UN: 200M-plus jobless in 2013

UN: 200M-plus jobless in 2013

GENEVA

The United Nations’ labor agency says the number of unemployed people around the world rose above 200 million last year as job opportunities failed to grow at the same pace as the global workforce.

The International Labor Organization said Monday that an estimated 201.8 million people were unemployed in 2013. That’s 4.9 million more than the previous year.

An annual ILO report points to an uneven global economic recovery and says East and South Asia together accounted for more than 45 percent of last year’s increase.

The agency puts last year’s global unemployment rate at 6 percent, unchanged from 2012. It says it expects little improvement this year, projecting that the jobless rate will edge up to 6.1 percent and the number of unemployed will rise an additional 4.2 million.

Velveeta products recalled over soy

NEW YORK

A food maker is recalling some Kraft Velveeta pasta and ground-beef products because some labels left off soy, an allergen, as an ingredient.

About 1.77 million pounds of Kraft Velveeta Cheesy Skillets Singles Ultimate Cheeseburger Mac are being recalled. They contain hydrolyzed soy protein and dried soy sauce. Those ingredients were not listed on some labels.

The products, made by Truitt Brothers Inc. in East Bernstadt, Ky., have expiration dates of March 2 to Oct. 23 on them. They were sent to Kraft Foods distribution centers and retailers worldwide between May 2013 and January.

No other Velveeta or Kraft products are affected. No illness has been reported. Consumers with questions can call the Kraft Foods consumer relations center at 800-396-5512.

Credit-card data theft in S. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea

A massive theft of customer data from three major credit-card firms in South Korea has shown security lapses in the financial industry.

First revealed by prosecutors, the theft of information linked to 80 million credit cards such as salaries, monthly card usage, credit rating and card numbers has sparked widespread public concern. Cardholders are flocking to bank branches and overloading call centers and service websites to find out if their information was stolen.

Local media said the theft may have affected most credit-card holders in the country of 50 million people.

Overstock.com accepts Bitcoins

SALT LAKE CITY

Salt Lake City-based Overstock.com Inc. says it’s the first major retailer to accept digital Bitcoins as payment for goods.

The $1 billion company is tapping into a new market of buyers who use the online currency, and other major retailers will lose market share if they don’t follow suit and accept Bitcoins, Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne said.

Bitcoin users buy digital money and load it onto a virtual wallet. They can buy things online without having to enter their credit-card information.

Associated Press