Crowds packed Auckland’s CBD and waterfront as 3500 fireworks lit up the sky.

Betty Boop and "Blondie" are joining Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh in the public domain.

The first appearances of the classic cartoon and comic characters are among the pieces of intellectual property whose 95-year US copyright maximum has been reached, putting them in the public domain on January 1.

That means creators can use and repurpose them without permission or payment.

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The 2026 batch of newly public artistic creations doesn't quite have the sparkle of the recent first entries into the public domain of Mickey or Winnie. But ever since 2019 – the end of a 20-year IP drought brought on by congressional copyright extensions – every annual crop has been a bounty for advocates of more work belonging to the public.

"It's a big year," said Jennifer Jenkins, law professor and director of Duke's Centre for the Study of the Public Domain, for whom New Year's Day is celebrated as Public Domain Day.

"It's just the sheer familiarity of all this culture."

Jenkins said that, collectively, this year's work shows "the fragility that was between the two wars and the depths of the Great Depression."

Here's a closer look at what will enter the public domain on Thursday, based on the research of Jenkins and her center.

Cartoons and comics bring the boop-a-doop

Betty Boop began as a dog. Seriously.

When she first appears in the 1930 short "Dizzy Dishes," one of four of her cartoons entering the public domain, she's already totally recognizable as the Jazz Age flapper later memorialised in countless tattoos, T-shirts and bumper stickers.

She has her baby face, short hair with groomed curls, flashy eyelashes and miniature mouth. But she's also got dangling poodle ears and a tiny black nose. Those would soon morph into dangling earrings and a tiny white nose.

She started as essentially the Minnie Mouse to a popular anthropomorphic dog named Bimbo, whom she would eventually outshine – and push aside. She's got a supporting role in "Dizzy Dishes," performing a slinky song-and-dance in a tiny black dress. She's not named, but sings "boop boop, a doop."

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Jenkins suggests this canine Betty Boop could be rich for exploitation in new works, and has a free idea: "She was bitten by a radioactive dog, that's why she had this weird backstory," she said with a laugh. "This movie needs to be made."

The character was designed and owned by Fleischer Studios, and the shorts were released by Paramount Pictures. She was based at least in part on singer Helen Kane, known as the "Boop-Oop-a-Doop Girl," thanks to a hit 1929 song.

Kane would lose a lawsuit over Betty Boop's character and use of the phrase. During the proceedings the defence alleged Black singer Esther Lee Jones used similar phrases first.

Artists are now free to use this earliest Boop in films and similar work. But making merch won't be free. In an important distinction often raised by Disney over Mickey Mouse, a character's trademark is distinct from the copyright of works that feature them. The Fleischer Productions trademark of Betty Boop remains intact.

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Boops and doops were apparently in the air in 1930. Blondie Boopadoop was, like Betty, a young flapper, and the central character of Chic Young's newspaper comic strip that debuted in 1930. It inspired a film series and radio show, and is still running today in papers that still have comics.

The strip followed her carefree breeze through life with her boyfriend, Dagwood Bumstead. The two would marry (and she would change her name) in 1933, and the strip would become the sandwich-heavy domestic comedy familiar to later readers. Though the strip was meant to be based on a woman's life, Dagwood would in many ways become its breakout star – a proto-Adam Driver, if you will, as the breakout actor from "Girls."

Nine new Mickey Mouse cartoons also are becoming public domain, two years after "Steamboat Willie" made the first version of him public property. He's joined this year by his dog Pluto, who, in 1930, was known as Rover. (He would get his long-term moniker the following year.)

Books bring big detective debuts

The books entering the public domain this year open the door to three iconic detectives from the 20th century:

• The teen sleuth Nancy Drew, whose first four books came in 1930, starting with "The Secret of the Old Clock." They were written by Mildred Benson under the pen name Carolyn Keene.
• The middle-aged(-ish) sleuth Sam Spade, who debuted via the full-book version of Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon." (It had been serialized in a magazine the previous year.)
• The elderly sleuth Miss Marple, who solves her first mystery in Agatha Christie's "Murder at the Vicarage."
• A year after his "The Sound and the Fury" became public, William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" becomes public domain. It would help lead to his Nobel Prize in literature.
• And kiddie lit legends Dick and Jane, who taught generations to read and became essential parody fodder for decades, become public via the "Elson Basic Readers" textbooks.

Films include Marxes, Marlene and Oscar winners

A year after their film debut, "The Cocoanuts," entered the public domain, the Marx Brothers' beloved "Animal Crackers" joins it, as they entered their prime of high cinematic antics.

The film finds Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo invading a Long Island society party celebrating an explorer of Africa.

Other movies entering the public domain include:

• "The Blue Angel," the German film from Josef von Sternberg that emblazoned Marlene Dietrich's top-hatted image into film lore.
• "King of Jazz," featuring the first screen appearance of Bing Crosby.
• A pair of Oscar best picture winners, "All Quiet on the Western Front," which won in 1930, and "Cimarron," which won in 1931. The award was known as "Outstanding Production" then, and the Academy Awards eligibility period didn't sync with the calendar year.

The coming decade will bring a true bounty of Hollywood Golden Age films into the public domain. 2027 will be a truly monster year, literally, with the original 1931 Universal Pictures versions of "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" among the titles due.

Dreamy and embraceable tunes ring in the 1930s

As in the last several years, a whistle-worthy stream of tunes from the Great American Songbook will become public:

• Four cherished classics written by George Gershwin, with lyrics by his brother Ira: "Embraceable You," "I've Got a Crush on You," "But Not for Me" and "I Got Rhythm."
• "Georgia on My Mind," written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell.
• "Dream a Little Dream of Me," written by Gus Kahn, Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt.

Different laws regulate the actual recordings of songs, and those newly in the public domain this week date to 1925.

They include Rodgers and Hart's "Manhattan" by the Knickerbockers, "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" by Marian Anderson and "The St Louis Blues" by Bessie Smith, featuring Louis Armstrong.

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The January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol "does not happen" without Donald Trump, former special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers earlier this month in characterising the Republican president as the "most culpable and most responsible person" in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee released on a transcript and video of a closed-door interview Smith gave about two investigations of Trump.

The document shows how Smith during the course of a day-long deposition repeatedly defended the basis for pursuing indictments against Trump and vigorously rejected Republican suggestions that his investigations were politically motivated.

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"The evidence here made clear that President Trump was by a large measure the most culpable and most responsible person in this conspiracy. These crimes were committed for his benefit. The attack that happened at the Capitol, part of this case, does not happen without him. The other co-conspirators were doing this for his benefit," Smith said, bristling at a question about whether his investigations were meant to prevent Trump from reclaiming the presidency in 2024.

"So in terms of why we would pursue a case against him, I entirely disagree with any characterisation that our work was in any way meant to hamper him in the presidential election," he added.

The December 17 deposition was conducted privately despite Smith's request to testify publicly. The release of the transcript and video of the interview, so far Smith's only appearance on Capitol Hill since leaving his special counsel position last January, adds to the public understanding of the decision-making behind two of the most consequential Justice Department investigations in recent history.

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Trump was indicted on charges of conspiring to undo the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, and of willfully retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Both cases were abandoned after Trump's 2024 election win, with Smith citing Justice Department policy against the indictment of a sitting president.

Smith repeatedly made clear his belief that the evidence gathered against Trump was strong enough to sustain a conviction. Part of the strength of the January 6 case, Smith said, was the extent to which it relied on the testimony of Trump allies and supporters who cooperated with the investigation.

"We had an elector in Pennsylvania who is a former congressman, who was going to be an elector for President Trump, who said that what they were trying to do was an attempt to overthrow the government and illegal," Smith said.

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"Our case was built on, frankly, Republicans who put their allegiance to the country before the party."

Accounts from Republicans willing to stand up against the falsehood that the election had been stolen "even though it could mean trouble for them" created what Smith described as the "most powerful" evidence against Trump.

When it came to the Capitol riot itself, Smith said, the evidence showed that Trump "caused it and that he exploited it and that it was foreseeable to him."

Asked whether there was evidence that Trump had instructed supporters to riot at the Capitol, Smith said that Trump in the weeks leading to the insurrection got "people to believe fraud claims that weren't true."

"He made false statements to state legislatures, to his supporters in all sorts of contexts and was aware in the days leading up to January 6 that his supporters were angry when he invited them and then he directed them to the Capitol," Smith said.

"Now, once they were at the Capitol and once the attack on the Capitol happened, he refused to stop it. He instead issued a tweet that without question in my mind endangered the life of his own vice president," he added.

"And when the violence was going on, he had to be pushed repeatedly by his staff members to do anything to quell it."

Some of the deposition focused on Republican anger at revelations that the Smith team had obtained, and analysed, phone records of GOP lawmakers who were in contact with Trump on January 6. Smith defended the maneuver as lawful and by-the-book, and suggested that outrage over the tactic should be directed at Trump and not his team of prosecutors.

"Well, I think who should be accountable for this is Donald Trump. These records are people, in the case of the senators, Donald Trump directed his co-conspirators to call these people to further delay the proceedings. He chose to do that," Smith said.

"If Donald Trump had chosen to call a number of Democratic senators, we would have gotten toll records for Democratic senators."

The communications between Trump and Republican supporters in Congress were an important component of the case, Smith said. He cited an interview his office did with Mark Meadows in which Trump's former chief of staff referenced that Representative Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican and current chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, had been in touch with the White House on the afternoon of the riot.

"And what I recall was Meadows stating that 'I've never seen Jim Jordan scared of anything,' and the fact that we were in this different situation now where people were scared really made it clear that what was going on at the Capitol could not be mistaken for anything other than what it was," Smith said.

Smith was also asked whether his team evaluated former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's explosive claim that Trump that grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to let him go to the Capitol after a rally at the Ellipse on January 6, 2021.

Smith told lawmakers that investigators interviewed the officer who was in the car, "who said that President Trump was very angry and wanted to go to the Capitol," but the officer's version of events "was not the same as what Cassidy Hutchinson said she heard from somebody secondhand."

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Three teenage girls have been charged after a 12-year-old girl was stabbed in Adelaide yesterday evening.

Just before 7pm, police were called to the Salisbury bus interchange.

They found the 12-year-old girl with a single stab wound to her abdomen.

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Her alleged attackers had fled on a train.

The girl was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Three teenage girls were arrested just after 7pm at the Mawson Lakes interchange.

Two 15-year-old girls and a 14-year-old girl from Craigmore were charged with affray and aggravated assault.

The girl who police alleged stabbed the 12-year-old was further charged with assault causing harm.

All three were refused bail and will appear in court in coming days.

Police claimed all parties involved were known to one another.

Any witnesses are urged to contact Crime Stoppers online or on 1800 333 000.

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Two men are in hospital with serious injuries after they were attacked with machetes in Melbourne overnight.

Emergency services were called to Lygon Street in Carlton at about 11.45pm.

It's believed a group of about seven men, armed with knives and machetes, attacked two men outside a restaurant.

READ MORE: Tributes pour in as Aussie great remains in 'serious condition'

The group then fled in cars.

A 20-year-old Heidelberg West man and an 18-year-old NSW man were seriously injured and taken to hospital.

Police are investigating the possibility the attack was targeted.

Any witnesses or anybody with footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online.

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Exclusive: Morning workouts, 5am alarms, and time spent with the kids.

These are the morning routines some of Australia's most successful people swear by, from 21-year-old influencers turned brand founders, to former Olympians, and high-powered executives.

Nine.com.au sat down with seven of the country's sharpest entrepreneurs, founders and CEOs to ask how they start their days to set themselves up for success.

Here's what each of them said.

Sophia Begg, influencer and co-founder of fashion brand All For Mimi

"I love to start the day with a morning walk with my partner before making my Tropeaka matcha to enjoy a quiet moment before the chaos!"

Michael Schneider, Bunnings managing director

"Retailers tend to be morning people – trading performance, inventory availability and the like tend to form our habits early.

"When I'm travelling, early starts are also good for exploring a city or taking in some exercise.

"At home, it varies depending on the day.

"Sometimes an early workout is great and occasionally a bit more sleep before coffee and a light breakfast can work a treat."

Jane Lu, founder of fashion retailer Showpo

"I live by my calendar – if it's not in there, it's not happening.

"It's the only way to stay on top of a busy day and make sure I'm spending time on what actually matters, not just what's loudest."

Grant Hackett OAM, Olympian and chief executive of Generation Development Group

"I always wake up at the same time, normally 5.15am every morning.

The only time I don't do that is on the weekends, that's where I get my extra bit of recovery.

"I noticed that in my swimming career, when my sleep periods were different it just made me flat, so consistency of wake-up time is really important.

"I have a series of drinks that I have, probably just because of my previous career.

"I've got a longevity mix, creatine, glutamine, amino acids … and I have that pre-made the night before so I don't have to think about it in the morning, because I'm not a morning person.

"Even though everyone thinks I should be because my former career, I hate early mornings, so I have to make it as easy as possible.

"I've also got a protein shake that's already set up, I have a water bottle, I'm really quite strict on all of that stuff.

"I'll usually do a 45-minute workout in the morning and then the last thing I do after getting ready is always have breakfast with the kids.

"I'm not the person who tries to get to the office at 7am and get everything done, because I have really young kids and I always try to have breakfast with them.

"That's my time at the table with them on weekdays and I feel quite sad when I don't get that time before I leave for work."

Jim Penman, founder of Jim's Group

"First I run for half an hour in the treadmill, I do weightlifting and have a cold shower.

"The other thing I do first thing in the morning is drive my son to school.

"He's 16 and I've got a busy life I suppose you could say, but I think you should never neglect your family.

"The time that I spend with Aaron, driving him to school and picking him up is incredibly important.

"He's a great kid, he's got a very lively mind. We discuss all kinds of different things … but it's also time to bond with him and hopefully have a bit of an influence."

Therese Frangie, chief executive of Oporto

"With a morning routine. I am a big believer in managing your cognitive load and eliminating decision fatigue.

"I have a morning routine that is posted on my wardrobe that I've been following for years now; I no longer look at it, I just go into autopilot.

"I kick off the day at 5am, as this gives me 'me time' as well as allows plenty of time to set myself up for a good day, between parenting and work.

"By starting my day in this way I am setting myself up for success because I am reliving my brain from making even micro-decisions before the day really starts."

Doug Jones, chief executive of Metcash

"I like to go for a run or a ride or do some exercise, and then I get stuck into it.

"I'm of South African heritage, so I check my WhatsApp from family and friends because the time difference. And sometimes, if it's Monday, I catch up on a little bit of sports news.

"But I'm not one for cold plunges and meditations. I like to just get into the day."

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Australian football legend Sam Kerr has wed fellow sports star Kristie Mewis in a private ceremony in Western Australia.

They exchanged vows in Kerr's hometown of Perth on New Year's Eve, capping off a gigantic year for the pair who welcomed their first child, son Jagger, in May.

Mewis walked down the aisle dressed in white, with a long-flowing veil, as guests watched in the evening sun.

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Kerr, in a black tuxedo, was seen arriving at the ceremony with a baby bottle in hand.

Jagger was carried down the aisle by his Matildas mum, something Mewis admitted ahead of the event would leave her in tears.

"That's going to be gut-wrenching for me. I will sob when that happens," Mewis said days ago.

The wedding was held at a private home with about 120 guests.

The Australian icon and US footballer began dating in 2021, revealing their relationship publicly during the Tokyo Olympics, when Mewis comforted Kerr on the field.

They got engaged in 2023 after weeks of speculation.

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They jointly announced the news on Instagram, with photos of Kerr down on one knee and the simple caption: "September 1st, 2023".

The pair welcomed Jagger Mewis-Kerr in May, telling fans via Instagram, "Our little man is here".

In the day before their nuptials, Mewis did most of the social media sharing. The day before the wedding she posted a series of photos of her and Kerr in white outfits perfect for a wedding, with the caption "tomorrow" and emojis of a smiling face with tears in its eyes and a red love heart.

Kerr shared a photo of the couple in the gym the day before the big day, the Australian sporting icon quipping: "Last day I ever have to hear about the wedding shred."

The couple are expected to delay their honeymoon due to football commitments.

The post-wedding holiday may involve the men's World Cup, Mewis has said previously.

Millions of people across Australia are counting down the final hours of 2025.

Hundreds of thousands claimed the key viewing spots early for Sydney's world-famous New Year's Eve fireworks display in the harbour.

By early afternoon, Mrs Macquaries Point, Hickson Road Reserve, Barangaroo Reserve, Campbells Cove and Circular Quay were all at capacity.

SYDNEY NEW YEAR'S EVE: Your complete guide to the celebrations

More than 1 million people line the harbour every year for the celebrations.

People slept overnight to secure their spot, while others began trickling in from dawn, with about 2000 already in place by 6am.

The event will be a little bit different this year as Sydney pauses for one minute to reflect on the tragic Bondi Beach terrorist attack.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge will display the image of a dove and glow white as a symbol of peace and unity.

In honour of the 15 people who lost their lives, a menorah will be displayed on the pylon of the bridge at 11pm.

This will signal a moment of silence, during which people are encouraged to shine their phone torchlights in a moment of solidarity and respect for the Jewish community.

While Premier Chris Minns has called for people to celebrate New Year's Eve in the community as normal, the event will inevitably be marked by the December 14 terror attack on a Chanukah celebration.

READ MORE: Iconic Aussie cricket legend 'in fight of his life' in hospital

The bridge will also illuminate in recognition of the event's official charity partner Beyond Blue, which provides free mental health support around the clock.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the event was an opportunity for the community to reflect.

"Given that we're still reeling from the recent tragic events in Bondi, New Year's Eve provides an opportunity to gather as a community to pause and a reflect and hope for a safer and more peaceful 2026," Moore said.

Heavy police presence

Police were expecting their largest-ever presence for a New Year's Eve celebration with more than 2500 officers to be deployed.

Minns said the change in tactics would see heavily-armed police among the crowds however people should not take that as a sign that an active operation was under way.

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"They'll be operational and highly visible," he said.

"It means that they're there in preparation for any eventuality."

Earlier this week, Minns urged people this week to "thumb their noses" at terrorists, and join the city's biggest party of the year.

Extra public transport services

Roads were closed in the city centre as huge crowds poured onto the harbour foreshore.

Roads in Circular Quay were closed north of Bridge Street.

Roads in The Rocks and Barangaroo were closed including a section of Harrington, Essex and Argyle streets and a section of Hickson Road.

People were advised to take public transport to the event.

There will be 1000 extra public transport services put tonight, running constantly, Transport Minister John Graham said.

Major surges were expected after the 9pm fireworks and the midnight fireworks, with people urged to – if they can – walk further up George Street to Martin Place or Town Hall to have an easier time getting on transport.

The Barangaroo metro station will also be open later.

People are urged to monitor the vacancies on the free gathering sites to be sure they can set up there, with the numbers updated on the official New Year's Eve website.

Excited crowds arrive early

One dedicated man told 9News he arrived at 10am yesterday and had not been able to sleep since.

One mum, who made her way into the Sydney CBD at 11.30am today, said she was "really excited" to have a front row seat to the action with her two sons.

"We can't wait, we got here early to get this spot so we can see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge," she said.

"We were here in the year 2000 so we brought these guys back for their first time this year.

"The crowd has been very, very hospitable and the organisation has been perfect."

One of her sons said he was thrilled to see the fireworks in real life.

"We've seen it on TV a few times before, we can't wait to see it, it looks really cool on TV," he said.

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Two people have died and six others have been rushed to hospital after a minivan flipped on a remote highway in South Australia.

A local paramedic called triple zero about 5.30 this morning after witnessing a Toyota Tarago crash on the Horrocks Highway at Tarlee, about one hour north of Adelaide.

Two passengers were killed in the single vehicle crash, after it lost control and flipped, landing on its roof.

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Six other occupants, including the driver, were rushed to hospital by road and air ambulance.

The small community of Tarlee is still healing from a fatal crash only two weeks ago, one of several across the state this festive season.

"We had a recent tragedy in the town with a family and we know first-hand how devastating that is," local Michelle Warner said.

"[It's] devastating, especially for the families involved and the people involved."

Locals say the highway is a major thoroughfare mainly used for trucks and have been calling for safety upgrades for years.

"I've lived here for 90 years, just about, but the roads, there's not enough spent on them for the amount of traffic that's being used with heavy trucks and things these days," Gavin Dunn said.

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"There are some really bad black spots, bumps in the road," Warner said.

"I've followed caravans up the road jumping over the bumps behind the vehicles."

The highway remained closed for most of the day, with the Tarago towed from the scene this afternoon.

With the fatal crash bringing SA's 2025 road toll to 87 lives lost, emergency services have urged road users to plan their journeys safely in the new year.

"All of the major contributors to road trauma you can control, so plan your trip, take responsibility, keep us all safe on the road," SA Police assistant commissioner Stuart McLean said.

The circumstances surrounding the crash are yet to be determined.

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Two trains taking tourists to Peru’s famed archaeological site of Machu Picchu crashed on Tuesday, killing at least one person and injuring around 30 passengers.

The person killed was a railroad worker, according to Jhonathan Castillo Gonzalez, a captain with the Cuzco police department.

He told The Associated Press that the railway suspended services along the rail line connecting Machu Picchu with the nearby city of Cuzco after the accident.

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According to the company operating the railway, a train coming from Machu Picchu collided with a train headed there in the early afternoon, near Qoriwayrachina, also an archeological site.

No further details about what had caused the crash were immediately available.

Videos on local media showed train cars with broken windows and dented sides stuck along a rail line hemmed in between a lush forest and a massive rock.

Machu Picchu gets about 1.5 million visitors per year, mostly arriving by train to the nearby town of Aguas Calientes.

Known for its perfectly fitting stone bricks, the site was built in the 15th century by the Incas and served as a sanctuary for the nation’s emperors.

The number of people visiting Machu Picchu has increased by about 25 per cent over the past decade, but tourism in the area has also been affected by political turmoil and disputes over how the site is managed, with protesters sometimes blocking the railroad that leads to the ancient site.

Machu Picchu can also be reached on foot, with visitors trekking from the small town of Ollantaytambo. The trek takes about four days.