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Having mentioned how much confetti was strewn around Times Square, it seems only fair to recap some of the other celebrations around the world in numbers.

In Rio, around 3 million people welcomed 2020 at the famous Copacabana beach where 15 tonnes of colorful fireworks were set off for nearly 15 minutes after midnight.

In Paris, large crowds gathered to watch a light show at the Arc de Triomphe followed by a fireworks display at midnight. But the interesting number in the French capital was that Tuesday marked the 27th consecutive day of transport strikes against president Emmanuel Macron’s plans to overhaul the French pension system. All metro lines in the French capital were closed except for two automatic lines, and only a few night buses were running.

The world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, was lit up by a spectacular firework display. All 828 metres (2,716feet).

It’s now 2020 in another chunk of the USA, with Central Time now well past midnight.

They’re having a party in Nashville where Stevie Nicks and Keith Urban have been performing Secondhand News together. Jason Isbell, one of Music City’s finest, has been up there too.

Not everyone is enjoying it though, with some on Twitter appearing to call for the CNN event to be moved back to New Orleans where presenters Don Lemon and Brooke Baldwin have been based in previous years.

About 1,360kg (3,000lb) of confetti has been showered on Times Square tonight where revellers also had to contend with some rain earlier in the evening.

Headline act Post Malone had some difficulties as well when he fell off the stage and had to be hauled up by security staff.

He seemed to recover his poise and see the funny side though.

One member of the crowd, Mariemma Mejias, 48, told AP that she had flown to New York from Puerto Rico to join the party.

“It was a dream, I wanted to do it so this year ... a lot of people helped me to get here so I’m here, and I’m thankful for that,” she said.

Here are some pics from the party.

A little earlier, the Korea boyband BTS were one of the main acts in Times Square in what they’re officially calling Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2020 (snappy title that). You might say that’s proof that K-pop has conquered the world. Post Malone was the headline act just before midnight.

First we had a cheesy version of Auld Lang Syne and now Frank Sinatra croons New York, New York to the delighted crowds...

Happy new year, USA

Joyous scenes in Times Square, New York as the clock hits midnight.

It’s already 2020 in South America where celebrations are well under way in cities such as Rio de Janeiro where fireworks have lit up Copacabana beach.

In the Chilean capital of Santiago, people have combined anti-government protests with ringing in the new year in Plaza Italia. There have been weeks of protests in the city.

There’s about 75 minutes to go before the clock ticks past midnight in Times Square in New York and the celebrations are already in full swing with music from, inter alia, Alanis Morissette and Sam Hunt. There’s also a big party going on in Los Angeles where there’s music from Dua Lipa and Dand and Shay.

And in case you missed it, Mariah Carey’s Twitter account was hacked this New Year’s Eve.

The Guardian’s Andre Wheeler writes:

Carey’s Twitter account shared numerous racist slurs and comments with the singer’s 21.4 million followers on the platform.

It’s unclear who’s behind the hack, and the pop star did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Most of the tweets published on Tuesday afternoon were quickly deleted. Many verged on the nonsensical and appeared to troll the singer’s fans.

The hack comes at an interesting time. Carey has become a renewed focal point of pop culture in recent weeks, through her record-breaking achievements on the Billboard Chart.

The singer’s modern classic All I Want For Christmas hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time this month – 25 years after its original release. And on Monday, Billboard announced Carey is projected to become the first artist to have number-one hits in four consecutive decades, when All I Want For Christmas tops the 4 January 2020 Hot 100 list.

“What’s a decade?” the singer jokingly tweeted after the news broke, when she was allegedly still in control of her account.

Read Andre’s full story here.

Earlier this evening, Pope Francis delighted tourists and local residents in Rome when he took a stroll to admire the Nativity scene on St. Peter’s Square. Shouts of “Pope! Pope!” and “Happy New Year!” resounded as families rushed to catch a glimpse of him or thrust out their infant in hopes he would pat their heads or pinch their cheeks, the AP reports.

One woman grabbed the pope’s hand and pulled him toward her to shake it. Francis, 83, exclaimed and then struck the woman’s hand twice to free his hand.

At a New Year’s Eve Vespers service in St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis urged people to practice more solidarity and to “build bridges, not walls.”

Security officers in New York were on high alert on Tuesday evening, as revelers arrived to celebrate the new year in Manhattan’s Times Square.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said spectators should feel safe but encouraged them to remain vigilant and alert officers if they feel something is amiss.

Law enforcers were monitoring the situation with more than 1,000 security cameras, police helicopters and drones.

Several of the NYPD’s drones are equipped with thermal-imaging and 3D-mapping capabilities and strong camera lenses that can greatly magnify a subject.

Streets in and around Times Square were closed to car traffic hours before the ball drop and police cars and sand-filled sanitation trucks were positioned to stop vehicles from driving into the crowd.

Preparations are in full swing in New York City’s famous Times Square, where thousands are expected to gather to count down the final moments of 2019.

The city has been on edge this week following a string of attacks during Hanukah, but Tuesday celebrations may offer some relief. The AP reports:

A Chinese dance performance, punctuated with red and gold pyrotechnics, will usher in a host of stars at Times Squares six-hour New Years Eve extravaganza.

The throng of revelers in the heart of Manhattan will get to see rap-pop star Post Malone, K-pop group BTS, country singer Sam Hunt and singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette during the big street party.

While giddiness will likely prevail at the televised event, some important global issues will be driven home, as well.

High school science teachers and students, spotlighting efforts to combat climate change, will press the button that begins the famous 60-second ball drop and countdown to next year.

Then comes the 3,000lb (1,360 kilograms) of confetti, accompanied by more pyrotechnics.

The Associated Press reports from Paris:

A joyful crowd of Parisians and tourists walked, biked and used scooters to reach the Champs-Elysees for the new year celebrations, in a city with almost no public transport amid massive strikes.

Revelers converged at the famous avenue to watch a light show at the Arc de Triomphe, followed by a fireworks display at midnight. Paris police set up a security perimeter around the Champs-Elysees area with a ban on alcohol and traffic restrictions.

All metro lines in the French capital were closed except for two automatic lines, and only a few night buses were running, as Tuesday marked the 27th consecutive day of transport strikes against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to overhaul the French pension system.

Here’s PA Media’s report on the firework display on the banks of the River Thames in central London:

Thousands of people lined the Thames as London kicked off the new decade to the roar of football anthems such as Three Lions with the festivities providing a prelude to the Euro 2020 football tournament.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, had promised the display – which also featured music from Stormzy, Wiley and Bastille – would be the best the capital “has ever seen”.

Big Ben rang out 12 times to mark the start of the new year despite the bell falling mostly silent in 2019 while renovation work is completed.

London’s annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display was sold out, with about 100,000 revellers packed into the streets around Victoria Embankment.

Around 2,000 fireworks set off during the display were fired from the London Eye, with the remainder coming from barges moored in a central location along the River Thames.

The show celebrated London’s role in hosting this summer’s international football tournament, which will take place in countries across the continent rather than being hosted by a single nation – and will see the capital host more fixtures than any other city.

Seven of the competition’s matches are set to be played in the capital, with Wembley Stadium scheduled to host the final and semi-finals.

“Football’s coming home” blared out as the Baddiel, Skinner and Lightning Seeds’ favourite accompanied the spectacular show, followed by The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army and classical hit Nessun Dorma.

Speaking in the city centre ahead of the celebrations on Tuesday night, Mr Khan told the PA news agency the “world” will be watching the display, and he hoped it would show London was a “global city”.

He said: “Fairly or unfairly, people around the world saw the Brexit referendum vote as the UK somehow turning its back on the rest of the world, including Europe.

“The fear was, we would become insular, inward-looking, and what I’m keen to show is the opposite.

“Yes we may be leaving the EU, but very much as a city we are still a European global city. We will continue to be open to people’s trade and ideas.

“What tonight’s fireworks are about is demonstrating our confidence.

“And it’s really important that we show the world who will be watching our fireworks that we are a confident, global, outward-looking European city.”

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