Music can be used to both trigger emotional responses and sway public opinion, which has led some governments to censor music on the basis of political, religious, or ethical disagreements. As we mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the USSR, this special coverage seeks to explore Soviet heritage, its relevance today, and its enduring legacy around the world. The effects of this crisis will spread farther than Afghanistan and are already having global consequences. In our special coverage, we explore how the cataclysm in Afghanistan is affecting communities worldwide. We look at sports from the perspective of people who are not historically the main subjects of sporting focus or success, to consider their achievements, their struggles, the injustices they face. Myanmar’s “Spring Revolution” aims to unite the country’s citizens in strong rejection of the February 1 military coup, civil resistance, and a call for the return of democratic rule. The first half of 2021 has been a mixed bag of encouraging and alarming news for the LGBTQI+ community around the world. Women are highly underrepresented in research: They make up less than 30 percent of the world's scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians. And women of color are less represented still. What started in Colombia as demonstrations against a tax reform transformed into a rallying call for more equality and less military and police violence. Belarus is undergoing perhaps its most serious political crisis since independence. The Eurovision Song Contest—and the reactions it evokes—provides a compelling lens through which to regard contemporary Europe, its politics, its self-image and its presumed values. Global Voices’ coverage features stories and eyewitness accounts of citizen journalists, media partners, and local researchers. Digital Rights Under Lockdown,” invited nine reporters to research and the state of digital rights during the pandemic in Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Ethiopia.