Michael J. Schmidt is a United States Air Force major general who serves as the Director of Programs of the U.S. Air Force. Previously, he was the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa.

Édouard Joseph Marc Maunick (September 23, 1931, Mauritius – April 10, 2021) was a Mauritian, African poet, critic, and translator.

Gandāra, or Gadāra in Achaemenid inscriptions (Old Persian cuneiform: 𐎥𐎭𐎠𐎼, Gadāra, also transliterated as Gandāra since the nasal "n" before consonants was omitted in the Old Persian script, and simplified as Gandāra or sometimes Gandara) was one of the easternmost provinces of the Achaemenid Empire in South Asia, following the Achaemenid invasion of the Indus Valley. It appears in various Achaemenid inscriptions such as the Behistun Inscription, or the DNa inscription of Darius the Great. The province was also referred to as Paruparaesanna (Greek: Parapamisadae) in the Babylonian and Elamite versions of the Behistun inscription. The extent of the province was apparently wider than the actual geographical region of Gandhara. According to Herodotus, soldiers of Gandāra participated to the Second Persian invasion of Greece around 480 BCE. They had a different equipment from the Hindush, rather akin to that of the Bactrians, and were under the command of Artyphius, son of Artabanus: The Bactrians in the army wore a headgear most like to the Median, carrying their native bows of reed, and short spears. (...) The Parthians, Chorasmians, Sogdians, Gandarians, and Dadicae in the army had the same equipment as the Bactrians. The Parthians and Chorasmians had for their commander Artabazus son of Pharnaces, the Sogdians Azanes son of Artaeus, the Gandarians and Dadicae Artyphius son of Artabanus. — Herodotus VII 64-66 The depiction of Indian soldiers and the names of the three Ancient Indian provinces including Gandāra still appear in trilingual cuneiform labels above their respective figures on the tomb of Artaxerxes II (c.358 BCE).

The Black Diamond Apple (黑钻石) is a rare breed from the family of Hua Niu apples that is cultivated in the Tibetan region of Nyingchi. Despite what the name suggests, the apple rather is a purple hue, with white pulp on the inside. Its unique color is due to the region's high altitude. The temperature fluctuates wildly between day and night, with the apples being exposed to a lot of ultraviolet light, which is conducive to the dark skin. Belonging to the high-end segment of the market, the average Black Diamond Apple costs about 50 yuan. Many farmers are reluctant to grow the fruit, since its maturity process can take up to eight years.

The 2021 Apure offensive started on 21 March 2021 in the south of the Páez Municipality, in the Apure state in Venezuela, specifically in La Victoria, a location bordering with Colombia, between guerrilla groups identified as Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) dissidents and the Venezuelan government led by Nicolás Maduro.
The 2021 Apure offensive started on 21 March 2021 in the south of the Páez Municipality, in the Apure state in Venezuela, specifically in La Victoria, a location bordering with Colombia, between guerrilla groups identified as Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) dissidents and the Venezuelan government led by Nicolás Maduro. The conflict has provoked the displacement of at least 6,000 Venezuelans in Colombian territory, the destruction of the custom house in La Victoria, bombardments by the Venezuelan aviation, two casualties and several wounded of the Venezuelan Armed Forces. Colombian guerrilla leaders Iván Márquez and Jesús Santrich have been dismissed from responsibility of the attack by media outlets, who have attributed it to internal rebels of the armed group. Some civilians have accused security forces of committing abuses, including detaining and killing civilians, as well as both looting and burning homes. Mechanic José Castillo told Reuters that people were dressed in Venezualan army uniforms in order to pass them off as guerrillas. Venezuelan non-governmental organizations, such as Fundaredes and Provea, have denounced human right violations committed by Venezuelan security forces against Venezuelan civilians, warning that the death of five family relatives in El Ripial could constitute extrajudicial killings and drawing similarities with the Massacre of El Amparo in 1988, where Venezuelan military and police officers killed fourteen fishermen and presented them as guerrillas.
2021 Apure offensive