Russia’s lower parliament passed a bill targeting speech that promotes refraining from having children or criticizes families with children. The bill is aimed at addressing the declining birthrate and positioning Russia in opposition to western nontraditional family values. 

Georgia’s president, Salome Zourabichvili, drew sharp criticism from Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili after refusing to sign a controversial anti-LGBTQ bill into law on Oct. 2.