There were no General Election surprises locally with the Liberal Democrats holding onto their Northern Isles stronghold.

Alistair Carmichael was returned to Westminster by voters in Orkney and Shetland, polling 9,138 votes.

In second place was Richard Meade, the Labour candidate with 2,511 votes, followed by Frank Nairn, Conservative, with 2,357 votes.

Full results and comparisons here

A fault that led to connection problems for a number of local broadband users on Thursday was traced to the Kirkwall telephone exchange.

The problems began on Thursday morning, with connections to the Internet hit. The fault was discovered by the afternoon with British Telecom saying they hoped to return normal service by 4pm.

Hundreds of OIC employees had to evacuate the School Place offices in Kirkwall on Thursday morning after a false fire alarm.

Kirkwall Fire Brigade attended the scene, but traced the alert to a faulty alarm.

The people of Orkney went to the polls on Thursday, to decide who will be their next representative at the Westminster Parliament.

Polling stations across the county opened at 7am, remaining open until 10pm.

The first of the ballot boxes from Orkney's rural and island stations begin arriving at the Pickaquoy Centre in Kirkwall around 10.30pm on Thursday, with the Shetland votes following at around 2.30am on Friday.

They were given a brief overview of the new LMC scheme by Alison Mitchell, NFUS regional manger, followed by a question and answer session involving Seerad staff.

Many said that what had originally looked like a useful scheme, had fine print, making it unsuitable for Orkney.

NFUS branch chairman, Stewart Wood, said the huge turnout at the busiest time of the year and just eight days before paperwork must be returned to Seerad, was an indication of the level of concern among farmers.

Billy Connolly arrives in Kirkwall

Comedian Billy Connolly flew into Orkney by helicopter on Wednesday afternoon, for his sell-out gig in Kirkwall.

The performance in the Pickaquoy Centre, part of the comedian's 2005 tour of Scotland, saw consternation among fans earlier in the year, with tickets selling out in 90 minutes.

The Scottish comedian stopped to sign autographs for members of the airport staff before being taken into Kirkwall to prepare for the event.

The three local development officers (LDOs) have a key role to play in progressing initiatives designed to boost the prosperity of Eday, Stronsay, Sanday and North Ronaldsay.

The four outer North Isles are now part of the Scottish Executive's Initiative at the Edge.

Rosemary Seagrief (Sanday and North Ronaldsay), Kate Townsend (part-time for Eday) and Andrew Want (part-time for Stronsay), together with Westray's Sam Harcus, made their way to Kirkwall on Wednesday for the two-day meeting.

Deputy Rural Development Minister Lewis Macdonald today announced the priority areas for the new Croft House Grant Scheme and awards of £2 million to crofters with existing applications. This will allow crofters to build new houses or improve existing croft houses with their share of funding from the new scheme.

The scheme allocates money to where it is needed most by providing different levels of grant in different priority areas. So, while Westray, Sanday, Eday and North Ronaldsay, the islands covered by Initiative at the Edge, are classed as high priority, the Orkney Mainland is one of the low priority areas.

Kirkwall police have vowed to continue targeting road safety in Orkney - in response, they say, to the public's ongoing concerns about the issue.

Five drivers were caught speeding in and around Kirkwall in the past week. In addition, two fixed penalties relating to vehicle conditions and taxation were issued. Two drivers failing to wear seatbelts were also fined.

Sergeant Angus MacLeod said: "A substantial number of the complaints we receive relate to bad driver behaviour, and we are always responding to the concerns of the public.""

Allan Heddle Besant, 34, of Watson Park, Kirkwall, is charged with committing the assault on Friday.

The case is continued without plea until May 18.

A 21-year-old Kirkwall man was released on bail on Tuesday.

Stuart Alan Rosie, of St Catherine's Place, Kirkwall, is accused of committing assault, breach of the peace and hindering four police constables, on Saturday.

Appearing at Kirkwall Sheriff Court, Rosie was given an additional condition to his bail that he does not approach or contact the alleged assault victim.

The case is continued without plea until May 18.

Work on the new dental centre at Garson in Stromness is due to start later this month.

It is hoped the new clinic will see its first patients early next year, alleviating the current pressures on Orkney's dental service, with 1,300 people on the waiting lists in Kirkwall and Stromness.

Orkney's chief administrative dental officer, Moya Nelson, said she hoped to attract dentists to the county with the new modern facility and state of the art equipment.

"Our dentists are struggling to keep up with the current treatment workload without adding new patients. This is a national problem and Orkney must be competitive to attract dentists to the isles."

Orkney Islands Council's new kerbside recycling scheme began its trial period on Monday morning, but the launch was left running slightly behind schedule.

The delay is because a number of boxes contained items which could not be taken, so OIC workers had to complete a checklist to let people know what can and can not be collected.

The trial period will allow OIC officials to see how the service runs and identify what improvements can be made.

The Pierowall Junior High School on Westray has been given a clean bill of health by HM inspectors.

Following an earlier inspection which identified a number of action points, district inspector Robert Barfoot, concluded this week: "Overall the school, with the support of the education authority, had made good progress in meeting the main points for action.

"As a result of this, HM inspectors will make no further visits to the school in connection with the inspection report of May, 2003."

After a two years of delays, the sea snail prototype tidal device has been placed on the seabed in Burra Sound, between Hoy and Graemsay.

The 20 metre-long device, which is not actually a generator but an "anchor" on to which generators or other equipment can be attached, was originally due to be placed in Eynhallow Sound in 2003.

It was successfully launched on Monday.

Earlier planned launches were forced to be cancelled due to technical problems and the weather.

A reception in the Skara Brae visitor centre took place on Monday evening to mark the launch of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site research agenda.

Historic Scotland's chief executive, John Graham, attended the event, where he informed guests that Skara Brae was placed fourth in the organisation's most popular Scottish visitor attractions.

Launched in early March, the document is available as a free download at: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/orkneyresearch

A conman who carried out a fraud, while on bail awaiting sentence for a similar offence, will serve an extra 18 months behind bars. David McHugh, of South Park, Eday, is currently serving four-and-a-half-years for a £3.5 million debt collection fraud.

However, while on bail for that offence, he set up a business called Treadless Tyre Collections UK, which Liverpool Crown Court was told was used as the basis for a “crooked fraudulent scheme from the outset.”

McHugh, 48, who did not give evidence at the trial, was convicted of 16 offences of false accounting and obtaining services by deception. His 18-month sentence will run consecutively to his current jail term.

A good number of boats were berthed at Kirkwall Marina after it opened on Sunday. Pictured in the background is the Coastguard tug, which was at anchor in Kirkwall Bay throughout the weekend.

The first visiting vessels of the summer season berthed at Kirkwall Marina at the weekend.

The facilities were opened to boats on Sunday and feature a new breakwater, added as a temporary measure to provide more protection against northerly gales.

Meanwhile, dredging work was also carried out on Sunday around the entrance to the marina (pictured below) as a precursor to the construction of a new pier leg to provide a permanent solution to the problems caused by northerly winds.

The 152-metre long Funchal

The first cruise liner of the summer season berthed in Kirkwall on Monday, when the 152-metre long Funchal, which can carry up to 460 passengers, pulled alongside Hatston Pier, after sailing from Oban.

The vessel was due to spend just over seven hours in the county before sailing for Dundee.

The next liner due in is the 100-capacity Polar Star, on May 18.

The cast of Stromness Drama Club's Bouncers

Stromness Drama Club were placed second in the Scottish finals of the Community Drama Association one-act drama competition, in Stirling, on Saturday.

Nine teams from across Scotland were taking part in the final.

Stromness took the honours at the northern division final at the end of March, with their production of Bouncers - 1990s remix by John Godber.