– Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi Tuesday visited Diplomatic Enclave to monitor the ongoing development work and assess progress on critical infrastructure projects.

During the visit, the minister also reviewed building works and instructed the officials to accelerate the pace of work while ensuring protection of nature and better facilities for the people.

The minister evaluated progress on boundary wall, remodelling of security checkpoints, cycling track and walking track being created inside the Diplomatic Enclave. He said the construction of boundary wall should continue without any break and asked the authorities to guarantee that no trees are cut during the implementation of the projects.

Mohsin Naqvi also instructed the officials to prepare the cycling and walking trails in line with modern planning standards to provide improved recreational amenities inside the enclave. He also asked the involved departments to enlarge the roads in the region to make the traffic flow and accessibility easier.

During the visit, the Interior Minister directed the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Security to formulate an updated and comprehensive security strategy for the Diplomatic Enclave. He said the enclave needed a security architecture that matches current standards and accommodates the needs of diplomatic missions and residents.

Parks within the Diplomatic Enclave would also be restored and enhanced, the minister said. He said the government wants to make the enclave a safe and well-run diplomatic zone with upgraded public areas and infrastructure.

Mohsin Naqvi asked the officers to offer facilities to the residents of Diplomatic Enclave as per international norms.

The Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) briefed the minister on the progress of the ongoing development projects and future plans for the enclave. Officials discussed the building timetable and the steps for implementation.

The deputy commissioner Islamabad and other top authorities were also present during the visit and evaluated the development of the projects along with the interior minister.

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England fast bowler Brydon Carse has been dropped from the squad for the second test against Pakistan following an investigation into an incident ​at a club in Derby, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) ‌said on Monday.

“Following a referral from the ECB, the Cricket Regulator has confirmed that they will investigate events on Saturday night in Derby,” the ECB said in a statement.

“Brydon Carse ​will no longer be available for selection for the second men’s test ​while this investigation is ongoing and the full facts are obtained.”

Carse, ⁠who did not play in the opening test victory at Headingley, will ​be replaced by Sonny Baker.

Videos circulated on social media appearing to show the 31-year-old ​Durham bowler in handcuffs being spoken to by police officers outside a venue. According to reports, Carse was not arrested and no charges were brought.

It has been a busy summer ​for England’s Cricket Regulator, the body set up to investigate matters where there ​is an allegation of a breach of the ECB’s code of conduct.

In June it concluded ‌an ⁠investigation into former test captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson after a nightclub incident following the first test against New Zealand.

Both were left out of the second test before the Regulator ruled that there was insufficient evidence to ​establish that any ​regulatory breach occurred.

The ⁠latest investigation comes five days after England’s returning test captain Joe Root spoke of the players being “really good role models ​and human beings” following a series of incidents and accusations ​of a ⁠drinking culture.

Controversy has followed England around in recent times with off-field issues during last winter’s tours, including Harry Brook being fined £30,000 ($41,000) following an altercation in Wellington as ⁠well as ​reports of drinking during a mid-Ashes series trip ​to Noosa.

Stokes retired from international cricket after returning for the third test against New Zealand and ​Brendon McCullum was sacked as test coach. 

 US public approval of the war with Iran fell to its lowest level since the conflict’s early days, helping to hold President Donald Trump’s popularity at a record low, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Monday.

The four-day poll showed just 31% of Americans support US military action against Iran, down from 37% in a March Reuters/Ipsos poll and 34% earlier this month. The decline was driven by fewer self-identified Republicans backing the conflict. Some 69% of Republican respondents support the war, compared with 77% in March.

The war has been dragging on Trump’s public standing this year, and for the second survey in a row just 33% of respondents said they approved of the Republican’s performance in the White House, the lowest level in Reuters/Ipsos polls in Trump’s first or second term.

Trump has told Americans that the war – which started with US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28 – is necessary to keep Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. The conflict has cooled in recent months but Iran has kept in place a de facto blockade of oil exports from the region, which has pushed US gasoline prices near record highs.

Trump has vowed to ramp up economic pressure on Iran and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday announced a possible expansion of sanctions on countries doing business with the country, but stopped short of actually imposing penalties, a sign of how thorny the conflict has become for the administration.

Fears of a long war

Some 83% of the country thinks the war will go on “for an extended period of time,” the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll found, up from 80% earlier this month.

Trump campaigned ahead of the 2024 presidential election on promises to control inflation and avoid lengthy military conflicts. Six months into the war with Iran, US gasoline prices are more than a dollar higher per gallon than they were before the war. That is weighing on Trump’s Republican allies who will be defending narrow congressional majorities in the November 3 midterm elections.

Independent voters in the poll favoured Democrats over Republicans – 33% to 19% – when asked who they would vote for in congressional elections if the election were held today.

The poll surveyed 1,215 US adults nationwide and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.