Global Geopolitical Series: Key updates from across the world

Here are some key events to keep a tab on,

• Saudi Arabia anti-corruption: The major corruption crackdown in Saudi Arabia that began last year and saw arrests of senior businessmen, scores of princes and top government executives yielded $106 billion, according to the country’s attorney general. Now, the country has decided to create special anti-corruption units. Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has ordered special departments to be set up in the public prosecutor’s office to investigate and prosecute corruption cases, the government’s information office reportedly announced on Sunday.      
   
• U.S. and trade war: President Trump’s announcement to impose tariffs of 25 percent on Steel imports and 10 percent on Aluminum imports and leaving a provision for exemption is bringing countries around the world to the negotiating table, which has been the aim of Trump to improve the trade agreements.
   
• Italian election: With populist parties announcing tax cuts after election victory put the country at a direct collision course with Brussels, which demanded continued reforms and austerity.
   
• Korean Peninsula: Last week, 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. After the meeting, they traveled to the United States to brief president Trump and later after the briefing announced that the Supreme leader Kim Jong-un invited President Trump for a face to face meeting, which Trump has agreed to and the meeting would take place by May this year. Kim has also committed to no more missile testing and possible de-nuclearization.
   
• China constitutional amendments: China’s parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor (in 3000 member parliament only 2 votes were against and 3 abstentions) of the constitutional amendments, which abolishes the Presidential term limit, which basically means that the current President Xi Jinping may remain President as long as he wishes to.