DUBLIN — Ireland reopened its western airports today but warned a 1,000-mile-long cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland was still lurking offshore.

The Irish Aviation Authority, which ordered a half-dozen airports shut overnight, quickly reopened them once it became clear the cloud was staying sufficiently far from Ireland's Atlantic coast — at least until the winds shift once again.

"While the northerly winds are keeping the bulk of the cloud out in the Atlantic, the increased size of the cloud continues to pose a risk especially if the winds change," the authority said in a statement. "The restrictions were required as the increased level of recent volcanic activity has created a massive ash cloud stretching 1,000 miles long and 700 miles wide," it said.

Ireland's two major airlines, Ryanair and Aer Lingus, shifted services to Dublin Airport in the east and Cork Airport in the southwest during the early morning shutdowns of other airports. Uncertain how long Shannon Airport in western Ireland would be shut, Aer Lingus opted to bus hundreds of U.S.-bound Aer Lingus passengers four hours east to fly from Dublin instead.

LONDON — British Army commanders selected Prince Harry to train as an Apache attack helicopter pilot.Prince Harry — who is due to receive his pilot's wings from his father, Prince Charles, later today — said his selection is a "huge honor" and the training course will be "one of the biggest challenges of my life so far."The prince, who is third in line to the British throne, passed his basic helicopter training course last month. He has made no secret of his desire to return to the front lines in Afghanistan.Flying is in this family's royal blood: Harry's older brother, William, is learning to fly search-and-rescue choppers. Charles qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1974, and their uncle, Prince Andrew, flew a Royal Navy helicopter during the Falklands War.

BEIJING — North Korea's reclusive leader reaffirmed today he was willing to rejoin long-delayed nuclear disarmament talks while on a not-so-secret trip to China, but gave no firm date for restarting the process that Pyongyang abandoned more than a year ago.Kim Jong Il's private, armored train — the eccentric leader shuns air travel — crossed the border back into North Korea midmorning after leaving Beijing on Thursday following talks with Chinese leaders that touched on the six-nation talks aimed at ridding the North of nuclear weapons.A return to the talks is likely to go hand-in-hand with new aid from China, including the implementation of economic agreements reached during the Chinese premier's visit to North Korea last year.