Doomsday clock moved closer

The hands of the Doomsday Clock, for 55 years a symbol of nuclear danger, were moved two minutes closer to midnight Wednesday, reflecting the possibility of terrorism, relations between India and Pakistan, and other threats.

The symbolic clock, kept by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, had been set at 11:51 since 1998. It was moved to 11:53 p.m.

George A. Lopez, the publication’s chairman of the board, said it has never been moved in response to a single event.

Still, he said, the attacks of Sept. 11 combined with evidence that terrorists were attempting to obtain the materials for a crude nuclear weapon should have served as a wake-up call to the world. He said the world has focused on short-term security rather than solving long-term problems. Salon