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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

Global Smartphone Shipments Rise 2% in 2025 as Apple Leads Market, Outlook Weakens for 2026

Global smartphone shipments recorded a modest 2% year-on-year increase in 2025, signaling a gradual recovery for the mobile industry, according to a report released by Counterpoint Research. The growth was largely fueled...

Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Dollar Slips on Powell Investigation Concerns

Asian currencies traded mostly flat on Monday as the U.S. dollar weakened following news that the U.S. government had opened a criminal investigation involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, raising fresh concerns...

Asian Stocks Edge Higher as Tech Shares Lead Gains Amid Global Uncertainty

Most Asian stock markets moved higher on Monday, led by gains in technology shares that followed a strong performance by U.S. peers, although overall advances remained limited due to rising geopolitical and macroeconomic...

Markets React as Tensions Rise Between White House and Federal Reserve Over Interest Rate Pressure

Tensions between the White House and the U.S. Federal Reserve escalated sharply over the weekend after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed that the administration had allegedly threatened him with a criminal...

Japan Launches Deep-Sea Rare Earth Mining Mission to Reduce Reliance on China

Japan has taken a major step toward securing its supply of critical minerals by launching a groundbreaking deep-sea mining mission aimed at extracting rare earth elements from the ocean floor. A government-backed Japanese...

Politics

Marine Le Pen Appeal Puts 2027 French Presidential Race in the Balance

Marine Le Pen, the prominent leader of Frances far-right National Rally (RN), has begun a decisive appeal in Paris that could determine whether she is eligible to run in the 2027 French presidential election. The legal...

South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung Seeks Diplomatic Balance in Japan Summit Amid China Tensions

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set to hold a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday in Nara City, highlighting Seouls ongoing effort to balance relations with its two key neighbours, Japan...

Australian Arts Festival Faces Author Boycott Amid Free Speech and Antisemitism Debate

A leading Australian arts festival has been thrown into turmoil after dozens of writers withdrew in protest over the decision to bar an Australian Palestinian author following the Bondi Beach mass shooting, reigniting a...

Trump Signals Possible Veto of ACA Subsidy Extension, Raising Health Insurance Uncertainty

U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited uncertainty around the future of Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance subsidies after saying he may veto legislation aimed at extending federal health insurance tax credits....

South Korea Investigates Alleged Civilian Drone Flights Into North Korean Airspace

South Korean authorities have launched a formal investigation into the possibility that civilians may have flown drones into North Korean airspace, following accusations from Pyongyang that unmanned aircraft violated its...

Science

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...

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...

Technology

BESI Reports Strong Q4-25 Orders Surge Driven by Data Center and Hybrid Bonding Demand

BE Semiconductor Industries N.V. (Euronext: BESI), a leading Dutch semiconductor assembly equipment manufacturer, reported robust preliminary orders for the fourth quarter of 2025, underscoring strengthening demand across...

Trump Considers Starlink to Restore Internet Access in Iran Amid Protests

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he is considering discussions with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk about restoring internet access in Iran, where authorities have imposed widespread blackouts amid...

Anthropic Launches HIPAA-Compliant Healthcare Tools for Claude AI Amid Growing Competition

Anthropic has announced the launch of a new suite of healthcare-focused tools integrated into its Claude AI chatbot, marking another significant step in the rapidly expanding use of artificial intelligence in medicine. The...

Elon Musk Says X Will Open-Source Its Algorithm Amid EU Scrutiny

Elon Musk announced on Saturday that X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, will publicly release its recommendation algorithm, including the full code behind organic content and advertising post...

China’s AI Sector Pushes to Close U.S. Tech Gap Amid Chipmaking Challenges

China is accelerating efforts to narrow its technological gap with the United States, driven by increased risk-taking, innovation, and strong policy support for artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Leading Chinese...