One continent, three elections. It was a big week for Asia, where Bangladesh, Japan, and Thailand went to the polls.
Bangladesh held its most historic election, the first since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in 2024, on Friday (February 12). It was a contest between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by
Tarique Rahman, and an 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami and the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP). Haisna’s Awami League, which won the last four elections, was barred from the contest.
The BNP claimed a sweeping victory, making Rahman, Khaleda Zia’s son, the frontrunner for the PM’s post. The hardline Jamaat-e-Islami suffered a big blow but questioned the “integrity of the results process”. So where does Bangladesh go from here? And what does the BNP win mean for India and the neighbourhood? We analyse.
Meanwhile, in Japan, Sanae Takaichi called for a snap election and went on to win a landslide, becoming the first triumphant woman prime minister. And Thailand sprung a surprise, with the Bhumjaithai party led by Prime Minister
Anutin Charnvirakul defying opinion polls and forging ahead.
The Epstein file saga continues to unfold, rocking UK politics. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been facing heat for the appointment of
Peter Mandelson as the UK’s envoy to the US, despite being aware of his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. At one point, there was speculation about the PM stepping down, but for now, he has avoided the crisis.
Canada was rocked by a mass shooting on Tuesday (February 10). Six people were killed, and at least 25 others were injured at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia. The suspect, an
18-year-old trans woman, who died from a self-inflicted injury, reportedly killed her mother and step-brother before attacking the school.
In our weekly wrap of world news, we talk about all this and more.
1. Bangladesh voted for the first time since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. Without the Awami League on the ballot, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) claimed victory in the election. While the Jamaat-e-Islami has objected to the results, it will be forced to sit in the opposition. Here is
what changes in the country from hereon?
2. As Bangadlesh counted its votes, India was watching closely. The two nations shared good ties, which have been strained since the fall of Sheikh Hasina, who is living in exile in New Delhi. With BNP now at the helm, it remains to be seen how this relationship progresses. Will Tarique Rahman follow his mother
Khaleda Zia’s footsteps and keep New Delhi at a distance? Or will he chart his own path and
extend a hand of friendship?
3. In Japan, Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secured a landslide victory in the Lower House in the snap elections held last Sunday (February 8). The country’s first woman prime minister came to power in October 2025, but she called for snap polls recently to secure a stronger backing for her policies – both domestic and foreign. Takaichi has been hawkish towards China.
Is India then the partner to turn to?
4. The Epstein files have shaken up UK politics. Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure after the release of the latest tranche of documents by the US Department of Justice. They revealed that former UK ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, maintained close ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Since Starmer admitted he knew about the friendship, he has been under the scanner. Two key members of his inner circle have resigned. On Monday, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for the PM to do the same.
So far, Starmer has survived.
5. The latest tranche of the files also brought into the spotlight a sprawling ranch outside Santa Fe in New Mexico. For years, Jeffrey Epstein abused teenage girls and women on this nearly 10,000-acre property. It was here that he planned to spread his DNA across the human race by impregnating women.
This story tells you more.
6. In a rare but shocking development, Canada witnessed a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. The shooter, identified as an 18-year-old trans woman, killed her mother and step-brother before killing six at the institution. As the country reels from the aftermath of the attack, we examine its
gun control laws.
7. The US has made a big claim once again. It has accused China of carrying out a secret nuclear explosive test in June 2020. The allegation places the activity just a week after the Galwan clashes in eastern Ladakh, where 20 Indian soldiers were killed in action. While Beijing has denied the accusations, here is what experts believe.
China has conducted nuclear explosive tests, including preparing for tests with designated yields in the hundreds of tons… China has used decoupling – a method to decrease the effectiveness of seismic monitoring – to hide its activities from the world. China conducted one such…
— Under Secretary of State Thomas G. DiNanno (@UnderSecT) February 6, 2026
8. Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif made a shocking admission in Parliament. He accused the US of exploiting this country for its strategic interests and then discarding it as “worse than toilet paper.” Asif said that Pakistan’s decision to once again align with Washington after 1999, particularly in relation to Afghanistan, inflicted lasting damage on the country. As Asif’s statement grabbed headlines, we look at
Pakistan’s flip-flop ties with the US.
That’s all from us this week. If you want to keep up with the latest in geopolitics,
bookmark this page.
PS: If you are a Gen Z and reading this, we apologise. Turns out, they are dumber than their predecessors. We are not saying it;
science is.
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