**跨太平洋伙伴协议仍在协商之中**
来自美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、新西兰、日本、智利、新加坡、越南等国的代表过去几天来在美国的亚特兰大就跨太平洋贸易伙伴协定进行了进一步的磋商。
各国之间存在的分歧包括美国方面希望能够对一些新研发出的药物实行一定时期的知识产权保护，但是其他参与协商的国家希望这一时期不要那么长。新西兰方面则希望其奶制品能够更容易进入加拿大市场；美国和日本之间在汽车贸易方面也还存在着分歧，如此等等。
上述各类问题的解决有可能会因为不只一个国家的大选即将来临而变得更为复杂和艰难，因为各国国内的一些选民担心贸易幅度的加大将意味着工作机会的流失。
Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks grind on
The United States, Japan, Canada, Vietnam and eight other nations have been working on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership for years, and were hoping to wrap up an agreement during this week's negotiations in Atlanta.
The issues include Washington's push to extend patent protection on a promising new class of drugs for longer than other nations want. Other disputes include dairy exporter New Zealand seeking greater access to Canada's dairy market, and squabbles between the United States and Japan over auto industry trade.
Resolving these and other disputes is made more difficult by pending elections in several key nations, where some workers and farmers worry that increased trade will mean decreased employment. Many businesses support expanded trade as a way to open new markets to exports.
**阿萨德：若俄空袭失败 中东将崩塌**
叙利亚总统阿萨德星期天说，如果俄罗斯对反政府武装的空袭没有成功，那么整个中东将被摧毁。
阿萨德对伊朗国家电视台说：“俄罗斯、叙利亚和伊拉克组成的联盟必须成功，否则整个地区将被摧毁。”但是他补充道，“这个联盟成功的概率很大，并非微不足道”。
阿萨德发表上述这番言论的时候，俄罗斯加大了对激进分子的空袭。莫斯科方面说，俄罗斯在过去24个小时里实施了20次空袭，击中10个伊斯兰国目标，其中包括训练营、军火库和指挥部。
但是美国指责说，俄罗斯的打击目标是西方支持的反阿萨德政权的反对派，而不是美国领导的联盟空袭了一年多的伊斯兰国激进分子，俄罗斯试图以此来支持阿萨德。
美国总统奥巴马星期五说，美国不会与俄罗斯在叙利亚发生“代理人战争”。但是奥巴马在外交政策方面的主要对手之一的参议员麦凯恩星期天对CNN说，“当然”，华盛顿与莫斯科实际上已经在叙利亚发生了冲突。
这位在2008年总统大选中败给了奥巴马的来自亚利桑那州的参议员说，在叙利亚，“我们没有战略”。麦凯恩说，上个星期，俄罗斯在行动前一小时才知会华盛顿将在叙利亚境内开始空袭，俄罗斯这样做“是在以蔑视和不屑的态度对待美国”。
俄罗斯星期天的大多数空袭目标都在叙利亚西部的伊德利卜省，也有些在伊斯兰国组织实际上的首府， 靠近叙利亚与土耳其边境城市，拉卡附近。
Syria's Assad: Middle East Would Collapse if Russian Airstrikes Fail
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Sunday that the whole Middle East would be destroyed if Russia's aerial bombardment of militants opposed to his regime does not succeed.
"The alliance between Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran must succeed or else the whole region will be destroyed," Mr. Assad told Iranian state television. But he added that "the chances of success for this coalition are great and not insignificant."
Mr. Assad's comments came as Russia intensified its airstrikes against the insurgents. Moscow announced that it carried out 20 missions targeting 10 Islamic State training camps, arms depots and command posts in the last 24 hours in Idlib province.
The U.S., however, accuses Russia of seeking to support Mr. Assad by targeting Western-backed opponents of his regime, instead of Islamic State fighters that a U.S.-led coalition has been bombing for more than a year.
U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday that the United States would not conduct "a proxy war" with Russia in Syria. But one of Mr. Obama's chief foreign policy foes, Senator John McCain, told CNN Sunday that "of course" Washington and Moscow are already effectively engaged in a conflict in Syria.
"We don't have a strategy" in Syria, said McCain, the Arizona senator who lost the 2008 presidential election to Mr. Obama. He said Russia, by starting its aerial attack in Syria last week with only an hour's notice to Washington of its intentions, is "treating the United States with disdain and contempt."
Most of Russia's Sunday strikes were located in Idlib province in western Syria, while others hit near the de facto Islamic State capital of Raqqa near Syria's border with Turkey.