US lawmakers freeze $700m to Islamabad

A US congressional panel has frozen $700 million in aid to Pakistan until it gives assurances it is helping fight the spread of homemade bombs in the region, a move one Pakistani senator called unwise and likely to strain ties further.Pakistan children rescued from ‘madrassa’ chains - police     Pakistani police said Tuesday they had rescued 53 students, including children as young as seven, who had been chained in the basement of a madrassa raided by security forces in the port city of Karachi. Canada deals blow to climate talks drive     Canada\\\'s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol marks a slap in the face for marathon efforts to bring all countries under one legal roof in the fight against climate change, but the impact may be limited.