Hard Numbers: Iraq and Syria's water shortage, Ukraine's lightweight Crimea summit, Tennessee's deadly floods, Cape Town's cat killer

12 million: A severe drought linked to high temperatures is currently threatening up to 12 million people across Iraq and Syria, according to a new report by a group of 13 aid organizations. As dams run out of water, electricity supplies are dwindling, putting the countries' already-weak healthcare systems in jeopardy as well.

40: A summit held Monday in Ukraine and attended by representatives from more than 40 countries aimed to shine a light on the plight of Russian-occupied Crimea, seven years after Western sanctions have failed to loosen the Kremlin's grip on the peninsula. But some observers say that the absence of big players like Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Emmanuel Macron shows the conference's limited diplomatic heft.

21: Flash floods killed at least 21 people in the US state of Tennessee this weekend, and dozens more are missing. This comes on the back of other extreme weatherevents in the country, fueled in part by climate change, including Hurricane Henri, which recently gripped the country's Northeast and washed out New York City's long-awaited "We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert" at Central Park.

42: Authorities in Cape Town, South Africa, are searching for a serial cat killer reportedly responsible for the torture, murder, and dismemberment of 42 felines throughout the city. Police are offering a 20,000-rand ($1,300) reward for anyone with leads.