Doomsday Clock Ticks One Second, Closest Ever To Midnight

Former President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos (second to left) and other experts unveil the Doomsday Clock at 89 seconds to midnight at a news conference in Washington (Credit: AFP)

The "doomsday clock" symbolizing how close humanity is to destruction ticked one second closer to midnight Tuesday as concerns on nuclear war, climate and public health were jolted by US President Donald Trump's return.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which set up the clock at the start of the Cold War, shifted the clock to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been, a week after Trump's inauguration.