parabolic mirror

. The flame will be carried around Greece for eight days before being flown to Britain.

Archeologists working in Guatemala say they've discovered the oldest calendar yet from then ancient Maya civilization in Central America. They found that it undermines the idea that the Mayans predicted the world would end in 2012.

Hieroglyphs

on the 9th century calendar uncovered in the ruins of the ancient city of Xultun predicted at least another 7,000 years.

BBC News

第二页：中英双语听力稿

The United Nations Security Council has condemned two suicide car bombings which left at least 55 people dead in the Syrian capital Damascus. The council members acknowledged the international peace plan for Syria was under strain, but they insisted there was no alternative. Barbara Plett at the UN headquarters has more.

叙利亚首都大马士革发生两起汽车自杀式爆炸案，至少55人丧生，联合国安理会对此表示谴责。安理会成员国承认叙利亚的和平方案岌岌可危，但仍坚称别无选择。Barbara Plett在联合国总部报道。

The Security Council issued a strong condemnation of the attacks, but gave no sign it was ready to admit the failure of peace efforts. Instead, it called on all parties to keep their commitments to stop the violence and reaffirm support for the peace plan of the special envoy, Kofi Annan. Syria's ambassador, Bashar al-Ja'afari, told the council his country had evidence that foreign fighters and groups linked to al-Qaeda were behind a growing number of terrorist operations. He repeated accusations that some regional countries were arming and financing Syrian rebels, and he urged the council to exert maximum pressure on those states to end such support.