A car from the television programme Only Fools and Horses car takes part in the annual New Years Day Parade in London. (Image: Lewis Whyld/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

HERE ARE THE things you need to know as we round off the day in three easy steps.

THINGS WE LEARNED:

#STAMPEDE: At least 60 children have died and hundreds more injured in a stampede in the Côte d’Ivoire during New Year celebrations. The country’s official news agency said the casualties were all aged between eight and 15.

#TRAGEDY: The PSNI and Gardaí continue to investigate the death of 19-year-old Monaghan Jason McGovern. Detectives want to speak with a man about two assaults on the student while he was out in Omagh in the early hours of Monday morning.

#DISTRESSING: Gardaí have appealed for the safe return of an urn that was stolen from a Tallaght house during a burglary last night. The small box contains the ashes of the homeowner’s mother and father.

#FISCAL CLIFF: The White House and top Republicans eventually agreed to a ‘fiscal cliff’ solution during the night…two hours after the set deadline. Lawmakers in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives are now considering the legislation before a vote later today.

#SYRIA: The New Year brought no respite for Syrians caught up in a violent conflict with AFP reporting this evening that a group of about 20 soldiers, including a general, have defected from the army and fled to Turkey.

#NEW YEAR’S DAY: As the world waved goodbye to 2012 (see the pics here and here), Limerick’s Mid-Western Regional Maternity Hospital welcomed Ireland’s first newborn of 2013. Leo Maples, born to Carmel McNamara and Charles Maples, was delivered at 12:01am. The Coombe had to wait until 2.15am for its first of the year when baby Emma Lyons arrived.

Image: Laura Hutton

THINGS WE LOVED

• This woman.
• This kind New Year’s gesture.
• Scroll down to the 33rd photo of Buzzfeed’s “33 Most WTF Celeb Photos Of  The Year”. It will be worth it.

THINGS WE SHARED

(Image: @darrenrovell)

• This was the full-page ad that Yoko Ono took out in today’s New York Times.
• The Atlantic has taken a look at how bad shoppers are at mathematics. Spoiler: we’re REALLY bad.
• As part of its round-up of 2012, Buzzfeed has compiled a list of the 50 most viral videos of the past 12 months. Unsurprisingly, the podium spots were taken by Gangnam Style, Call Me Maybe and Kony 2012. Fourth? Was this terrifying Brazilian prank.

(YouTube Credit: dogproduction)