Rooma News; Sen. Lindsey Graham Dies at 71 After Sudden Illness.Qatar's Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Dies at 74

 Sunday, July 12, 2026

Islamabad Edition · Vol. I, No. 1

Rs 30

Rooma News

World & Pakistan Desk — Reported from Islamabad

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By Rooma Mehmood•Islamabad•Compiled from wire & verified reporting

Breaking — Two World Figures Lost

Sen. Lindsey Graham Dies at 71 After Sudden Illness

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican and one of President Trump's closest allies in Congress, died Saturday night after what his office described as a brief and sudden illness. He was 71. Graham had just returned from Kyiv, where he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and had been due on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday morning. First elected to the Senate in 2002, he chaired the Judiciary Committee from 2019–2021 and was a longtime hawk on Iran policy. His office asked for privacy for the family.

Qatar's Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Dies at 74

DOHA — Qatar's Amiri Diwan announced Sunday morning that Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the country's former ruler known as the Father Emir, had died at 74. He led Qatar from 1995, after taking power from his father in a bloodless coup, until 2013, when he voluntarily handed control to his son, the current Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. His reign launched Al Jazeera, delivered Qatar's first permanent constitution, and built the country into a major diplomatic broker. No cause of death was given.

World News

Middle East · Americas · Europe

Fragile US–Iran Truce Strains Further After New Strikes

The shaky ceasefire between the United States and Iran remains under heavy pressure after another round of strikes this week, with President Trump briefly declaring the truce "over" before signalling the exchange would not spiral into full renewed war. Mediators, including Pakistan, have spent recent days working to pull talks back on track following clashes over attacks on commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. A June memorandum between Washington and Tehran set a 60-day window to resolve outstanding issues — including Iran's nuclear programme and access to the strait — that remain unsettled. Elsewhere, Russian strikes hit Kyiv for a second consecutive night this week as the war in Ukraine ground on.

Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Passes 4,300

The toll from the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has climbed past 4,300, with crews still working through collapsed buildings in Caracas and La Guaira nearly three weeks later. Tens of thousands remain displaced, and officials say identifying the dead recovered from rubble will take considerably longer. The U.S. Geological Survey has cautioned the final toll could rise well beyond current figures given the scale of destruction.

Andalusian Wildfire Kills 12, Most of Them Tourists

One of Spain's deadliest wildfires in decades tore through the town of Los Gallardos this week, killing at least 12 people — most of them foreign nationals, officials said, after a Europe-wide heatwave turned the region's scrubland to tinder. Several victims died in a vehicle and while fleeing on foot along a dry riverbed that authorities called a trap. Dozens more were reported missing in the fire's immediate aftermath.

Pakistan News

Islamabad · Balochistan · National

Weather Advisory

Upper Pakistan: PMD warns of renewed urban flooding in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Lahore and Faisalabad through Monday as monsoon moisture from the Arabian Sea intensifies. Rain, flash floods and lightning have killed at least 18 people and injured 49 nationwide since June 26, per the NDMA — the heaviest toll so far in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Landslide risk remains elevated in Gilgit-Baltistan and the north.

Balochistan Toll Climbs After Wave of Militant Attacks

Pakistan's military says at least 38 security personnel and civilians were killed over four days of coordinated militant attacks in Balochistan, including an assault on a police post in Ziarat district and a strike on an army convoy near Bela and Winder. Security forces say they killed dozens of militants in retaliatory operations. Islamabad again pointed to sanctuaries across the Afghan border, an accusation the Afghan Taliban administration denies. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks and vowed the province's "enemies" of peace would not prevail.

PTI Lawyers Again Denied Access to Imran Khan

A delegation of PTI leaders was turned away from Adiala jail this week in the latest unsuccessful attempt to meet founding chairman Imran Khan, despite Islamabad High Court orders requiring weekly visits from family and party lawyers. PTI says the court's directives have gone unimplemented for months; jail officials have cited a lack of approval. Khan has remained in custody since August 2023 across multiple cases.

Cabinet Approves Pakistan's First Four-Year Hajj Policy

The federal cabinet, chaired by PM Shehbaz Sharif, has approved a Hajj Policy and Plan running through 2030 — the country's first multi-year framework, replacing annual registration with a rolling system open to intending pilgrims until 2030. The plan adds a Shariah-compliant Hajj savings scheme, full digitisation of payments and complaints, and mandatory pilgrim training. The cabinet separately reviewed plans to widen SME access to financing through the State Bank and commercial lenders.

Search Continues for Crew of K2 Airways Cargo Jet

Search teams are still looking for five crew members of a K2 Airways Boeing 737 freighter that crashed into the Arabian Sea while flying from Sharjah to Karachi. The crew reported a navigation-system fault shortly before radar showed the aircraft descending rapidly; wreckage was located roughly 53 nautical miles off Ormara after a 12-hour search. It would be Pakistan's first major civil aviation disaster since 2020 if all aboard are confirmed lost. The Navy and Air Force remain involved in the search.

ROOMA NEWS

Compiled and verified from wire and press reporting as of the morning of July 12, 2026, Islamabad. Developing stories, including the Iran ceasefire, Balochistan operations and the K2 Airways search, may change through the day.