<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nGovernment wary of US Red Sea warship request<\/h2>\n
Defence Minister Richard Marles has stressed that the federal government is focused on promoting freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region as it weighs up a request from the United States to send a warship to dangerous waters in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
The United States Navy requested that Australia send a ship to the Red Sea to respond to Iranian-backed Houthi rebels attacking ships passing through the sea lane.<\/p>\n
The Houthis claimed responsibility this week for attacking a Norwegian-flagged oil tanker off the coast of Yemen, claiming it was heading to Israel.<\/p>\n
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Shiite Houthi soliders in Yemen, said to be backed by Iran, are at war with Arab-backed forces.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\nThe US request came as the government voted in favour of an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza at the United Nations General Assembly, a move that angered Israel and pleased Palestinian advocates.<\/p>\n
Labor MP Josh Burns said it was wishful thinking to believe the UN resolution would lead to the end of the war, as he expressed dismay that the motion did not include a condemnation of Hamas.<\/p>\n
Catch up on the full story here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ukraine moves closer to EU membership, Putin vows to continue war<\/h2>\n
Overseas, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a marathon four-hour press conference that he intends to continue the invasion of Ukraine unless Kyiv capitulates.<\/p>\n
Almost two years into the war, Putin said that he was still focused on the \u201cdenazification\u201d and \u201cdemilitarisation\u201d of Ukraine. He reiterated that he was open to peace talks, but offered no hint of a willingness to compromise.<\/p>\n
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Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Kremlin Pool Photo via AP<\/cite><\/p>\nIt is the first time Putin has taken questions at length since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. <\/p>\n
His stage-managed address comes as European leaders agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine at a charged summit in Brussels, after Hungary\u2019s prime minister relented in his opposition to the historic step for the war-torn country.<\/p>\n
The decision marked a major milestone on Kyiv\u2019s determined path to join the union once the conflict with Russia\u2019s war is over and represents an endorsement by Brussels of the country\u2019s western trajectory.<\/p>\n
Find out more here, from our European correspondent. <\/p>\n
This morning\u2019s headlines at a glance<\/h2>\n
Good morning, and thanks for joining our live blog this morning. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s Friday, December 15, and today is our final edition of the national news blog for the year. I\u2019m Caroline Schelle, <\/strong>and I\u2019ll be anchoring the blog for the first half of the day. <\/p>\nHere\u2019s what you need to know:<\/p>\n