An ancient letter written by Mary Queen of Scots has been sold at auction in Scotland for nearly $8,000. The letter, dated 1554, excuses a nobleman from carrying out his duties as he was suffering
gout
. It says John Blair is sickly in person with the
infirmity
of gout and not able to travel without peril to his life. The identity of the buyer hasn't been disclosed.
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The United Nations has said it'll join a government-led humanitarian mission in Syria this weekend. The UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said technical staff would accompany the Syrian authorities to observe conditions. She said the visit would include cities which had seen thousands of casualties in anti-government protests. Here's Barbara Plett.
联合国称将于本周在叙利亚加入一支由政府领导的人道主义使团,联合国人道主义负责人Valerie Amos称,技术人员将与叙利亚当局一道观察局势,调查地包括在反政府抗议中伤亡数千人的城市。Barbara Plett报道。
Valerie Amos said UN technical staff would accompany a government-led mission to aid population centres. These include the city of Homs, parts of which were devastated by a month-long government siege, and Deraa, where the uprising against the Syrian regime began a year ago. Members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation will also participate. Ms Amos said the UN officials would observe condition first-hand and gather information on the overall humanitarian situation, but she stressed the urgency of unhindered access to provide emergency care and basic supplies.