U.S. FIRST TIME JOBLESS CLAIMS ROSE IN WEEK New applications for unemployment insurance benefits rose to a seasonally adjusted 355,000 in the week ended March 21 from 341,000 in the prior week, the Labor Department said. The number of people actually receiving benefits under regular state programs totaled 2,480,000 in the week ended March 14, the latest period for which that figure was available. That was up from 2,454,000 the previous week.