Returns the current date and time in UTC, with an optional offset in hours

nowUTC.js

/*
  * Returns the current date and time in UTC, with an optional offset in hours.
  * If no offset is provided, it defaults to 0 (UTC time).
  * Example usage:
  *  nowUTC();
  * nowUTC(3); // UTC+3
  * nowUTC(-5); // UTC-5
  * nowUTC(0); // UTC
  * nowUTC(1.5); // UTC+1:30
  * nowUTC(-2.5); // UTC-2:30
  * nowUTC(14); // UTC+14
  * nowUTC(-12); // UTC-12
  */

function nowUTC(offset) {
    if (typeof offset === "undefined") {
        offset = 0; // Default to UTC if no offset is provided
    }

    var date = new Date();
    var utc_timestamp = Date.UTC(
        date.getUTCFullYear(),
        date.getUTCMonth(),
        date.getUTCDate(),
        date.getUTCHours(),
        date.getUTCMinutes(),
        date.getUTCSeconds(),
        date.getUTCMilliseconds()
    );

    return new Date(utc_timestamp + offset * 3600 * 1000);
}