The airspace over Europe is slowly re-opening, and flights have begun to resume operations to and from destinations such as London, Paris, Zurich, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt, with 22 local flights scheduled to and from LAX today. The plume of volcanic ash drifting across the continent from its source at Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano continues to hold the world in its thrall and at its mercy. more ›

The plume of volcanic ash drifting through European airspace continues to keep air travel on hold, including more flights today departing and arriving at Los Angeles International Airport. NASA has released several images of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano showing the scope of the natural disaster as captured by the MODIS instrument on the Terra satellite, which communicates with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) here in Los Angeles. more ›

Volcanic ash from Iceland moving through the air travel space over Europe is continuing to ground flights all over the globe. Today approximately 7,250 passengers who were expected to depart from or arrive at Los Angeles International Airport today have found their travel plans canceled, as 14 departing flights and 15 arriving flights will not be taking off or landing today. Travelers headed to and from London/Heathrow, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich remain grounded. This is the third consecutive day the volcanic ash has forced the European air space to close; at LAX alone a total so far of 69 in- and outbound flights have been canceled, impacting an estimated 18, 250 passengers. more ›

LAX officials this morning are reporting that at least two British Airways flights have been canceled today after volcanic ash from Iceland has drifted over Europe. "[Airport Operations is] into the US carriers that fly to Europe too," LAX spokesman Marshall Lowe. More cancellations are expected as further checks are made with airlines. Passengers advised to check with their airlines if they are departing on flights to Europe.” UPDATE: 4 arrival flights and 5 departure flights from/to London have been cancelled (British Airways, American Airlines, United Airlines and Air New Zealand). Flights to other European destinations are still scheduled to depart, says LAX. more ›

Despite the fact that their economy was pulverized to bits last year, from a musical standpoint Iceland is coming out on top. In the originality category they're especially strong. It doesn't matter whether you're into Sigur Rós, Múm or Björk you have to admit, they sound like nothing else. Now you can add another name to that list. Sin Fang Bous the new solo project of Sindri Mar Sigfusson, who took some time off from his band Seabear, to write a gorgeous experimental pop album Clangour. Never heard of him? Fair enough, his first show in LA is tonight at the El Rey Theatre, but if you like Animal Collective and Panda Bear, you might want to take a listen. We caught up with Sindri before his show and asked him a few questions. more ›

Some people are a bit suspicious of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's last two vacations. The first, a trip to Africa, was right after his inauguration. The second was to Iceland, ending earlier this month. No matter who you are, you deserve a vacation, right? "Since the mayor is mayor 24-7, he does not accrue vacation or sick time," said spokesman Matt Szabo in an e-mail to LAist. "He has the discretion to take time away from the city as necessary." more ›