China arrests 1,000 people in crackdown on doomsday sect

Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested in China for spreading doomsday rumors, state media reported on Thursday. A group called ‘Almighty God’ was accused of spreading rumors apparently linked to the ancient Mayan Long Count calendar. More than 350 members of the cult were detained in the southwestern province of Guizhou, and in the northwestern province of Qinghai more than 400 were held for ‘gathering unlawfully.’