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Fairway Colombo introduces robots to the hotel industryThese glasses let you 'see' conversations in real time

Tweet Facebook Mail Would-be troublemakers are being warned of a massive police presence at Sydney's New Year's Eve party, with officers ready to crack down on bad behaviour. NSW Police said the biggest operation of the year was launching today ahead of celebrations across Sydney and the state. A particular focus will be the Sydney Harbour foreshore, where thousands are expected to gather for the annual holiday celebration and fireworks display. LIVE UPDATES: Injury rocks Aussie camp with Test set to explode  Crowds gather at Mrs Macquarie's Chair to watch the fireworks during New Year's Eve celebrations. (Getty) Police said officers from every area command and district around the state would be on duty, along with specialist officers including mounted police and riot police. Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna said both uniformed and plain-clothed police would be on patrol. "We want everyone to enjoy their New Year's Eve celebrations in a safe and responsible way," McKenna said. READ MORE: Experts weigh in as questions remain over South Korea plane crash  Thousands are expected to attend Sydney's festivities. (Dion Georgopoulos) "People planning on coming to the city for free vantage points are urged to get in early to avoid missing out. "If a location becomes full, do not attend and find an alternative location. "We ask people to drink responsibly, know their limit and avoid starting 2025 in the back of a police truck." The public is encouraged to leave their car at home and use public transport as there will be major road closures and special event clearways in place throughout the CBD on New Year's Eve and into New Year's Day. READ MORE: Man charged after gunshot fired at NSW Central Coast unit  Foty Family employees load firework barges at Glebe Island. (Dominic Lorrimer) Police will be travelling on trains, light rail, metro, buses, and ferries, watching for criminal and anti-social behaviour, including anyone drinking alcohol. "It is illegal to drink alcohol on public transport," McKenna said. "Don't ruin a good night out for yourself or others with foolish behaviour that you will come to regret." People are also reminded that a licence is required to purchase or use fireworks, with heavy penalties for lawbreakers. Police will be highly visible around Sydney. (Dion Georgopoulos) Maritime police will also watch for illegal behaviour on the water. "The same drink-driving rules apply on the water as they do on our roads," McKenna said. "Boaters should make sure they have all the necessary safety and emergency equipment. "Specialist police will conduct drug and alcohol testing, as well as compliance checks on vessels, so please be smart and safe." Sun, celebration, sadness: Christmas in Australia and around the world View Gallery Transport for NSW coordinator-general Howard Collins encouraged people to make an early New Year's resolution to catch public transport to and from their December 31 celebrations and take the stress out of the evening. "As always we will have thousands of extra public transport services – that's extra trains, buses and light rails – but on top of all that, this year for the first time we have Sydney Metro online from Tallawong to Sydenham, with services running throughout the night," Collins said. "This is Transport's busiest two days of the year, operating round the clock for almost 48 hours to move Sydneysiders and visitors to and from New Year's celebrations, family events, shopping in the sales and all the other great things to do." DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP : Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play .

Police forces report sharp rise in religious hate crimes across UKTimeline: Jimmy Carter, 1924-2024

Timeline: Jimmy Carter, 1924-2024

What could change with the latest VA Disability Reform Bill that made the House?In 2018, Apple famously became the first publicly traded company in the U.S. to hit a $1 trillion valuation. Since then, several more have hit that milestone, including several of Apple's peers in the tech industry: Microsoft , Alphabet , Amazon , Nvidia , and Meta Platforms . This group remains highly exclusive, but many more corporations will join in the coming years. One of them could be Shopify ( SHOP 0.45% ) , an e-commerce specialist currently sporting a market cap of $135 billion. Shopify needs a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of at least 14.3% in the next 15 years to become a trillion-dollar stock. That's not an easy task, but let's find out why Shopify can pull it off. A founder-led company with a vision Shopify was created to address a real pain point for businesses trying to open online storefronts, which sometimes had to deal with design challenges, lack of flexibility, and other issues. Shopify changed that. The e-commerce specialist offers practically everything merchants need all in one spot, from hundreds of customizable templates and payment processing to inventory, social media tools, marketing, and more. Further, there is a built-in system that gives merchants many more options. Shopify's app store is home to thousands of apps that cater to its customers' ultra-specific needs. Since its 2015 IPO and with co-founder Tobias Lütke at the helm, Shopify has grown at a CAGR well above what it would need in the next 15 years to become a trillion-dollar stock. SHOP Total Return Level data by YCharts . There is some evidence in the academic literature that founder-led companies in the S&P 500 outperform the rest. It's hard to argue that point when looking at the list of trillion-dollar companies. Nvidia and Meta Platforms are still headed by their co-founders. Amazon was also founder-led until relatively recently, and Microsoft and Apple did have long stints with their respective founders (or co-founders) as CEOs before they stepped down. Shopify following the same blueprint is no guarantee of success, but it's worth pointing out that the e-commerce specialist has made it its goal to become a 100-year company. Few can come anywhere close to that, but Shopify is off to a pretty good start. Massive white space ahead One issue Shopify had was a lack of profitability. The company recently made some changes to its business that are helping on that front. Shopify sold its logistics business, a low-margin unit that was harming its bottom line. Since then, the company's margins and profits have looked much better. In the third quarter, Shopify's revenue grew by 26% year over year to $2.2 billion. Shopify's net income was up 15% year over year to $828 million. It had a 19% free cash flow margin, up from the 16% reported in the prior-year quarter. Shopify has increased its free cash flow margin sequentially during every quarter this year. No wonder the stock is up substantially year to date. More importantly, Shopify is still looking at a vast runway ahead. The growth of the e-commerce industry should provide the company with a powerful tailwind in the next decade and beyond. It allows people to do business with consumers or companies that would otherwise be beyond their reach. It also helps businesses save money on overhead costs, savings they can pass on to consumers. And despite its seeming ubiquity, e-commerce still has miles of growth left. Online transactions accounted for just 16.2% of total retail sales in the third quarter in the U.S. Further, Shopify benefits from a competitive advantage. Its app store has a network effect : The more developers within its ecosystem, the more it attracts merchants, and vice versa. The company's main e-commerce offering benefits from switching costs . So, Shopify has many of the traits necessary to deliver market-beating returns over the long run: profitable growth, a long-term vision, plenty of opportunities, and a moat that will protect its leadership position in its niche. The company looks well on its way to becoming a trillion-dollar stock within 15 years.