Germany’s Social Democrats claim narrow election victory

Germany's center-left Social Democrats are claiming victory by a narrow margin in the country’s national election. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Germany’s Social Democrats claim narrow election victory [Front from left, Franziska Giffey, top candidate of the SPD for Mayor of the German city of Berlin, Olaf Scholz, top candidate for chancellor of the SPD, and Manuela Schwesig, member of the SPD and governor of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, pose with flowers, Sept. 27, 2021.] Credit: Michael Sohn/AP Germany Germany's center-left Social Democrats [are claiming victory]( by a narrow margin in the country’s national election that took place on Sunday. Social Democrat candidate Olaf Scholz, the outgoing vice chancellor and finance minister, beat outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Christian Democrats [by a slim margin]( of 25.9% of the vote, ahead of 24.1% for Merkel’s party. With neither party winning an outright majority, negotiations with the smaller parties have begun in earnest [to form a coalition government](. Analysts suggest the third place finisher, the Green party, [could be the kingmaker]( to form a government after Merkel’s 16-year tenure. Posturing has begun among political parties in Germany. Meanwhile, a global lens is closely watching the European Union, with it likely taking weeks before a government is formed in the EU’s largest economy, combined with an upcoming French presidential election in April. China Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, [returned to China]( over the weekend after being arrested and held in Canada at the request of US authorities, ending a nearly 3-year-long feud embroiling the three countries. In exchange, two Canadians who were detained in China since 2019 [were allowed to return home]( in a prisoner swap over which many criticized Beijing of employing “hostage politics.” Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were jailed for more than 1,000 days for endangering national security, according to officials in China. Meng’s return to China, [captured on the country's state broadcaster](, comes after a deal with US federal prosecutors to drop fraud charges in exchange for her accepting responsibility for misrepresenting Huawei's business dealings in Iran. Switzerland Voters in Switzerland [resoundingly passed]( a nationwide referendum on Sunday to allow same-sex couples to marry. Official results showed the measure passed with nearly two-thirds, 64.1%, of the vote. Switzerland is [one of the last European countries]( to recognize same-sex marriage, bringing it into line with many others in the West. The Netherlands was the first country in western Europe, passing a similar measure back in 2001. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Syrian refugees and migrants in Turkey face a difficult decision to return home]( [A Syrian grocery shop in Istanbul sells brands that are familiar to Syrian customers, such as canned meats and condensed milk.]( Credit: Durrie Bouscaren/The World Millions of Syrians are wrestling with the tough choice of returning to Syria after 10 years of civil war. In Turkey, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit some Syrians so hard that they returned home, [only to regret it](. [This film professor says Melvin Van Peebles taught her that 'when Hollywood is closing the door, you find your own way']( [US director, actor, screenwriter Melvin Van Peebles is seen during a tribute for his career at the 38th American Film Festival in Deauville, Normandy, France, Sept. 5, 2012.]( Credit: Michel Spingler/AP Melvin Van Peebles, a pioneering Black filmmaker, playwright and musician, died last week. Van Peebles was an inspiration to many people, including Racquel Gates, a professor of film at Columbia University, and consulting producer and editor for the "Melvin Van Peebles Box Set" — being released by The Criterion Collection this week. Gates joined The World to discus Van Peebles' [work, life and legacy]( with host Marco Werman. --------------------------------------------------------------- Double Take The tortoise and the ... airplane 👀 A runway at an airport in Tokyo, Japan, was shut down for about 12 minutes, delaying a handful of flights, after a pilot operating an aircraft with a turtle-themed paint job [alerted aircraft control of an actual turtle]( walking across the tarmac. Traffic was momentarily halted to ensure flight safety, but things were resolved quickly after the turtle was removed to safety. 🐢 [Screenshot of The Mainichi's Twitter post]( Credit: The Mainichi Twitter page --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it from The World --------------------------------------------------------------- - [Black American filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles inspired artists around the world]( - [Venezuelan migrants struggle to access vaccines in South America]( - [UK accepts Indian vaccine but still requires travelers from India to quarantine]( - [Is Russia playing a part in Europe’s energy crisis?]( - [Shipping bottleneck impacts US retailers]( - [Economist Asks: After Merkel]( - [Is Washington seeing a shift on US support for Israel?]( - [Why are Afghans refugees but Haitians at the border are not?]( - [Unaccompanied Afghan minors among evacuees]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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