{
  "id": 14995730,
  "title": "Global timekeeping rules change: leap second scrapped from 2027",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/global-timekeeping-rules-change-leap-second-scrapped-from-2027",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T16:49:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euronews",
    "slug": "euronews",
    "url": "https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/16/global-timekeeping-rules-change-leap-second-scrapped-from-2027"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Starting in 2027, the world will no longer add leap seconds to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) opted to end the practice at their recent meeting. Leap seconds are inserted into UTC every now and then to synchronize it with Earth's rotation, which is not perfectly consistent. After May 20, 2027, UTC will run continuously without such adjustments. The change is primarily precautionary, as Earth's rotation is slowing down gradually. Specialists in fields like astronomy and satellite navigation will still need to account for the growing discrepancy between clock time and astronomical time due to the new rules. For the UK, there will be no immediate impact on everyday life, but the change will be significant for technical systems that depend on precise time synchronization.",
  "summary": "Global timekeepers have voted to end the practice of adding extra seconds to UTC, citing risks to computer systems and the prospect of the first-ever negative leap second.",
  "key_points": [
    "Leap seconds will be scrapped from UTC starting 2027.",
    "Earth's rotation is gradually slowing down.",
    "Technical systems dependent on precise time synchronization will be affected."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}