World News Roundup: Tethered together, Biden and Harris move toward 2024 re-election run; Indian court orders Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail for Modi comment and more

The action is part of a nationwide movement against pension system changes including increasing the retirement age by two years to 64, which President Emmanuel Macron has said he is trying to move on from to start other reforms. 'If not now, when?': Emotional Australian PM advances Indigenous referendum Australia took a step on Thursday towards a historical referendum to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders recognition in the constitution and, for the first time, a voice on matters that affect their lives.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Tethered together, Biden and Harris move toward 2024 re-election run

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris may not have won over America in her first two years in office, but she's staying put at President Joe Biden's side. The first woman vice president is gearing up for another national campaign despite low poll ratings, a failure to win over the Washington establishment and concern among fellow Democrats about an underwhelming start in the job.

Indian court orders Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail for Modi comment

A lower court in India sentenced opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday to two years in jail on charges of defamation for a 2019 speech in which he referred to thieves as having the surname Modi. Gandhi will appeal against the order in a higher court, but any jailing for him or his disqualification from parliament would be a blow to his Congress party ahead of the 2024 general election, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party is widely expected to win.

French power sector battered again by ongoing strikes

Industrial action disrupting French refineries, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, power supply and reactor maintenance stretched into a 16th day on Thursday as protests against the government's forced pension plan reform continue. The action is part of a nationwide movement against pension system changes including increasing the retirement age by two years to 64, which President Emmanuel Macron has said he is trying to move on from to start other reforms.

'If not now, when?': Emotional Australian PM advances Indigenous referendum

Australia took a step on Thursday towards a historical referendum to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders recognition in the constitution and, for the first time, a voice on matters that affect their lives. In an emotional address, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed the question the government wants to set in the referendum later this year, urging Australians to back what he described as a long overdue vote.

Thousands of Israelis block streets in protest of judicial overhaul

Israelis took to the streets en masse on Thursday in protest against the government's overhaul of the court system, blocking roadways across the country and intensifying a months-long campaign decrying the move. Thousands of people waving flags and blaring horns marched on a Tel Aviv thoroughfare stopping traffic in the middle of the workday. Police sprayed a water cannon and carried some away as they tried to clear the highway.

EU, UN chief discuss food security, military aid to Ukraine

European Union leaders held talks on Thursday with U.N. chief Antonio Guterres on global food security and sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, and were also expected to endorse a plan to supply more artillery shells to Kyiv. Guterres' participation in the EU summit comes days after the renewal of a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey on the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea that is seen as crucial to overcoming a global food crisis.

Yes or No? Australians debate the planned Indigenous referendum

A majority of Australians support giving more recognition to its Indigenous people in the constitution through a 'Voice to Parliament', but there is a big minority, including many First Nations people, who oppose the plan. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday announced the question the government wants to put to a vote in a referendum later this year to give Indigenous people a representative body in parliament, seeking to heal wrongs done to them over centuries.

Two Cambodians held on rare royal insults charge after Facebook posts

Two Cambodian opposition figures have been charged under the country's rarely used lese majeste law with insulting King Norodom Sihamoni for posts made on Facebook about a photograph of the king and Prime Minister Hun Sen. A judge at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court also charged Yim Sinorn and Hun Kosal with incitement to cause serious social unrest in the country, a court document showed.

End to Taiwan ties nears as Honduras foreign minister goes to China

The Honduran foreign minister is travelling to China to "promote" the establishment of diplomatic ties, an official said, signalling the end is most likely near for the country's decades-long relations with Taiwan. At stake is China's growing footprint in Central America, once a steadfast base for Taiwan and where the United States is worried about Beijing's expanding influence in its backyard.

Ukraine says Russia's Bakhmut assault loses steam, counterstrike coming soon

Ukrainian troops, on the defensive for four months, will launch a long-awaited counterassault "very soon" now that Russia's huge winter offensive is losing steam without taking Bakhmut, Ukraine's top ground forces commander said on Thursday.

The remarks by Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi were the strongest indication yet from Kyiv that it is close to shifting tactics, having absorbed Russia's onslaught through a brutal winter.