蒂勒森亚的斯亚贝巴讲话促美非贸易
美国国务卿蒂勒森星期四国际妇女节这一天在埃塞尔比亚首都亚的斯亚贝巴发表讲话时重点谈到女权话题。这是他在非洲为期六天的访问行程的第二天。
在与非洲联盟委员会主席穆萨·法基·穆罕默德联合举行的记者会上，蒂勒森还谈到了有关促进美非贸易的计划。
他说： “在贸易上，我们还支持非洲联盟为了降低洲内贸易壁垒、促进更多区域内贸易的地区经济一体化的努力，我们知道这一直是围绕着持续性的非洲大陆自由贸易协定进行谈判的核心目标，这也是我们相当支持的。我们期待在协议达成后，与非洲联盟更进一步的探讨如何通过这项协议让更多的美国私营企业也参与进来。”
蒂勒森的讲话结束后不久，川普总统就表示他将坚持对进口钢铝产品征收新的关税的计划。川普政府内的一些成员批评他的想法是保护主义和反自由贸易。
Tillerson spoke in Addis Ababa on boosting trade with Africa
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is highlighting female empowerment on International Women's Day in Addis Ababa Thursday - the second of his six-day tour of Africa.
Joining (Moussa Faki) the chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission for a media briefing, Tillerson also spoke about initiatives aimed at boosting trade with Africa.
Tillerson said: "On trade, we also support the African Union's economic regional integration efforts to lower intra-trade barriers on the continent, boost more intra-regional trade - which we know has been a central goal of the negotiations around the constant Continental Free Trade Agreement, which we are quite supportive of. We look forward to engaging further with the African Union once that agreement is in place on how this will also promote greater participation of U.S. private sector business interests as well."
Tillerson's comments precede President Donald Trump's proposed new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, despite some of the members of his administration criticizing the idea as protectionist and anti-free trade.
佛州议会通过新枪控法
佛罗里达州帕克兰一所高中发生的校园枪击案后，尽管全国步枪协会大力游说,佛州的州议会星期三还是通过了新的枪支管制法案。
法案禁止让半自动枪具有全自动射速的撞火枪托，将购买步枪的年龄从18岁升至21岁，军警例外。法案还要求购买任何枪支都要有三天的等候期。
另外，法案还设立了允许培训学校员工在校持枪的相关条件。
星期三的表决之后，在帕克兰高中枪击案中失去女儿的安德鲁·普罗科父亲敦促州长签署这项法案。
他说：“我感谢州长对此巨大的支持，我们团结一道，呼吁州长签署这项历史性的议案，使之成为法律。我们感谢州议会参众两院投票赞成保护孩子，但是还有更多事情要做，团结对美国很重要，就像我们这17个家庭团结一道支持这项议案一样。”
该法案通过的同一天，佛罗里达高中19岁的枪击案嫌疑人被正式起诉犯有17起预谋杀人罪，以及另外17起杀人未遂罪。
尼古拉斯·克鲁兹星期三出庭，但是法官没有给他设定在哪一天要向法庭作出是否认罪的决定。克鲁兹去年被帕克兰的玛乔丽·斯通曼·道格拉斯高中开除。他可能在本案中面临死刑，但是检察官还没有宣布是否要寻求动用这一极刑。
The state of Florida passed new gun control legislation
U.S. lawmakers in the state of Florida passed new gun control legislation weeks after the massacre at a local high school and despite lobbying efforts by the National Rifle Association.
The bill bans bump stocks, increases the minimum age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21 with the exception of law enforcement and the military. The bill also requires a three day waiting period for all gun sales.
Additionally, the bill creates conditions allowing trained school employees to carry guns on school property.
Following Wednesday's vote, the father of one of the victims at the Parkland high school urged the governor to sign the bill into law.
He said: "I want to thank the governor for his tremendous support and we stand united in asking him to sign this historic bill into law. We thank the House and Senate for voting in favor of protecting our children. But more needs to be done and it's important for the country to unite, in the same way the 17 families united in support of this bill."
The bill's passage came on the same day the accused 19-year-old shooter in Parkland, Florida, was indicted on 17 counts of premeditated murder and another 17 counts of attempted murder.
No date was set for Nikolas Cruz to enter a plea during his court appearance Wednesday. Cruz, who was expelled last year from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, could face the death penalty in the case. But the prosecutor has not announced whether he plans to seek the ultimate penalty.
