PAKISTAN: A Pakistani appeals court suspended a 14-year prison sentence for former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife today in a corruption case.

However the couple will not be released because they are already serving prison terms for other cases, officials said.

The Islamabad High Court suspended the sentence for Mr Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, after hearing an appeal from their lawyer, according to Zulfiqar Bukhari, the spokesperson for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

UNITED STATES: Most fast-food workers in California were set to be paid at least $20 (around £16) an hour from today, when a new law was set to kick in. 

The regulation aims to give more financial security to an historically low-paying profession, while threatening to raise prices in a state already known for its high cost of living.

The pay hike, passed last year, will cover more than 500,000 fast-food firm employees in California.

ASIAN DIPLOMACY: Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto pledged to continue his country’s friendly policy toward China as he met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing today.

This was Mr Subianto first official visit after his February election victory as he underlined the robust ties between the two countries.  

IRAN: An Israeli strike has destroyed the Iranian consulate building in Syria’s capital, Damascus, today.

One report said five people were killed during the attack.

Syrian media pictures from the site showed smoke and dust rising from the flattened structure, which was next door to the Iranian embassy on a highway in the western Mezzeh district.

The Israeli Defence Force has made no comment on the attacks.