World News at a Glance

The meeting between Cho Myoung-gyon, the South Korean Cabinet minister in charge of relations with the North, and his North Korean counterpart, Ri Son Kwon, opened at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the village of Panmunjom, according to a pool report from South Korean media. In his opening remarks, Ri called for a thaw in inter-Korean relations. Ri also suggested that the talks be open to reporters.

Crew Missing in Flaming Tanker Wreck

Rescuers were searching Monday for crewmen missing from an Iranian oil tanker that had collided with another ship off China’s coast, leaving the tanker in flames and at risk of exploding and sinking, Chinese authorities said. The Panamanian-flagged tanker, the Sanchi, collided with the CF Crystal, a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter, around 8 p.m. Saturday about 160 nautical miles east of Shanghai. All 21 Chinese crew members of the CF Crystal were rescued, China’s Ministry of Transport said. But the Sanchi’s entire crew — 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis — were missing. One body has been recovered.

In Britain, Attempt to Reshuffle Cabinet Betrays May’s Weak Hand

A Cabinet reshuffle intended to demonstrate Prime Minister Theresa May’s newfound authority seemed to do the opposite Monday, as she left all her top ministers in place. The most senior figures in May’s Cabinet, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, kept their jobs in the shake-up, despite calls for them to be moved or dismissed. Three other ministers resisted efforts to shift them to other positions, with two, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Business Secretary Greg Clark, winning their battles to remain in their posts. That underscored May’s lack of room for maneuvering.

Iran Can’t Keep Dictating Lifestyle, Its President Warns

President Hassan Rouhani of Iran lashed out at his hard-line opponents Monday, saying the protesters who have shaken Iran in recent weeks objected not just to the bad economy but also to widespread corruption and the clerical government’s restrictive policies on personal conduct and freedoms. “One cannot force one’s lifestyle on the future generations,” Rouhani said, in remarks reported by the ISNA news agency. “The problem is that we want two generations after us to live the way we like them to." Rouhani said the people who took to the streets did so because they were seeking a better life.

Death Toll at 64 After Migrants’ Dinghy Sinks Off Libya

At least 64 people drowned in the Mediterranean Sea this weekend after the overcrowded rubber dinghy they were traveling on sank off the coast of Libya. The group in the dinghy, which migration officials said was aided by smugglers and bound for Italy, became the latest casualties in a continuing crisis. More than 3,000 refugees and migrants died in the Mediterranean last year while trying to reach Europe. The deaths Saturday focused attention on the dangerous central Mediterranean crossing between Libya and Italy and prompted calls from the U.N. migration agency for a comprehensive policy to address the humanitarian crisis.

Russia Says Its Syria Bases Beat Back an Attack by 13 Drones

The main Russian air and naval bases in Syria beat back an attack by 13 armed drones over the weekend, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Monday. The small drones were shot down before they caused any damage and there were no casualties, according to a statement on the military’s Facebook page. But the attack could indicate that militants opposed to the government of President Bashar Assad were stepping up the violence directed against the Russian military, which intervened in September 2015 to prop up the beleaguered Syrian government, then its main ally in the Middle East.

Activists Cheer as India’s Supreme Court Orders a Review of a Ban on Gay Sex

In a possible advance for gay rights in India, the Supreme Court ordered a review Monday of Section 377, a colonial-era law reinstated in 2013 that criminalizes consensual sex between men. Responding to a petition filed by members of the gay, bisexual and transgender community who said they felt persecuted for their sexual orientation, a three-person bench of judges referred Section 377 to a larger bench for reconsideration, noting Indians who are gay “should never remain in a state of fear,” and “societal morality also changes from age to age.” Gay rights activists said they were elated, if still cautious.

Mexican Governor Says His State Is Being Punished for Corruption Inquiry

A Mexican governor, Javier Corral, said Monday that the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto was denying his state vital resources to quash a corruption investigation that reaches the highest ranks of the nation’s governing party. Corral was promised millions of dollars in December by the federal government to help fill budget shortfalls in Chihuahua. But the federal Ministry of Finance has refused to deposit some of the funds, Corral said. The minister of finance claimed that nearly $4 million was not paid partly because of an incorrect bank account and partly because of a lack of available funds.

World News at a Glance

North and South Korea began their first direct talks in more than two years Tuesday, starting a dialogue that raised hopes for a thaw after months of tensions over the North’s nuclear weapons program.

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