Rain washes out vigil for reporters detained in North Korea

North Korea put Euna Lee and Laura Ling, two American journalists working for Current TV, on trial today. They were arrested more than 10 weeks ago by North Korean border guards, who said, they'd strayed across the border with China into their territory.

The case of Euna Lee and Laura Ling is similar to that of Roxana Saberi, who has finally returned to her home state of North Dakota after her sentence of 8 years in prison was suspended by an Iranian appeals court.

Relations between the U.S. and North Korea and also with Iran have been poor for years. But a recent nuclear test and repeated missile launches by North Korea have complicated that situation further.

The friends of the two women had hoped a series of candle-light vigils around the United States would increase the pressure on North Korea to release them. They used Facebook and Twitter to organize the events.

Daniel Ryntjes and I attended the one on Freedom Plaza, in the heart of Washington. Sadly, it was poorly attended and then a massive thunderstorm chased everyone away. We did manage to speak to a few folks and you can listen to Daniel's story for Radio New Zealand here.

Current TV is not making a big deal out of the detention of two of their employees. But other groups, such as Reporters without Borders, are continuing to press for the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling.

And just as in the case of Roxana Saberi, who used to work for Feature Story News, I think that's a pretty good idea.

--Priscilla Huff, Washington bureau.

Tiananmen Square 20th anniversary - China clamps down

This is a wonderful couple of minutes of television from the BBC's James Reynolds at (or at least near...) Tiananmen Square. You really need to watch until the end, where the umbrella tactics become quite surreal.

EU citizens set to go to the polls (or some of them); Brussels talks jobs

Nearly 21 million people are out of work across the European Union, and Brussels is hoping 19 billion euros will help solve the problem.

The European Commission is handing the cash to EU governments in a bid to create new jobs and retrain workers.

Meanwhile, Europeans are meant to be heading to the polls over the next three days, but voter turnout is expected to be lower than ever.

There is widespread disillusionment with Brussels' perceived failure to act decisively on the economic crisis and rising unemployment.

Unveiling a new strategy to fight joblessness, Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who is seeking a second term in office, had this to say:

" I think it is critically important for politicians all over Europe to connect with what are the most important concerns of citizens. And the most important concern in Europe, is unemployment."

The European Commission is freeing up 19 billion euros from now until 2010, to help preserve Europe's labor force.

Normally EU member states would have to cough up half the cash, but because the financial crisis is so severe, the Commission says it is not attaching those conditions this time.

Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso says it is essential for EU member states to find ways of keeping people in the work force.

" When you have millions of people being haunted by the specter of unemployment, Europe cannot limit itself to being a bystander. Employment is a matter of local concern, of national concern, but also of European concern. And that is why we need a European dimension."

The aid from the EU's budget will also underpin loans, and go into upgrading skills for workers, as well as supporting failing businesses.

The Commission wants companies to avoid laying off workers, by offering shorter working hours. And there are 100 million euros on offer to help reboot or start up small businesses.

The Commission insists the money would only be used for companies which would otherwise have been fine had it not been for the financial crisis.

The money would not be used to prop up over-expanded sectors like the car industry.

There is a broad European consensus EU governments should uphold Europe's social model in trying to reboot the economy.

The Commission is quick to point out that issues like labor taxation and social security are matters for national governments.

The business community has already warned the Commission to keep its nose out of trying to over-regulate the way companies operate- and the proposals have already been criticized by the left for being too little too late.

And as voters head to the European polls, the most the Commission can do about unemployment right now is to come up with some fresh ideas.

By EU correspondent, Nina-Maria Potts

Exclusive audio: Mandelson says Labour 'not in crisis' as Blears resigns

I've just been at the BERR where Business Secretary Lord Mandelson is hosting Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew for talks.

I managed to get a few words with them both which you can listen to below. Lord Mandelson started off by trying to avoid talking about what looks to many like the implosion of the Labour Party but I made sure I asked him about it.

He says the crisis is in politics and not specifically with the government, which is a hard line to stick to with Hazel Blears the latest cabinet minister to resign today ahead of what look set to be disastrous election results in the coming days.

Despite the Business Secretary's optimism, Mr Lee seemed pretty clear the Labour government needs 'rescuing', which was probably not what Lord Mandelson hoped he was going to say...

Listen here.

Bit of an exclusive, by the way, as I was the only journalist there, covering Mr Lee's visit for Channel News Asia.

Olly Barratt - UK correspondent

Exclusive: Blears goes, Government in chaos?

I'm at the Department for Business (BERR) to see Singapore's Minister Mentor arrive for talks with Business Secretary Lord Mandelson - but as we arrived the resignation of Hazel Blears was filtering through and there is a real sense here of unease, a feeling that these could be a very difficult and very unpredictable few days for Gordon Brown and his government.

I'll update more here later but Lord Mandelson told me this was a crisis of politics rather than specifically this government.

Tellingly though the Minister Mentor said he would be asking Lord Mandelson how the government could be 'rescued' - what a good way to describe it.

Olly Barratt at Westminster

Japan apologises to prisoners of war in historic moment mostly missed by the news media

For veterans of the Second World World War from the US, New Zealand, Australia, Netherlands, Great Britain, Norway and and others interred by Japan, this looks like history. But it's a history that for now has been largely overlooked by many in the news media.

The apology came this weekend in the US State of Texas.

Here's what happened.

At the last minute, Japan's US Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki hopped on a plane from Washington to Texas. He decided to take up an invitation to attend the last ever meeting of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.

In front of those ageing veterans, Ambassador Fujisaki extended a "heartfelt apology".

The apology itself was videotaped and you can find a link to it on this blog.

I've been speaking with Mindy Kotler, the Director of Asia Policy Point, a think-tank in Washington.

She has been involved with campaigning on behalf of the veterans and she says the apology has effectively been endorsed by Japan's cabinet.

Listen to the interview : Download 0602pows-dr

(Technical note if you have a PC you can download the whole thing by right clicking and selecting "Save Target as..." or if you have a Mac, press CTRL and click.)

Daniel Ryntjes, Washington Correspondent

They say imitation is the best form of flattery......

But even if it is inadvertent it has been happening quite a lot with stories out of FSN's New York Bureau this week.

Firstly, the front page of the New York Times, with photo, this morning Tuesday 2nd June is of Ron Skidmore and his wife Dawn watching the announcement of the GM bankruptcy from the halls of UAW 735 in Michigan. FSN spent two days with the Sikdmore's last week and our story ran on France 24 on Friday ahead of the bankruptcy.

Also, CBS Sunday Morning ran a story on "sexting" among teenagers and they too focused on the small town of Tunkhannock in Wyoming PA, and in particular on the Miller family. FSN filed the story last month for AFP.

While we are not saying that CBS or the New York Times is directly imitating FSN, it is nice to know that we covered the stories for our clients ahead of some of the biggest news outlets in the world.

Nathan King - FSN New York