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Mount Etna erupts as large plumes rise from Italian volcano:

Italy's Mount Etna has erupted, with large plumes of ash and smoke seen rising from the volcano.

Images and video from the island of Sicily showed volcanic material spilling out of the volcano on Monday morning.

A number of explosions of "increasing intensity" were recorded in the early hours on Monday morning, Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) Etna Observatory said.

The full scale of the eruption is currently unclear and disruption appears to be minimal, with flights departing and arriving as usual at the island's airports.

Mount Etna is one of the world's most active volcanoes, so eruptions are not uncommon and its outbursts rarely cause significant damage or injury.

Ground movements indicated the latest eruption happened on the south eastern edge of the volcano, according to INGV. This appears to be where a known 200m-wide vent is.

Footage shared throughout Monday shows a rapidly moving mix of ash, gas and rock - known as a pyroclastic flow - emerging from the site and moving down the side of the volcano.

Geologists monitoring the eruption said it was likely that part of volcano's crater collapsed and that this was the material being carried down its slopes.

Pyroclastic flow can be very dangerous to the surrounding area, but there has been no indication of an imminent threat.

In its most recent update, INGV noted that the volcanic material had not yet gone past the Valley of the Lion, the point on the approach to the summit where tourist trips stop.

INGV said it first recorded changes in the volcano's activity at 00:39 local time (22:39 GMT), before clarifying that there was an ongoing "Strombolian" eruption.

The size of Strombolian eruptions can vary but are often characterised by intermittent explosions, which occur due to the presence of gas in the magma chamber within the volcano.

When the gas bubbles reach the surface, they can burst suddenly, throwing material skywards. The process is not dissimilar to letting gas out of a fizzy drink.

These types of eruptions can be particularly dangerous for nearby aircraft.

A red alert was reportedly issued earlier on Monday, possibly suspending flights operating nearby, but this was later downgraded.

Mount Etna's last notable eruption came in February and caused the island's Catania airport to divert dozens of flights because of ash clouds.

Tourists were also warned to stay away from the volcano's lava flows.

See also:

• Mount Etna erupts, shooting a massive ash cloud into the sky and raising alerts

Original Submission

At 9:46 AM Eastern Daylight Time on June 1, 2025, instruments registered a geomagnetic K-index of 8, creeping toward 9 – a level rarely reached outside the most intense solar episodes.

Such readings signal strong electric currents racing through Earth's magnetic shield – the first sign that a severe solar storm disturbance has arrived.

Power operators, satellite controllers, and frequent flyers have good reason to pay attention. The disturbance is expected to last through at least June 3, bringing elevated radiation, intermittent radio dropouts, and a possible encore of the dazzling aurora that spilled far south earlier this spring.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center classifies the ongoing episode as G4, the second-highest rung on its five-step geomagnetic scale.

A glance at the agency's three-day outlook shows just how busy the next 48 hours could become: the greatest expected three-hour Kp for June 1–3 averages 7.67, with individual windows pushing well into G4 territory.

Forecasters concede there is a chance – though a small one – that conditions might briefly spike to G5, the extreme category reserved for once-in-a-decade storms.

[...] One of the perks of a strong storm is an expanded auroral oval. Forecasts hint that curtains of green and red could wander as far south as Alabama and northern California tonight and tomorrow night, weather permitting.

For many Americans, that means simply stepping outside after dark could reveal rippling colors usually reserved for Arctic latitudes.

The best views often come after local midnight, when Earth's night side lines up with the prevailing solar-wind flow.

Some sites of interest:
    • NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
    • UAF Geophysical Institute Aurora Forecast
    • Aurora Labs Norway
    • Space Weather Live

Related: The Sun is Producing Strong Solar Flares; Are There More Than Expected During This Solar Cycle?

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/pope-francis-dies-on-easter-monday-aged-88.html

Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/software/mozilla-warns-users-to-update-firefox-before-certificate-expires/

  By Bill Toulas

        March 12, 2025 11:01 AM

Mozilla is warning Firefox users to update their browsers to the latest version to avoid facing disruption and security risks caused by the upcoming expiration of one of the company's root certificates.

The Mozilla certificate is set to expire this Friday, March 14, 2025, and was used to sign content, including add-ons for various Mozilla projects and Firefox itself.

Users need to update their browsers to Firefox 128 (released in July 2024) or later and ESR 115.13 or later for 'Extended Support Release' (ESR) users.

"On 14 March a root certificate (the resource used to prove an add-on was approved by Mozilla) will expire, meaning Firefox users on versions older than 128 (or ESR 115) will not be able to use their add-ons," warns a Mozilla blog post.

"We want developers to be aware of this in case some of your users are on older versions of Firefox that may be impacted."

A Mozilla support document explains that failing to update Firefox could expose users to significant security risks and practical issues, which, according to Mozilla, include:

        Malicious add-ons can compromise user data or privacy by bypassing security protections.
        Untrusted certificates may allow users to visit fraudulent or insecure websites without warning.
        Compromised password alerts may stop working, leaving users unaware of potential account breaches.

Users are recommended to check and confirm they're running Firefox version 128 and later via Menu > Help > About Firefox. This action should also automatically trigger a check for updates.

It is noted that the problem impacts Firefox on all platforms, including Windows, Android, Linux, and macOS, except for iOS, where there's an independent root certificate management system.

Mozilla says that users relying on older versions of Firefox may continue using their browsers after the expiration of the certificate if they accept the security risks, but the software's performance and functionality may be severely impacted.

"We strongly advise you to update to the latest version to avoid these issues and ensure your browser stays secure and efficient," advises Mozilla.

Mozilla has also set up a support thread for users who encounter problems or need help updating their Firefox browsers.

Users of Firefox-based browsers like Tor, LibreWolf, and Waterfox should also ensure they're running a version based on Firefox 128 and later.

Original Submission