World 24h/7: Tragic plane crash in Indonesia; CPTPP takes effect from the end of this year

CPTPP takes effect from the end of this year:The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP or TPP-11) will come into effect on December 30 after Australia became the sixth country to ratify the agreement (the other countries that have ratified are New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Mexico and Singapore). The CPTPP includes 11 countries with a total GDP of about10,000 billion USD, about 13% of global GDP. There are currently five countries in the process of ratifying the CPTPP: Vietnam, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia and Peru. Photo: The CPTPP agreement was signed on March 8 in Santiago, Chile.

Plane carrying 189 people crashes into sea in Indonesia:On October 29, 2018, Lion Air flight JT610 departed from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, bound for Pangkalpinang, Bangka Belitung province, and lost contact with air traffic control at 6:33 a.m. (local time). The National Search and Rescue Agency later confirmed that the plane crashed into the sea. There were 189 people on board, including two infants, one child, two pilots and six flight attendants. In the photo: Relatives of passengers on Lion Air flight JT610 burst into tears at Depati Amir Airport in Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia after hearing the news of the plane crash.

About 800 people have been involved in the search for the plane. Several bodies, items believed to belong to victims and pieces of the plane have been collected and brought to shore. Dozens of divers are involved in the search, along with helicopters and boats. Indonesia's search and rescue agency has ruled out the possibility of finding survivors. In the photo: Rescuers collect debris from the crashed plane in the Java Sea.

Indonesia's Kompas television reported that search teams had found the black box of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, a major step in the investigation into the cause of the crash. Indonesia is the fastest-growing market in Southeast Asia, home to one of the fastest-growing airlines and the region's largest passenger base, with nearly 100 million passengers flying in 2017. However, it has also suffered some of the deadliest air crashes in recent years. Pictured: Items and debris recovered during a search at sea.

Merkel gives up party leadership after 18 years in power:Chancellor Angela Merkel has told her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leaders that she will not stand again for the post of party chair. The next CDU congress is due in early December 2018. Speaking after the CDU's disappointing results in elections in the states of Hesse and Bavaria, Merkel said: "It is time to open a new chapter." Merkel has been chair of the CDU since 2000. Her resignation could trigger a party race to find her successor as German chancellor.

Merkel made the surprise decision after her conservative coalition suffered back-to-back setbacks in two state parliamentary elections last week. On October 28, the CDU lost 10% of voter support in the state of Hesse. Earlier, the CDU's sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), suffered similar losses in its home state of Bavaria.

US sends more troops to Mexican border to stop immigrants:The Pentagon confirmed that the military was sent to the southwest border area to control the flow of migrants from Central American countries flowing north. According to the announcement on October 29, the Pentagon launched Operation "Faithful Patriot", mobilizing 5,200 military personnel, including armed forces, to the border area with Mexico. In the photo: US National Guard at the Texas - Mexico border area

News of large migrant caravans from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala moving north has been making headlines in the US in recent days. The first caravan has dwindled from 7,000 to about 3,500 people. However, a new caravan has emerged and attracted more people. Security concerns are growing, especially as violent incidents have become more frequent. In pictures: Thousands of migrants have been walking across Central America and Mexico in recent weeks to reach the southern US border.

Violence escalates at protests in Nigeria:On October 30, Nigerian police attempted to stop hundreds of members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) as they marched toward central Abuja, where the government and presidential offices are located. The protesters were demanding the release of their leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, who had been imprisoned since December 2015. When the marchers refused to turn back, police fired tear gas into the crowd. Protesters responded by throwing stones, and police opened fire. As the violence escalated, at least one protester was killed.

Jair Bolsonaro elected president of Brazil:On October 29, far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro, 63, won the Brazilian presidential election with 55.1% of the vote. He surpassed his leftist opponent Fernando Haddad, who only won 44.9% of the vote, according to AFP. Former captain Jair Bolsonaro, who is known as the "Trump of the tropics", promised to bring great change to the Latin American country. "Together we will change the destiny of Brazil," Mr. Bolsonaro said in a victory speech broadcast live on Facebook. He pledged to run the country "according to the Bible and the Constitution". In the photo: Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro.

During his campaign, Mr. Bolsonaro angrily criticized corruption, crime and the economic recession. That is why when he won, many supporters took to the streets to celebrate. In the photo: Jair Bolsonaro's supporters celebrate after he won Brazil's presidential race, in Sao Paulo.

India inaugurates world's tallest statue:On October 31, India inaugurated the world's tallest statue, nearly twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty in New York City (USA). The statue, called Unity, depicts the portrait of national hero Sardar Vallabhbhai Pate, who made great contributions to the war for independence and unification of India.

The statue is made of nearly 100,000 tons of concrete and steel and is located next to the Narmada River in the state of Nujarat. It took engineers and workers a total of 33 months to complete and cost about $400 million. The statue can withstand wind speeds of up to 180 km/h and an earthquake of up to 6.5 magnitude.