Kunduz / AFP A NATO airstrike killed at least 30 Afghan civilians, including women and children, on Thursday in the volatile northern province of Kunduz, officials said, after a Taliban assault there left two American soldiers dead. The airstrike, which occurred early Thursday, triggered emotionally-charged protests in the provincial capital, with the victims’ relatives rallying outside the governor’s office while …

  Moscow / AFP President Vladimir Putin signed off on Thursday on a decree granting Russian citizenship to US action hero actor Steven Seagal, the latest high-profile passport handout to a Western celebrity. Hollywood star Seagal and judo-loving Kremlin tough guy Putin have struck up a bromance in recent years, with Seagal visiting Russia repeatedly and defending Moscow’s 2014 annexation of …

  Jakarta/ AFP Indonesian police on Thursday offered prayers for peace and called for unity ahead of a massive protest by Muslim hardliners against Jakarta’s governor that authorities fear could turn violent. The much-hyped rally, planned for Friday, is expected to draw tens of thousands to the streets of the Indonesian capital in protest against governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian …