The cruise liner Island Sky, which was the centre of an outbreak of sickness and diarrhoea in Kirkwall earlier in the week, arrived in Stromness from Leith on Saturday.

The vessel is pictured berthed in Stromness.

Local health officials attended the vessel on Wednesday, stopping some "at-risk" passengers from disembarking, but the Stromness Harbours office stressed on Saturday that there were no health-related problems now.

Orkney Islands Council has released details of islands councillors' Register of Payments for 2006/2007.

The total figure is £402,539, a drop of over £23,000 - or 5.4 per cent - from the total payments of £425,620 for 2005/06.

At the top of the list is convener Stephen Hagan with £46,762.26, followed by former vice-convener Sinclair Scott on £31,924.37 and Councillor Jim Foubister with £24,976.01.

Claiming the least was former councillor Ann Sutherland with £12,105.99.

Regular monthly meetings are being held between NHS Orkney and the Scottish Air Ambulance Service.

Dr Peter Baxter, NHS Orkney's medical director, told members of the health board on Thursday: "We now have a regular dialogue with the Scottish Ambulance Service, looking at how the service is being delivered.

"Any incidents that are raised, either by members of our own staff or members of the wider NHS community, or public, come through to myself as an incident report and I feed them through to the SAS for them to investigate."

He said they were looking for potential trends among incidents.

After a massive belt-tightening exercise, NHS Orkney has reported breaking even in 2006-2007.

A large part of that was due to non-recurring savings through selling off NHS properties, Iain White, the director of finance said at Thursday's health board meeting.

Mr White warned that was not an exercise they could repeat in the coming year.

The number of patients waiting for general surgery at Kirkwall's Balfour Hospital has fallen considerably in the past four years.

While not detailing numbers involved, Rhoda Walker, the hospital's general manager, told members of the health board at Thursday's meeting that it was a "big success story".

However, she said they were having difficulties in keeping on top of orthopaedic waiting times.

"We are trying to bid for money money to see if there is other orthopaedic capacity we can tap into over Scotland. We need to keep on top of this so as not to breach (waiting time targets)."

The waters around Orkney have been described as being "remarkably clean", in a new beached bird survey.

Over 1,200 bird corpses were discovered on the county's beaches between 2006-2007, with only 16 found to be oiled (1.3 per cent).

Eric Meek, of the RSPB in Orkney, states in the survey: "The continued low level of oil pollution in Orkney waters is commendable. With an oiled bird corpse figure of just 1.3 per cent, the regulating authorities can be well pleased with their efforts to keep Orkney's seas free of oil contamination."

At the Orkney Auction Mart board meeting on Wednesday night, Rob Crichton, who was recently elected to Orkney Islands Council, resigned from the post of manager.

Board members unanimously agreed that Mr Jim Linklater be promoted to the position with immediate effect.

Mr Crichton will continue to be employed by Orkney Auction Mart in a part-time position, as secretary/management accountant.

A 27-year-old Orkney man was released on bail on Wednesday afternoon after appearing at Inverness Sheriff Court charged with the 1994 murder of waiter Shamsudden Mahmood in Kirkwall .

Michael Ross, who now lives in Northern Ireland, was subject to a 20 minute judicial examination.

An area procurator fiscal said: "He was judicially examined and then committed for further examination, being released on bail subject to a number of special conditions."

These included not to enter to Orkney and to surrender his passport.

Orkney Coaches has taken delivery of two new “green” buses which use the latest technology to lower exhaust emissions.

Company chairman, Sandy Rapson, said “The investment by Orkney Coaches is significant and we see the new vehicles start our efforts to lower exhaust emissions and encourage passengers to use public transport”.

The purchase was part funded by the Highlands & Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS).

A million pound funding package to create a Centre of Excellence in marine renewables has been made to Heriot-Watt University and the UHI Millennium Institute.

The grant will enable four new research appointments, two at Heriot-Watt University’s Orkney Campus in Stromness and two at UHI’s Environmental Research Institute in Thurso, as well as bringing together existing expertise to build a critical research capacity linked to the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC).

Northern Isles MP, Alistair Carmichael, has hit out at new figures he claims show that families in Orkney and Shetland continue to suffer because of the tax credit system.

HM Customs and Revenue figures show that over a third of local people receiving tax credits were overpaid £1.2 million while 700 families were underpaid a total of £400,000. Of the 4,700 families in the isles receiving tax credit payments, 47 per cent were incorrect.

He said: “This bureaucratic nightmare must be brought to an end. Local families should not be punished because the system has made mistakes. We need a system which provides stability for hard-pressed families where awards are fixed and not constantly changing.”

The Holm Community Association is to receive a lottery award of £71,545 from sportscotland’s Building for Sport programme.

The association plan to build a new two team-changing pavilion sited adjacent to a recently-constructed football pitch. The pavilion will provide the local football club with quality changing facilities allowing them to host matches. 

A 25-year-old man was arrested for suspected drink driving in Norseman village in Rendall on Monday morning.

Police had stopped the motorist for an alleged speeding offence.

A report is to be submitted to the procurator fiscal.

Stromness-based environmental consultancy, Aurora Environmental, has been acquired by the Xodus Group, for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition underlines Xodus’ intention to rapidly expand its environmental division which will now be known as Xodus AURORA.

Orkney-based Aurora provides independent environmental survey and consultancy services to industry and government worldwide. Formed in 2000 by Liz Foubister and Zoe Cairns, the company has 12 staff.

The Orkney Village returns to Somerset next week following last year’s successful attendance at the Royal Bath & West Show.

Fifteen marquees will be set up to create a showcase for some of Orkney's finest food and drink, tourism and manufacturing sectors.

John Clarke, who heads up Orkney the Brand and came up with the Village concept, said:  "The marquees will be placed on a large village green with tables and chairs and live Orkney entertainment in the midst of the biggest agricultural show in England. 

"Bringing local producers together to form an Orkney Village has proved highly successful in recent years and we are looking for an even greater number of visitors than the previous years."

Mary Anderson, the chairwoman of the Pony Club of Great Britain, who attended the Area One Games.

Orkney played host to its first ever Pony Club Area One Games at the weekend -and walked away with the top titles.

There were wins for the Orkney teams in both the junior and senior sections, although it was said to have been a closely-fought competition.

More than 100 horses and riders arrived in the county at the end of last week, for the competition on Saturday and the friendly event on Sunday.

It means that the Orcadian teams are eligible to go forward to the next stage - the zones in Belfast.

A new Stromness-based Wind Energy Consultancy has been launched in time for this week’s All Energy Conference in Aberdeen.

North Wind Associates Ltd’s directors include Orkney’s former MSP, Jim Wallace.  Richard Gauld, Alistair Gray – current managing director of Ortak, and Mike Craigie, from CESS (Combustion, Energy & Steam Specialists Ltd).

The first of the large cruise liners of the season arrived in Kirkwall on Monday morning.

The 246m Century berthed at the Hatston terminal around 7am. The vessel has a passenger capacity of 2,150 and sailed for Belfast in the afternoon.

Police inquiries are ongoing after a road accident on Easdale Loan, Kirkwall, shortly before 1am on Sunday morning.

A Rover car was extensively damaged, as was a section of wall.

Following a drugs raid, a quantity of suspected cannabis resin was discovered in a house in Kirkwall at the weekend.

The search, in St Catherine’s Place, took place at 11.20pm on Friday, when a 19-year-old was allegedly found in possession of the class C drug.

Festival fever hits Orkney this week as music fans prepare for what could be the biggest folk festival Orkney has ever seen.

Special celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the Orkney Folk Festival kicked off on Saturday night with the Island Hop —an event which will see local and visiting musicians touring the islands for eight days.

The Island Hop will treat residents on Shapinsay, Flotta, Sanday, Eday, North Ronaldsay, Papa Westray, Wyre and Longhope to a variety of music.