Klaus Iohannis, Romania's president, does not believe his country is ready to take over the rotating leadership of the EU on 1 January 2019. He said that 'things have gone off the rails' and there is a 'political necessity to replace the government', which he called an 'accident of democracy'. With the country facing political turmoil, Mr Iohannis has called for the Romanian government to step down instead. His remarks came after the European affairs minister Victor Negrescu, who was tasked with preparing for the EU presidency, unexpectedly resigned last week. Viorica Dancila is Romania's prime minister, but has little executive power. Liviu Dragnea, chairman of the ruling Social Democratic Party, effectively runs the government, but cannot be prime minister because of his previous convictions for fraud and election rigging.

A terrorist attack on three buses carrying Egyptian Christians left at least seven dead and 19 injured on 2 November. The buses were travelling to a well-known Christian historical site near Minya. Six of the seven who died came from the same extended family. A number of news outlets reported that ‘local IS affiliates’ have claimed responsibility for the attack. In a similar attack at the same place by IS in May 2017, 29 Christians were murdered.

Crews battling a deadly wildfire in northern California have managed to hold their containment lines, the state fire service says. They have contained 30% of the fire, stretching over 125,000 acres, but do not expect to complete the process till the end of November. The official death toll in the state currently stands at 59, with another 130 not yet accounted for. In the ruined town of Paradise, forensics teams are continuing to search for human remains. Many victims in the town are believed to have been elderly residents or people with mobility issues who would have found evacuation more difficult. President Donald Trump has paid tribute to the emergency crews' ‘incredible courage in the face of danger’. He added, ‘We mourn the lives of those lost, and we pray for the victims.’

Sudanese security agents raided a house in the city of Nyala, and arrested 13 people when they admitted to being Christians. Two believers were released, but ten converts from Islam and their pastor, Tajdeen Yousif, were detained. The pastor refused to deny Christ despite being beaten by the agents, and the ten were later released after reportedly being tortured into recanting their faith. Pastor Tajdeen, also a convert from Islam,was held for several more days before being released. All eleven have now gone into hiding for their safety. Under sharia law, Muslims who abandon their religion face severe punishment. Sudan’s constitution gives judicial discretion to courts in the application of sharia.