Hard Numbers: The House of Saud cracks down on dissent– again

13: A helicopter accident in Mali on Monday night killed 13 French soldiers, the single biggest loss for France since its intervention in the West African country in 2013. The crash occurred during a clash with armed militants who have staged a series of deadly attacks in northern Mali in recent weeks.

3.9: Global temperatures are on track to rise around 3.9 degrees Celsius by the end of the century (7 degrees Fahrenheit), which would have disastrous implications, according to a grim United Nation's report. Increasingly acidic oceans could dissolve all coral reefs, and severe heat, already extreme in many regions, would become intolerable, the report warns.

9: Saudi Arabia is intensifying its crackdown on dissent within the kingdom: at least nine journalists, writers and academics have been detained in recent weeks, according to a rights group. The New York Times reported that recent arrests included a female journalist who tweeted support for political prisoners.

76: The World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund evacuated 76 staff working in the Ebola epidemic zone in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to the country's deteriorating security situation. A deadly attack by rebel factions that left at least eight people dead angered residents who say the government and UN peacekeeping forces were "unwilling to intervene" to fend off attackers.