Hard Numbers: Xi’s tea party, Hamburg church shooting, deadly DRC attack, Russians favoring China, blight of the living dead

Chinese President Xi Jinping surrounded by other members of the Chinese government at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China March 5, 2023.
Chinese President Xi Jinping surrounded by other members of the Chinese government at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China March 5, 2023.
REUTERS/Thomas Peter

2: He’s got a thirst for power. Keeping your tea hot is a symbol of political relevance in China, and President Xi Jinping is setting himself apart at this year’s National People’s Congress by having … two tea cups placed before him (and just one for everyone else).

7: A shooting late Thursday at a Jehovah’s Witness church in Hamburg, Germany, claimed the lives of at least seven people, reportedly including the perpetrator. Police in the northern German city arrived on the scene quickly — before the last gunshot was fired inside — and are looking for a motive.

36: An attack in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has left 36 people dead. Authorities believe the ISIS-affiliated group Allied Democratic Forces, which has killed an estimated 6,000 people since 2013, is responsible.

85: A new Levada poll shows that 85% of people in Russia view China positively, the highest of any foreign nation. The US and EU unsurprisingly rank low, at 14% and 18%, respectively, though both are seen slightly more favorably by Russian youth, reflecting the influence of disparate information channels.

48,500: Get ready for World Spore Z … Scientists have revived a 48,500-year-old virus in an effort to test the potential infectiousness of long-preserved diseases that are now being exposed by receding Arctic permafrost. Scientists have reason to worry: There’s a history of humans being infected by ancient illnesses previously hidden beneath the ice.

More from GZERO Media

Five years ago, Microsoft set bold 2030 sustainability goals: to become carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste—all while protecting ecosystems. That commitment remains—but the world has changed, technology has evolved, and the urgency of the climate crisis has only grown. This summer, Microsoft launched the 2025 Environmental Sustainability Report, offering a comprehensive look at the journey so far, and how Microsoft plans to accelerate progress. You can read the report here.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin speak during a meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, on September 1, 2025.
Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS

The leaders of China, India, Russia, and over twenty countries from the “Global South” gathered in Beijing yesterday, marking another milestone away from the US-led global order. Several leaders will also attend a major Chinese military parade tomorrow.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, in Mihail Kogalniceanu, near Constanta, Romania September 1, 2025.
Inquam Photos/George Calin via REUTERS

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane lost GPS navigation while approaching Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on Sunday. Pilots circled for an hour before landing manually with paper maps.