Cell towers database, White Paper on Juvenile Procuratorial Work, Age of sexual consent around the world, Yiwu Small Commodity Index, World Bank report on global poverty, the U.S.’s analysis of China’s diplomatic stance
1. Cell towers database
Source：Unwired Labs
Wireless Labs, an Indian company that provides geolocation data services, has created a community-driven project OpenCelliD. The company says it’s the world’s largest open database of cell towers. Users can sign up for free to help contribute and download from the database.
The number and density of cellular towers can sometimes be used to estimate the local population when the latter is unavailable. They can also help with epidemic prevention and control.
2. White Paper on Juvenile Procuratorial Work (2014–2019)
Source: Supreme People’s Procuratorate of China
China’s top lawmakers are considering a proposed amendment that would lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 12 years old from 14 for certain extreme cases like murder, state media reported last week.
According to a white paper released by the country’s top procuratorate in June 2020, the number of juvenile crimes has rebounded after years of steady decline. From 2014 to the end of 2019, the number of thefts, robbery, and intentional injury decreased year by year, while the number of affrays, picking fights and provoking troubles, as well as rape increased year by year.
The report also shows that crimes committed against minors are rising, especially severe sexual assault and violence.
Age of sexual consent around the world
Source：AgeOfConsent website
The age of consent is the legal age at which an individual is considered mature enough to consent to sex. Sexual relations with someone under the age of consent are considered statutory rape, even (in some jurisdictions), if both partners are themselves younger than the Age of Consent. AgeOfConsent is a free public resource that collects data on the age of consent worldwide and U.S. states and compiles state laws on sex crimes.
The dataset shows that in the United States, the legal age of consent ranges state-by-state from 16 to 18 years old, with most states setting the age of consent at 16. Internationally, the age of consent ranges from as high as 19–20 in some countries to as low as 11 or 12 in certain underdeveloped nations.
3. Yiwu Small Commodity Index
Source: Yiwu China Commodity Index
Yiwu, a small inland city in east China’s Zhejiang province, is said to produce two-thirds of the world’s Christmas decorations. According to official statistics, Yiwu welcomes more than 500,000 overseas buyers and exports commodities to more than 210 countries and regions every year.
The Yiwu Small Commodity Index enables users to check the weekly and monthly price index of hundreds of small commodities traded in the city.
4. Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020: The Reversal of Fortune
Source：The World Bank
October 17 was this year’s World Poverty Eradication Day. The World Bank’s “Poverty and Shared Prosperity” series, released on October 7, provides the latest global poverty estimates. The world Bank says the number of people living in extreme poverty is expected to rise by 2020 for the first time in more than 20 years as COVID-19 intensifies the impact of armed conflict and climate change.
The epidemic will push 88 million to 115 million people into extreme poverty, the report says, while also creating millions of “new poor,” of which eight out of ten come from middle-income countries.
5. The U.S.’s analysis of China’s diplomatic stance
Source：U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
The increasingly confrontational U.S.-China relationship has aroused international concern and become a central issue in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. How do U.S. policymakers perceive China’s stances on international and domestic affairs? Check out this 2019 report submitted by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
