Artemis II splashdown

Summary

Global News Podcast – Artemis II Splashdown & Key World Events

Date: April 11, 2026
Host: Ankar Desai, with reporting by Shamikh Khalil, Paul Henley, Caroline Davies, Lee Doucet, Sarah Smith, Pete Ross, and others
Produced by: BBC World Service

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the historic Artemis II mission's successful return as the first crewed lunar voyage in over 50 years concludes. The podcast also covers critical diplomatic moves in Iran and Pakistan, civilian perspectives from Beirut during airstrikes, Hungary’s pivotal election, a study on chimpanzee aggression, and a light-hearted cultural note from Japan.

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Artemis II: Historic Splashdown & Analysis

[01:08–10:02]

Mission Success & Public Reaction

• The Orion capsule carrying four astronauts successfully splashed down in the Pacific after a ten-day journey, marking the first crewed lunar voyage since the Apollo era.
  • “History has been made as the four astronauts of the Artemis lunar mission have safely returned to Earth, having made the first manned voyage to the moon and back in over half a century.” – Ankar Desai [01:58]
• NASA Mission Control confirmed splashdown at 7:07pm CT.
  • “Splashdown confirmed at 7:07pm Central Time, 5:07pm Pacific Time. From the pages of Jules Verne to a modern-day mission to the moon, a new chapter of exploration… is complete.” – NASA Mission Control [02:38]

Tense Re-entry Moments

• A tense six-minute blackout occurred during atmospheric re-entry, worrying mission controllers due to previously reported heat shield issues.
  • “Six minutes of silence. It was excruciating…if anything was going to go wrong, it would go wrong then.” – Palab Ghosh [03:31]
• Relief came when communications were re-established:
  • “Houston. Integrity. We have you loud and clear.” – Astronaut, John Mitani [03:17]

Technical & Programmatic Insights

• Previous issues with heat shield and refueling complicated planning.
  • “The Artemis II mission was canceled twice because they couldn't get the refueling right. Just imagine how hard it's going to be in space.” – Paul Henley [05:08]
• The lunar landers for future missions remain unbuilt, and the true timeline may extend beyond NASA’s 2028 goal.

Astronaut Recovery & Legacy

• Medical checks await astronauts; balance issues from short-term microgravity expected but mild.
• Families’ relief echoed worldwide; community events highlighted milestone:
  • “I have a list of emotions now: fear, anticipation, excitement, nerves, anxiety, pride, happiness…The relief was palpable, but also the pride and the happiness.” – Shamikh Khalil, live from the Columbia Memorial Space Center [07:27]

STEM Inspiration

• The event galvanized public enthusiasm for space and STEM, with families and educators emphasizing the educational value.
  • “This is not just for the space enthusiasts. This is also for families…they’re witnessing a moment the world hasn’t seen in almost five decades.” – Shamikh Khalil [07:27]
  • “Moments like this…you can push forward space programs studies for children and get them interested at an early age.” – Shamikh Khalil [09:07]

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US-Iran-Pakistan Diplomatic Talks

[10:02–16:00]

Historic Negotiations

• Iran and the US are sending senior delegations to Islamabad for what could be the most direct face-to-face talks since 1979, amid persistent regional tensions.
  • “All eyes are on Islamabad as Pakistan's capital prepares to host one of the most high-profile diplomatic events in its history.” – Caroline Davies [11:12]
• Iranian delegation includes key ministers and the parliamentary speaker; preconditions include demands for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Israeli military restraint.

US & Global Stakes

• For the US, stakes revolve around opening the Strait of Hormuz (key oil route) and halting Iran’s uranium enrichment.
  • “The biggest issue is opening the Strait of Hormuz because it’s…the increase in the oil price that’s really been hurting Donald Trump with voters…” – Sarah Smith [14:21]
  • “Iran must never be able to have a nuclear weapon.” – Sarah Smith [14:21]
• President Trump’s administration signals willingness to negotiate but readiness for force if necessary:
  • “I wish him luck. He’s got a big thing. I will find out what’s going on…If it doesn't, we'll be able to finish it off one way or the other.” – Donald Trump [15:27]

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Civilian Stories Amid Middle East Conflict: Beirut Airstrikes

[17:50–22:17]

Viral Video from Beirut

• 13-year-old Naya filmed as bombs landed near her; her candid, frightened reaction captured the chaos of life under airstrikes.
  • “The first thing we did was run to another building and I didn't know what to say, so I just started swearing. I was just so scared.” – Naya [21:01]
  • “I want them to tell their children…I need to post it online so people can see what actually happened.” – Gita Magi, Naya’s mother [20:33]
• Mother recounts frantic minutes without contact and the emotional impact of seeing Naya’s video.

The Human Face of Conflict

• Naya’s account powerfully illustrates the psychological toll on children and families in conflict zones.
  • “I've never seen a building fall in front of me and I never thought I would ever see a building fall like that.” – Naya [21:40]

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Hungarian Elections: A Pivotal Vote

[22:17–26:17]

Political Landscape

• Hungary’s parliamentary election pits incumbent Viktor Orbán against the opposition Tisza party, with ramifications for EU politics and regional alliances.
  • “In the election campaign, Viktor Orban stresses one theme above all. He stands for peace in neighbouring Ukraine, he says…” – [23:16]
• Orbán styles himself as a bulwark against involvement in the Ukraine war and against alleged EU pressure; challengers promise change and honesty.

External Influence and Tension

• US Vice President JD Vance underscores rare splits within NATO as the US administration supports Orbán against European partners.
  • “You have stood up to the bureaucrats. You have stood up to the nihilists. And now I wonder, will you do it again?” – JD Vance [25:43]
• High turnout expected; the world watches closely.

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Science Feature: Chimpanzee Civil War

[26:17–30:20]

Groundbreaking Primate Research

• Thirty-year study finds chimpanzees in a large Ugandan group split into violent factions, challenging notions of continuous cooperation.
  • “The group grew so large that they couldn’t hold together anymore. Feeding competition intensified, reproductive competition among the males intensified, and a few males died just before hostilities broke out in 2015.” – John Mitani [28:03]
• Researchers compare chimpanzee aggression to human societal dynamics:
  • “Chimpanzees appear to consider outsiders as the enemy, no matter who they are. We typically don’t act in this way. One stark difference…is that we’re an unusually pro-social and cooperative species…this difference…gives me hope, especially in this time of increasing polarization.” – John Mitani [29:14]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “History's been made, and it's been made to perfection. This mission has so far been flawless.” – Palab Ghosh on Artemis II [03:31]
• “This is rock and roll on another level.” – Ben Decoy, President of Columbia Memorial Space Center, via Shamikh Khalil [07:27]
• “I just collapsed. And I said, everybody needs to see this video.” – Gita Magi, on seeing Naya’s viral Snapchat [20:33]
• “This ability to get along with others is unusual, if not unique…this difference between chimpanzees and humans is something that actually gives me hope, especially in this time of increasing polarization.” – John Mitani [29:14]

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Segment Timestamps

• Artemis II Engagement & Splashdown: 01:08–10:02
• Middle East Diplomatic Talks (US-Iran-Pakistan): 10:02–16:00
• Beirut Airstrikes, Naya’s Story: 17:50–22:17
• Hungarian Election Coverage: 22:17–26:17
• Chimpanzee Civil War Research: 26:17–30:20
• Japan-Deep Purple Cultural Feature: 30:20–31:22

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Tone & Language

• The episode maintains informative, accessible reporting infused with moments of emotion and humanity in recounting both achievements and tragedies.
• Experts and correspondents combine analysis with personal anecdotes, bringing global stories closer to the listener.

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This episode captures a world in flux: triumph in space, tension and hope in diplomacy, renewed political battles, and rare scientific insights—anchored by voices living history firsthand.

Transcript

[Paul Henley]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

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[Ankar Desai]

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Ankar Desai and in the early hours of Saturday 11th April, these are our main stories. The Orion space capsule carrying four astronauts has returned safely, splashing into the Pacific Ocean of Southern California and successfully concluding the Artemis 2 moon mission. An Iranian delegation has arrived in Pakistan for negotiations with the United States, whose team is also on its way. Also in this podcast, the 13 Year Old Girl who was filming on Snapchat. As bombs fell in Beirut, an airstrike

[Naya]

struck the building in front of us. The first thing we did was run to another building and I didn't know what to say so I just started swearing. I was just so scared.

[Ankar Desai]

And Hungarians are going to the polls in a crucial parliamentary election. History has been made as the four astronauts of the Artemis lunar mission have safely returned to Earth, having made the first manned voyage to the moon and back in over half a century. Their Orion capsules splashed down into the Pacific Ocean. After 10 days in space, they've broken the record for the furthest humans have ever traveled into space. This was the moment the Bullseye splashdown took place on the official NASA feed.

[NASA Mission Control]

Splashdown confirmed.

[Shamikh Khalil]

Copy Splashdown.

[Gita Magi]

Waiting on VLDR.

[NASA Mission Control]

Splashdown confirmed at 7:07pm Central Time, 5:07pm Pacific Time. From the pages of Jules Verne to a modern day mission to the moon, A new chapter of the exploration of our celestial neighbor is complete. Integrity's astronauts back on Earth let's also

[Ankar Desai]

play you the moment a little earlier when communications were Re established after a very tense six minutes when NASA's mission controllers had no contact with the crew as it re entered the Earth's atmosphere.

[Shamikh Khalil]

Integrity, Houston, Comm check.

[Ankar Desai]

Post blackout,

[John Mitani]

Houston. Integrity. We have you loud and clear.

[Ankar Desai]

The astronauts are said to be in excellent shape and have now been taken by helicopter to a US Navy ship. Just after the splashdown was confirmed, I spoke to our science correspondent, Palab Ghosh.

[Paul Henley]

History's been made, and it's been made to perfection. This mission has so far been flawless. The tense moment was when the capsule entered the atmosphere. There were question marks about the heat shield, which didn't function properly during the first test flight of an uncrewed mission three years ago. So everyone was a bit worried. Would it work this time with four people on board? And it did. We heard. There was six minutes of silence. It was excruciating. This was the time that if anything was going to go wrong, it. It would go wrong then. And we were just waiting and waiting to make sure that we heard back from the astronauts. And we did. Reid Wiseman said we can. Houston, we read you loud and clear. There was a cheer in mission control and there's just been a cheer in the BBC newsroom that said the chutes have opened. Integrity has splashed down. It just looked gorgeous with its red and white parachutes sailing majestically across the Pacific Ocean. There's still work to be done. The rescue vessels are on the way. They need to be extracted from the capsule. These are not trivial matters. But the worst is over. This has been 10 days that have made history, but it's not the end of the story. Hopefully this will set astronauts up for another test flight and eventually landing on the moon. They say by 2028, but I think they're being a bit optimistic about that.

[Ankar Desai]

So are we likely to see more history making in the coming years? You said it could take longer than 2028. Why is that?

[Paul Henley]

Well, it's incredibly ambitious. For one thing, the lunar landers have not yet been built. They're supposed to be tested next year by docking in Earth orbit to see if they can dock. The key problem is that these lunar landers are not the lunar landers I remember seeing when I was a boy, which was just basically a small van designed to carry two astronauts down to the lunar surface and back. These are gigantic vehicles that have been designed to carry infrastructure because this time NASA plans to stay on the moon, take stuff up there, build things. Now, these landers need refueling and they'll need to be refueled in space. It's hard enough refueling them on the ground. The Artemis II mission was canceled twice because they couldn't get the refueling right. Just imagine how hard it's going to be in space. So once they overcome that problem, then they've got to test the lunar lander. So an awful lot to do in just two years. However, one must say that they have achieved a near flawless mission with Artemis 2. So who knows, maybe we will see landing on the moon in 2028.

[Ankar Desai]

Palab it's been an incredible 10 days for the four astronauts involved. Just talk us through what happens for them. I guess there'll be some strict and stringent medical tests as well as. And then when are they likely to see their families and friends and loved ones and their colleagues at NASA as well?

[Paul Henley]

They'll feel a bit wobbly on their feet, not because their muscles have gone, they haven't been in space long enough for that. But the balance things in the inner ear has not got used to gravity yet, so they'll be feeling a bit dizzy, but that'll go in a couple of hours. They will be on board the rescue vessel being checked out for any neurological issues, health issues. Once they're fit, then they'll be able to see their families who must be so relieved and so delighted that they're back safely on Earth.

[Ankar Desai]

PALAB Ghosh well, that relief and excitement is being felt by people following this all around the world. Our LA correspondent Shamikh Khalil was at a landing watch party at the Columbia Memorial Space center and told us about the moment the capsule splashed down safely.

[Shamikh Khalil]

I have a list of emotions now that I have felt. Fear, anticipation, excitement, nerves, anxiety, pride, happiness. This is what I was feeling all around me. This is what the atmosphere was like. And then the moments where the people here at the Columbia Memorial Space center saw the parachutes deploying and then a huge cheer. And then the second set of parachutes and a huge cheer. But then that splashdown happened and the relief was palpable, but also the pride and the happiness. This is of course the same not just for people here where I am, but also around the country and around the world. I was speaking to a mother who brought her two daughters here at 11 year old and an 8 year old. And I say, and I said, why is it important for you to bring them? And she said, this doesn't happen every day, but this is almost miraculous that we get to witness this. And I want them to tell their children. I was speaking to Ben Decoy, he's the the president of of the Space Center. And he said, this feels like a concert hall. And it feels like we're putting out the best concert in town. Everyone's eyes are on that screen right now. And I can tell you this is rock and roll on another level. This is not just for this for the space enthusiasts. This is also for the families who want to tell their children that they're witnessing history, that they're witnessing a moment that the world hasn't seen in almost five decades and they get to see it live.

[Ankar Desai]

And before we let you go, is this something that will inspire the next generation of astronauts? Is that the sense that you're getting in terms of the increased appetite for civilian space travel in the future?

[Shamikh Khalil]

I think so. And I think this is really what you get from, from speaking to people here, from speaking to staff at the space. At the Space center, but also from the community that they want their children to take an interest in this. And this is really a stem conscious community, if you will. They're interested in sciences, they're interested in space. And for an event like this, of this magnitude, of this historical heft to happen, for the children, it really marks a very important moment in their lives. And I think, absolutely. I was speaking to a teacher here, a retired teacher, who said that it's moments like this that you can then push forward space programs, push forward space program studies for children and get them interested at an early age. The number of children, young children that are dressed like astronauts, boys or girls. They're so cute, I can tell you. And they all want to take pictures next to astronauts. So I think definitely, yes, everyone has space on their minds.

[Ankar Desai]

Shaima Khalil reporting. Next, final preparations are being made in Pakistan for historic talks between the US and Iran, which could pave the way for a lasting peace or if they fail, lead to a return to major conflict in the Middle East. The US delegation is being led by the Vice President, JD Vance. Before flying to Islamabad, he made the American position clear. We're looking forward to the negotiation. I think it's going to be positive. We'll of course, see, as the President United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive. So we're trying to have a positive negotiation. The President has gave us some pretty clear guidelines, and we're going to see the fact that the two sides will be meeting face to face is significant enough, but big hurdles remain. No sooner had Mr. Vaans taken to the skies than Iran demanded preconditions for the talks in Islamabad. And of immediate concern for the global economy is whether Iran will allow more oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. From Islamabad, our Pakistan correspondent, Caroline Davies sent this report.

[Caroline Davies]

All eyes are on Islamabad as Pakistan's capital prepares to host one of the most high profile diplomatic events in its history. Schools, colleges and many offices have been closed over the last two days as this city has begun ramping up security. Driving around the city is increasingly difficult, particularly the closer you get to the red zone, the area where the embassies and Pakistan's government buildings are based. So we've made it through some back roads to the area known as Dichuk, which is just on the outside of the red zone. And this is normally a very major road, big arterial road, Jinnah Avenue, through Isabad, but it is completely closed off as far as all the way down the road as far as I can see. And instead there are tens of camera crews and satellite vans ready to cover the talks whenever they start. Where have you come from today to cover this?

[Paul Henley]

Istanbul.

[Caroline Davies]

Istanbul. Why was it so important? When did you get in?

[Ankar Desai]

I mean, obviously it's the most important event in the world. It's going to be the most important event in the world since the talks that are going to take place here is not only going to affect the region, but also directly it's going to affect the region, but indirectly it's going to affect the whole. In a broader sense, the trust is

[Caroline Davies]

low, the differences between their positions wide, and any talks that do happen are likely to be challenging.

[Ankar Desai]

Caroline Davies reporting. Will Our chief international correspondent Lee Doucet is also in Islamabad.

[Lee Doucet]

After some doubt as to whether the Iranians would show up. Their planes touched down here in Islamabad and it has brought a very senior delegation, including the Foreign Minister, the secretary of the Defense Council, Central bank governor, some leading MPs, and most importantly, Iran's parliamentary speaker, a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammed Bagar Galiboff, who's a hardliner who's regarded as a pragmatist. So he's meant to lead the talks with that US delegation, which is now on its way. But even now, Iranian media are reporting that there are still preconditions that have to be met if the talks are going to happen. Most of all, there has to be a ceasefire in Lebanon as well. Israel has to keep stop attacking the positions of Hezbollah and so there's still a little bit of doubt. But if the talks take place, history will be made. They will be the talks at the highest level, face to face since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ruptured their relations. Will progress be made? As we've been hearing, the gaps are still wide. But if they make a start, it will send a signal of a commitment to diplomacy faced with a very real risk of an escalation in an already too dangerous war.

[Ankar Desai]

Lis Doucet reporting. So what will the Trump administration want out of these talks? Sarah Smith is in Washington.

[Sarah Smith]

The biggest issue is opening the Strait of Hormuz because it's the increase in the oil price that's really been hurting Donald Trump with voters in a year, of course, when there are important elections in November. And it wasn't even an issue before he started these attacks on Iran six weeks ago. The other thing that's most important for the United States is Iran's enriched uranium. They will insist that Iran stop all enrichment activity and they want Iran to actually hand over its existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium because Donald Trump has always said Iran must never be able to have a nuclear weapon. And he has been issuing threats throughout the day as well. He's been saying that fresh weapons and ammunition are being loaded onto American warships in the region and that he is ready to use them to attack Iran if he doesn't get the deal he wants. But the truth is there really is no appetite here at the White House or among the American public to start this war on Iran again. As Donald Trump was making his way to Air Force One, he described what he had said to JD Vance before he left to join these negotiations.

[Ankar Desai]

Well, I wish him luck. He's got a big thing. I will find out what's going on. They're militarily defeated and now we're going to open up the gulf with them, with or without them. But that'll be open. We're going to be or the straight as they call it. And I think it's going to go pretty quickly. And if it doesn't, we'll be able to finish it off one way or the other.

[Sarah Smith]

Yeah. So Donald Trump sounding optimistic there, but he knows that if he was to return to attacking Iran, it would be pretty unpleasant, popular with the American public. So that is not the option that is preferred here.

[Ankar Desai]

Sarah Smith reporting from Washington. Still to come in this podcast, the civil war amongst a group of chimps,

[John Mitani]

feeding competition intensified, reproductive competition among the males intensified and a few males died just before hostilities broke out.

[Ankar Desai]

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[Lee Doucet]

Welcome to the Interface, the show that decodes the tech that's rewiring your week and your world. On this week's episode, we'll look at the way that algorithms could change how much you're paying for your groceries, how even astronauts have issues with Microsoft Outlook, and whether the next trend in tech is less tech.

[Ankar Desai]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Global News Podcast. Let's hear from two members of a family from Beirut who caught up in Wednesday's Israeli attacks. Thirteen year old Naya's proximity to some of the blasts was documented in harrowing detail in a video she made on her phone, which has since gone viral. She was with her father filming on the Snapchat app in a street in Beirut at the moment when the assault began. The combination of a child with a Snapchat filter of puppy dog ears and a desperate run for cover as lethal bombs come down caught worldwide attention. Naya's mother, Gita Magi, told my colleague Paul Henley about the moment she knew how close her family came to disaster.

[Gita Magi]

I received a phone call from her and she was crying and shouting and she said the explosion building. And then the phone cut off and that's all I heard and I couldn't reach her anymore. And just minutes earlier I had heard a big boom and at the back of my mind it was either a sonic boom or it was somewhere far because we had gotten used to normalizing those sounds, we disregarded the sound. So when she called and she was crying and she said explosion and building. So at the back of my mind I thought that they had exploded our building.

[Paul Henley]

How long until you knew she was safe?

[Gita Magi]

It took me approximately three minutes until I could reach her dad. And then her dad said him and Nya were together and they were safe. But he told me the boys were at home. So I have 11 year old and I have a 4 year old. And I tried to ask him, are they good? And he kept on repeating. He said, the boys are at home. So I didn't quite understand. Were the boys at home and the house exploded or were the boys at home and they were safe?

[Paul Henley]

And what did you think when you first saw Naya's now very famous film on her phone?

[Gita Magi]

Look, when I first saw the video because Naya sent it to me, I only saw it one hour later because I was busy. Ambulances, we didn't know what was happening. I saw that she sent me a video, but I didn't open it. But then when I saw the video, I just collapsed. And I said, everybody needs to see this video. I need to post it online so people can see what actually happened.

[Paul Henley]

Naya, thanks for talking to us. Tell me about those moments when the bombs fell.

[Naya]

Okay. Basically first I was with my dad because I finished basketball practice and we were walking home. We stopped because a car passed and we heard something, but we didn't really know exactly what it was. We continued walking and an airstrike struck the building in front of us. The first thing we did was run to another building and I didn't know what to say, so I just started swearing. I was just so scared. I would like to say I'm sorry for saying bad words in the video.

[Paul Henley]

I don't think anyone blames you. How long before you felt safe? Tell us about those ensuing minutes.

[Naya]

The second we went into the building, we stayed for like one minute and we ran the opposite side of where they hit. And I was still scared because I didn't know what they could have done next. Like maybe they bombed another place that's next to me. I didn't know what was gonna happen. So we started going to my house, but from a longer way. And when I arrived home, I felt the safest there. I've never seen a building fall in front of me and I never thought I would ever see a building fall like that.

[Ankar Desai]

Naya and her mother, Guy Dimaghi talking to Paul Henley. Hungarians are going to the polls in a crucial parliamentary election on Sunday, with veteran Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party facing a powerful challenge from the opposition teaser party. Nick Thorpe sent this report on an election expected to have an impact far beyond Hungary's borders.

[NASA Mission Control]

A chill April evening in Sombothe in the far west of Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is due at any moment and a crowd several thousand strong is impatient. Many carry Hungarian red, white and green flags. Miklos is the mayor of a nearby village.

[Ankar Desai]

I support him because he helps families and especially because of the cap he

[Paul Henley]

has imposed on utility bills and the

[Sarah Smith]

cap on fuel prices.

[Ankar Desai]

Now.

[NASA Mission Control]

In the election campaign, Viktor Orban stresses one theme above all. He stands for peace in neighbouring Ukraine, he says, while his rival Peter Madhya of the Tisa party would drag Hungary into the war against Russia with those he calls the warmongers in Brussels.

[Paul Henley]

In such a situation, we cannot allow

[Ankar Desai]

a pro Ukrainian government to replace a

[Paul Henley]

national government and send your money to

[NASA Mission Control]

support the war in Ukraine. But in the crowd mixed with the chants of his own supporters with a chance of the opposition. Filthy Fides, they shouted a common refrain from those who accuse this government of feathering its own nest. Viktor Orban is fighting for his political life. I've come to Kishkun Lots Haza, just south of Budapest, to see Peter Madyar address a Tisapot rally. The crowd is younger. The candidate is 17 years younger than Orban. He speaks calmly to them while Orban bellows into the microphone and he preaches a message of unity, of an end to the division, the constant search for external and internal enemies of the Orban years. In the crowd, I spoke to some of those who'd gathered to hear him at nine o' clock on a spring morning.

[Ankar Desai]

I really want a big change.

[Gita Magi]

I believe he is a very honest person.

[Ankar Desai]

He discovered many bad things that were banded.

[NASA Mission Control]

Driving back to Budapest, I listen to the news on the state radio. It begins with 10 minutes devoted to the Fidesz message, with just one minute for the Tis a party. The last weeks have been marked by many scandals. Viktor Orban has long been described as the most pro Russian leader in the EU. And it's not just the Russians. The US Vice President JD Vance, was in Budapest this week to lend Mr. Orban his support.

[Ankar Desai]

You have stood up to the bureaucrats. You have stood up to the nihilists. And now I wonder, will you do it again?

[NASA Mission Control]

It's strange to see an election splitting NATO, the us with Orban, most other members rooting for the other side. But time is running out for anyone hoping to influence this election. A record turnout is expected on Sunday. Rarely has so much attention from around the world been focused on this small Central European country.

[Ankar Desai]

Nick Thorpe reporting. Chimpanzees are known for their intelligence and curiosity, but also their potential for violence. They regularly fight over food, mates and rank. But new research has documented how that aggression seems to have bored over into what amounts to a civil war. The study in the journal Science follows 30 years of chimp behavior in Kibale national park in Uganda. It's given us an insight into how and why feuds develop between groups. One of the co authors of the study is John Mitani, a primate behavioral ecologist at the University of Michigan in the U.S. he told my colleague Pete Ross that he initially went to study the group because it was unusually large.

[John Mitani]

There were well over 100 chimpanzees at the time. It took several years actually to nail down the precise number of chimps, but it was clear that the number was well over 100. And that was double the size of any other chimpanzee group that had been studied in the wild previously. In this very large group of chimpanzees, I think one thing that they had to do in order to maintain cohesiveness and to hold together with so many chimps around is to actually cooperate with each other. And we spent many years documenting the cooperative behavior of the male chimpanzees in this group. And with that cooperation, they were able to dominate their neighbors. They expanded their territory. As a result, they gained more food and they gained fitness or reproductive benefits, and the group increased even more in size.

[Ankar Desai]

So it sounds like things were going swimmingly and then there was a moment and then violence broke out.

[John Mitani]

Exactly. Things were going quite well for them. And that's one of the things that makes this study hard for me to understand and come to grips with. They were actually benefiting in so many ways by living in this large group. But they probably reached a breaking point where, in a sense, they became victims of their own success. The group grew so large that they couldn't hold together anymore. Feeding competition intensified, reproductive competition among the males intensified, and a few males died just before hostilities broke out in 2015. And as a result of that, there could have been changes in social dynamics leading to hostilities that weren't there before. There was a change in the alpha male right around the same time that often leads to increased levels of aggression. There was this combination of factors that came together that led to the split

[Ankar Desai]

and can we learn anything about our own human capacity for violence or conflicts

[Paul Henley]

from times when it seems that, you

[Ankar Desai]

know, it's peaceful and then suddenly things erupt? Can we learn anything at all?

[John Mitani]

I've studied chimpanzees now for a very long time. And if there's one thing I've come to learn is not how similar they are to us, but that they're different. We've known for a very long time that chimpanzees will kill and attack their neighbors. The surprising finding reported in this paper is that they will do so even when those neighbors are former friends and allies. So chimpanzees appear to consider outsiders as the enemy, no matter who they are. We typically don't act in this way. One stark difference that exists between chimps and humans is that we're an unusually pro social and cooperative species. We go out of our way to help innate neighbors, some of whom may be total strangers. And this ability to get along with others is unusual, if not unique. While aggression and wars break out among humans from time to time, for the most part we're able to live peaceably side by side with others. Now, in a world that includes over 8 billion people, this difference between chimpanzees and humans is something that actually gives me hope, especially in this time of increasing polarization.

[Ankar Desai]

John Mitani and finally we go to Japan, where the Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took time out from her busy schedule on Friday to meet some of her heroes, members of the British rock band Deep Purple, who begin a tour of Japan on Saturday. The group has a close association with the East Asian nation, which it first toured more than 50 years ago. Their album Made in Japan is one of rock music's most revered live recordings. From Tokyo, Kurumi Mori reports.

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Sanae Takaichi is known as a heavy metal fan, and she gave a whoop of delight as she met the band. The prime minister said she first bought their album Machine Head as a schoolgirl and later even performed in a Deep Purple tribute band. The group are touring Japan again more than 50 years after they first visited. Ms. Takaichi presented the drummer, Ian Pace, with a set of signed drumsticks and

[Ankar Desai]

told him, you are my God, Kurumi Mori. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email [e-mail] and you can also find us on X@BBC World Service. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. And don't forget our sister podcast, the Global Story, which goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. This edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Johnny hall and produced by Will Chalk. The editor is Karen Martin and I'm Ankur de San until next time. Goodbye.

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