2. Secretary of State John Kerry met with refugees at the International Rescue Committee in Maryland Wednesday. Earlier, he announced the US is expanding its refugee admission program to help more people from Central America escape violence.    

 

3. South Korea is calling for increased sanctions against North Korea, following last week’s nuclear test by the North. Meanwhile, North Korean state media aired photos on Wednesday of an award ceremony where Kim Jong-un congratulated workers who contributed to what Pyongyang said was a hydrogen bomb test. 

 

4. And just two and a half years after its launch, Al Jazeera America announced it is shutting down. The offshoot of the Qatar-based Al Jazeera cable news network will stop operating by April 30th.