (on the application of Refugee Action) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] EWHC 1033 (Admin). In the latter case Home Secretary Theresa May was found to have acted irrationally by freezing the level of cash support to be provided to asylum seekers to meet their essential living needs, for the financial year 2013/14, at the rates which had applied since 2011.

Prof. Sweeney has acted as an expert advisor to the Council of Europe in relation to freedom of assembly projects in Armenia, Azerbaijan (with the Venice Commission), Georgia, and Kosovo. In March 2011 he delivered human rights legal training to judges of the Ukrainian Supreme Court as part of a UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office project. Likewise in 2013 and 2014 he convened a series of workshops on human rights and judicial interpretation for the Constitutional and Supreme Courts of Kosovo, on behalf of the FCO. Throughout 2009 he acted as an expert advisor to the EU's Committee of the Regions as it prepared its Opinion on reforms to the Common European Asylum System.

Prof. Sweeney joined Lancaster University Law School in 2013. Prior to that, he has worked at Durham, Newcastle and Hull. From 2011-2013 he was Deputy Director of Durham Global Security Institute.

Why have so few atrocities ever been recognised as genocide?

May 30, 2025 11:50 am UTC| Insights & Views Life Politics

An intense argument is raging over whether what has been happening in Gaza since October 2023 is an act of genocide. It is the subject of a case being heard in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in which South Africa...

Economy

Chinese Robotaxi Stocks Rally as Tesla Boosts Autonomous Driving Optimism

Chinese robotaxi stocks surged in Hong Kong trading on Wednesday, tracking strong overnight gains in Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) as investor optimism around autonomous driving and ride-hailing technology continued to build....

Asian Currencies Slip as Dollar Strengthens; Indian Rupee Rebounds on Intervention Hopes

Most Asian currencies edged lower on Wednesday as investors weighed the U.S. Federal Reserves future interest rate path following mixed signals from the latest U.S. labor market data. At the same time, the Indian rupee...

Gold and Silver Surge as Safe Haven Demand Rises on U.S. Economic Uncertainty

Gold prices climbed during Asian trading on Wednesday, while silver prices surged to a fresh all-time high, as growing concerns over the U.S. economy fueled strong demand for safe haven assets. Investors increasingly...

Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers, Raising Venezuela Tensions and Oil Prices

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, dramatically escalating Washingtons pressure on President Nicolas Maduros government and...

Asian Fund Managers Turn More Optimistic on Growth but Curb Equity Return Expectations: BofA Survey

Asian fund managers became more constructive on global and regional economic growth in December, while simultaneously tempering expectations for equity market returns, according to Bank of Americas latest fund manager...

Politics

NSW to Recall Parliament for Urgent Gun and Protest Law Reforms After Bondi Beach Shooting

The Australian state of New South Wales will recall parliament next week to pass sweeping reforms to gun ownership and protest laws following the countrys deadliest mass shooting in more than 30 years. The move comes just...

Pakistan’s Army Chief Faces Gaza Troop Dilemma Amid US Pressure

Pakistans most powerful military leader in decades, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is facing a critical test of his expanded authority as the United States presses Islamabad to contribute troops to a proposed Gaza stabilisation...

Trump Taps Former DHS Official Troy Edgar for U.S. Ambassador Role in El Salvador

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he intends to nominate Troy Edgar as the next United States ambassador to El Salvador, highlighting the administrations continued focus on strengthening diplomatic and...

Lukashenko Urges Swift Ukraine Peace Deal, Backs Trump’s Push for Rapid Resolution

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has called for urgent action to end the war in Ukraine, voicing support for U.S. President Donald Trumps push for a rapid resolution while Washington continues diplomatic efforts...

Trump Administration Moves to Keep TransAlta Coal Plant Running Amid Rising AI Power Demand

The U.S. Energy Secretary has signed an emergency order to keep a key coal-fired power unit at the TransAlta-owned Centralia Generating Station in Washington state operating through much of the winter, marking the latest...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

MetaX IPO Soars as China’s AI Chip Stocks Ignite Investor Frenzy

Shares of Chinese AI chipmaker MetaX Integrated Circuits delivered a stunning market debut, soaring more than 600% above their initial public offering price as domestic investors poured into local semiconductor stocks. The...

Apple Explores India for iPhone Chip Assembly as Manufacturing Push Accelerates

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is reportedly in early-stage discussions with Indian semiconductor companies to explore the assembly and packaging of iPhone components in India, marking a potential shift in the companys global...

Amazon in Talks to Invest $10 Billion in OpenAI as AI Firm Eyes $1 Trillion IPO Valuation

Amazon.com Inc is reportedly in discussions to make a major investment in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, in a potential deal that could value the artificial intelligence company at more than $500 billion, according to a...

SUPERFORTUNE Launches AI-Powered Mobile App, Expanding Beyond Web3 Into $392 Billion Metaphysics Market

SUPERFORTUNE, a web3 AI application incubated by Manta Network, has launched its first mobile application, expanding beyond crypto-native users into the global consumer market. The SUPERFORTUNE mobile app delivers...

iRobot Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Amid Rising Competition and Tariff Pressures

iRobot, the company behind the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States as it prepares to go private through an acquisition by Picea Robotics, its primary...