Briefly

AFGHANISTAN

Reclusive Taliban head appears in public

The Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada addressed supporters in the city of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, officials announced on Sunday, his first public appearance since taking control of the group in 2016.Akhundzada has been the spiritual chief of the Islamist movement since 2016 but has remained reclusive, even after the Taliban seized power in the country in August. On Saturday he visited the Darul Uloom Hakimah madrassa to "speak to his brave soldiers and disciples", according to the introduction to an audio recording circulated by Taliban social media. In the 10-minute recording he prays for Taliban martyrs, wounded fighters and the success of officials involved in the "big test" of rebuilding the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

JAPAN

Man with knife stabs at least 15 on Tokyo train

A man brandishing a knife on a Tokyo commuter train on Sunday stabbed at least 15 passengers before starting a fire, according to Kyodo news agency. Among the injured, a man in his 60s was seriously hurt and unconscious. The attacker, identified as in his 20s, was arrested on the spot, NHK said. Tokyo police said the attack happened inside the Keio train near Kokuryo station. The attacker's motive was not immediately known. Television footage showed a number of firefighters, police officials and paramedics helping the passengers, many of whom escaped through train windows. The attack was the second involving a knife on a Tokyo train in two months. In August a man stabbed 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo.

Agencies - Xinhua