The Latest Breaking News from Maryam

The Taliban’s decision to suspend women from accessing higher education has extinguished a rare source of hope for many.

Smiling U.S. and Iranian fans are mingling and posing for photos outside a stadium in Doha ahead of a politically charged World Cup match

Maryam, 46, and her seven-year-old daughter Aizah were last seen on Friday morning before they disappeared from their home in Sparkhill, Birmingham, as concerns grow

Iranian-Australians are calling for the Australian government to take stronger action of human right abuses and protests in Iran

Photojournalist Frankie Mills captured some of the thousands of daily journeys across the divided city, from those fleeing turmoil in Iran and Russia to locals feeling the strain of the global economic crisis

Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain talks about diversity in beauty and finding confidence from within

Special investigation: David Cohen talks to increasingly desperate parents queueing with empty shopping bags outside a school near Battersea Power Station

Feed the Future: Demand for help putting food on the table continues to grow – hence The Independent’s call for free school meals to urgently be extended to all those in need

Best of Friends, the latest novel from Women’s Prize-winner Kamila Shamsie, explores complexities of power and ethics within an enduring female friendship. Focused on two central characters, Zahra and Maryam, the novel considers questions of integrity, loyalty, and platonic love.

British-Iranian correspondent Ramita Navai was in Bayeux, Normandy on Thursday to present the première of her documentary "Afghanistan: No Country for Women", a harrowing look at life under the Taliban. Often using a hidden camera, she witnessed the daily struggle women face to stay alive.

This week’s bookcase includes reviews of Best Of Friends by Kamila Shamsie and A Sliver Of Darkness by C. J. Tudor.