Follow all the celebrations as the clock strikes midnight and countries see out 2019 and welcome in the twenties
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has issued a New Year’s message, saying the world is entering 2020 with “uncertainty and insecurity” all around.
“We cannot afford to be the generation that fiddled while the planet burned,” he said, adding that there was hope in the power of youth around the planet. “From climate action to gender equality to social justice and human rights, your generation is on the frontlines and in the headlines,” he said. “I am inspired by your passion and determination”.
As we enter the New Year, the world needs young people to keep speaking out, applying pressure and pushing boundaries to have us protect our planet and improve the lives of its people.
Wishing everyone, everywhere peace and happiness in 2020. pic.twitter.com/OsbXOBuAv4
Preparations are under way in Edinburgh for its Hogmanay festival amid a row over the rights of residents in the city’s centre to access their homes.
The leader of Edinburgh council, Adam McVey, has accused Underbelly, the events company that runs Edinburgh’s winter and Hogmanay festivals, for the dispute over access rights for people who live within the large security zone covered by the festival.
About 75,000 revellers are expected to converge on the Hogmanay festival site, called the arena by Underbelly, for performances featuring Mark Ronson, Marc Almond and other acts spread over several stages.
Residential and shopping areas such as Rose Street, Princes Street, Mound Place, Castle Street, Frederick Street and Hanover Street will be cordoned off with steel barriers and security checks.
Related: Edinburgh council blames Hogmanay festival organiser for ‘curfew’ row