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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

Asian Stocks Slide Ahead of Nvidia Earnings as Tech Shares Tumble

Asian stock markets declined sharply on Wednesday as investors pulled back from technology and semiconductor stocks ahead of Nvidias highly anticipated quarterly earnings report. The cautious mood followed another weak...

Asian Currencies Stay Rangebound as Dollar Holds Near Six-Week High Amid Iran War Concerns

Asian currencies traded within a narrow range on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar remained close to a six-week high, supported by growing expectations of another Federal Reserve rate hike and ongoing uncertainty surrounding...

Rubio to Push NATO Defense Spending, Strengthen India Ties During Key Diplomatic Tour

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Sweden and India this week for high-level diplomatic talks focused on NATO defense spending, regional security, trade cooperation, and energy stability. The trip comes as...

Fed’s Anna Paulson Signals Rates Could Stay Higher Longer Amid Inflation Risks

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Anna Paulson said Tuesday that financial markets are right to consider the possibility of future U.S. interest rate hikes as inflation pressures continue to linger. Speaking...

Nvidia Earnings in Focus as U.S. Stock Futures Hold Steady Amid Rising Treasury Yields

U.S. stock futures traded mostly flat Tuesday night as investors turned cautious ahead of Nvidias highly anticipated quarterly earnings report. Concerns over rising Treasury yields, stubborn inflation, and geopolitical...

Politics

Georgia GOP Senate Primary Heads to Runoff as Collins and Dooley Advance

Georgias Republican Senate primary will move to a runoff after U.S. Representative Mike Collins and former college football coach Derek Dooley emerged as the top candidates in Tuesdays election. With about 80% of votes...

US Expands Criminal Investigation Into Nicolas Maduro With New Florida Probe

The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly pursuing a second criminal investigation into former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, increasing the likelihood that he could face additional federal charges in the United...

Kast Reshuffles Cabinet as Chile Pushes Tougher Security Agenda

Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast has announced major cabinet changes as his administration intensifies its focus on public security, migration control, and economic reform. The reshuffle comes just two months after Kast...

UK Diplomat James Roscoe Leaves Washington Embassy Role Amid Leadership Changes

James Roscoe, Britains second most senior diplomat in Washington, has stepped down from his position at the British Embassy in the United States, according to a statement released by the UK Foreign Office on Wednesday. The...

Venezuela to Release 300 Prisoners Amid Ongoing Human Rights Debate

Venezuelas National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez announced Tuesday that the government will release 300 prisoners between Monday and Friday, drawing renewed attention to the countrys prison system and human rights...

Science

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...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

SpaceX IPO Nears as Goldman Sachs Set to Lead Historic $75 Billion Offering

Goldman Sachs is expected to secure the prestigious lead-left position for SpaceXs highly anticipated initial public offering, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal. Morgan Stanley will also play a major role...

Blackstone and Google Launch AI Cloud Venture, Pressuring CoreWeave and Nebius Shares

Shares of CoreWeave and Nebius fell nearly 4.5% on Tuesday after Blackstone and Google announced a major joint venture focused on building a new artificial intelligence cloud infrastructure company powered by Googles...

Mistral AI Acquires Emmi AI to Expand Industrial AI Solutions in Europe

French artificial intelligence company Mistral AI has acquired Austrian startup Emmi AI in a strategic move to strengthen its industrial AI capabilities across Europe. The deal, announced Tuesday, highlights the growing...

Tencent Shares Jump 4% as AI Models Move Toward Paid Commercial Services

Tencent Holdings (HK:0700) shares surged more than 4% on Tuesday after the Chinese tech giant announced plans to commercialize several of its artificial intelligence models, signaling a stronger push into monetizing AI...

Analog Devices Nears $1.5B Acquisition of AI Chip Firm Empower Semiconductor

U.S. semiconductor giant Analog Devices is reportedly in advanced discussions to acquire AI-focused chipmaker Empower Semiconductor in a deal valued at approximately $1.5 billion in cash, according to a Bloomberg News...