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Spain has closed 15 airports as a cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano drifts south over Western Europe.

National airport management agency Aena said nine airports closed early on Saturday and six more shut from 1200 local time (1000 GMT).

The restrictions would be in place until at least 1800, Aena said

Most flights between Europe and North America are being diverted because of the ash cloud’s latest drifting, officials at Eurocontrol said.

Flights are being rerouted north and south of the 1,200 mile (2,000km) long cloud.

On average, 600 airliners make the Atlantic crossing every day, correspondents say.

Aena said the airports affected were Bilbao, San Sebastian, Vitoria, Zaragoza, Pamplona, La Rioja, Santiago, La Coruna, Vigo, Asturias, Santander, Leon, Valladolid, Burgos and Salamanca.

Eurocontrol, the agency that co-ordinates aviation safety in Europe, said airports were also expected to close in northern Portugal and parts of southern France.

In the UK, some flights to Spain were being affected.

At London Stansted, 22 Ryanair flights to the Canary Islands, mainland Spain and Portugal were cancelled, along with three EasyJet flights.

Flights from Gatwick to Portugal, Alicante and Madrid were cancelled and at Heathrow some flights to La Coruna in northern Spain were also grounded.

Last month, thousands of travellers were stranded after ash shut down airspace across Europe.

Recent images have shown activity in the Eyjafjallajokull volcano intensifying.

Experts at the UK’s Met Office said it was sending ash up to heights of 30,000 ft (9,100m).

Flights across Ireland and parts of the UK were disrupted earlier this week.

Are you in Spain? Have you been delayed by the ash cloud? Send us your comments.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

A man has appeared in court charged with murdering an ex-prisoner in Belfast 23 years ago.

Stanley Close, 65, was strangled to death in a flat at Canton Court in east Belfast in August 1986.

He had previously served 10 years in jail for shooting a man dead at a bar on the Ormeau Road in July 1971.

Appearing at Belfast Magistrates Court on Saturday was David Mayberry Wallace, 50, originally from NI, but whose address was given as Shaw Street, Bury.

He was arrested in England on Tuesday following a joint operation between the PSNI and Manchester police.

The accused spoke to confirm that he understood the charge.

A detective sergeant told the court that he could connect him to the charge.

He also confirmed the accused knew the deceased, but the police had yet to establish a motive for the killing.

Mr Wallace has been remanded in custody until 21 May.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Soldiers who served in Afghanistan will march down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to thank the public for their support.

Members of 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland and 3 Battalion The Rifles will take part in the homecoming parade on Saturday.

Soldiers will then be presented with their operational service medals at Redford Barracks.

The Edinburgh-based troops were deployed to Helmand Province in October 2009.

During the six-month tour the battlegroup, made up of 3 Rifles and B Company of 1 Scots, lost 30 members.

The troops will march from the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, past some bereaved families and injured colleagues who are unable to march.

Dedicated memorial

Thousands of people lined the streets of the city on Friday as the battlegroup paid tribute to their comrades who had been killed while serving in Afghanistan.

More than 400 soldiers marched from Redford Barracks to a memorial service in Colinton Parish Church, accompanied by the Band and Bugles of the Rifles and the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Some of the soldiers bore injuries suffered while fighting in Afghanistan.

A memorial at Redford Barracks has also been dedicated to soldiers killed while serving in Afghanistan.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Amir Khan has been cleared to fight Paulie Malignaggi in New York on 15 May after being granted a visa.

The WBA light-welterweight champion has been waiting in Canada pending clearance to enter the United States.

Bolton boxer Khan has been mainly based in America since joining up with Los Angeles trainer Freddie Roach in 2008.

But preparations for his debut American fight, which will be shown on ITV1, were reportedly hindered by his past driving convictions in Britain.

A statement from his American handlers Golden Boy Promotions said he will head to New York on Sunday after the issue was resolved.

"Amir Khan has received his P1 visa and will be heading to New York City," said the statement.

Khan, who has won 21 of his 22 professional fights, will face local hero Malignaggi at the Theater in Madison Square Garden.

"This is great news and I can’t wait to get to New York to finish up my training, get in the ring next Saturday and teach Paulie Malignaggi a lesson," said the 23-year-old.

"He’s been running his mouth for a while now and was probably hoping I wouldn’t get into New York. Well, Paulie, I’m on my way and you’re going to be my next knockout victim."

The fight against Brooklyn-based Malignaggi, who is nicknamed ‘Magic Man’, is Khan’s second defence of his WBA title following his defeat of Dmitriy Salita in December.

Italian-American Malignaggi, 29, has suffered three defeats in his 30-fight career and in contrast to Khan’s 16 knockouts, has only five to his name.

One of those defeats came when he was stopped by Ricky Hatton in round 11 of a Las Vegas fight in November 2008.

Upon hearing the news about Khan’s visa, Malignaggi said, "Welcome back to America, Amir. Now get ready for some punishment."

As well as terrestrial early-hours coverage in the UK, the fight will be shown on HBO in the US.

The bout is Khan’s first since he announced in January he was splitting from promoter Frank Warren.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has arrived in Kenya to investigate the country’s post-election violence.

More than 1,200 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced after a disputed election in 2008.

Luis Moreno Ocampo will meet victims of the upheavals and senior government officials during his five-day tour.

It is his first visit to the country since judges at the ICC gave him the go-ahead to investigate.

Mr Ocampo, who will also meet civil society groups and the business community, says the overall goal of his work is to ensure there is no repeat of the troubles during the 2012 elections.

‘Witnesses threatened’

Following the last disputed vote, the country imploded and powerful politicians as well as wealthy business leaders were accused of organising and fuelling attacks.

The rival politicians signed a peace deal and agreed to set up a tribunal to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators.

But the politicians have thwarted attempts to set it up and no-one has yet been punished.

Mr Ocampo, who flew into Kenya on Saturday, earlier said that politicians from both sides of the fractious coalition government were on his radar.

Many Kenyans are eagerly waiting for those names to be made public, and they hope the prosecutions will help end a deeply rooted culture of impunity.

Mr Ocampo has so far largely relied on documents gathered from other inquiries. Now he needs his own evidence.

Some witnesses say they have been threatened, and several have been moved out of the country for their own protection.

While the ICC prosecutor gets on with his work, Kenya’s politicians have been far more focused on plotting their own political futures. But some may be abruptly stopped in their tracks by Mr Ocampo.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The funeral of 22-year-old murdered care worker Ffion Wyn Roberts will be held in her home town later.

The service at Salem Chapel in Porthmadog, Gwynedd, takes place almost a month after she was found strangled in a waterway in the town centre.

A 20-year-old man, understood to be Ms Roberts’ brother, Elgan, was arrested earlier this week and released on bail.

A 52-year-old man, understood to be her father, Idris, was released on Wednesday following questioning.

Ms Roberts’ body was found on 10 April in a stretch of water known as Y Cyt after she had celebrated a friend’s birthday in nearby Tremadog.

An inquest heard that she had been strangled with a ligature and drowned. The inquest was adjourned while the police investigation continues.

Ms Roberts’s funeral is due to start at 1330 BST and will be relayed on a public address system.

Businesses in Porthmadog are expected to close to allow members of staff to pay their respects.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.