Oct 26, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC

Russian streaming service Amediateka cut over 75 hours of footage from approximately 200 foreign series, according to an investigation by Mediazona reported by The Insider. Censorship excised more than 7,300 scenes containing depictions of LGBT topics, substance use, suicide, and incest, at times disrupting core narrative arcs.

Separately, independent outlet Verstka reported that a Russian court officially banned the romance novel Heated Rivalry. The court ruled that the book, which centers on two male hockey players, violated domestic prohibitions against promoting non-traditional sexual relationships.

Meanwhile, NEXTA highlighted new educational materials distributed in Novosibirsk schools. The updated curriculum presents military service and sacrifice as national duties while condemning Western influence and non-traditional relationships.

Sources: Mediazona, NEXTA, The Insider, Verstka.

Serbians cast their ballots in record numbers on Sunday in a high-stakes parliamentary election. The vote represents the most competitive challenge to former President Aleksandar Vučić and the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) since 2012.

The snap election follows nearly two years of widespread student-led demonstrations triggered by a deadly railway station canopy collapse that killed 16 people. Student activists transformed their protest movement into an electoral campaign targeting government corruption and creeping authoritarianism.

Despite strong voter mobilization, youth activists have raised serious concerns regarding potential voting irregularities and election fraud. Official results are expected late Sunday evening.

Sources: Balkan Insight, Bloomberg, Cyprus Mail, OCCRP, Politico Europe.

An investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) examines how Chinese state-backed loans for major infrastructure projects have coincided with worsening economic and agricultural challenges in Zambia. Chinese mega-banks financed extensive development initiatives to expand Beijing's influence across Africa. However, the resulting debt burdens and resource pressures have left local communities, including farmers around Lusaka, facing severe water shortages and crop loss. Reports indicate that these large-scale investments often prioritized expansive development over local environmental and financial resilience, amplifying vulnerability during prolonged dry spells.

Sources: ICIJ