The move comes after Australia moves to introduce mandatory testing.

Sydney's packed New Year's Eve celebrations turned scary for some attempting to watch the fireworks in the CBD last night, with footage showing crowds getting trampled in the chaos.

More than a million people packed Sydney's foreshore to catch a glimpse of the fireworks display.

Trouble came when a crowd at The Rocks began trying to push their way into a ticketed area past police and big fencing. 

READ MORE: Woman's body found under Melbourne overpass on New Year's Day

At York Street, another 100 people tried to make their way onto the Harbour Bridge, believing it was a legitimate spot to watch the fireworks. 

But mounted police and the riot squad quickly responded, turning around the crowd before the countdown began. 

More than 80 arrests were made across the city over the night, and 25 charges laid for various offences, including assaulting police, assault, prohibited drug related offences and offensive behaviour.

More than 200 rail infringements were also issued. 

Police say these were limited exceptions and they were largely pleased with everyone's behaviour.

"Once again, Sydney welcomed the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display, and the vast majority of revellers enjoyed their night safely," Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said.

"It was still disappointing to see some people being reckless and disregarding the rules, with police giving move-on directions and making arrests on multiple occasions.

"I would like to thank those members of the community who celebrated the beginning of 2023 responsibly, in what we hope is a better year for everyone."

READ MORE: New Year's Eve celebrations unfold around Australia

New Year's behaviour praised around country

Despite the chaos in Sydney it was a mostly calm night, with authorities across multiple states praising the behavior of revellers.

In Brisbane, a total of 41 people were arrested on 55 charges across Brisbane's CBD, South Bank and Fortitude Valley areas.

On the Gold Coast police arrested 20 people on 23 charges and on the Sunshine Coast 34 people were arrested on 41 charges.

Police said the majority of charges were for anti-social behaviour and alcohol related incidents, such as public nuisance and liquor offences.

In Victoria, police made just under 50 arrests across the state, in what Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent described as an "outstanding" night.

"I am pleased to say that the behaviour across the state was excellent. The vast majority of the public celebrated respectively and safely right our this beautiful state of ours," he said.

"The city was a real buzz and vibe and lots of people behaving very well."

Of those 49 arrests, 19 of those were for public drunkenness.

Police are also investigating after finding a woman's body in Melbourne's CBD.

READ MORE: Billionaire's fireworks party starts blaze near Queenstown

Meanwhile in South Australia, police targeted anti-social and disorderly behaviour across the state.

Overall there were 89 people arrested across the state and 57 people reported for offences including behavioural, traffic and drug possession.

A total of 171 traffic expiation notices were issued and 179 general expiation notices were issued.

Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval said it was "good to see" the majority of people acting responsibly.

"There were some who did not, and many offences involved alcohol or drug use," he said.

Fire and Emergency NZ said spark from ride-on lawnmower hitting a stone started grass fire

The alert signifies there is a ‘very high risk of illness’ from swimming at the beach.

The man arrested in connection with the November killings of four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed to death attended a nearby university in Washington state and travelled across the country in December to spend the holidays with his parents.

Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, on Friday on an arrest warrant for first-degree murder charges issued by the Moscow, Idaho, Police Department and the Latah County Prosecutor's Office, according to the criminal complaint.

READ MORE: Kim Jong Un calls for exponential increase in North Korea's nuclear arsenal amid threats from South, US

The four slain students – Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20 – were each stabbed multiple times in the early morning hours of November 13 at an off-campus house in the small college town of Moscow.

Kohberger was apprehended at his parents' house in Pennsylvania, where Kohberger went several days before Christmas, Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar told CNN.

A white Elantra authorities had been looking for in connection with the killings was also at the parents' house, the attorney added.

"He was home for the holidays," LaBar said.

READ MORE: Australia to test travellers from China for COVID-19

Kohberger's father traveled with him from Washington state to Pennsylvania, according to the public defender and a person who claims to have interacted with the father and son earlier in December.

That person, who asked not to be identified, said they did not know the father and son but engaged in friendly conversation with them at an auto maintenance shop on December 16 in Pennsylvania, while the two were getting their Elantra serviced.

A separate person also confirmed to CNN the father and son did business at the location on December 16.

READ MORE: Destination Aussies most want to visit in 2023

The father told the individual he flew to Washington state and made the cross-country trip with Kohberger, adding his son would be traveling to the west coast alone after the holidays.

Police have not indicated the suspect's father is in any way implicated in the killings. CNN has attempted to contact the father for comment.

The person described the younger Kohberger as "a little awkward," but not suspiciously so.

The suspect reportedly told the person he wanted to go into the field of behavioral criminal justice and become a professor.

He is a PhD student in criminal justice

Kohberger is a graduate student at Washington State University's Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, according to a now-removed university graduate directory, which was seen by CNN earlier on Friday.

Kohberger had finished his first semester as a PhD student in the school's criminal justice program earlier in December, the university said in a Friday statement.

Earlier that day, university police assisted authorities in executing search warrants at his office and apartment, both located on the school's Pullman campus.

Pullman is about a 15-minute drive from Moscow, where the killings took place.

Kohberger intends to waive his extradition hearing to Idaho, set for January 3, to expedite his transport to the state, LaBar said, adding his client is "eager to be exonerated" of the charges.

A Reddit post asking about criminal offenses

Kohberger was previously an undergraduate and graduate student at DeSales University, according to a statement on the school's website.

DeSales is a Catholic university in Pennsylvania, according to its official Facebook page.

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2020 and earlier this year completed his "graduate studies for the Master of Arts in criminal justice program," according to a university spokesperson.

Kohberger's attorney described his client as "very intelligent," adding "he understands where we are right now."

In a post removed from Reddit after the arrest was made public, a student investigator associated with a DeSales University study named Bryan Kohberger sought participation in a research project "to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime."

The post said, "In particular, this study seeks to understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience."

CNN reached one of the principal investigators of the study, a professor at DeSales University, but they declined to comment on the matter.

The university has not responded to comment.

A spokesperson for Northampton Community College, also in Pennsylvania, confirmed Kohberger was a student there and graduated with an Associate of Arts and Psychology degree in 2018.

How authorities narrowed their search

Earlier in December, authorities asked the public for information about a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra they believed was in the "immediate area" of the crime scenes around the time of the killings.

After an overwhelming number of tips, investigators narrowed their focus to Kohberger by tracing ownership of the Elantra back to him, according to two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation.

His DNA also matched DNA recovered at the crime scene, according to the sources, who also explained authorities believed Kohberger left the area and went to Pennsylvania after the crime.

A surveillance team with the FBI tracked the suspect for several days in the area where he was arrested, the sources added.

One law enforcement source said Kohberger is believed to have driven across the country to his parents' house in the Elantra. Authorities had also been surveilling his parents' house, the source said.

Authorities kept Kohberger under surveillance while investigators from Moscow's police department, the Idaho State Police and the FBI worked with prosecutors to develop sufficient probable cause for an arrest warrant.

The suspect's family is "very shocked," LaBar, the attorney, said, adding they are in "awe over everything that's going on" and believed this was "out of character for Bryan."

Authorities asking for information on suspect

Authorities still want to hear from people who may be able to shed more light on Kohberger.

"This is not the end of this investigation, in fact, this is a new beginning," Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said on Friday.

"You all now know the name of the person who has been charged with these offenses, please get that information out there, please ask the public, anyone who knows about this individual, to come forward."

"Report anything you know about him, to help the investigators, and eventually our office and the court system, understand fully everything there is to know about not only the individual, but what happened and why," Thompson added.

Authorities received roughly 400 calls in the hour after Kohberger's arrest was announced, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said, adding he hopes tips will help investigators learn more about the suspect.

"We want information on that individual," the chief told CNN.

"We want that updated information so that we can start building that picture now. Every tip matters."

Partygoers in Australia and around the world were determined to usher in 2023 in style after celebrations over the last few years were dampened by COVID-19.

An electrical issue before the biggest party weekend of the year was inconvenient.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is calling for an "exponential increase" in his country's nuclear weapons arsenal in response to what he claims are threats from South Korea and the United States, Pyongyang's state media reported on Sunday.

Kim's comments come as North Korea twice over the weekend tested what it claimed was a large, nuclear-capable, multiple-launch rocket system that could put all of South Korea in its range, according to a report from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Speaking on New Year's Eve on the final day of a six-day plenary session that reviewed 2022, Kim said South Korea has become an "undoubted enemy" and its main ally, the US, has increased pressure on the North to the "maximum" level over the past year by frequently deploying its military assets to the Korean Peninsula.

READ MORE: Australia to test travellers from China for COVID-19

In response, Kim said in the coming year that Pyongyang must mass produce tactical nuclear weapons while developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that would give the North a "quick counterstrike capability," according to the KCNA report.

Kim's comments come at the end of a year that saw his regime test more missiles than at any time in North Korean history, including an ICBM that could in theory strike the US mainland.

On Saturday, in its 37th day of missile tests in 2022, North Korea fired at least three short-range ballistic missiles from a site south of Pyongyang, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It followed that early on Sunday with another test. North Korea said both Saturday's and Sunday's tests were of a 600mm multiple-launch rocket (MRL) system.

Most multiple-rocket launch systems in service around the world are around 300mm in size.

The 600mm MRL was first introduced three years ago, and production has been increased since late October of 2022 for deployment, Kim said in his speech to the plenary session on Saturday, according to KCNA.

He later added that an additional 30 of the 600mm MRL will be deployed to the military simultaneously.

Kim said the weapon is capable of overcoming high landforms, can consecutively strike with precision, has all of South Korea in its shooting range and can be loaded with tactical nuclear warheads, according to the KCNA report.

"Prospectively, as a key offensive weapon of our military forces, it will carry out its own combat mission to overwhelm the enemy," Kim said.

READ MORE: South Korea fires warning shots after North drones cross border

Expert: North Korea expanding capabilities

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said Pyongyang has used the past year to demonstrate its ability to perform a range of military strikes.

"Its recent missile launches were not technically impressive. Instead, the high volume of tests at unusual times and from various locations demonstrate that North Korea could launch different types of attack, anytime, and from many directions," Easley said.

Easley also noted that it's not just missiles that North Korea is using to up the military pressure on the South.

Last week, Pyongyang flew five drones into South Korean airspace, forcing Seoul to scramble fighter jets and helicopters to track them and later to send its own drones into North Korean airspace.

It all leads to an escalation of tensions, according to Easley.

"Such provocations, including drone incursions, appear excessive for deterrence and may be intended to scare South Korea into taking a softer policy.

"But with Kim disavowing diplomacy and threatening to mass produce nuclear weapons, the Yoon administration is likely to further increase South Korea's defense capabilities and readiness," Easley said.

READ MORE: North Korea says rocket launch was test of first spy satellite

For its part, South Korea is beefing up forces, too.

Seoul's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced last month it will spend more than $2.7 billion over 10 years to strengthen the mission capabilities and survivability of its fleet of F-15K fighters, jets that would play a key role in any possible strikes on North Korea.

Washington is also not standing still.

As well as deploying assets like F-22 fighters and B-1 bombers to the exercises around the Korean Peninsula, the US military recently activated its first Space Force command on foreign soil in South Korea, with the unit's new commander saying he is ready to face any threat in the region.

The new unit "will be tasked with coordinating space operations and services such as missile warning, position navigation and timing and satellite communications within the region," according to US Forces Korea.

Even before Kim's latest remarks, experts had noted the big strides Pyongyang had made in its missile forces over the past year.

Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told CNN in mid-December that Pyongyang has emerged as a missile power.

READ MORE: Destination Aussies most want to visit in 2023

"The bigger picture is that North Korea is literally turning into a prominent operator of large-scale missile forces," Panda said. "The word test is no longer appropriate to talk about most North Korean missile launches."

"Most of the missiles they've launched this year are parts of military exercises. They are rehearsing for nuclear war. And that, I think, is the big picture this year," Panda said.

Former Pope Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday in a monastery in the Vatican at the age of 95, asked for forgiveness for those he has "wronged" in the spiritual testament published following his death.

Benedict, who was the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign his position, rather than hold office for life, passed away on Saturday, according to a statement from the Vatican.

He was elected pope in April 2005, following John Paul II's death.

READ MORE: Why the Pope wrote a resignation letter in 2013

During the testament, which consisted of a letter containing the pope's final words, Benedict spoke of the "many reasons" he had to be thankful for his life.

In the letter dated August 29, 2006, the former pope thanked God for guiding him "well" throughout life.

He also expressed gratitude to his parents who he said gave him "life in a difficult time."

He went on to thank his sister for her "selfless" help and his brother for the "clarity of judgment" he shared with him.

Benedict was known to be more conservative than his successor, Pope Francis, who has made moves to soften the Vatican's position on abortion and homosexuality, as well as doing more to deal with the sexual abuse crisis which engulfed the church in recent years and clouded Benedict's legacy.

Benedict asked for forgiveness

In April 2019, Benedict discussed the sex abuse crisis in a public letter, claiming it was caused in part by the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the liberalisation of the church's moral teachings.

In January 2020, Benedict was forced to distance himself from a book widely seen as undercutting Francis as he considered whether to allow married men to become priests in certain cases.

The book, From the Depths of Our Hearts, argued in favor of the centuries-old tradition of priestly celibacy within the Catholic Church. Benedict was originally listed as co-author, but later clarified he had only contributed one section of the text.

A year later, Benedict came under fire over his time as archbishop of Munich and Freising, between 1977 and 1982, following the publication of a church-commissioned report into abuse by Catholic clergy there.

READ MORE: Opting for pets over children 'takes away our humanity,' says Pope

In the 2006 letter, the former pope asked "sincerely" for "forgiveness" for those he "wronged in any way," in his letter.

In the closing words, the former pontiff asked "humbly," despite all his "sins and shortcomings," he be welcomed by God into heaven.

In a separate letter published by the Vatican in February 2022, Benedict issued a general apology to survivors of abuse, writing: "Once again I can only express to all the victims of sexual abuse my profound shame, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt request for forgiveness," but he admitted to no personal or specific wrongdoing.

There is no suggestion his request for forgiveness in his final letter relates to the Catholic Church's handling of sexual abuse accusations against priests.

Thousands of music festival-goers have spent hours stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic after an event in Victoria.

Music fans at Beyond the Valley were waiting in their cars for more than eight hours just to exit the campsite in Barunah Plains, just outside of Geelong, in temperatures as high as 37C.

"We got in the car at 9.20am and have been in the car ever since," one motorist said.

Another said they were stuck for more than seven hours "without water, food or information," and claimed staff wouldn't help and were "rude."

READ MORE: Pre-departure COVID-19 testing introduced for travellers from China 

In a social media post, a Beyond the Valley spokesperson apologised for the traffic delays after the event, which features acts including Flight Facilities and Nelly Furtado and cost up to $500 a ticket.

"We are experiencing traffic delays getting out of the festival today due to the influx of cars exiting the festival as well as general holiday traffic on the roads," they said.

"We sincerely apologise for the delays and inconvenience caused. Please bear with us as our staff with support the process."

The spokesperson said volunteers would be providing water and food for people stuck in the traffic.

"Our team have buggies doing water drops at cars. We have ample water tanks around the site to fill up bottles as well tanks of water available at info hubs," the spokesperson said.

READ MORE: Woman's body found under Melbourne overpass on New Year's Day

"There is plenty of shade around site should you choose to wait until the traffic eases as well as food options available.

"We understand this process is not pleasant in the heat. Our priority is to get everyone home safely."