March 11, Friday, 2022 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1.People are remembering the victims of a massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan’s northeast. It’s been 11 years, but families affected by the disaster—and the nuclear accident it triggered—are still in mourning. Around 15,900 people were killed. More than 2,500 people are still missing. And, over the years, officials have attributed another 3,786 deaths to illnesses linked to the disaster.
2.The UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson has rejected Russia’s claim that there were no women and children at the maternity hospital that was attacked by Russia in Mariupol, Ukraine. Stephane Dujarric said in a news conference on Thursday that “a human rights team there verified and documented what they described as an indispensable air strike on the hospital, and that the hospital was serving women and children at the time.”
3.A senior US Defense Department official says Russian forces are within roughly 15 kilometers from the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Speaking to the reporters on Thursday, the official noted that the troops are advancing from the northwest. The official also said another line of troops are advancing from the northeast and are likely to be about 40 kilometers from the capital.