Newly installed charging station in Manali turns into garbage dump within hoursA newly installed charging station quickly became a trash dumping point in Manali, sparking a wider conversation online about civic sense and public amenities Updated on: May 04
Our study looked at teens’ social media behaviour in 43 countries – those from disadvantaged backgrounds face greater harmsOur study looked at teens’ social media behaviour in 43 countries – those from disadvantaged backgrounds face greater harms Published on: May 04
Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has dramatically altered Tamil Nadu’s political arithmetic, surging into pole position in the 2026 assembly election trends and sparking intense speculation over the state’s post-result alliance possibilities
India’s is seeing a revival as geopolitical tensions and volatility in Dubai’s property market push investors away. Assembly Elections 2026 Markets such as Goa, Alibaug, the hill regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and holiday destinations in southern India are witnessing increased
“I am over the moon excited about ,” said ’s outgoing chief executive officer (CEO) during the company’s second quarter earnings call, which runs from January to March. Assembly Elections 2026 “There are a lot of people moving into the middle class there
Some Iranians fear the regime is now more entrenched - and ready for revenge
They are still there. There is no evading the simple fact. Everywhere the people walk. Wherever they drive. Whenever they switch on the television. The faces of assassinated leaders, and those of new rulers, dominate the public space.
Protests have come and gone. A war. Then a ceasefire. But the regime of the Islamic Republic has endured.
In fact, according to Iranians the BBC has spoken to inside the country, far from being weakened the regime is more deeply embedded. And it is in a vengeful mood.
Sana and Diako - not their real names - are a young couple living in Tehran. They are middle class, educated, the kind of people who want to see the end of hardline religious rule.
To tell their story it is necessary to exclude so many of the details that might give you an idea of their characters and lives. This is because such details can be used by the regime to track people who dare speak freely to the foreign media.
The journalist assisting the BBC in Iran met Sana and Diako near a park where families were walking with their children, making the most of this period of ceasefire.
Diako wants to believe that life will get better. "Things will change," he says. "It's already changed."
Sana laughs as he says this.
"Changed?" she asks. "It's fallen into the hands of the Revolutionary Guards. The country is a mess." Sana has felt her own emotions change since the US and Israel attacked Iran.
At the beginning, I did not want the war to happen... [But] through the middle of the war, as long as they were targeting key figures, I was genuinely overjoyed with every one of their deaths.
But as the war dragged on, it dawned on Sana, as it did for the Trump White House, that the loss of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures did not usher in a new regime more amenable to compromise.
So many of their people are still standing. What I had imagined did not come true. Everything got worse. And we are left with the Islamic Republic. I am gutted that they won this war.
It is impossible to tell the scale of support for the regime across Iranian society. There are regular public displays of solidarity organised by its supporters. By contrast opposition rallies are banned.
Our trusted sources in Iran spoke with opposition activists, human rights lawyers and independent journalists and found a mood of foreboding. There is a recurring fear: once the war is finally over the state will escalate its campaign of internal repression.
According to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), more than 53,000 were arrested during the anti-regime protests last January, and before the outbreak of the war. Since the war began, many thousands more are believed to have been detained.
There has also been a record number of executions of political detainees - 21 people hanged during the war. It is the highest number in such a short period for over 30 years. Nine of those hanged were connected to the January protests, 10 were for alleged membership of opposition groups, and two were accused of spying.
Susan - whose name we have changed - is a lawyer working with detainees and says conditions in prison have become much harsher. "Before the war, harsh treatment was reserved for those who were leading the protests, who had Molotov cocktails, or who were armed. But during the war, that harshness has intensified significantly," she says.
Her personal story illustrates how the conflict is dividing some families. Her parents are openly pro-regime and she worries they might be targeted if the government was to be overthrown. When she expressed this fear to her brother, who is anti-regime, his reply was chilling: "Since they want to be martyred, why deny them that right?"
Susan wants the war to end but is certain that people like her will come under even greater pressure. And she is fearful for the fate of detainees. "I think that if the war ends, the regime will probably take out its rage from this war on the prisoners. I think we're living on borrowed time."
Human rights activists reported four executions so far this year of people accused of links to the Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service.
Independent journalists are among those who fear being targeted by accusations that they are helping the United States or Israel. There have been numerous arrests of people accused of sending material to foreign media seen as hostile to the state.
One journalist - we are calling him Armin - who spoke to our Tehran colleague told of how just reporting the facts of the war was enough to be arrested, with potentially fatal ramifications.
"Before, we might be accused of a political offence. But in the current wartime conditions, if we report on the war, we could be accused of espionage." A charge of spying carries the death sentence in a court system that does the regime's bidding.
Before, we were trying to understand how many people had been harmed or what impact the protests would ultimately have," explains Armin. "But now it's different. Now we're focused on staying alive - ourselves and our families.
While his family tries to sleep, Armin is restless.
I lie awake wondering what the future holds. And that uncertainty brings with it terrible anxiety.
Little surprise that the opposition has vanished from the streets. The regime is master of life and death.
With additional reporting by Alice Doyard
Source: BBC
Related Posts: SC asks EC to sympathetically review requests to extend voter list revision timelines in Kerala Obama’s gross reaction to Nancy Pelosi’s Kamala Harris endorsement revealed How US Sanctions Devastated Iranians Trump Claims He Wants To ‘Help Iranians' World Cup dream crushed by US travel ban Total repression and air strikes bring unrelenting dread for Iranians We've been speaking to Iranians during one week of war UN warns more Iranians could face execution Iranians including diplomats evacuated from Beirut on Russian plane Internet blackout leaves anxious Iranians in the dark Kashmiris donate for Iranians
From defeats to three wins: Samir Kumar Jana’s Patharpratima storySamir Kumar Jana is a three-time MLA from Patharpratima constituency in West Bengal, representing the Trinamool Congress. Published on: May 04, 2026 11:26 AM IST By HT News Desk Share via Copy link Indian politician Samir Kumar
3 minutes ago
Film sets across Tamil cinema saw an unexpected pause this weekend, leaving crews waiting and projects suddenly on hold. On May 2, the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) called for a token strike, bringing shooting schedules to a halt for several ongoing films
3 minutes ago
After losing some momentum in March due to the West Asia conflict, growth across India's private sector expanded at a quicker rate at the start of the new fiscal year in April, with survey data indicating a quicker upturn for manufacturers and improvement in both new orders and production
3 minutes ago
Disclaimer: This column is merely a guiding voice and provides advice and suggestions on education and careers. The writer is a practising counsellor and a trainer. Send your questions to eduplus.thehindu@gmail.com with the subject line Off the EdgeDisclaimer: This column is merely a guiding voice
3 minutes ago
Iran has received a US response to its latest peace proposal, Iranian state-linked media have said. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said the response, delivered via Pakistan, was now being reviewed, according to Tasnim news agency. The US is yet to formally confirm it has replied to Tehran
3 minutes ago
A trial beginning in New Mexico on Monday could prompt a judge to order sweeping changes to how , Instagram and WhatsApp operate - a move Platforms has warned could force it to withdraw from the state. Assembly Elections 2026 The case, which will be tried before a judge in Santa Fe
3 minutes ago
Tamil Nadu Elections 2026 Live News: The counting of votes is currently underway in all 234 Assembly constituencies of Tamil Nadu. Preliminary data indicates a tight competition between the DMK-led alliance and the AIADMK-led NDA. Meanwhile, Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is emerging as a
3 minutes ago
A slower heart rate is often associated with good cardiovascular fitness. However, as Dr. Naveen Bhamri, MD (Medicine), DM (Cardiology), and Vice Chairman of Interventional Cardiology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi, explains, “A low resting pulse can reflect endurance and efficiency
3 minutes ago
A commanding 2-0 win over Parma sealed their third Serie A title in six seasons, sparking wild celebrations at the San Siro and across the city. The moment Inter secured their 21st Scudetto! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/I2pUCn7paN— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 3
3 minutes ago
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s upcoming visit to Nepal came under shadow on Sunday (May 3, 2026) with Nepal expressing “concerns” to both India and China regarding the next season of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra through the Kalapani-Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh region reiterating that the region is
3 minutes ago
They are still there. There is no evading the simple fact. Everywhere the people walk. Wherever they drive. Whenever they switch on the television. The faces of assassinated leaders, and those of new rulers, dominate the public space. Protests have come and gone. A war. Then a ceasefire
3 minutes ago
Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, who recently resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), responded to the Punjab police filing two FIRs against him on charges of corruption and harassment. The police action came after Pathak, a key AAP strategist
3 minutes ago
As the Israel-Lebanon war continues, Hezbollah has chosen to use fibre-optic drones to get a high-resolution view of the target without emitting any signal that could be jammed. The drones are “immune to communication jamming, and in the absence of an electronic signature
3 minutes ago
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was leading in the Jalukbari constituency in early trends, as the counting of votes in the 2026 Assam Assembly elections was underway on Monday. After two rounds of counting, Sarma, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate
3 minutes ago
Two security staff members have been arrested for thrashing a tribal man at the Nigahi coal handling plant of the Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) in Singrauli district in Madhya Pradesh, a day after a video of the assault went viral on the Internet, police said on Sunday (May 3, 2026)
3 minutes ago
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken an early lead and has crossed 92 seats in West Bengal, while Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is leading on over 52 seats, as per trends the Election Commission of India. The saffron party has crossed half way mark of 148 seats as per early trends
3 minutes ago
West Bengal: Election 2026 Analysis Takeaways: West Bengal’s early assembly election trends show a sharp political shift, with the BJP taking a clear lead over the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in initial counting rounds. Early television trends indicate BJP has crossed the 150-seat mark in the
3 minutes ago
United Airlines jet with 231 passengers and crew escapes a major disaster in New JerseyA United Airlines flight with 231 onboard narrowly avoided disaster as a landing wheel struck a lamppost and truck in New Jersey. Published on: May 04, 2026 10:58 AM IST AFP | By HT News Desk Share via Copy link
3 minutes ago
Markets start May strong: NIFTY 50 tops 24,000; BSE Sensex gains 300 points amid voting results of 5 statesThe domestic stock markets began the month of May on a positive note as investors tracked state election results and global developments. Published on: May 04
3 minutes ago
If you grew up during the wild west of Web 1.0, grab a tissue. Ask.com—the search engine formerly known as Ask Jeeves—has officially shuttered its search business as of May 1, 2026. After 30 years of trying to answer our most bizarre natural-language queries
3 minutes ago
As Spain eyes a greener future, the Almaraz nuclear plant stands at a crossroads. Set for closure by 2028, the facility's fate is now up in the air due to recent energy shortages that have ignited intense discussions. Almaraz: In the western Spanish village of Almaraz
3 minutes ago
Patrick Mahomes injury update: Positive news as Chiefs QB prepares for OTAs this monthKansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes may join OTAs this month after knee surgery in December. Updated on: May 04, 2026 10:16 AM IST Edited by HT Global Sports Desk Share via Copy link After a knee surgery in
3 minutes ago
Canada’s intelligence agency has declared Khalistani extremists a “national security threat”, adding that the group uses institutions to promote its “violent extremist agenda” in the country. Canadian Security Intelligence Service, in its 2025 Public Report
3 minutes ago
Didn't think I deserved to be in Hollywood: Jon M ChuDidn't think I deserved to be in Hollywood: Jon M Chu May 4, 2026, 11:15:09 IST PTI Share via Copy link London, Filmmaker Jon M Chu says he didn't think he deserved to be in Hollywood until his film "Crazy Rich Asians" turned out to be a hit
3 minutes ago
'What is wrong with propaganda films': Javed Akhtar defends films 'propagating ideas', admits he loved DhurandharJaved Akhtar has defended 'propaganda' movies, saying everyone has a right to tell their story. The writer also praised Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar. May 4, 2026
3 minutes ago
If there were still doubters, Kimi Antonelli just silenced them… emphatically. At just 19, the Mercedes prodigy stormed to his third consecutive Grand Prix win at the Miami Grand Prix, continuing a start to the season that’s gone from promising to downright historic.If there were still doubters
3 minutes ago
The family behind the South Korean corporate giant Samsung has completed its payment of a 12 trillion won (£6bn; $8bn) inheritance tax bill, the largest such settlement in the country's history. Chairman Lee Jae-yong and other members of the family
3 minutes ago
