The St Magnus Festival opened on Friday night with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra performing in The Pickaquoy Centre to a capacity audience.

There is a very full day of events today, with the first performance of The Hamnavoe Man starting at 10am, and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra again performing in The Pickaquoy Centre tonight.

The Festival Chorus get their opportunity to sing with the orchestra on Sunday evening, when they will perform Mozart's Requim.

Click here for full festival programme

On Friday, Orkney enjoyed its busiest day of the tourist season so far this summer.

In addition to the start of the St Magnus Festival, three liners, with a capacity of more than 2,500 people, called at Kirkwall.

In the morning, the Albatros berthed at Hatston Pier, while the Mona Lisa was anchored in Kikrwall bay. Both sailed for Rekjavik, in Iceland, in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Black Watch arrived at about noon, and also berthed at Hatston.

Businesses in Orkney are being warned about an on-going scam where callers claim to be the police appealing for donations to charity.

PC Donald Morrison said: "These calls are not genuine. The police would never contact people directly in this manner. This scam has been on-going for about two years."

Anyone contacted in this way should report the matter to the police.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a suspicious fire in the Kirkwall Pierhead toilets on Thursday night.

Two appliances attended after a member of the public alerted the fire brigade about 5.30pm. Anyone with information is asked to call Kirkwall police on 872241.

The new owner of the Lynnfield Hotel in Kirkwall will have to wait another month for a decision on the permenant transfer of the licence.

Members of Thursday's Orkney Area Licensing Board heard that the owner, Malcolm Stout, had commenced alteration works at the premises prior to receiving consent from the board, or the firemaster.

Mr Stout has been asked to complete agreed works and re-appear at a meeting of the board on July 14.

Licences for late hours catering in Orkney will run for three years and cost the applicant £300, councillors recommended on Thursday.

The licences are required by premises serving meals and refreshments, whether on a sit-in or takeaway basis, between 11pm and 5am.

Councillors at the licensing sub-committee meeting approved the duration of the licence and the cost.

Two Kirkwall brothers, who have clocked up a catalogue of offences, have been locked up.

At Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Michael Robert Scott Budge, 18, and Brian James Budge, 21, both of 36 Kirklands Road, shook their heads when sentence was passed down.

In their latest charge, both brothers admitted shouting threats towards a girl under the age of 16 and her family. Later they resisted police arrest, and Michael uttered racial remarks towards an Asian police officer, on May 27.

Michael Budge was sentenced to eight months in a young offenders' institution, and Brian Budge was jailed for 22 weeks.

Police are encouraging organisers of country dances to attend courses on stewarding.

Kirkwall Sergeant Jim Pryde said: “Organisations that want to hold these functions should realise that they have a great responsibility in supervising the youths in attendance and ensuring their well-being as well as their state of sobriety.”

Any local groups interested in stewarding courses should contact the local authority liaison officer, Dave Dawson, or the community safety department at Orkney Islands Council.

Tickets are selling fast for St Magnus Festival events with many sold out already.

Festival director Glenys Hughes said that by Tuesday afternoon the sold-out events included the opening concert on Friday, several performances of A Hamnavoe Man, most of the Limbe Choir’s performances and the closing concert at the Pickaquoy Centre on Wednesday night.

The Malawi choir, whose visas came through just a week ago, will attend a reception at the Scottish Parliament before coming to Orkney.

Mrs Hughes said she was delighted with ticket sales so far. The festival runs from Friday, June 16, until Wednesday, June 21.

The Evie Primary School nursery class has been given a glowing report by HM inspectors.

A stimulating learning environment, effective interaction between staff and children, high quality experiences for children in communication and languages and highly committed, enthusiastic staff team and leadership, were just some of the key strengths highlighted in the report.

The class was inspected in March, 2006, by the HM Inspectorate of Education who consulted the Care Commission on its findings.

Teachers from across Europe are visiting Orkney this week to learn more about the education system in the county.

As part of the visit, representatives from nations including Liechtenstein and Greece are visiting Kirkwall Grammar School, Dounby Primary, Sanday Junior High, Papdale Primary and Orkney College to share ideas and discuss best practice.

Chairwoman of the council’s education committee, Councillor Janice Annal, said: “We are delighted to welcome our visitors from abroad and share with them the good practise in our schools and our efforts to ensure continuous improvement across all aspects of education provision.”

A Hoy man, who denies assaulting a woman, has been banned from the island until his case is concluded.

Appearing on Monday from custody, Raymond Andrew Sutherland, 38, of Nelson Naval Hall, Longhope, denied punching and kicking a woman at 19 St Colms Quadrant, Longhope, on June 8.

A trial date has been set for September 6. Sutherland was released on bail, with an additional condition that he does not enter Hoy before his case has been concluded.

A Kirkwall man, who committed a breach of the peace after going out to celebrate his divorce, was released on bail from Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Monday.

James Stewart Dunnett, 44, of 8 Glaitness Park, admitted shouting and swearing at a woman at 27 King Harald Kloss, on June 10. He also admits pushing over a television.

Sentence has been deferred until July 26 for the court to obtain background reports.

A new partnership aimed at getting people back to work got under way in Orkney, Shetland and Moray on Tuesday.

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, has teamed up with partner organisations to deliver the “New Deal” programme for Job Centre Plus.

Jobseekers will be offered a range of different services that are designed to meet their individual needs, including training, work experience, help with CVs and interview skills and support with personal barriers.

A group of intrepid flyers were in Orkney on Monday after getting stuck in the county because of strong winds.

Forty pilots from around Britain are circumnavigating the UK in their microlights, to raise funds for children with Leukaemia, but the group has been spilt up along the way and six of them landed in Orkney.

The trip has taken them from Wolverhampton, when they left on Friday, up the East coast of England and Scotland.

Their final destination is the Isle of Wight.

School meals in Orkney are cheaper than almost anywhere else in Scotland, latest Scottish Executive figures have revealed.

At the time of the survey, earlier this year, primary school youngsters in the county could pick up a meal for £1.20, while secondary pupils had to pay £1.30. That compared to £1.60 in Clackmannanshire primary schools and £1.93 in secondary schools in Aberdeenshire.

Members of the public are being advised to avoid the Wideford Burn at Inganess Bay, St Ola, due to the presence of Blue-green algae.

Recent samples taken at the burn showed the presence of the algae and, as a precautionary measure, notices have been posted warning that contact with the algal scum should be avoided. Visitors to the area should avoid contact with the mouth of the burn and the burn itself, but can continue to enjoy the beach and sea.

Orkney Islands Council’s Environmental Health Department and NHS Orkney have been advised of the situation.

The annual Hoy Half Marathon celebrated its 20th anniversary on Sunday.

On June 14, 1986, the 38 entrants in the first Hoy half-marathon lined up in Rackwick on a hot sunny day. Little did the organisers know then that they would still be going 20 years later.

This year’s marathon has been so popular that the organisers had to restrict the number of entry applications because transport to and from the event couldn’t cope with the numbers.

Northern Isles MP, Alistair Carmichael, has revealed new statistics on the overpayment of tax credits in Orkney and Shetland.

Figures collected by the Inland Revenue show that over 30 per cent of all awards made to families in the isles last year were overpaid and 1,500 families are now being forced to repay on average £800 each.

After a month working in Stronsay, the Orcades team ­ leading the Orkney health study ­ gave an informal presentation on their work to islanders on Friday night.

The presentation, in conjunction with NHS Orkney, outlined the background to the project and its aims, along with advice on a healthy lifestyle.

With the help of up to 2,000 folk in Orkney, it is hoped will find new treatments for Scotland¹s three major killer diseases ­ heart disease, strokes and diabetes.

Archive story: Genetic study into killer diseases