“Chinese authorities have detained 500 people belonging to a quasi-Christian religious group called the Church of the Almighty God for spreading rumours that the world will end on Friday, according to the country’s official news agency Xinhua. Four hundred of the arrests, which have taken place over recent weeks, were in the north-western Qinghai province and the remainder in eight other provinces.”

Source: China arrests 500 followers of religious cult over Mayan apocalypse rumours | World news | guardian.co.uk