Donald Trump has granted Hungary a one-year exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil and gas purchases, marking a diplomatic win for Viktor Orbán. The move followed Orbán’s visit to Washington, where Trump expressed sympathy for Hungary’s dependence on Russian energy as a landlocked nation. The decision contrasts sharply with Trump’s recent threats to penalise countries doing business with sanctioned Russian energy firms. In return, Hungary agreed to buy hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of US natural gas. While the arrangement may ease Hungary’s energy pressures, it risks deepening tensions within the EU, where many leaders oppose Orbán’s continued cooperation with Moscow. Trump praised Orbán’s leadership and hinted at shared goals for ending the war in Ukraine, underscoring their close personal and political alliance amid growing divisions over energy, sanctions, and peace strategy in Europe.

Tennis player Novak Djokovic wears a wooden cross and is known for praying during his matches. He received a visa to visit Australia on 18 November and arrived in Melbourne on 5 January with a Covid exemption approved by Tennis Australia's chief medical officer and a Victorian government independent expert panel. Novak belongs to the Serbian Orthodox church and on 7 January (the Orthodox Christmas Day) he was held in detention for an invalid visa while lawyers fought for his freedom. Three days later a judge ruled he could remain in Australia. Djokovic wants to play in the Australian Open, which begins on 17 January: if he won he would become the most successful men's player in history. However, Australia's immigration minister insists his recent Covid infection does not exempt him from vaccine requirements and could still deport him. He admitted that there were mistakes on his immigration forms and that he had met a journalist after testing positive for Covid.

Christian publishers are rejoicing because the Bible has been exempted from President Trump's looming tariffs on Chinese goods. The 10% increase on $300 billion worth of other Chinese goods will go into effect on 1 September. With China being the world's largest Bible publisher, it had been feared that the tariffs would have made some translations too costly to produce.