hello and welcome to nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. the suffering endures ten days after devastating earthquakes hit near the turkish-syrian border. more than 42,000 have been confirmed dead. many survivors are struggling to access aid and figure out where they go from here. but, first, a remarkable moment of hope. rescuers pulled a 13-year-old from the rubble of a destroyed building on wednesday. this happened more than 228

hours after one of the tremors. elsewhere in southern turkey, people lined up for wood and coal. they need supplies to stay warm in their temporary shelters. mohamed is one of the refugees who escaped the fighting in syria's ongoing civil war. 11 years after arriving in turkey, he has to live in a tent again, this time due to the earthquakes. he says he hopes the united nations will help syrian refugees move to other countries as soon as possible. >> translator: what should i do for the future? i want to go to a country where we can settle down. my children are mentally unstable here. >> a freelance journalist in syria near the border tells nhk the war has disrupted the regional health care system, and that is hampering rescue operations, making outside

support critical. >> translator: the most important supplies that are needed are medical and first aid materials. heavy machinery and equipment are also needed to clear the rubble and speed up the process of pulling people out. also, the shortage of tents has become very serious in this cold weather. >> back in turkey, some are being treated in a makeshift hospital set up on a ferry boat. a medical worker there says the focus now is on stocking up medicine and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. we turn now to ukraine. russia has again launched a number of missile strikes, hitting targets across the country. ukraine's military chiefaid on social media that russian forces used a variety of missile types and fired 36 at dawn. he said ukraine shot down 16.

the governor of the eastern region osaid on social media on of the russian strikes killed a 79-year-old woman and injured atd leaat least two others who were hospitalized. russia again used a kh-22 anti-ship missile to destroy important infrastructure. the kh-22 is allegedly also used in a deadly attack in the region last month. the barrage of missile strikes came after nato defense ministers agreed to ramp up ammunition production capacity to support ukraine. they reached that agreement in two days of meetings that ended on wednesday. ukraine's deputy defense minister wrote on social media on wednesday that the enemy's offensive was continuing in the east with around-the-clock attacks and that the situation was tense. she also said the enemy was sending in around 500 hastily trained troops every week.

russia appears to be intensifying its attacks as the first anniversary of its invasion approaches on february 24th. while the invasion is triggering controversy over the olympic games next year in paris, despite calls to ban russia and belarus from taking part, the international olympic committee says it wants to find a way to include them. >> reporter: the ioc announced it might allow athletes from russia and its ally, belarus, to win slots to paris through qualifying. but it said they would compete at the games as neutrals. ukraine reacted sharply, threatening to boycott the games. the ioc president, thomas bach, said it would go against the

charter. 35 countries last week gathered, and zelenskyy said many of his athletes have been killed in the war already. >> while russia kills, they have no place at sport and olympic competitions. and it cannot be covered up with some pretended neutrality or white flag. because russia is now a country that stains with blood, even their white flag. >> reporter: those 35 countries, including the u.s., germany and australia, say they will demand russia and belarus be banned outright from the games. we spoke to an olympic expert who cautions of the impact on international politics. a boycott of last year's beijing winterames by the u.s. and ohs

came over concerns of human rights in china. >> translator: in the case of ukraine, so many people there have been killed. and their territory is being violated. the situation is almost unprecedented since world war ii. so, from the perfespective of t olympics, it is very difficult to strike a balance. >> reporter: russia and belarus have repeatedly been banned from international sporting events for almost a year now. but several russian sports deration say they ha reived invitations to the asian games in a chinese city. >> translator: ultimately, the ioc wants to create a space where all athletes can compete together. it thinks the path for russian and belarusian athletes could

start not in ukraine but somewhere in asia. officials may think that's the best option. >> reporter: with the war dragging on, olympic organizers face a related challenge. there is no way to sanction countries like russia that bridge the olympic truce, which was established in 1993 after the conflict in former yugoslavia. >> translator: i believe the national olympic committee of a country that violates an olympic truce will not be able to participate in the games. officials should establish a clear process or there can be no compromise until that is clarified. >> reporter: the olympic charter says the goal of the games is to promote peace and the preservation of human dignity, but just 18 months out from paris 2024, the suffering in ukraine continues to cast a shadow over the ioc's next

flagship event. ishikawa, nhk world. south korean prosecutors have sought an arrest warrant for the leader of the country's largest opposition party. the allegations against the democratic party leader include breach of duty and bribery. prosecutors suspect the misdeeds occurred during the planning of development projects while he was mayor from 2010 to 2018. seoul central district prosecutors say his actions caused financial damages amounting to about $380 million by letting private partners illegally reap profits that should have gone to the city located south of the capital. they also say that when he headed a professional soccer club, he solicited corporate donations from companies in

return for administrative favors. during three rounds of questioning by prosecutors, he denied the corruption charges. the democratic party denounced the investigation, branding it as political oppression by the government of president yoon. local media say he is expected to avoid arrest as prosecutors need parliamentary consent to arrest a lawmaker, and the democratic party holds a majority in the national assembly. it's quite rare for prosecutors to seek an arrest warrant for the leader of the largest opposition party in south korea.

it's been just over two weeks since south korea dropped its indoor mask mandate as its daily coronavirus cases dwindle. how people there are reacting to the change. >> reporter: at this cafe just outside seoul, customers aren't just coming for the snacks and drinks. many are enjoying the long-awaited chance to get together with other people without masks getting in the way. >> translator: it's so nice to be able to talk freely with my friends and see each other's faces. >> reporter: but not everyone is eager to ditch the masks. >> translator: i'm still worried when i'm in crowded places, so i keep wearing it.

>> reporter: and it's not just those vulnerable. south korea leaves it up to personal discretion, whether someone wears a mask indoors. the exceptions are public transit or high-risk facilities like hospitals and pharmacies. but take a look inside any crowded, indoor public space, and you'll see many people aren't ready to move on. even here at the gym, where having your face covered can make exercise uncomfortable, many koreans are keeping masks part of their workout routines. for some, it's about protecting other gym-goers. >> translator: i'm afraid of infecting others. physically, the mask is uncomfortable, but mentally, i find it more comfortable. >> reporter: for others, there's a hidden benefit to hiding your

face. >> translator: with masks, it's just your eyes. people can't see any weird expressions you make while working out. >> reporter: for now, trainers are following suit. >> translator: when the time comes where many of our members feel comfortable to exercise without wearing them, that's when we'll go maskless. >> reporter: a professor of psychology at seoul national university says covid pushed many koreans to develop collective responsibility around health. that's been driving people's behaor more than government mandes. >>ranslator: manyoreans fl enduring a minor inconvenience to protect eryone'sealth a safety tes priority. it's good that people have developed a strong independent rule set around when to wear masks. they'll likely have to decide

indivially whe it is se to op. >> reporter: as for the government, south korea says if infections continue trending downward, all mask mandates could be dropped in may. at that point, any answer to the question to mask or not to mask will truly be left to individuals. nhk world, seoul. a psychiatric hospital in western tokyo is under investigation on suspicion that four of its workers assaulted say pais she patients. some viewers may find the alleged abuse disturbing. tokyo police arrested one of the four, a nurse at takayama hospital, and they searched the facility on wednesday. investigators suspect the assaults took place last year from january through april.

video obtained by nhk shows an individual telling a patient to be quiet and then striking the person. other footage shows a hospital staffer forcefully pushing a patient' head against the bed, and another hiding a patient with a pillow while ordering them to "shut up." nhk interviewed a former hospital employees under the condition of anonymity. >> takayama hospital has not admitted to the abuse allegations. it told nhk that it is fully cooperating with the police investigation. it was another chilly morning across japan, but will changes be on the way?

our meteorologist sayaka mori has a look at the situation in world weather. >> hello there. people in the eastern half of japanxperienc sub zero temperatures on thursday morning. that includes tokyo. the coldest st of the nation, the mercury dropped to minus 30 degrees. now, the lows have been below minus 30 degrees for five days in a row, making it the first time in about 40 years. diamond dust was seen in hokkaido on wednesday. the seasonal phenomenon known as diamond dust appeared in the town in hokkaido wednesday. temperatures in the morning sank to minus 28 degrees, crystallizing the water vapor into beautiful, floating particles. in addition, fog developed over the ba river, creating a picturesque scene. and a big change is on the way. temperatures are going to be more like spring in many places of the nation. sapporo, 5 degrees on saturday.

kanazawa, 15. tokyo could see 19, and kagoshima, 20 during the weekend. across the philippines, there's a low pressure system near the country. the system will likely intensify, will likely move toward the philippines and could hit mindanao. we will see increasing wind, waves as well as the temperature into the weekend. in australia, a tropical low combined with moisture, monsoon rains are hitting northern queensland. there is a risk for flooding and landslides, and a tropical low will move southward. rain will be spreading inland. a heat wave is gripping many places os of the country. 40 degrees is expected in port hedlund. looks like the mercury could hit 50 degrees on the weekend in the nation. that's it for me. stay safe.

♪ ♪ that's all for this hour on nhk "newsline." i'm yoshi ogasawara in tokyo. thanks for watching, and doi sy with us for more.

♪ this is ne"newsline biz." i'm gene otani. consumers and businesses are feeling the pinch as egg prices in tokyo hit a record. higher costs for chicken feed and the spread of bird flu in japan are to blame. an industry group says the average wholesale price of a kilogram of medium sized eggs hit 335 yen or about $2.50. the figure is nearly double the average price from a year ago. russia's invasion of ukraine and a weaker yen have made corn and

other feed more expensiexpensiv. egg shipment have also dropped as a large number of chickens have the bird flu. >> translator: i use eggs not just as a main item but also to make other things, such as deep fried foods. if they get too expensive, it would be a problem. translator: eggs are more expensive than they used to be. so, these days, i buy them less than i did before. >> a pastry shop in tokyo is considering raising prices for its sweets. the store gets about 80 kilograms of eggs for baking every time this year. >> translator: i have to use eggs, so i have no choice but to buy them regardless of price. >> the shop already hiked prices for some products last autumn. the owner says he doesn't want to raise prices again because customers would buy even less than they do now. but he said he needs to make up

for the higher costs. japan posted its biggest monthly trade deficit in january due to a combination of rising energy prices and weak exports. the finance ministry said on thursday the deficit reached almost 3.5 trillion yen or more than $26 billion. the trade balance has now shown a deficit for 18 straight months. the amount was the most since comparable data became available in 179. imports swelled almost 18% in yen $75 billion. the imports were $49 billion. in japan's ancient capital kyoto, they're testing out

charging visitors to use trash cans. it is a way to keep the cost of waste disposal down. the market is known as tkyoto's kitchen. it has a long history and 130 shops. it is trying out the garbage disposal system along with a company. test trash cans are in eight locations. 100 yen or 75 cents is requested for a location. the market conducted a similar test last year as it expected tourist numbers to rise. many didn't notice the donation request. the cans are decorated with images of throwing garbage away. the images are designed with the help of a vocational school. the task will run through march 10th. the tourism company working on the project aims to make it a

regular feature of the market in the fiscal year starting in april. frozen food is at center stage at a major food exhibition here in japan. about 2,000 producers and organizations are displaying their latest products and equipment. it's one of the largest food fairs in the country. it's being held in chiba city near tokyo. frozen food is more popular with japanese consumers, as the freezing technology improves. bun p one producer has come up with a way to keep the savory filling in the dumplings. households of two or more people spent an average of 10,000 yen

last year on frozen food, about 75% not counting staples like rice and noodles. that is an increase of nearly 30% in yen terms from 2019 before the pandemic. >> translator: consumers feel that frozen food tastes good, and they are pleased that products are made with fewer additives. i believe the market will keep on growing. >> the exhibition continues through friday. a number of food items are commonly added to rice in japan. one of them is flakes of dried seasoning, typically made from sea ingredients. a taiwanese businessperson is introducing this tasty item to his home. it's not only catching the attention of children, but it is considered nutritious. nhk world reports. >> reporter: this is taipei, a major city in taiwan.

it's lunchtime at the local elementary school, and children are spreading something on their rice. it's furikake, japanese seasoning. >> translator: it's delicious. i really like the flavor of small fish and seaweed. >> translator: i can smell the scent of the japanese sea. >> reporter: this furikake was donated by the international furikake association based in southern japan. hoping to promote cultural exchange, it has been sending furikake to a number of places overseas, from laos to indonesia. there is help to distribute furikake in taiwan. this man stworked at a japanese

company almost 20 years. now, he works in taiwan and volunteered for this project. >> translator: i'm very graceful to japan. i want to give back as much as i can. >> reporter: today, liku visited the school that rezeed the furikake donation. children were having fun sprinkling it on their rice. >> translator: it smells good. it's tasty. >> translator: for children, learning about furikake culture and how it is a local of cam mkamamoto. >> reporter: they received messages of thanks from the children.

>> translator: the children seemed happy to try our furikake, and their messages were very encouraging. i hope we can deepen our relationship through food and continue our friendship. >> reporter: now, liku and a local food company are exploring how to produce furikake in taiw taiwan. like japan, taiwan is near the sea and has a rising elder population. liku believes the furikake will appeal to the elderly, in particular. >> translator: i hope more people will learn about furikake culture, and i'll do everything i can to help build a bridge between japan and taiwan. >> reporter: this japanese seasoning is a culinary taste with with a new level of friendship with its neighbors. nhk world, kumamoto.

let's have a look at the markets. ♪ ♪

from the "newsline biz" team in tokyo, i'm gene otani. thanks for being with us. ■óúóúp n

al jazeera. >> nigeria is set to hold elections this month, so what is at stake? will africa's largest democracy and economy elect more women into central roles? this is "inside story." welcome to the program. i'm tom mcrae. 93 million people are registered to vote in nigeria's election on february 25.