Russia's lower house of parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to ban what authorities cast as pernicious propaganda for a child-free way of life, hoping to boost a faltering birth rate. Official data released in September put the birth rate at its lowest in a quarter of a century while mortality rates are up as Moscow's war in Ukraine rages on.

Russian forces suffered their deadliest day since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine for the second day in a row, according to figures released by Kyiv on Nov. 12 According to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces,