North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has left Pyongyang for China, where he will be attending a military parade in the capital Beijing, media reports say.

The "Victory Day" parade, which takes place on Wednesday, will see Kim rub shoulders with China's President Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and other world leaders - making it his first multilateral international meeting.

Kim left the North Korean capital on Monday evening onboard his armoured train, which is said to include a restaurant car serving fine French wines and dishes like fresh lobster.

The train's heavy protection means it travels slowly, and Kim's journey is expected to take up to 24 hours, according to South Korea's Yonhap agency.

Kim's attendance marks the first time a North Korean leader has attended a Chinese military parade since 1959. He will be among 26 other heads of states - including leaders from Myanmar, Iran and Cuba - in attendance.

His attendance is an upgrade from China's last Victory Day parade in 2015, when Pyongyang sent one of its top officials, Choe Ryong-hae.

The reclusive leader rarely travels abroad, with his recent contact with world leaders limited to Putin, who he's met twice since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He last visited Beijing in 2019 for an event marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the countries. That trip also saw him travel by train.

The tradition of travelling via train was started by Kim's grandfather Kim Il Sung - who took his own train trips to Vietnam and Eastern Europe.

Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, travelled by train as well as he was reportedly afraid of flying.

According to one South Korean news outlet, the armoured train has around 90 carriages, including conference rooms, audience chambers and bedrooms.

Tens of thousands of military personnel will march in formation through Beijing's historic Tiananmen Square on the day of the parade, which will mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two and the end of the conflict.

The 70-minute parade is likely to feature China's latest weaponry, including hundreds of aircraft, tanks and anti-drone systems - the first time its military's new force structure is being fully showcased in a parade.

Most Western leaders are not expected to attend the parade, due to their opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has driven the sanctions against Putin's regime.

But it will see leaders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam in attendance - further proof of Beijing's concerted efforts to ramp up ties with neighbouring South East Asia.

Just one EU leader will be attending - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico - while Bulgaria and Hungary will send representatives.

Burkina Faso's unelected transitional parliament has passed a bill banning homosexual acts, a little over a year after a draft of an amended family code that criminalised homosexuality was adopted by the country's cabinet.

The new measure unanimously voted through on Monday imposes punishments of up to five years in jail, and has become part of a broader crackdown on same-sex relationships across the continent.

Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala announced on state-run media that, "the law provides for a prison sentence of between two and five years as well as fines".

He added that foreign nationals caught breaking the law would also be deported.

The next step for the legislation is obtaining the signature of the country's military leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré, the Reuters news agency reports.

Capt Traoré seized power in 2022, after forcing another military ruler, Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba, from office.

The Sahel nation had previously been among just 22 out of 54 African countries that allowed same-sex relations, which are punishable by death or lengthy prison terms in some states.

After gaining independence from France in 1960, Burkina Faso did not inherit anti-homosexuality laws unlike Britain's former colonies on the continent.

The country is socially conservative and religious with less than 10% of people thought to not follow any faith at all.

Burkina Faso's new law is in keeping with increasing crackdowns on LGBT relationships across the continent.

Last year, neighbouring Mali, an ally of Burkina Faso and also ruled by a junta, adopted legislation criminalising homosexuality.

There has been significant backlash and criticism against countries that have toughened their anti-gay stance in recent years, including from the World Bank that had put in place a ban on loaning money to Uganda due to their anti-LGBT stance.

The ban has since been lifted.

Nigeria is also among the countries on the continent that have enacted laws banning homosexuality. Ghana's parliament passed an anti-homosexuality bill last year, but the then-president did not sign it into law.

Of all the countries, Uganda adopted the toughest provisions, making what it describes as "aggravated homosexuality" a capital offense and imposing life sentences for consensual same-sex relations.

More BBC Africa stories about Burkina Faso:

• Why Burkina Faso's junta leader has captured hearts and minds around the world
• Why 'pan-Africanist' influencers pushed rumours of a coup
• How an al-Qaeda offshoot became one of Africa's deadliest militant groups

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

A federal judge in California has blocked President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles.

Trump deployed the troops this summer, despite opposition from California's governor, in response to protests against immigration raids.

US District Judge Charles Breyer ruled on Tuesday that the government had violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the power of the federal government to use military force for domestic matters.

Judge Breyer has put the ruling on hold until 12 September and Trump will likely appeal.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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There is a lot of noise currently about UK government borrowing costs.

The focus has been on what is known as the 30-year gilt yield, which is the effective interest rate of what it would cost the UK government to borrow money over three decades.

This rate reached a 27-year high on Tuesday, which some argue is a verdict on economic mismanagement and fiscal credibility. The bond vigilantes are striking, and this is the ultimate harbinger of doom.

Is there a link to the mini reshuffle of Downing Street personnel from Number 11 to Number 10 on Monday?

For others analysing market moves, it is a pan-European trend, and if anything, a sign of UK growth outperformance, meaning there is less room to cut interest rates.

It is worth quickly unpacking what this measure represents.

This is about trading on financial markets of a very long-term form of UK government debt - essentially loans taken out for 30 years.

Demand for these assets goes up and down, setting the price, which in turn affects what is known as the yield, a measure of the effective interest rate facing the government.

It is that 30-year gilt yield that has hit a new 27-year high after creeping up over the summer.

The UK is not alone in this. Other European countries have also seen such records set in recent days.

The time period for these loans is quite important in determining the overall impact on the economy.

The 30-year gilt is important in sectors requiring long-term returns: pensions and insurance. Ultra long government loans are especially important for defined benefit pensions systems, which need fixed and predictable payouts over long periods.

One of the reasons why this has affected a series of European countries has been structural changes in pensions markets that is reducing the demand for such long-term debt.

But some general doubts about the political and economic sustainability of tax and spending plans in Europe is also part of the context here.

Warning sign

There are two critical differences to what happened, for example, at the infamous mini-Budget of three years ago.

Firstly the rise in yields at that point was more rapid. Secondly, back in 2022 UK government debt across a series of time frames (known as maturities) was affected.

Two-year and five-year government loans have a direct influence on fixed-rate mortgages of the same time frame. The mortgage market reacted in real time to the UK-specific sudden crisis. So far, this year, the cost of mortgages has continued to fall.

Only 30-year mortgages might be impacted by the record set today, but they remain exceptionally rare in the UK.

The 10-year gilt is the benchmark for government bonds, and that was up a bit on Tuesday as well, but remains below the highs set earlier this year. There was no lack of appetite from markets however for the debt, banks put in £140bn of bids for £14bn in debt this morning.

There is, however, one factor in common with 2022. These important markets also have half an eye on the Bank of England. In particular, this month the Bank will set out its plans for the sell-off its own stock of government debt, amassed over years.

The reality is that with both the Treasury and the Bank auctioning off truckloads of these debts, there is a lot to digest, and markets will remain skittish, against the backdrop of multiple diplomatic, trade and political uncertainties.

The moves in the 30-year gilt are a warning sign of bond sharks scenting some blood in the water.

Some of it might be heading toward Paris in the coming days where ministers are publicly warning of an IMF crisis amid unremitting political uncertainty.

The smaller moves in the 10-year gilt can impact more directly the chancellor's room for manoeuvre at her upcoming Budget. The lack of movement at shorter time frames means there is limited direct impact on UK household finances, for now.

This would be, however, pretty much the worst time for the government to show division, lack of certainty and credibility. Markets have long memories when governments fail to pass their announced Budget measures, especially when it arises surprisingly within administrations with thumping majorities.

Some traders identify the move of the chancellor's deputy, Darren Jones, and other Treasury officials to Number 10 on "Transfer Deadline Day" yesterday as a sign that Reeves's control is weakening. Others may see a more coherent operation between the two Lords of the Treasury.

All of this raises the stakes for the chancellor's challenge of delivering both credible tax and spend plans, as well as jump-starting growth at her upcoming Budget.

Zack Polanski has stormed to victory in the Green Party leadership election on a platform promising bold communication and "eco-populism".

The new leader said he would now "take the fight to Labour", telling Sir Keir Starmer's party: "We are here to replace you."

While he's made a name for himself as a feisty media performer among the party faithful, he's little known outside the London Assembly, where he is an elected member.

Beating two of the party's four MPs to the leadership, the 42-year-old has already faced down the charge that he doesn't have the establishment heft of those elected to Parliament in a first-past-the-post system.

Polanski has had an unconventional path to politics, previously working as an actor, hypnotherapist and mental health counsellor.

Born in 1982, he grew up in Salford, heading to university in Aberystwyth, north Wales, before ending up in Hackney, east London.

His political awakening started by joining the Liberal Democrats, a party he now criticises as being insufficiently left-wing, and standing unsuccessfully for Camden Council and the London Assembly.

He joined the Greens in 2017, working as a local party chairman before getting elected to City Hall in 2021 and becoming the party's deputy leader in 2022.

He is gay and also Jewish, changing his name from David Paulden when he reached 18 in order to embrace the identity erased by his family's anglicised name.

As deputy leader, Polanski has played a role in the party's growing electoral success.

In last year's general election, the Greens quadrupled their number of MPs to four, with his leadership rivals Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns among those joining Parliament.

Caroline Lucas had been the party's sole MP for 14 years, before standing down at last year's election, and she had thrown her weight behind the Ramsay-Chowns joint ticket.

While Ramsay and Chowns have been seen as continuity candidates, Polanski wants to push the Greens to the left, promising a mass-membership "eco-populist" movement.

Key to that approach is Polanski's approval of Nigel Farage's "storytelling" skills, which he told BBC Newsnight could be harnessed to send a different message to a wider audience, including Reform UK supporters.

He said the Greens had to "connect with that anger and turn it to hope, turn it to possible solutions".

In his "eco-populism" leadership pitch he has linked inequality to the climate crisis and called for radical action "not briefcase politics".

He has promised to lower bills with green energy and nationalised water companies, while also taking the "fight" to Labour, particularly on inequality.

The battle on inequality includes his longstanding support for a Universal Basic Income, a small, non-means-tested payment for everyone that covers basic needs.

As a former property guardian and long-time renter, Polanski has also campaigned for decent, warm homes for everyone.

He has called for the government to take action on what he describes as the genocide in Gaza, as well as being arrested for his activism with environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion.

His election potentially opens the door to cooperation with the new left-wing party being set up by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and ex-Labour MP Zarah Sultana.

Asked during a press conference following his victory whether he would form an alliance with the new party, Polanski said it was "too soon to talk about joining electoral coalitions".

But he added that he was interested in working with "anyone who wants to challenge a failing Labour government and take on fascism and the far right".

He said he was "watching the situation very closely" but his immediate focus was on growing the Green Party.

Being bold and radical does not come without risk, as Chowns and Ramsay, who were both elected to Parliament in previously Tory areas, had been keen to point out during the campaign.

Jettisoning the careful calibration both those MPs managed to balance to win half the party's Westminster seats from the Conservatives could leave them, and the 3,705 Green members who voted for them, out in the cold.

Polanski sought to address these concerns in his victory speech, saying: "To those of you who didn't vote for me, this is a democracy. We don't have to agree on everything. We just have to have common cause."

But the four Green MPs will now have to elect one of their number to lead their group in the Commons, setting up another potential source of tension.

Because of the way the Green Party is structured, with a leadership election every two years, members will get a chance to give their verdict on Polanski's new direction well before the next general election, due in 2029.

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Jaguar Land Rover says a cyber-attack has "severely disrupted" vehicle production as well as its retail operation.

The firm, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, says it took immediate action to lessen the effect of the hack and is working quickly to restart operations.

There was no evidence any customer data had been stolen, it said.

The attack began on Sunday and comes at a significant time for UK car sales, as the latest batch of new registration plates became available on Monday 1 September.

It's traditionally a popular time for consumers to take delivery of a new vehicle.

The BBC understands that the attack was detected while in progress, and the company shut down its IT systems in an effort to minimise the damage being done.

Workers at the company's Halewood plant in Merseyside were told by email early on Monday morning not to come into work, with others sent home.

It is not yet known who is responsible for the attack, but it comes in the wake of crippling attacks on prominent UK retail businesses including the Co-op and Marks and Spencer.

In both cases the hackers sought to extort money.

In a statement the firm wrote: "JLR has been impacted by a cyber incident. We took immediate action to mitigate its impact by proactively shutting down our systems.

"We are now working at pace to restart our global applications in a controlled manner.

"At this stage there is no evidence any customer data has been stolen but our retail and production activities have been severely disrupted"

The halt in production is a fresh blow to the firm which recently revealed a slump in profits attributed to increasing in costs caused by US tariffs.

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Tens of thousands of foreign students are being contacted directly by the government and told they will be removed from the UK if they overstay their visas.

The Home Office launched the new government campaign in response to what it has called an "alarming" spike in the number of international students arriving legally on student visas then claiming asylum when they expire.

As part of the campaign, the Home Office has for the first time proactively contacted international students directly by text and email.

Under the plans, about 130,000 students and their families in total will be sent a message telling them: "If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave.

"If you don't, we will remove you."

Ten thousand international students whose visas are due to expire have already been contacted directly by text and email - warning them they could be deported.

Tens of thousands more will receive the message in the coming months, the BBC understands, to coincide with autumn when applications often increase.

The full message will read: "If you submit an asylum claim that lacks merit, it will be swiftly and robustly refused.

"Any request for asylum support will be assessed against destitution criteria. If you do not meet the criteria, you will not receive support.

"If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave.

"If you don't, we will remove you."

While the political focus this summer has been on people arriving on small boats, a similar number arrive legally with visas, then apply for asylum often when those visas run out.

Many of these claims are legitimate, but ministers are worried that too many international students are seeking asylum simply to stay in the country because their leave to remain has run out.

In the year to June 2025, 43,600 people seeking asylum arrived on a small boat - 39% of all asylum claims, according to Home Office data.

Another 41,100 asylum claims came from people who entered legally with a visa, the department said, with the largest group among visa holders being students.

Last year, 16,000 asylum claims came from those who arrived on student visas, nearly six times as many as in 2020, it said.

Since then, Home Office data shows there has been a drop of 10%, but ministers in the department want the figures to fall further.

The number of people on skilled worker visas being granted asylum has also fallen, according to the department.

Earlier this year, the Home Office announced a cut in the amount of time overseas graduates can stay in the UK after their studies – from two years to 18 months.

Sainsbury's is planning to introduce facial recognition technology across its supermarkets in a bid to identify shoplifters.

The UK's second largest supermarket has begun an eight-week trial in two stores as part of a crackdown on the crime, which has increased sharply in recent years.

It is working with facial recognition business Facewatch and will start using the technology this week at one shop in London and another in Bath ahead of a potential nationwide roll out.

However, privacy campaigners described the plans as "deeply disproportionate and chilling", urging the supermarket chain to abandon its plans.

Facewatch is used in numerous retailers in the UK - including Budgens, Sports Direct and Costcutter - to identify shoplifters.

But the use of facial recognition in shops has been heavily criticised with campaigners and MPs calling for a ban.

Sainsbury's, which has more than 1,400 shops across the country, said the plans were "not about monitoring" staff or customers, but to create "safe, secure and welcoming environments".

Bosses said the technology would be used to help identify and potentially ban people who are "violent, aggressive or steal in the store", but records would be instantly deleted if the software does not recognise the face of reported individuals.

"The retail sector is at a crossroads, facing rising abuse, anti-social behaviour and violence. We must put safety first," said Sainsbury's chief executive Simon Roberts.

Madeleine Stone, senior advocacy officer at privacy group BigBrotherWatch, said: "Sainsbury's decision to trial Orwellian facial recognition technology in its shops is deeply disproportionate and chilling.

"Sainsbury's should abandon this trial and the government must urgently step in to prevent the unchecked spread of this invasive technology."

Sainsbury's said incidents of theft, abuse and threatening behaviour "continue to rise" despite working with the police and government, adding that it is "affecting Sainsbury's teams across the UK daily".

Mr Roberts, boss of the supermarket chain,added: "We have listened to the deep concerns our colleagues and customers have and they're right to expect us to act.

"We understand that facial recognition technology can raise valid questions about data and privacy."

Crime and Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said the Home Office was working with businesses to tackle retail crime "head-on" and was looking into "passing new laws to protect retail workers from abuse".

Joanne Thomas, general secretary of the USDAW union, welcomed Sainsbury's approach.

She said: "We look forward to seeing the results of the trial of facial recognition software and will continue to work closely with Sainsbury's to support a responsible, evidence-led approach to tackling retail crime."

Rivals and Inbetweeners star Emily Atack has revealed she was sexually assaulted while at work.

The actress told the Radio Times: "I've been sexually assaulted at work throughout my career, whether it's on the actual set, or at a wrap party."

Atack, who has previously fronted a documentary about her experiences of being sexually harassed online, didn't give further details of the assaults.

She also welcomed the increased use of intimacy co-ordinators, which "shows that people are listening and that there has to be a shift in behaviour on sets", and added that she hasn't "felt safe all the time" in the past.

The use of professionals to oversee sex scenes has been divisive at times, but they "are there for support if you feel uncomfortable, whether you're a man or a woman", she said.

The actress said she now wants to make a documentary about intimacy co-ordinators, following her previous 2023 programme, Emily Atack: Asking For It?, about online sexual harassment.

In that programme, Atack revealed she was sent hundreds of explicit pictures and messages every day, and asked what motivates the men behind them and what could be done to stop them.

The 35-year-old added that she wanted to raise her young son Barney "to know how to treat women and know his own worth, so he doesn't feel he has to follow awful men online that are preying on vulnerable boys".

Atack continued that recent Netflix hit Adolescence "exposed the truth of what is going on in so many homes".

"We're a very open book in this family," she said. "I want Barney to know he can talk to me about anything – that's the mother I want to be."

The actress was 17 when she was cast as Charlotte Hinchcliffe in popular Channel 4 coming-of-age comedy The Inbetweeners.

She told the BBC in 2023 that she began receiving unwanted attention from some men from a very young age.

Atack added that confronting her online abuse was one of the hardest things she had ever done - she underwent therapy throughout the process because it had involved revisiting past trauma.

She will next be seen in Channel 5's new thriller The Rumour later this month.

Few sitcoms inspire the level of devotion that The Office does.

The American mockumentary, based on the UK original created by Ricky Gervais, ran from 2005 to 2013 and became a cultural phenomenon, endlessly rewatched and memed by fans who still find themselves quoting America's answer to David Brent - Michael Scott - on a regular basis.

Its mix of deadpan humour, relatable characters and documentary style intimacy made it one of the most beloved comedies and now, more than a decade after the Scranton branch shut its doors, its creators are returning to the format with a new workplace comedy.

The Paper, from the team behind the US adaptation of The Office, follows the same documentary crew that once filmed office supplies company Dunder Mifflin as they turn their cameras on a struggling Midwestern newspaper, the Toledo Truth-Teller.

With Domhnall Gleeson as its hapless editor Ned Sampson and Oscar Nuñez reprising his role as accountant Oscar Martinez, the series aims to capture the spirit of The Office while telling its own story.

The Office's original creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant also served as executive producers on the show.

Gleeson, whose character tries, against the odds, to breathe life back into local journalism, describes Ned as both earnest and disastrous.

With no budget to hire trained reporters, Ned leans on the paper's dwindling staff, cajoling disgruntled employees into volunteering as journalists despite them having no idea what they're doing.

"Ned's leadership is totally different to the bosses we knew before," Gleeson explains. "He's running a newspaper, so the ramifications go out into the real world and there's a feeling of what they're doing really matters.

But his skill level doesn't quite match his enthusiasm, "and that's why it's a comedy rather than a drama".

That balance between stakes and silliness is key to what show creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman are attempting to do with The Paper.

Gleeson, best known for his role as Bill Weasley in Harry Potter, admits that stepping into a leading role in such a beloved show was daunting.

"Before I read it I was thinking, 'Oh my God, those are big shoes to fill', but then I realised this is a whole new story and I'm not playing a version of David Brent or Michael Scott, it's actually totally new.

"Once I understood that, I realised I needed to find my own shoes and not try to wear anyone else's."

Still, the DNA of The Office runs through The Paper, with the same invisible film crew behind the lens, and fans will spot at least one familiar face in front of it: Oscar Nuñez.

The 66-year-old American actor reprises his role as the dry-witted accountant of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch and he is now crunching numbers at the Truth-Teller and "finding his footing in a new city".

While in real life more than a decade has passed since he was on our screens, in Greg Daniels' world "it's only been four years so it's really where we left him".

This made it easier for Nuñez to reprise the character and he hopes the familiarity of his character will act as a bridge for fans who may be wary of the new setting.

"The stories and tone of the show are similar - it's still about figuring out what your workmates mean to you and putting them in ridiculous situations," he says.

He adds that there will be a few Easter eggs for fans but he admits he can't say much more about that just yet.

Similar to Gleeson, Nuñez was aware of the pressure of reviving a character audiences feel such affection for, but he only "thought about it for a minute".

"Greg Daniels was concerned about that too but then I realised there's nothing you can do about it," he tells the BBC.

The Paper is a slow burner in a similar way to The Office and Nuñez hopes that will work as "people are used to that formula."

He says the show "definitely does move faster than The Office" as by the end of the first season some characters are already getting closer to each other, but he warns that people will need to "be patient with it".

Among those new characters is Esmeralda, played by Italian actress Sabrina Impacciatore, best known for her Emmy-nominated role in season two of The White Lotus.

She tells me she is bringing a very different energy to this character as she's "lively, loud and very sneaky. She will manipulate anyone to get what she wants".

She jokes that this could be her last Hollywood character so "wanted her to be very bold".

Impacciatore admits that the weight of expectation has been nerve-racking.

"We feel pressure, of course, because The Office is so beloved. You can watch it now and it's still so funny, still timeless."

But she's reassured by the fact that Daniels, who was also The Office (US) showrunner, was behind the project, which meant "the spirit is the same but the dynamics and relationships are all different".

As the release date for the show approaches, Impacciatore says nerves are building.

"I am terrified. There are moments of panic where I wonder if, in a few weeks, my career will end.

"But I know I gave everything, commitment, attention and respect for the show. I really lived the situation, it wasn't just acting."

Fans hoping for more of Scranton may not get exactly what they expect, but all three actors advise fans to watch it with no expectations.

"If you expect something, you'll be disappointed. Just sit down with an open heart, relax, and allow yourself to be surprised," Impacciatore says.

That plea may be wise, as while The Paper will inevitably be compared to its predecessor, the creators and cast seem determined to carve out something distinct. They are clear that this show isn't a reboot or remake but a new story with a familiar DNA.

"It may surprise people that The Paper is not the same as The Office, but I hope they like it and realise we tried to make something that will stand on its own two feet," Gleeson says.

The Paper can be seen on Peacock in the US and on Sky and Now in the UK from 5 September.

Two sisters seeking to become Indian citizens are currently stateless after failing to procure a document that could prove that they have renounced their citizenship of Pakistan.

The sisters, who have been living in India's Kerala state since 2008, surrendered their passports to the Pakistan High Commission in India in 2017, they recently told a court.

But as they were under 21 years, the minimum age for renouncing citizenship in Pakistan, the high commission did not issue their renunciation certificates at the time, they said.

They approached the High Commission again after turning 21, but it still refused to grant the certificate without giving any explanation, says the petitioners' mother, Rasheeda Bano (her daughters didn't want to speak to the media). She and her son are now Indian citizens but her daughters, she says, have been in limbo for years.

The situation, she says, has severely impacted her daughters' lives, as they are unable to even apply for passports.

The BBC has reached out to the Pakistani High Commission in India but hasn't received a response.

Neighbours India and Pakistan share a tense relationship which has often spilled over into hostility, like in May this year, when the countries engaged in a four-day military conflict. But migration is not uncommon, especially among members of families who ended up on different sides of the border when India was partitioned and Pakistan was created in 1947.

Over the past few decades, the process has become harder as there is much higher scrutiny of documents. As of December 2021, citizenship applications of more than 7,000 Pakistani nationals were pending with the government, according to data shared in parliament.

Ms Bano says that when the Pakistani High Commission did not provide the renunciation certificate, she requested them to return her daughters' passports, but this wasn't done.

The sisters have in their possession a certificate given by the high commission in 2018 which states that they have submitted their passports and Pakistan has no objection if they are granted Indian citizenship. But Indian authorities have refused to accept this in place of a renunciation certificate, forcing the sisters to move court.

Last year, a single-judge bench of the Kerala High Court ruled in their favour, saying that it was clear that the petitioners wouldn't be able to produce the document.

"It would be directing them to do the impossible," the court observed, ordering the Indian government to grant them citizenship.

But the federal home ministry appealed against this and on 23 August this year, a two-judge bench of the same court overturned the earlier order.

"For a person to be considered a citizen of India, they must be recognised as such by the Indian state alone, without any competing claims from another country's government," it said.

"The formal renunciation process is the mechanism that ensures this legal clarity," the court added.

The sisters have the option to appeal against the order in a higher court.

According to Pakistan's rules, people under the age of 21 cannot renounce their citizenship independently, but their names can be included in the renunciation application filed by their father.

The sisters' father, Mohammed Maroof, was born in Kerala but was adopted by his grandmother after he was orphaned at the age of nine. When she migrated to Pakistan in 1977, she took him along.

Their mum Ms Bano said her parents were also Indians but they got stuck in Pakistan while visiting relatives in 1971, after borders were shut when the two countries went to war.

Unable to return even after months, they found it easier to apply for Pakistani citizenship. She was born a few years later.

Ms Bano and Mr Maroof, who have four children, moved to India in 2008 on long-term visas to be closer to their "roots". But Mr Maroof was unable to adjust to life in India and soon returned to Pakistan.

Ms Bano and her son, who was above 21 years of age, were eventually granted Indian citizenship.

She said the family often faced stigma when they produced their Pakistani identity documents, but at least they had something to fall back on - for the sisters even that is not an option anymore.

Simple tasks like getting a mobile phone connection, or enrolling their children in school was difficult for them, she said. Authorities eventually allowed the sisters to get an Aadhaar Card, which acts as an identity document in India. But that's still not considered proof of citizenship, denying them basic rights.

Ms Bano says her daughters' lives have also been affected by the lack of passports. The husband of one of them had to leave his job in the Gulf and come to India as she couldn't travel to him. Meanwhile, her other daughter has a son who needs medical treatment abroad but she is unable to leave India.

"The sisters didn't get the certificate in 2017 because they were then minors. Now that they are adults, they can't go back to Pakistan because they have surrendered their passports. So how will they get the certificate?" says their lawyer M Sasindran.

"They are stuck now."

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