Zimbabwe. Opposition leader Tsvangirai freed

Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was released by police after being detained for more than eight hours on the day before, his lawyer said.

?They?ve just been released without charge. The police were saying he addressed an unsanctioned meeting ... They were held for eight hours before their release,? Tsvangirai?s lawyer Job Sibanda said.

China launches massive quake zone reconstruction

China, facing emergencies ranging from swollen lakes to rehousing millions after last month?s devastating earthquake, is looking to the future, planning a huge reconstruction of schools, homes and hospitals reduced to rubble.

The May 12 quake centred in southwest China?s Sichuan province killed 69,122 people with 17,991 more missing and likely dead, according to the latest official figures. More than 15 million residents have been displaced and tent cities have been going up across the ravaged region as the usually sweltering summer settles in, making life far from comfortable and raising fears of epidemics.

Only 25 % of damaged shops have managed to reopen over three weeks after the disaster, the Commerce Ministry said. The government has said reconstruction would take up to three years.

The State Council, or cabinet, looked to the future, passing draft regulations on reconstruction, outlining requirements for resettlement sites and safety standards of public buildings like schools and hospitals. In one of the most poignant dramas unfolding after the disaster, tension has flared between local officials and parents whose children were killed in a disproportionate number of school collapses. More than 9,000 children and teachers died under school buildings, according to figures compiled by Reuters.

WELLINGTON. World Environment Day calls for end to carbon addiction

The United Nations urged the world yesterday to kick an all-consuming addiction to carbon dioxide and said everyone must take steps to fight climate change. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said global warming was becoming the defining issue of the era and will hurt rich and poor alike. ?Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit,? Ban said in a statement to mark World Environment Day, which is being marked by events around the globe and hosted by the New Zealand city of Wellington. ?Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions,? he said in the speech to reinforce this year?s World Environment Day theme of ?CO2 Kick the Habit?. ?Whether you are an individual, an organization, a business or a government, there are many steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. It is a message we all must take to heart,? he said.

World Environment Day, conceived in 1972, is the United Nations? principal day to mark global green issues and aims to give a human face to environmental problems and solutions.