(April 26, 2012) Mysterious green clouds have been spotted over the
Russian capital, sparking fears of a chemical disaster and even some
doomsday theories. The Emergencies Ministry is advising the public to
calm down. It says the clouds are actually composed of birch pollen, not
of chemicals from an allegedly burning factory in the Moscow region, as
some reported.

Some people, however, got so scared that even
the official comments could not convince them. Russian Twitter users
have been posting alarming messages like "Moscow schools are closed
because of the blast! Children are sent home," "Sky has turned
completely green in Moscow's south!" and "The factory in Kaluga is
destroyed!" A flood of 911 calls was also registered. Others believe
that the authorities are hiding information from the public: "Pollen is
just an excuse. It might as well be the beginning of the Apocalypse!"
one popular Russian blogger posted to his readers. The odd natural
phenomenon mystically coincided with the 26th anniversary of the
Chernobyl disaster, which caused further speculation about the
authorities withholding information.