ISLAMABAD — Militants crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan and killed 13 Pakistani troops, beheading seven of them, the Pakistani military charged Monday.
Outraged, Pakistan’s new prime minister said he would protest to the Afghan president.
The border skirmish is a new sign of tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, two uneasy neighbors. Pakistan has complained that militants use parts of Afghanistan for sanctuary to stage attacks inside Pakistan.
That claim helps Islamabad counter frequent U.S. and NATO complaints that militants behind much of the violence in Afghanistan come from Pakistan.
Pakistani military officials said in a statement Monday that militants from Afghanistan crossed the border in the northwestern Pakistan’s Upper Dir region Sunday night and clashed with Pakistan forces on a patrol.
Cyprus seeks financial bailout
NICOSIA — Cyprus on Monday became the fifth eurozone country to request financial aid from its partners in the troubled European currency union as it struggles to shore up its banks, which took heavy losses on Greek debt.
The island nation’s government said in a terse statement that it required assistance following “negative spillover effects through its financial sector, due to its large exposure in the Greek economy.”
Government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou wouldn’t say how much Cyprus would ask for from the European bailout fund, saying the amount will be subject to negotiations in the coming days.
The 27 leaders of the European Union are meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
Analysts estimate the sum would likely be around $6.2 billion but could go as high as $12.5 billion. That’s a fraction of the bailouts given to the other EU countries: Spain has asked for as much as $125 billion for its banks.
President moves into Mubarak’s old office
CAIRO — Mohammed Morsi, the Egyptian president-elect, moved first thing Monday into the office once occupied by his ousted predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, and started work on forming a government even before he had a clear picture of what he could do after the ruling military stripped most of the major powers from his post.
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