February 14, Tuesday, 2023 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1. Russia is believed to be intensifying its offensive against Ukraine ahead of the first anniversary of its invasion, despite suffering heavy casualties. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a media conference on Monday, “What Russia does now, what President Putin is doing now, is sending thousands of thousands more troops, accepting a very high rate of casualty, taking big losses, but putting pressure on the Ukrainians.”
2. Syria has reportedly agreed to open more land routes from Turkey to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid by the United Nations to earthquake victims in the opposition-controlled northwestern part of the country. UN emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths informed the UN Security Council in an emergency online meeting that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad agreed to open two more border crossings for three months.
3. Search and rescue efforts continue in Turkey and Syria. A 12-year-old boy was reportedly pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed apartment in southern Turkey, more than one week after the devastating earthquake hit. Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported on Monday that the boy had been trapped in the debris for 182 hours in the province of Hatay.