https://www.live-feeds.com/feed/world-s-timekeepers-upend-how-they-adjust-time-to-avoid-catastrophic-negative-secondContinuously updated, source-cited coverage. https://www.live-feeds.com/feed/world-s-timekeepers-upend-how-they-adjust-time-to-avoid-catastrophic-negative-secondhttps://www.live-feeds.com/feed/world-s-timekeepers-upend-how-they-adjust-time-to-avoid-catastrophic-negative-second#u134568Mon, 19 Oct 2026 04:45:11 +0000International delegates and governments have voted to abolish the leap second, with the change taking effect from May 2027. Timekeepers are replacing the practice of adding extra seconds to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) with a leap hour system. This decision aims to prevent risks to computer systems and avoid the first negative leap second caused by an accelerating Earth. While the leap second is being phased out immediately, experts indicate a leap hour is unlikely to be necessary for thousands of years.Why it mattersLeap seconds were previously used to keep atomic clocks in sync with Eart