Ukraine's New Year's Agony, Puerto Rico Power Outages, Dry January Tips
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So how did you spend your New Year's Eve, Layla?
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I couldn't figure out who was celebrating the New Year. Finally figured out it was Greenland. Oh! Rang it in with Greenland.
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A big show. The first of the year. Exactly. Ukrainians set modest goals for the year now beginning.
One man says he hopes his country still exists in a year, and that his friends will be alive. The new year started with Russian drone attacks, so what happens next?
I'm Steve Inskeep with Leila Fadl, and this is Up First from NPR News. A collapse of Puerto Rico's power grid left hundreds of thousands in the dark. Getting the lights back on everywhere could take more than a day, and a hurricane more than seven years ago may be at least partly to blame.
Plus, what's behind these resolutions to make January dry? You actually start feeling more joy and more excited about life. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
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The capital of Ukraine is starting the new year under a new wave of Russian drone attacks.
They began shortly after Ukraine's president addressed his nation. Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the agony of 2024 with heavy casualties and Russia's army advancing. Many Ukrainians fear this year will be harder.
NPR's Brian Mann joins us from Kyiv. Hi, Brian.
Good morning, Leila.
So what can you tell us about this latest drone attack on the capital?
This is what it sounded like just before dawn as air defenses began to fire here in Kiev. Military officials say Russia targeted the city with drones packed with explosives. At least two civilians were killed and six others injured. And this attack set one apartment building on fire.
Now, Ukrainians have been living through these kinds of attacks for nearly three years. What did Zelensky say last night about the state of the war?
Well, these New Year's Eve addresses are a tradition here in Ukraine. Zelensky was, of course, once a popular actor, and he's known for giving powerful speeches. So a lot of Ukrainians I spoke to were really waiting for this moment last night. They wanted to hear his take on the crisis. And Zelenskyy last night described the situation on the front lines as extremely, extremely difficult.
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