January 22, 2026
World
World
TOKYO, Jan 22 — Japan has halted the restart of the world’s largest nuclear power plant just hours after it began, though the reactor remains “stable,” the operator said.
WASHINGTON, Aug 20 — Donald Trump joked yesterday that brokering a Ukraine peace deal might improve his chances of getting to heaven, admitting that his odds of entering “the pearly gates” were not currently in his favour.
The 79-year-old US president has previously said ending Russia’s war in Ukraine is part of his ambition to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Speaking a day after hosting Ukrainian and European leaders at the White House, Trump told Fox News’ Fox & Friends:
“I want to try and get to heaven if possible. I hear I’m not doing well — I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole! But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
By conventional standards, the thrice-married, twice-impeached Trump has hardly been regarded as saintly. The billionaire Republican has faced numerous scandals and became the first US president convicted of a crime, in his case over hush money payments to a porn star.
However, Trump has adopted a more religious tone since surviving an assassination attempt last year. At his January inauguration, he declared he had been “saved by God to make America great again.”
With strong backing from America’s religious right, Trump has leaned heavily into faith symbols during his second term. He appointed televangelist Paula White as his official spiritual adviser, with prayer sessions at the White House often featuring attendees laying hands on him.
On Tuesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said she believed Trump was sincere about his Ukraine remarks.
“I think the president wants to get to heaven, as I hope we all do in this room,” said Leavitt, 27, who is known to hold prayer gatherings before her briefings. — AFP
