ISLAMABAD -- At least seven people were killed and two others injured in monsoon rain-triggered flash floods during the last 24 hours in Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.

Five children and a woman were among those who lost their lives in separate flood-related incidents, according to an NDMA report released Wednesday evening. (Pakistan-Floods-Death)

- - - -

WELLINGTON -- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 jolted central New Zealand on Thursday evening, according to New Zealand's geoscience research service provider.

It struck at 21:07 local time (0907 GMT) 30 km northeast of French Pass at the north end of the South Island of New Zealand, at a depth of 51 km, said GNS Science, which called it a "strong earthquake." (New Zealand-Earthquake)

- - - -

HERAT, Afghanistan -- Afghan authorities have begun the work to repair the railway linking the western Herat province to Khawaf of the neighboring country Iran, head of Afghanistan Railways, Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat said.

The repairing work began on Wednesday at the Rozanak station on the Herat-Khawaf railway, Sharafat said, adding the project would be completed at a cost of some 53 million afghani (about 600,000 U.S. dollars) within two and half months. (Afghanistan-Railway-Repair)

- - - -

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN -- South Korea and Brunei will resume direct flights between Bandar Seri Begawan and Incheon soon, said South Korean Ambassador to Brunei Kim Soung-eun.

According to the local daily Borneo Bulletin on Thursday, the ambassador said that before the pandemic, South Korea ranked fifth in terms of the number of international tourist arrivals to Brunei. (Brunei-S.Korea-Flights)