Midday Roundup: Report shows U.S. job market flourishing

Ready to work. U.S. employers added more jobs than expected in March as the unemployment rate ticked up slightly, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Though the two changes seem contradictory, the rise in unemployment is due to more people deciding to look for work, not more people losing their jobs, economists say. The labor force participation rate has grown three-tenths of a percentage point to 63 percent since January. The number of jobs added in March came to 215,000—7,000 more than predicted. All together, the jobs report released today signifies positive economic growth.

Unrelenting. North Korea plans to continue building its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities regardless of the response from the West. Since North Korea conducted a nuclear test in January and a ballistic missile test in February, the United States and the United Nations have both worked to pressure Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. The U.S. and South Korea have conducted more joint military exercises, and the UN Security Council passed a unanimous resolution increasing sanctions on North Korea (even the North’s ally China was on board). But none of that matters, said So Se Pyong, North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, in an interview with Reuters. “Whether they are going to do anything, we don’t care,” So said. “We are going our own way.”

No laughing matter. The Chinese state news agency issued a message condemning April Fools’ Day and telling people not to fall for Western cultural influences. “The so-called April Fools’ Day does not conform to Chinese cultural traditions or socialist core values,” Xinhua news wrote. Many in China responded via social media, telling the government to lighten up. “What’s wrong with giving people a holiday to express themselves, joke around, and find some release?” the Beijing News asked.

Under suspicion. Indian authorities are blaming shoddy workmanship for the collapse of a highway overpass under construction in Kolkata that fell and trapped more than 100 people Thursday, killing 23. Police are investigating the tragedy as a homicide brought on by the construction company’s negligence. The company denies wrongdoing and called the disaster an “act of God.” Workers were under pressure from the government to complete the project before the upcoming election, leading some to speculate they cut safety corners to meet the deadline.