New Delhi, Oct. 17 -- Computer networks and other systems that depend on precise timing will no longer face irregular leap-second adjustments once a new global timekeeping rule takes effect next May. The change does not tell households to move their clocks forward or back an hour.

The General Conference on Weights and Measures adopted the decision in Versailles on October 15. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures published the resolution, setting May 20, 2027 as the start of continuous Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC.

UTC follows atomic time, while UT1 measures Earth's rotation. The National Institute of Standards and Technology explains that leap seconds keep their difference within 0.9 seconds. The corrections have been ...