The U.S. economy created 290,000 jobs in April, the most in any month in the past four years. U.S. President Barack Obama says the Labor Department's latest employment numbers are an encouraging sign.

President Obama says the U.S. economy has come a very long way since he took office early last year.

"We now know that the economy has been growing for the better part of a year, and this steady growth is starting to give businesses the confidence to expand and to hire new people," said President Obama.

While April was the fourth straight month that the economy has had a net gain in jobs, the unemployment rate edged up to 9.9 percent, from 9.7 percent in March.

The Labor Department says more than 800,000 people who had given up looking for work are trying again, and Mr. Obama says that is also a good sign.

"Given the strength of these job numbers, this may seem contradictory, but this increase is largely a reflection of the fact that workers who had dropped out of the workforce entirely are now seeking jobs again, encouraged by better prospects," said Mr. Obama.

Opposition Republicans blame the Obama administration for an unemployment rate they say is unacceptably high. A statement from Republican Congressman Mike Pence says the Democrats' "policies of taxing, spending and bailouts are having a chilling effect on job creators across the country."

15.3 million Americans were unemployed in April. The president acknowledges that putting them back to work will take time.

"Over the course of this recession, more than 8 million jobs were lost," said the president. "So there are a lot of people out there who are still experiencing real hardship. We have got to be mindful that today's job numbers, while welcome, leave us with a lot of work to do. It is going to take time to achieve the strong and sustained job growth that is necessary."

Analysts do not expect hiring to increase enough in the coming months to bring the jobless rate down significantly.

But the experts say the high number of jobs added last month shows that businesses are feeling more confident in the U.S. economic recovery.

Factory production increased in April at the fastest pace in almost six years, and consumer spending was up in March by the largest amount in five months.

New York City Police disarmed a bomb inside a sport utility vehicle in the city's busy theater district on Saturday night, avoiding what officials say could have been a "very deadly event." Law enforcement officials are looking through hours of video surveillance tapes and examining other evidence to find the person responsible for what authorities say could have been an act of terrorism.

Law enforcement officials in New York are looking for a white male in his 40s who might be connected with a failed bomb attempt in the city's busy Times Square district.

New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "Clearly it was the intent of whoever did this to cause mayhem to create casualties. This is just a sober reminder that New York is clearly a target of people who want to come here and do us harm."

During a press conference Sunday, Kelly said that video footage recorded a suspicious man changing his shirt near the vehicle shortly after it apparently was parked in Times Square. He said investigators are interviewing a tourist who believes he might have photographed the suspect.

Law enforcement officials say they found several containers of an unknown substance as well as three propane tanks, fireworks, two gasoline containers, and two clocks with batteries inside the vehicle.

Police quickly evacuated thousands of people from the area and closed off nearby streets while they disarmed the bomb.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the "amateurish-looking car bomb" could have had serious consequences. "We avoided what could've been a very deadly event; certainly could've exploded and had a pretty big fire and a decent amount of explosive impact," he said.

The car bomb was discovered when a T-shirt vendor spotted smoke coming from the unoccupied vehicle and alerted police.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the attempt to blow up explosive devices in one of the busiest districts of Manhattan, "certainly looked" like "it was intended" to be an act of terrorism. "We're taking it very seriously. It was parked in an area with a lot of traffic. It's too soon to tell who was responsible or what groups were responsible. So every possible examination of the device and forensics is being done," she said.

Times Square draws millions of tourists to its theaters and restaurants each year. The Department of Homeland Security did not raise the nation's terrorism threat level after the incident.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is on his way to New York City to take part in a conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Mr. Ahmadinejad is due to address delegates Monday on the first day of the month-long conference at U.N. headquarters. He is expected to defend Iran's right to enrich uranium, and to propose changes to the treaty.

Before leaving Tehran for New York, Mr. Ahmadinejad criticized the production and stockpiling of nuclear weapons.

Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is designed to check the spread of atomic weapons worldwide.

However, the United States accuses Iran of secretly working to produce a nuclear weapon. The U.S. and its allies are seeking a fourth set of U.N. sanctions to pressure Iran to stop enriching uranium.

Iran says its enrichment program is for peaceful purposes.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also scheduled to address the conference on Monday.

The review conference of states that are party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has been held every five years since the treaty went into effect in 1970.

Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has been announced the winner of the nation's first multi-party vote in 24 years.

Opposition parties have rejected the results, which they say were rigged, but all eyes likely now focus on a southern independence referendum eight months away. Sudan's election commission says Mr.

Bashir won 68 percent of the nation's votes.

Under electoral law, he needed to surpass 50 percent in order to avoid a run-off vote against his nearest competitor.
Yasir Arman, the northern secular Muslim slated by the southern-based Sudan People's Liberation Movement to challenge Mr. Bashir, came in second with 22 percent, most of which came from the southern states.

His strong showing was made despite announcing his withdrawal from the race days before polling began, citing electoral fraud.

In Southern Sudan, the president of the semi-autonomous region and head of the SPLM, Salva Kiir, retained his seat with 92 percent of the votes from the region. Some international observers, such as the Atlanta-based The Carter Center, have said the election will fall short of international standards.

Northern opposition groups widely boycotted the elections, citing what they called an unfair campaign environment and allegations of vote rigging.

Following the five days of chaotic polling, the charges of vote rigging have only escalated from the opposition forces. But with the results final, the international community has indicated its efforts will be focused on securing the final implementation of a 2005 peace deal signed between Bashir's government and the southern SPLM rebels.

The accord includes a January referendum in the South on whether to remain part of the country or to secede and form its own state. The lead-up to the referendum is contentious, with a number of outstanding issues analysts warn could derail the peace process.

With no major change in the leadership of either of the two peace parties, these negotiations are expected to begin hitting their final sprint, and logistical planning for the referendum starts almost immediately.

About 100,000 Poles turned out for Sunday's state funeral for President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria in the southern city of Krakow. The ceremonies ended a week of mourning for 96 people killed in a plane crash a week ago.

A final day of memorial services for President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, an elaborate holy mass as St. Mary's Basilica in central Krakow.

The church filled with family and friends along with government officials, foreign leaders and delegations. The president and first lady were among 96 people who died when their plane crashed near the Russian town of Smolensk.

They were on their way to a memorial service honoring 22,000 Polish military officers killed by Soviet troops in 1940 in the Katyn forest in western Russia.

Katyn remains a defining moment in Polish history and has severely troubled relations between Russia and Poland. At the funeral, Speaker of the Polish Parliament and Acting President Bronislav Komorowski said he hoped the tragedy of the plane crash may help bring the two nations together.

He said there have been many signs of warmth and understanding from the Russian people and words and gestures from Russia's leaders. These are greatly appreciated, he said.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev was among the foreign leaders attending the funeral. Before leaving Krakow, he too said he hoped the tragedy might bring about a rapprochement.

Many other leaders had planned to attend the funeral, but were forced to cancel due to hazardous flying conditions above much of Europe, caused by a cloud of volcanic ash in the high atmosphere. U.S. President Barrack Obama was among those unable to attend.

After the funeral mass, the coffins of President Kaczynski and his wife were taken through the town and up the hill to Wawel Cathedral, where they were laid to rest.

Crowds lined the streets, tossing flowers and waving Polish flags, the Cathedral's historic bell tolling a final farewell.

Chinese President Hu Jintao has arrived in the earthquake disaster zone in remote western China as the mass cremation of victims begins. The quake toll has risen to more than 1,700 dead.

Chinese President Hu Jintao cut short his trade talks visit to South America to fly into remote Yushu County to inspect the relief effort.

State media said president Hu chaired a meeting of China's top leaders Saturday, urging all-out efforts for the quake response before flying from Beijing.

Officials said despite difficulties, urgent food, shelter and medical supplies were getting through to most survivors.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs' Zou Ming says most victims in the quake hit area now have access to clean water and other basic needs. He says many are now living in tents. Zou says getting aid to the region remained a problem, however.

Hu's visit follows that of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who spurred on the relief effort last Thursday.

Despite early difficulties reaching the worst hit areas on the high altitude Tibetan plateau, including altitude sickness among rescuers, authorities say the relief operation is in full swing. But hundreds in hard-to-reach places remain without desperately needed food and shelter.

Some non-government aid agencies have set up distribution centers outside badly affected Gyegu to avoid looting and fights over food that they say have occurred in the town.

Tibetan Buddhist monks, many of whom have arrived in the area on pickup trucks from other Tibetan regions, have helped remove the bodies of those killed in the earthquake. They say they have cremated more than 1,000 bodies.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the U.S. to be removed from the International Atomic Energy Agency, in his opening speech at a nuclear disarmament conference in Tehran.

Mr. Ahmadinejad said Saturday countries that do not possess nuclear weapons should review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which aims to halt the spread of technologies that can be used to produce nuclear weapons. There was no immediate reaction from the U.S.

The Iranian government is hosting the two-day conference to counter the 47-nation nuclear security summit held earlier this week in Washington. Iran was not invited to the U.S. meeting.

The Iranian government said foreign ministers and other high-ranking officials from more than 60 countries were expected to attend the conference in Tehran.

The U.S. is pushing for a fourth round of United Nations sanctions over Iran's disputed nuclear program, but Iran insists the program is for peaceful, civilian purposes.

The deposed president of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiev, has resigned and left the country. But the interim government says it wants to see him put on trial either inside the Central Asian nation or by an international court. Kyrgzstan's self-appointed provisional government says Mr. Bakiev is no longer "acting head of state" and the week-long standoff between him and the interim leadership has been resolved. The appointed head of the provisional government, Rosa Otunbayeva, early Friday read out the text of what she says is Bakiev's resignation, sent by fax to her from Kazakhstan. In his resignation, Ms. Otunbayeva says, President Bakiev writes that during these tragic days for the country, realizing all the responsibility for the future of the people, for the preservation of the country's unity, in accordance with article 50 of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, he resigns. The interim government says Mr. Bakiev, accused of leading a nepotistic and corrupt government, must be held accountable for any crimes he might be charged with. Ms. Otunbayeva's chief of staff, Edil Baisalov, told reporters that in view of the president's rule, the opposition had a "patriotic duty" during last week's turmoil to "seize power." "We were voicing our protests against political killings and murders and beatings and closing down newspapers and media channels. The legitimate government of Kyrgyzstan is now the interim government," he said. The provisional leadership is promising to rewrite the constitution and hold national elections within six months. Neighbor Kazakhstan, which currently chairs the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, played a major role in persuading the deposed president to leave Kyrgyzstan. And that was where Mr. Bakiev headed late Thursday on a military aircraft. The president had fled the capital and headed south last week after his security forces fired on demonstrators outside government buildings in Bishkek. Hundreds of protesters were shot. At least 84 have died. Russian and American diplomats also helped the struggling Central Asian former Soviet republic defuse its political crisis. Russia and the United States are the top aid givers to Kyrgyzstan. Both countries, which have military facilities in Kyrgyzstan, are pledging further financial help.

The U.N. Commission of Inquiry charged with investigating the December 2007 assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto says her murder could have been prevented if adequate security measures had been taken. The 65-page report released Thursday faults the Pakistani government and local authories, as well as the police, for not taking the necessary measures to protect her. The commission also criticized the subsequent police investigation.

The highly-anticipated report says the ultimate responsibility for Ms. Bhutto's security on the day she was killed rested with the federal government, the local government of Punjab, and the police in Rawalpindi, where she died in a gun and suicide attack.

The head of the panel, Chilean U.N. Ambassador Heraldo Munoz told reporters in a news conference shortly after the report's release, that none of these entities took the necessary measures to protect her from the extraordinary security risks she faced. "A range of government officials failed profoundly in their efforts; first, to protect Ms. Bhutto; and second, to investigate with vigor all those responsible for her murder -- not only in the execution of the attack, but also in its conception, planning and financing," he said.

He said Ms. Bhutto had a clear understanding of the risks she faced in returning to Pakistan, as did the government of then-President Pervez Musharraf, but it was not adequate for the government to simply inform her of the dangers, it should have taken steps to protect her.

Munoz and the other two commission members -- Indonesian former attorney general Marzuki Darusman and Irish former police official Peter Fitzgerald - and their staff, interviewed more than 250 people inside Pakistan and elsewhere, and examined and analyzed hundreds of documents, videos, photographs and other documentary information during their nine and half month fact-finding investigation.

Among their other conclusions was that actions and omissions by the Rawalpindi police in the immediate aftermath of the assassination - including hosing down the crime scene and failing to collect and preserve evidence - caused irreparable damage to the investigation. "The collection of 23 pieces of evidence was manifestly inadequate in a case that should have resulted in thousands of pieces of evidence," he said.

The panel said a government news conference the day after the assassination was ordered by President Musharraf. During that event, a government official said Ms. Bhutto's death was caused when she hit her head on the lever of her vehicle's escape hatch. The government also blamed Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud and Al-Qaida for the suicide bomber that attacked her convoy.

Ambassador Munoz said those assertions were made well before any proper investigation had been initiated. "This action pre-empted, prejudiced and hindered the subsequent investigation," he said.

Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency, the ISI, also came in for criticism in the report. The commission found that the agency conducted parallel investigations, gathering evidence and detaining suspects, which it selectively shared with police. It also failed to inform police of intelligence it had about terrorist cells targeting Ms. Bhutto.

The report concluded that failures of the police and other officials to react effectively to Ms. Bhutto's assassination were in most cases, deliberate. In other cases, the panel said failures were driven by officials' fears that intelligence agencies were involved.

The panel also criticized authorities for deliberately preventing an autopsy of Ms. Bhutto, saying it impeded a definitive determination on the cause of death.

The commission's report was supposed to be released on March 30, but after a last minute request from Pakistan's government to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a two week delay was agreed.

Ambassador Munoz said no changes were made to the report during that period.

The report was submitted to Mr. Ban Thursday afternoon. He then transmitted it to the Pakistani government, via their U.N. ambassador Abdullah Haroon. It was also to be given to the 15-member U.N. Security Council for 'information purposes.'

Ambassador Haroon abruptly canceled a news conference at U.N. headquarters moments before it was to happen. His spokesman said the government would respond to the report from Islamabad.

The commission's task was only to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding Ms. Bhutto's death. It was not a criminal investigation. That now lies with the Pakistani authorities.

The deposed president of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiev, has flown out of the country, ending a week-long standoff with the interim government. The Associated Press is reporting that Mr. Bakiev has formally resigned as president.

A week after fleeing the capital amid violent anti-government protests, President Bakiev boarded a military aircraft at Jalal-Abad in the southern part of the country and left Kyrgyzstan.

The flight landed in Taraz in neighboring Kazakhstan.

A representative of the interim government's press office, Melis Erdjigitov, confirmed to VOA News that Mr. Bakiev had departed the country, but would not comment on his destination.

Kazakhstan currently holds the presidency of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which had been involved in negotiations to resolve the standoff between the provisional leadership and the ousted president.

The interim government replaced Bakiev after security forces fired on demonstrators angry with his administration. More than 80 people died and hundreds more were wounded.

The president, in power for five years, lost support of the public amid accusations he gave family members influential positions and used their posts to enrich themselves. There were also complaints from civil society about of violations of human rights and muzzling the media.

The news of the president's departure came just hours after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake completed two days of meetings with Kyrgyzstan's provisional government.

"I encouraged them to be fully transparent in everything that they are doing to be in very close touch, in consultation, with members of Kyrgyz civil society who, in turn, represent the people of Kyrgyzstan," he said.

The U.S. envoy says technical support and other assistance for Kyrgyzstan to restore democracy was the focus of his visit, rather than the controversial Manas air base. The facility, just outside the capital Bishkek, is used to move American troops and supplies in and out of Afghanistan.

The U.S. envoy told reporters the United States is willing to review the transit center's lucrative fuel contracts, which are controlled by members of the family of the ousted president.

The interim government has pledged to honor the remainder of the facility's annual lease, which expires in July.


Poland is preparing to bury President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, and 94 other prominent military officials and civilians killed in a plane crash last Saturday in western Russia. But, some people object to the burial site chosen for the late president.

Poland is in mourning. In Warsaw, preparations are underway for a memorial service on Saturday for all those killed in the crash.

A state funeral is planned Sunday for President Lech Kaczynski and the first lady. A number of world leaders are expected to attend, including U.S. President Barack Obama and the leaders of Russia, France and Germany.

But the location of the burial that is stirring controversy. Wawel Cathedral in the southern city, Krakow, is the traditional burial site of Polish kings and national heroes. Some Poles say, although they mourn the death of President Kaczynski, they do not believe he falls into that category.

Hundreds of people have demonstrated in Krakow to make that point. In Warsaw, a smaller crowd of several dozen mostly young people gathered late Wednesday with a similar message.

Speaking with VOA, protest organizer Martina Schultz explained why she posted an Internet petition against the burial.

She says we think President Kaczynski should be buried in Warsaw not at Wawel. I am not talking about his achievements, she says, I am not trying to diminish them, I tried to write the petition so as not to hurt anyone's feelings."

Shultz says she believes the decision to bury President Kaczynski at Wawel was taken in haste and under emotional stress and not considered properly.

She says 10,000 people have signed the petition and another 35,000 have signed it on Facebook. And, she says the protests would continue.

Polish officials say the burial site was chosen by leaders of the Catholic Church and the Kaczynski family, which include the late president's twin brother Jaroslaw, the leader of Poland's opposition.

Magdalena, 18, says she came to the protest meeting to express her feelings, even though she believes it is too late to change burial plans.

At one point she says "I may be young, but I know what I think and can say it." She says she believes people's emotions of grief are being manipulated.

Those sentiments are not likely to hold sway with the many thousands who have lined up in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw to file past the coffins of the president and first lady lying in state inside.

Krzysztof is with a delegation of coal miners, who have come from near the city of Katowice in southern Poland.

He recalls that President Kaczynski came to the mining area on several occasions, he respected the president and he says it would be inappropriate not to be here to pay tribute.

A row has broken out over the decision to bury Polish President Lech Kaczynski in Wawel cathedral in Krakow - a place reserved for Poland's kings and heroes.

Hundreds have taken to the streets of the southern city in protest at the plan for a second consecutive night.

Thousands have joined an internet campaign against it. Mr Kaczynski died in a plane crash on Saturday along with his wife and many senior officials.

A date for a presidential election will be set after the funeral on Sunday.

Acclaimed Polish film director Andrzej Wajda dubbed the burial arrangements "misplaced" and "hastily made as emotions ran high", in an open letter published by the newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza.

"Lech Kaczynski was an ordinary and good man, but there is no reason for him to lie in the Wawel among the kings of Poland and Marshal Jozef Pilsudski [the founder of modern-day Poland]," he said.

Officials said the site in a crypt close to Marshal Pilsudski was chosen by church leaders and the Kaczynski family, which include Mr Kaczynski's twin, Jaroslaw - the leader of Poland's opposition.

But Mr Wajda said the decision "will spark protests and could cause the deepest splits in Polish society since 1989".

Facebook protest

Hundreds of people staged a protest in front of the residence of Krakow's Archbishop, Stanislaw Dziwisz, on Tuesday evening, carrying banners reading: "Not Krakow, not Wawel", and "Are you sure he is the equal of kings?"

Late on Wednesday a second protest was held, as well as a smaller counter demonstration in favour of the plan.

A Facebook group called "No to the Kaczynskis' burial in Wawel" had attracted more than 26,000 members by Wednesday.

Many world leaders are to attend Sunday's funeral, including US President Barack Obama along with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany.

Polish officials have said that elections for a new president will be held in June.

In a parliamentary document they wrote that there were "two possible dates" - 13 or 20 June.

Poland's acting President, Bronislaw Komorowski, is expected to name the exact date after consulting political parties.

The bodies of the presidential couple have been lying in state together at the presidential palace in Warsaw.

They were among 96 people on board the Polish government jet that crashed in heavy fog while trying to land in the Smolensk region of Russia.

They had been travelling to attend a memorial service for Polish military officers and others massacred by Stalin's secret police at Katyn in 1940.

Other victims of the crash, whose bodies are believed to have been badly disfigured or burnt in the crash, are being identified by forensic scientists in Moscow.

A number of the dead have yet to be retrieved from the wreckage, officials said.

Russian investigators believe pilot error was to blame for the crash.

Air traffic controllers who handled the plane have been quoted as saying the Polish crew refused three times to heed advice to divert to another airport because of poor visibility.