The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the clock to 85 seconds before midnight, the theoretical point of annihilation. It was the third time in the past four years that the scientists moved the clock closer to midnight. "In terms of nuclear risks, nothing in 2025 trended in the right direction," Bell said. Trump in October ordered the U.S. military to restart the process for testing nuclear weapons after a halt of more than three decades. No nuclear power, other than North Korea most recently in 2017, has conducted explosive nuclear testing in more than a quarter century.

Source: The Telegraph January 27, 2026 17:10 UTC