11:55

The doomsday clock was moved up one minute this week.

The most significant contributing factors to the decision were the narrowly averted nuclear disaster at the Fukushima plant in Japan which was caused by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11. There were also concerns about the danger from Iran which has begun to enrich uranium at a secret underground site - a move which could be a step towards developing a nuclear bomb. Further cause to move the clock closer to midnight came from North Korea where the death of Kim Jong Il saw his young and untested son Kim Jong Un put in control of a country widely believed to have full nuclear capabilities. Today's announcement by the BAS followed a year of deliberations by the group of experts who determine the risk.