Anti-Trump Focus For Many US May Day Marches

The Republican presidential hopeful is the focus of anger for many protesters due to policies seen as anti-immigrant.

Thousands of people have marched through US streets in May Day rallies, many backing immigrant and workers' rights and criticising what they see as anti-immigrant rhetoric from presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

May Day marches around the world have traditionally been for workers' rights but in the US, many of the marches have become a focus for immigrants and pro-immigration Americans, a tradition started with massive demonstrations in 2006 against a proposed immigration enforcement bill.

In Los Angeles, a massive inflatable version of the front runner for the Republican nomination hovered over the marchers as they waved flags and held signs calling out Mr Trump for his remarks about immigrants, workers and women.

Among the policies they have criticised is Mr Trump's promise to build a wall along the US border with Mexico.

Mr Trump denies he is racist or anti-immigrant but says he is simply seeking to stop illegal immigration.

Many of those marching were also calling for an end to deportations and voicing support for an Obama administration plan to give work permits to illegal immigrants whose children are US citizens.

Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spokesman for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said: "In addition to fighting for workers' rights, we are fighting for our dignity this time around, our self-respect.

"We can certainly encourage folks to look at what they're watching, what they're hearing and have them represent themselves and their families - whether they can vote or not - and say: 'We are not the rapists. We are not the criminals you are talking about. And we are quite good for this country'."

Many other cities in the US were planning May Day marches to criticise racism, xenophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment.

Tomas Kennedy, an organiser of the planned Miami march, said in a statement: "The Trump effect has taken over the media and silenced our voices.

"It's time to stand up against the current threat to democracy, freedom, human rights, equality, and the welfare of our country and all our people."

Seattle Police Clash With May Day Protesters

Police officers used pepper spray on anti-capitalist demonstrators who threw rocks and flares at them during the march.

By Sky News US team

Five police officers have been injured and nine people were arrested when a parade for worker and immigrant rights in Seattle turned violent.

During the May Day gathering on Sunday, anti-capitalist demonstrators threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at officers and smashed windows.

The city's mayor, Ed Murray, has blamed the "senseless violence" on a "different crowd" from the hundreds who had attended an earlier peaceful march.

He said: "It is deeply regrettable that in a city that goes to incredible lengths to respect First Amendment rights, there are some who disregard our values and engage in senseless acts of violence and property destruction."

Police in riot gear used pepper spray to disperse the protesters, who were dressed in black and had gathered at a park before taking to the streets carrying signs. 

On Twitter, the Seattle police department said one officer had suffered a cut to the head, another was hit by a rock, and a third officer was bitten.

Police chief Kathleen O'Toole said: "Nobody has been seriously injured. Once assaults started and property damage started, we took action. It's that simple."

Three people have been charged with assault, one with destruction of property and five with obstruction of justice.

Eight men ranging in age from about 20 to 32 were charged, along with a teenage girl.

Crowds gather every year on 1 May, in several cities across America, to call for better wages for workers and an end to deportations, but they often descend into chaos.

Last year, 16 people were arrested and three officers hurt when protesters threw bottles and wrenches at police.

Georgia Poised To Allow Students To Carry Guns

The US state of Georgia could soon make it legal for students over the age of 21 to take a concealed weapon to university.

By Cordelia Lynch, US Correspondent

America has a grim roll call of mass shootings in its academic institutions - and with every massacre, comes a soul-searching debate about how to prevent it happening again.

But there has been an increasingly uniform response to the threat - a growing number of states are opting to legalise guns on campus.

Supporters claim it will improve safety, giving responsible owners the chance to defend themselves.

Robert Eager, a student at Georgia Tech, has been lobbying for the change for six years. He has carefully studied local politics and identified who he needs to persuade.

But many students and staff are unconvinced and deeply concerned about adding guns to what can be an emotional and testing climate.

This week, the Governor of Georgia will decide whether or not to veto a bill, allowing licensed gun holders, 21 years or older, to carry concealed guns into its universities and colleges. If it passes, Georgia will become the ninth state to do so.

At Columbus State University, I watch as students and campus police take part in an active shooter drill. It's an eerie exercise, a basketball game, interrupted by the slamming of a door and rapidly followed by deafening gunfire. 

The Chief of Police, Rus Drew, tells me the shootings at Virginia Tech were a "game-changer."

The shooter killed 32 people, his attacks hours apart.

Mr Drew says now they have to be quicker, more co-ordinated and more willing to confront a killer without back-up.

He believes arming students will make it harder in those split few seconds they have when they enter a room, to work out who the "bad guys are".

But it's not just about reactions. Mr Drew is part of a pioneering behaviour intervention group led by Chip Reese, Dean of Students. They aim to identify and support students, way before they become a threat.

A decade ago, they started getting faculties to share their experiences and concerns about individuals, with a structured method for staff and students to report issues.

With killers craving the notoriety social media can give them, Mr Reese's team need to keep close checks on Facebook pages, Twitter and other sites. 

When a 21-year-old opened fire on nine parishioners in Charleston, attention quickly shifted to the killer's life online and his apparent sympathy with white supremacists. 

Mr Reese tells me: "People don't just snap. There's a pattern of behaviour."

It's his job to identify the warning signs, speak to counsellors and parents.

It may seem an obvious system to follow, but many other universities are far behind, with little in place to prevent and protect against the next individual bent on mass murder.

Islamic State Boosts Attacks Under Pressure

Analysis finds that Islamic State is stepping up its onslaught in Iraq, Syria and Libya, as it comes under increasing bombardment.

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

Islamic State has increased its attacks in Iraq and Syria to the highest level since 2014, according to a report by IHS Janes.

The defence think tank says there were 891 attacks and 2,150 "non-militant" fatalities recorded in the first three months of this year.

Those figures represent an increase of 16.7% and 43.9% respectively on the last quarter of 2015.

Matthew Henman, Head of IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre, said: "Attack and fatality numbers have jumped.

"The group is resorting more and more to mass-casualty violence as it comes under heavy pressure from multiple angles."

There is further sobering news for Syria as the report concludes that Jabhat al-Nusra has successfully established itself within the militant Islamist opposition and is arguably "a more dangerous long-term threat in the country than the Islamic State".

The blunt analysis also finds Islamic State attacks in Libya are "intensifying" after "a several month slump".

Almost as many attacks were recorded in the first three months of 2016 as in the third and fourth quarters on 2015 combined.

Mr Henman said: "After a seeming period of consolidation and preparation, Islamic State forces in the country launched a series of major attacks on critical energy infrastructure in addition to conducting the deadliest single attack since the overthrow of the government of Muammar Gaddafi in August 2011.

The report identifies the northwest town of Sabratha as a key training ground for Islamic State to stage attacks across the border in Tunisia.

Iran, South Korea set to triple trade volume to $18 billion

Two sides decide to increase by three times current trade volume of around $6 billion (5.2 billion euros) to $18 billion.

First South Korean president to visit Iran since 1962 TEHRAN - Iran and South Korea have decided to triple their annual trade volume to $18 billion, President Hassan Rouhani announced on Monday after meeting his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-Hye. "The two sides decided to increase by three times the current trade volume of around $6 billion (5.2 billion euros) to $18 billion," Rouhani said in a joint televised press conference. "We also spoke about tourism, direct flights between Seoul and Tehran, and Korean investment in Iranian tourism infrastructure, including building hotels," he added. Park is the first South Korean president to visit Iran since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1962, and as Seoul seeks new markets to turn around a lengthy decline in export revenues. Her three-day visit comes just months after a historic nuclear deal with world powers lifted sanctions crippling Iran's economy in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme. Park, who is accompanied by several ministers and a 230-strong business delegation, will also be received by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The two countries have pledged to develop their relations in the energy sector. "We will expand relations in energy projects and infrastructure... and in oil, gas, railways and ports," Park said. Tehran hopes this month to increase its oil exports to Seoul to 400,000 barrels per day from a current 100,000 bpd, according to Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh. The two governments signed 19 cooperation documents in the presence of the presidents, and further memorandums of understanding were due to be signed by the private sector, Rouhani said. Talks also included discussions about the situation on the divided Korean peninsula amid fears that Pyongyang is preparing to conduct a fifth nuclear test. "The security of the Korean peninsula and security of the Middle East are very important to us," Rouhani said. "We seek peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and categorically oppose building any weapons of mass destruction." Park said she "explained South Korea's opinion on... nuclear disarmament of North Korea... and requested Iranian cooperation".

PKK attack kills at least one soldier in southeast Turkey

Car bomb blamed on PKK explodes in Kurdish-majority southeast, killing one Turkish soldier and wounding 20 others.

No end to violence in sight DIYARBAKIR (Turkey) - One Turkish soldier was killed and 20 others were wounded when a car bomb blamed on Kurdish militants exploded in the Kurdish-majority southeast, the army said on Monday. In a statement, the army said a total of 23 people were wounded in the blast which took place late on Sunday, 20 of them soldiers and three of them civilian family members. The car bomb detonated near a military command complex in the Dicle district of the Kurdish majority province of Diyarbakir, a security source said, blaming the attack on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The command post and an adjacent housing area for families was seriously damaged in the attack, the Dogan news agency reported. Police stopped a suspicious car after the attack but the suspects inside opened fire, injuring a judge and three police officers before they fled, the agency said. Turkey has been waging a major military offensive against the PKK, listed as a terror group by Ankara and much of the international community, after a two-year fragile ceasefire collapsed last summer. Since then, hundreds of members of the Turkish security forces have been killed. The renewed conflict has also struck at the heart of the country, with two attacks that killed dozens of people in the capital Ankara claimed by a PKK splinter group, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK). The same group on Sunday claimed last week's suicide bombing in Bursa, Turkey's former Ottoman capital, which only killed the female bomber. Over 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK took up arms in 1984 demanding a homeland for Turkey's biggest minority. Since then, the group has pared back its demands to focus on cultural rights and a measure of autonomy. On Sunday, two police were killed and 22 other people were wounded in another car bomb attack in the southern city of Gaziantep, a major refugee hub, with initial suspicion for that attack falling on jihadists.

Sudan claims 'sovereign rights' in dispute with Egypt

Khartoum steps up its claim to Halayeb and Shalatin near Red Sea, saying they are part of its sovereign territory.

Ghandour: We will not let go of our sovereign rights KHARTOUM - Sudan insisted on Monday it had "sovereign rights" over two border territories whose ownership has been the subject of a long-standing dispute between Cairo and Khartoum. Sudan has regularly protested at Egypt's administration of Halayeb and Shalatin near the Red Sea, saying they are part of its sovereign territory since shortly after independence in 1956. Since April, Khartoum has stepped up its claim to the territories after Egypt transferred two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia in a move that triggered street protests in Cairo. "We will not let go of our sovereign rights on the Halayeb triangle," Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told parliament on Monday. "We have adopted legal and political measures to assert our rights in the Halayeb triangle." Ghandour said Khartoum was also trying to get a copy of the agreement between Cairo and Riyadh on the transfer of the two islands in the Straits of Tiran. "We need to gauge the impact of this agreement on our maritime borders," he told lawmakers. Cairo's transfer of the two islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia became a key factor behind street protests in the Egyptian capital last month. More than 1,000 demonstrators rallied on April 15 in Cairo demanding "the fall of the regime" in the largest challenge to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's regime in two years.