The British House of Commons opened late, an Australian lawmaker's office was sealed off amid confusion over ashes from a Hindu temple, and American Express apologized for sending plastic snowflakes to Swedish customers as anthrax scares multiplied worldwide on Friday.

From Beijing to the Greek island of Corfu, most scares were quickly ruled false alarms. But they have become so common that researchers in one medical journal even came up with a psychological diagnosis for some cases: "mass sociogenic illness."

The only confirmed case of an anthrax-tainted letter outside of the United States was found this week in Kenya. The letter, sent from Atlanta to a Kenyan doctor on Sept. 8, was given to Nairobi Hospital for testing after reports of U.S. anthrax cases. The doctor and his family were in good health but were being treated with antibiotics.

Germany alone has reported more than 100 scares; and on Friday, a second letter containing unidentified powder was found in the offices of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. A mailroom worker was sent for medical tests.

In London, the opening of the House of Commons was delayed an hour after officials discovered a suspicious package. Speaker Michael Martin said the members' lobby, a large foyer where lawmakers traditionally meet voters, would remain closed temporarily.

Parliament security officers in Australia's New South Wales state sealed off the office of a lawmaker after a worker found a package full of ashes postmarked from the "Wandering Swamy of Arunchala Hills."

The package, the lawmaker later explained, was holy ash from a swami he met during a recent trip to India.

American Express Co. said Friday it will send letters of apology to some 40,000 Swedish card holders who received a promotional Christmas mailing containing an envelope with plastic snowflakes marked "spread these out." The mailing prompted angry phone calls.

"We understand that people are upset," said spokeswoman Gunnel Engberg. "They complained that the timing was inadequate, not that it was dangerous in any way."

Spanish authorities, meanwhile, said they had arrested a 22-year-old chemistry student on charges of sending flour through the mail as a birthday prank. He was the second Spaniard in a week to be arrested on hoax charges.

"There are some cynical people out there," Spanish Interior Minister Mariano Rajoy said, warning that pranksters would be prosecuted.

South African Airways grounded one plane after a latex glove covered with powder was found on a seat, and a second plane after a passenger reported powder on his luggage.

In an editorial published Friday in the British Medical Journal, three medical specialists said the anthrax threat had produced cases of "mass sociogenic illness" _ illness rooted in social factors rather than a medical cause _ with hundreds of people around the world complaining of the flu-like symptoms associated with anthrax infection.

In one case on Oct. 3, more than a thousand students in the Philippines flooded hospitals complaining of cough and fever after rumors spread about bio-terrorism, the authors said.

In other developments outside the United States:

The Pakistani government on Friday said it was testing a "suspicious letter" containing a powdery substance that was received by the British Embassy in Islamabad.

Other letters prompted officials to seal off part of the Australian embassy in Sri Lanka and a post office in Corfu, Greece.

"I would like to say that these pranks are very negative, and those who play with this do great harm. First of all, it's not only the panic which is created, but there's also an economic cost for these tests to be done," Greek government spokesman Tilemahos Hitiris said.

In China, the banned Falun Gong spiritual sect said it suspected China was using fears of anthrax to further a smear campaign against it.

China's Foreign Ministry said a letter containing "suspicious substances" and publicity materials about Falun Gong was received Tuesday by an employee of a U.S. firm in China. Health workers disinfected people who came into contact with the letter.