KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dissolved on Wednesday the parliament of the country, calling for an early general election, according to the official Kuwait TV.

"We have decided, based on our constitutional right complying with the provision of Article 107, to dissolve the parliament and to call for general elections in the coming months, after preparing the necessary legal arrangements for that," he said on behalf of the Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah concerning the latest political developments in Kuwait. (Kuwait-Parliament-Dissolution)

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SHARAN, Afghanistan -- The death toll from an earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday has surpassed 1,000, while more than 1,500 people were injured, a provincial official said, adding the number of casualties might rise further.

"More than 1,000 people were killed and 1,500 injured as a result of the earthquake and subsequent landslide in two districts of Gayan and Barmal of Paktika," Mohammad Amin Haddifa, chairman of the provincial directorate of information and culture, told Xinhua. (Afghanistan-Quake-Deaths)

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ISLAMABAD -- At least five tourists were killed and 10 others injured on Wednesday after a passenger bus plunged into a deep ravine in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, local media reported.

According to the report, the accident occurred when the bus was taking a turn at high speed near the Rahimabad area of the region. (Pakistan-Bus Plunge-Casualties)

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SEOUL -- South Korea confirmed its first case of monkeypox infection on Wednesday out of the two suspected cases.

A South Korean national who arrived here from Germany Tuesday afternoon was confirmed to be infected with the virus, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. (South Korea-Monkeypox Infection)