South Asia in February 2026: the most important developments in society
South Asia in February 2026 was dominated by Bangladesh's general election. In the weeks before the vote, Bangladesh's Hindu minority and other minority communities reported growing fear and harassment, and a Hindu businessman was hacked to death three days before the polls. Authorities reported a flood of disinformation, including false claims that the vote had been postponed or that the internet would be shut down. Violence was reported in Dhaka on election day, 12 February, and by 13 February the Bangladesh Nationalist Party was celebrating what was described as a historic victory. Earlier in the month Dhaka topped a global pollution ranking with an air quality index of 275, and the World Bank approved $370 million in financing to reduce water pollution in the city.
Other Bangladesh news included a Lahore meeting at which the International Criminal Court briefed Pakistan and Bangladesh officials on its procedures. Earthquakes struck Myanmar and Bangladesh within hours of each other on 11 February, and another tremor was felt across Bangladesh on 27 February with no significant damage reported. Gas accidents were also reported: a gas cylinder blast in a Chittagong building killed people, with the toll rising to four and then six by 28 February, while a cylinder explosion in Comilla burned four members of a family and an air conditioner gas leak started a fire in Dhaka that injured three.
Health authorities watched the Nipah virus after cases in India and Bangladesh. The World Health Organization said the risk of spread was low, and Singapore later eased its Nipah measures and ended airport temperature screening as the outbreak in India stabilized.
In Sri Lanka, the government pursued reforms to rebuild farming after Cyclone Ditwah, and a major power outage left parts of the country dark. Across Southeast Asia, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook parts of Malaysia, dozens of tigers died in Thailand from a viral infection, and Singapore's deputy prime minister said the country's fertility rate had fallen to a record low of 0.87.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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