Global Geopolitical Series: Key updates from across the world

Here are some key events to keep a tab on,

• German election: The majority of the members of the German’s Social Democrats (SPD) have voted in favor of a coalition with German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its sister party Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Greens.    
   
• U.S. and trade war: President Trump has announced that he would be announcing his decision on Steel and Aluminum imports this week. He is likely to slap a hefty tariff of 25 percent on Steel imports and 10 percent tariff on all Aluminum imports. The announcement has sparked criticism from other countries, many of which such as the European Union have threatened trade with the United States.
   
• Italian election: With populists surging, Italy’s pro-EU Parties have suffered a major setback. Matteo Rienzi’s ruling Democratic Party (DP) only got 19.2% of the vote, whereas anti-establishment, anti-EU, and populist Five-Star Movement received 31.6 percent of the votes. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Centre-Right Coalition received 37.5 percent of the votes. However, within that coalition, the populist Party known as League, led by Matteo Salvini received 18.2 percent of the votes, whereas Berlusconi’s Forza Italian received 13.8 percent of the votes. Matteo Renzi’s center-left coalition received 23.5 percent of the votes. The full result is yet to be released.
   
• Korean Peninsula: On Monday, top aides of President Moon Jae-in of South Korea arrived in North Korea on Monday and met its leader, Kim Jong-un, moving to improve inter-Korean relations and help start a dialogue between the North and the United States. Both the United States and North Korea have signaled willingness to sit down for talks. Mr. Moon’s national security adviser, Chung Eui-Yong, and the director of the National Intelligence Service, Suh Hoon, were the first South Korean officials to meet Mr. Kim since he took power six years ago.