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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

Gold Price Hits Annual Low as Fed Rate Hike Bets and Sticky Inflation Weigh on Bullion

Gold prices extended their decline on Tuesday, falling to their lowest level of the year as investors reacted to growing expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve could raise interest rates again amid persistent...

RBA Minutes Signal Australia Central Bank Remains Ready to Raise Interest Rates if Inflation Persists

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) remains prepared to raise interest rates again if inflation risks intensify, according to the minutes of its June policy meeting released on Tuesday. The central bank emphasized that it...

Asian Stocks End Strong Quarter as Dollar Surges, Yen Hits 40-Year Low Ahead of US Jobs Data

Asian stock markets traded cautiously on Tuesday as investors wrapped up a remarkably strong second quarter, while a stronger U.S. dollar pushed the Japanese yen to its weakest level in four decades amid shifting...

China Manufacturing PMI Edges Higher in June as Exports and AI Investment Boost Growth

Chinas manufacturing sector posted modest growth in June, with factory activity slightly exceeding market expectations as stronger export demand and continued investment in artificial intelligence supported production....

Gold Prices Drop as Fed Rate Outlook and Iran Tensions Weigh on Market

Gold prices declined sharply on Monday despite a weaker U.S. dollar, as renewed Middle East tensions and expectations for higher U.S. interest rates continued to pressure the precious metal. Investors also shifted their...

Politics

Trump Suspends Some Morocco Fertilizer Tariffs to Ease U.S. Supply Shortage

U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized the temporary suspension of certain duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco in an effort to ease fertilizer shortages affecting American farmers, the White House...

Sheinbaum Says No One Is Above the Law After Abuse Video of Ex-Pemex Chief Emerges

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration will not shield anyone from justice after a video surfaced appearing to show former Pemex chief Victor Rodriguez physically assaulting his wife, prompting a...

Russian Attacks on Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv Kill 10 as Ukraine Vows Response

Russian missile and drone attacks on three major Ukrainian cities killed at least 10 people and injured dozens on Monday, Ukrainian officials said, as strikes continued throughout the day and emergency crews searched...

Maria Corina Machado Vows Return to Venezuela After Earthquakes Despite Obstacles

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Monday that she is prepared to do whatever it takes to return to Venezuela and assist with recovery efforts following the devastating back-to-back earthquakes that...

Trump Signs Memorandum Backing Americans’ Right to Repair Their Own Vehicles

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new memorandum on Monday supporting Americans right to repair their own vehicles, reinforcing efforts to expand consumer access to vehicle maintenance while highlighting ongoing debates...

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

Anthropic Brings Claude AI Models to Microsoft Azure Foundry With NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs

Anthropic announced on Monday that its Claude family of artificial intelligence models is now available through Microsoft Foundry on Azure, powered by NVIDIAs GB300 Blackwell Ultra GPU systems. The rollout marks the first...

Apple Challenges India Antitrust Probe, Says CCI Copied Rivals’ Claims in App Store Case

Apple has intensified its legal battle with Indias antitrust regulator, arguing that investigators relied on copy-pasted allegations from rivals instead of conducting an independent review in a case that could reshape the...

Super Micro Shares Slide After Taiwan Raids Over Alleged Nvidia AI Chip Smuggling Probe

Super Micro Computer Inc. came under renewed scrutiny on Monday after Taiwanese authorities raided its local offices as part of an investigation into the alleged smuggling of Nvidia AI chips to China through the companys...

Australia Sues Amazon Over Prime Video Ads and Subscription Terms

Australias competition watchdog has launched legal action against Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), alleging the company violated Australian consumer law by using unfair contract terms to introduce advertising on its Prime...

Baige Online Shares Soar 333% in Hong Kong IPO Debut as AI Insurance Demand Lifts Chinese Listings

Chinese insurtech firm Baige Online Digital Technology Co. (HK:2672) delivered an impressive debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday, with its shares surging as much as 333% in early trading. The strong performance...