Good afternoon,

Today’s news: Globally, updates from Bangladesh, Lebanon, and Ukraine. Locally, FCC stalls challenges, PML-N sweeps by-polls, and solar surge flips Pakistan’s grid.

☕ Grab your chaye, let’s go.

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Around The World

Let her go. Bangladesh has again asked India to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death last week in absentia over last year’s deadly crackdown against a Gen Z-led uprising. Touhid Hossain, who holds the foreign affairs portfolio in Bangladesh’s interim administration, on Sunday said Dhaka had sent a letter two days ago, urging New Delhi to hand over the fugitive ex-leader. 

Hasina has been in hiding in India, her close ally when she was the prime minister of Bangladesh for 15 years,  until her autocratic rule was overthrown in a mass uprising in August 2024, in which more than 1,400 people were killed. Following the court ruling, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry said that India had an “obligatory responsibility” under a bilateral extradition treaty signed in 2013 to expedite Hasina’s return.

Updates from Lebanon. The Israeli military has killed Hezbollah’s second most senior figure, along with 5 people, and 28 injured in the attack in the first air strikes in months on southern Beirut. The Israeli military said it “eliminated” Tabatabai in the strike, while Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office earlier said he was the target of the attack. Israeli media said it was the military’s third attempt to kill him since last year’s war. Hezbollah said the killing of Tabatabai was “a treacherous Israeli attack” on the Haret Hreik neighbourhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs. 

Meanwhile, 4 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza this morning, as more than 44,000 Palestinian children are being taught in temporary learning spaces in shelters across Gaza, the UNRWA says. The agency says it is running 330 such spaces across 59 shelters in Gaza, where many children learn without basics like desks or chairs, sitting on the cold floor during their lessons.

Frame this. The US and Ukraine have announced a revised framework for ending the Russia-Ukraine war after an earlier proposal by Washington drew criticism for being too favourable to Moscow. Delegations from both sides met in Switzerland to discuss a 28-point peace plan. The joint statement says there was "meaningful” progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps. Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine continue, with at least four people killed by a drone attack on Kharkiv on Sunday. Read more on what’s included in the proposal here.

Pakistan

Rising & resisting. The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Monday dismissed an intra-court appeal filed by five Islamabad High Court judges challenging the transfer of three judges to the IHC, after their counsel failed to appear, marking another setback following the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling that the transfers were constitutional. The FCC, created under the 27th Amendment, also adjourned hearings on three of nine related petitions indefinitely, while separately rejecting a request from PTI founder Imran Khan’s counsel for permission to meet the incarcerated leader, advising him to approach the sentencing forum instead. 

Additionally, the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) announced a three-day public mobilisation campaign in early December to intensify its countrywide protest against the 27th Constitutional Amendment. In a meeting chaired by TTAP Sindh vice chairman Syed Zain Shah and attended by leaders from PTI, MWM, SUP, PkMAP, and others, the alliance vowed large public gatherings across cities and declared the movement had entered a decisive phase against what they call a fabricated mandate, while criticising the PPP for imposing Section 144 to stifle public dissent.

Out of your league. The PML-N won 12 of the 13 national and provincial seats contested in Sunday’s by-elections across Punjab and KP, according to unofficial ECP results, with the lone exception being Muzaffargarh’s PP-269 seat, which went to the PPP. Most constituencies were vacated after PTI lawmakers were disqualified following convictions linked to the May 9 protests. PML-N candidates secured decisive victories in key National Assembly seats, including NA-18 Haripur, NA-96 Faisalabad, NA-129 Lahore, and NA-143 Sahiwal. PTI alleged widespread rigging, with Omar Ayub claiming the NA-18 vote was being manipulated through “fabricated” Form 45s, an accusation authorities and the ECP have consistently denied.

Meter’s high. Pakistan’s rooftop solar boom is set to push daytime electricity demand on the national grid into negative territory next year in major industrial hubs like Lahore, Faisalabad, and Sialkot, as behind-the-meter solar increasingly replaces grid power. The surge, driven by high tariffs, power cuts, and record solar imports, has cut emissions and costs for consumers but strained already indebted utilities by eroding demand. 

Climate ministry official Aisha Moriani reported at COP30 that Pakistan will face more frequent negative-demand events during sunny afternoons and industrial holidays, making grid, regulatory, and market redesign urgent. The government now plans new tariffs for large solar users to share grid upkeep costs, while the solar shift is also prompting Pakistan to renegotiate LNG deals and reduce cargoes from Eni to better match demand, fiscal constraints, and seasonal needs.

What Else Is Happening?

🇧🇩 Indian women cricketers won the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup for the blind, defeating Nepal by seven wickets in the final played in Colombo on Sunday.

🏏Pakistan Shaheens won the Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 after a dramatic Super Over against Bangladesh, securing their third title with standout performances from Ahmed Daniyal and Maaz Sadaqat. 

🖼️Malaysia plans to ban social media for users under the age of 16 starting from next year, joining a growing list of countries, including Australia, which are choosing to limit access to digital platforms due to concerns about child safety.