‘Last Lands’ explores Guatemala’s jungles in search of mysterious Mayan city
ABC News
(NEW YORK) — ABC News Live’s original docuseries “Last Lands,” the Emmy-nominated and Webby-winning show, is returning for season 2, kicking off in Guatemala’s Petén region. “Last Lands” covers the two-day journey by ATV through the jungle of Guatemala in search of the ancient Mayan city, El Mirador.
Produced in partnership with ABC News Live and Global Conservation, the only international group focused solely on protecting endangered national parks and Indigenous territories in developing countries. The series takes viewers around the world, highlighting the urgent mission to protect our planet’s most threatened places.
Hosted by award-winning correspondent Bob Woodruff, “Last Lands” dives into the hidden stories of Guatemala’ s jungle. This is where the story of the Americas began in the remote area of El Mirador National Park, where the Mayan civilization thrived 2,000 years ago. Their existence ended with a mysterious collapse, leaving behind ruins of their cities in Guatemala’s northernmost corner.
The once-vibrant city stands tall within the forest today, having endured since before the time of Christ. The Mayans built a sprawling city with monuments and buildings up to 200 feet high, featuring ornate facades. They studied science and built roads to last 1,000 years, just as the Romans did.
It was sustained by a rich agricultural economy and connected by a network of causeways, all within 820 square miles located in the Mirador Basin. These cities were interconnected by the world’s first super-highway system, with these ruins being among the 51 pre-Hispanic Mayan cities created around 3,000 years ago.
There are three ways of getting there, either by chartering a helicopter, going on a three-day hike or taking a two-day trip by ATV, which is most preferred by the park rangers linked to the Foundation for Ecodevelopment and Conservation.
Some of these rangers are part of the FUNDAECO Genesis Program — a team of six tasked with stopping poaching and illegal logging. Given cartel activity surrounding the park, these rangers are unarmed but wear bullet proof vests. Some choose to protect their identities.
“All of them are threatened,” program director Francisco Asturias told ABC News. “They are the ones who take people to jail.”
The threats are often from those who were stopped by the Genesis team for destroying the park, which can be anyone from hunters to cartel members. Pulga Garcia told ABC News he has received 500 death threats during his time as a ranger.
“But we always want to continue with the heart of a conservationist, because we were born here,” Garcia said. “To pass it on to my children and from my children, to their children. Because if we lose this jungle, we’re dead.”
Diana, Princess Of Wales.(Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — A time capsule that was laid by Princess Diana in 1991 at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London has been opened, with officials revealing a collection of 1990s artifacts just days before the 28th anniversary of her death on August 31st, 1997.
Jason Dawson, the hospital’s executive director who opened the capsule earlier this year as GOSH started its new project to develop a new children’s cancer center, called the moment “really quite moving, almost like connecting with memories planted by a generation gone by.”
Inside lay a snapshot of 1991 — a Kylie Minogue CD, Casio pocket television, solar calculator and other artifacts that were cutting-edge three decades ago.
As winners of a BBC competition 34 years ago, the items were chosen by David Watson, a then-11-year-old boy from Devon, and Sylvia Foulkes, a then-9-year-old girl from Norwich, to represent life in the 1990s.
Watson contributed the Kylie Minogue “Rhythm of Love” album and a European passport, along with a pocket TV and recycled paper.
Foulkes added British coins, tree seeds from Kew Gardens in London, a hologram snowflake and a solar calculator. Princess Diana included her own photograph and a copy of The Times newspaper that featured Gulf War headlines at the time.
As Great Ormond Street Hospital’s president from 1989 until her death, Diana played a central role in GOSH’s Wishing Well Appeal, raising £54 million — equivalent to £200 million today – considered the largest U.K. charity appeal at the time, according to GOSH.
Princess Diana famously made regular ward visits, sitting on children’s beds, holding hands and providing physical comfort at a time when many feared contact with seriously ill patients.
After her divorce in 1996, Diana reduced her charitable commitments from over 100 organizations to just six focused causes, with Great Ormond Street Hospital being one of the remaining ones.
Stephen Lee, director of the U.K. Institute of Charity Fundraising Managers, called her impact “probably more significant than any other person’s in the 20th century.”
Modern royal philanthropy directly traces to Diana’s deeply personal approach, living on through Prince William’s homelessness work and Harry’s veteran advocacy, according to Emma Hart, director of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, who notes that notes Diana “forced the British monarchy to move into the 21st century” and that she “showed how the royal family could be a force for good.”
Meanwhile, following the opening of the capsule and the continuation of construction of the new cancer center, officials say that the new facility aims to increase patient capacity by 20% when it opens in 2028.
“Replacing outdated facilities on Great Ormond Street itself, the centre will be a national resource for the treatment of childhood cancers, with a focus on research and innovation,” GOSH said in a statement following the announcement of the time capsule being opened. “Developed with families and clinicians, the centre’s design will make it easier for clinical teams to develop kinder, more effective treatments, all delivered in a child-focused environment where children can play, learn and be with their family while at hospital.”
(NEW YORK) — With a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in effect, many questions about the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip remain. It may take decades, not years, to rebuild Gaza due to the massive destruction, an expert from the Brookings Institute told ABC News.
Under the ceasefire agreement, the Gaza Strip is set to be redeveloped for the Palestinian people. Jaco Cilliers, an official from United Nations Development Programme, said at a press conference on Tuesday that it had already cleared some 81,000 tons of rubble from the Gaza Strip and was continuing to do so.
However, it is unclear when reconstruction will begin and who will finance the effort, the Brookings Institute expert, Hady Amr, told ABC News.
“I don’t think there’s any modern comparison to what’s going to need to happen in the Gaza Strip right now,” Amr, the former U.S. representative for Palestinian affairs from 2022 until 2025, said. “The level of destruction and devastation is just absolutely immense.”
About 83% of all buildings in Gaza City alone were damaged as of Sept. 23, according to the United Nations Satellite Center. About 40% of those buildings were destroyed.
“Imagine not just your house was destroyed, your block was destroyed, your neighborhood was destroyed, but 80 to 90% of the universe that you have access to,” Amr said.
Schools, hospitals, as well as water and electricity infrastructure have all been devastated during the two-year war from Israel’s extensive military campaign on the Gaza Strip, Amr said.
“It’s just going to be incredibly difficult for people to just even continue to survive while the reconstruction takes place,” Amr said.
Israel has faced heavy criticism and condemnation over its military action in Gaza from humanitarian rights groups and aid groups.
In September, the International Association of Genocide Scholars — the world’s largest group of academic scholars studying the topic — passed a resolution saying Israel’s “policies and actions” in Gaza “meet the legal definition of genocide,” established by the U.N. in 1948.
Israel has denied that it is committing a genocide in Gaza and denied claims that it has targeted civilian infrastructure. As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israel has agreed to allow into Gaza higher volumes of much needed aid.
Recovery Significant amounts of equipment and supplies will be needed to begin recovery, another expert said.
“With the rubble and the massive destruction, there is also concern that there are a number of victims, of bodies, that are buried in that rubble — they would also need to be exhumed,” Mona Yacoubian, the director and senior adviser of the Middle East Program at the bipartisan, nonprofit think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ABC News.
Before reconstruction can begin, there need to be areas that are safe and cleared of unexploded ordnance, Yacoubian said. Amr echoed this point, noting that removing unexploded ordnance and removing rubble will both be a “massive issue” that could take years.
There needs to be a restoration of services like running water and electricity in the meantime, according to Yacoubian.
“There’s going to need to be a massive scale up of life saving assistance just to ensure that people are getting food and medical assistance and also shelter, so perhaps tents, and all the kinds of things that are required,” she said.
The ceasefire agreement ensures humanitarian aid can resume entry into Gaza immediately at a larger scale.
“At a minimum, aid quantities will be consistent with what was included in the January 19, 2025, agreement regarding humanitarian aid, including rehabilitation of infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage), rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries, and entry of necessary equipment to remove rubble and open roads,” the agreement released by the White House said.
Since the ceasefire went into effect on Oct. 10, it’s unclear how much additional humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza, though Israel has long maintained they have always allowed enough aid into Gaza.
The UN and other international aid organizations have reported they are able to move more freely around Gaza in areas where the IDF has withdrawn, but additional border crossing points have yet to open.
Challenges ahead Many challenges lie ahead, starting with whether this is really the end of the conflict, according to Amr.
“The central challenges today are ending the war, getting Israel to end its military occupation, and then we need to get to a situation where there can be a security force that comes in to provide basic security. Once that happens, that’s when reconstruction can start,” Amr said.
He highlighted another issue in the reconstruction.
“Freedom of movement of people and goods, that is the central challenge. Palestinians have the skills and knowledge and in fact, much of the Persian Gulf was built with Palestinian knowledge, know-how and manpower. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have long worked in Israel as construction workers,” Amr said.
“It’s just a question of getting access to having the basic freedom to import what they need to get going,” he added.
Who will pay? It will take about $70 billion to rebuild Gaza, according to an operational damage and needs assessment conducted jointly by the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank.
European and Arab nations, Canada and the U.S. appear willing to contribute to the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, the UN official said on Tuesday.
“We’ve heard very positive news from a number of our partners, including European partners… Canada” regarding their willingness to help, the official, Cillers, told a press conference, adding that there were also discussions with the U.S.
Oil-rich Arab Gulf states will likely be willing to pay for the reconstruction of Gaza, according to Amr and Yacoubian. Egypt could also provide a “logistical base,” he noted.
“United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, I think, are all poised to potentially fund this. Turkey, I think has a great interest in doing it, but their relations with Israel ar. … at a low point,” Amr said.
However, Yacoubian expressed her belief that more progress towards Palestinian statehood needs to be achieved before countries will commit.
“I think that we could certainly see Gulf countries funding it, but they have signaled that they will not fund reconstruction in Gaza in the absence of a longer-term solution to the conflict. And in particular, they are looking to see demonstrated progress on a path toward Palestinian statehood,” Yacoubian said.
(LONDON) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with European leaders in Copenhagen on Thursday, according to a press release from the Danish prime minister’s office, with the allied response to Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion set to top the agenda.
“Russia’s war in Ukraine sets the tone for the meeting, and the road to a strong and secure Europe is top of the agenda,” the press release from Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office said.
Zelenskyy will be “one of the keynote speakers” addressing the European Political Community summit, a gathering of more than 50 European heads of state or government as well as representatives from the European Union and international organizations.
The Ukrainian president will also hold a press conference with Frederiksen following the closing session, according to the press release.
“We have one task ahead of us. We have to make Europe as strong as possible,” Mette said in a statement included in the press release.
“That calls for unity. Rearmament. Political determination to find solutions across our continent. And a joint understanding of support to Ukraine as an investment in the defense of Europe,” she added.
“Russia’s war in Ukraine was never only about Ukraine,” Frederiksen said. “That has become increasingly evident over the last few weeks.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, the prime minister said, “will not stop his brutal attacks unless he is forced to.”
Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram that “Russia is escalating,” citing “recent violations of the airspace of Denmark, Poland, Romania, Norway and Estonia.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to work with European partners on a “joint, integrated air defense system,” with “Ukrainian specialists and Ukrainian technologies” ready to contribute to the European Union’s proposed “drone wall” defensive system along the bloc’s eastern flank intended to repel Russian unmanned aircraft.
Ukrainian military personnel are already in Denmark to assist Copenhagen, Zelenskyy said. The president also thanked Denmark for its latest military aid package for Ukraine, which Zelenskyy said was worth more than $423 million.
Speaking to reporters Thursday morning ahead of the Copenhagen summit, Zelenskyy said he had discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump the possibility of Ukraine using “long-range weapons systems” to strike Russia.
“We talked with the U.S. We thank Trump very much for this dialogue,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “Last time we had a really productive, very fruitful dialogue. We talked about long-range weapons systems. We’ll see. Everything will depend on his decision. This is important.”
