A virtual seminar is to be held by Scottish dairy farmers to discuss the future of their industry.

Video links will be used to connect groups in Orkney, Dumfries, Lanark, Stranraer, Edinburgh, Campbeltown, Aberdeen and Auchincruive. The Scottish Agricultural College event is to be staged on October 9.

The seminar will be chaired by the college's Professor Geoff Simm and will look at the challenges facing dairy farmers and how they can be overcome.

Speakers will talk about dairy systems, farming in the Netherlands and financial issues.

An 18-year-old Kirkwall man has been remanded in custody, pending trial for allegedly carrying out a racially aggravated assault.

Appearing from custody at Kirkwall Sheriff Court on Friday, Scott Scollie, whose address was given as 57b Dundas Street, Stromness, denied the charge of grabbing Jason Scott by the throat and repeatedly punching him on the head, at Somerfield supermarket on Thursday.

A trial date was set for November 1 and honorary sheriff, John Flett, refused Scollie bail.

NorthLink's new livestock shipping container design has been unveiled in the northern isles - and been given the thumbs up by Orkney farmers.

The new container was shipped from Aberdeen on Wednesday and was on show at Hatston on Thursday. The container was moved on to Lerwick on this morning.

Initial discussions with industry representatives indicate that the new design is being well received and NorthLink is confident that a practical and efficient ro-ro ferry solution for livestock transport has been arrived at.

Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, officially opened the new testing facility for tidal energy at the European Marine Energy Centre on Friday.

The tidal site consists of five berths for tidal energy converters, located off the south-west tip of Eday.

A 63-year-old woman was arrested for alleged drink-driving on Kirkwall's Junction Road, at 10.30am on Thursday morning.

A report had been submitted to the procurator fiscal.

Orkney MSP, Liam McArthur, has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament congratulating Orkney’s Standard Grade students, and their teachers, on excellent exam results.

Orkney led Scotland in the results table, with 90 per cent of Orkney's S4 pupils attaining five or more Standard Grades. This is higher than in any other Scottish Local Authority area and well above the Scottish average of 75 per cent.

HIE Orkney is to be scrapped as part of plans to “re-focus and re-energise” Highlands and Islands Enterprise announced by John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, on Wednesday.

Orkney will be part of a single region served by Highlands & Islands Enterprise, with the local enterprise board removed from March, 2008.

However, according to the Scottish Government, this does not mean the closure of existing local enterprise company offices. 

A spokesman said: “Enterprise Network staff will remain in those offices, working as now with local businesses and stakeholders.  But consistent with our efficient government agenda - opportunities should be sought over time for co-location with, for example, relevant local authority staff.”

Two hundred redundant chairs from St Magnus Cathedral are available to anyone interested in owning a small slice of Cathedral history.

The first of the old chairs were sold by written auction earlier this year. The auction attracted 99 bids and more than £6,000 was raised. Now the second lot are to be sold off to interested parties, before the final lot becomes available for offers in 2008.

The minimum bid is £15, with a maximum of 20 chairs per bid.

For more information on how to bid, contact Ian Rushbrook at ian.rushbrook@orkney.gov.uk

People may be stopped in the street in Stromness and Kirkwall next week, or phoned at home, as part of a retail study commissioned by the OIC.

The study, the first of its kind to be commissioned for Orkney, will feed into the upcoming review of the OIC’s local plan and provide essential information for the council on planning for the future prosperity of Orkney’s town centres and considering options for potential new retail provision.

The council is urging locals to take part in the study, which will be published in the next few months and made available to the public.

Plans for a housing development at Midgarth in Stromness took a step forward at Tuesday's OIC policy and resources committee meeting.

Councillors approved delegating powers to the environment, planning and protective services committee to approve the Orkney Housing Association's development brief.

Members heard of the importance to the housing association of getting as many development projects to tender stage during the current financial year so as not to lose out on grant funding.

Energy Minister, Malcolm Wicks, has called for “heroes in our community” to collect their Bevin Boys badge.

The badge is available to all eligible Bevin Boys – young men conscripted to work in coalmines during the Second World War – and formally recognises the service they provided.

Mr Wicks said: “I am calling on all surviving Bevin Boys to come forward to claim this unique veterans badge as a tribute to their sacrifices during and after the Second World War. These heroes in our community helped to keep the coalfields running during the war and in the post-war reconstruction of Britain.”

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed an incident on Kirkwall's Willow Road on Monday night to contact them.

In particular they would like to hear from anyone who saw a man, dressed all in black, on Willow Road, or in the trees around the Willow Burn, around 9pm on Monday. The man is believed to be under six feet tall, of medium build and was wearing a long coat, hood and scarf.

The financial position of the Pickaquoy Centre looks set to go under the microscope again in the coming weeks — despite managing to record a “surplus” of £129,000 in 2006-2007.

Councillors at Tuesday’s OIC policy and resources committee meeting recommended retaining the cash, with powers delegated to determine allocation of the money.

Former chairman of the Pickaquoy Centre Trust, Councillor Mike Drever, said the cash could be used to refurbish the athletics track.

“By the time this winter is over the track will be unusable. If we do not do something with it next year we will be looking at having to replace half the under-structure of the track, maybe more.”

NHS Orkney is to take immediate action on a number of areas following the isles pre-consultation meetings.

They are to work with the Scottish Ambulance Service to get an agreed understanding of response times for the isles and plan to make public their plans to further reduce support and administration costs to free up money for frontline services.

Communities in the isles see maintaining a full-time GP as the only viable option, regardless of population figures or cost.

Most groups who took part in the recent NHS Orkney consultation meetings, also said they did not believe that recruitment was an issue or that extra funding was unavailable.

NHS Orkney’s chief executive, Iain Crozier, said: “We now need to think very carefully about what options we come up with. 

The number of passengers using Kirkwall Airport is continuing to grow, according to figures released today by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL).

The airport was used by 1,238 more passengers last month, in comparison with August 2006 - a nine per cent increase.

Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael has again criticised the electricity regulator OFGEM, branding their latest proposals for transmission charging for renewable electricity from the isles as “discriminatory and out of touch”.

Mr Carmichael’s attack comes after two reports released last week re-affirmed the current transmission charges are unfair to island communities and seriously threaten the development of a successful renewable energy industry in northern Scotland.  

A former Kirkwall Grammar School art teacher, and Ba' stalwart, has been appointed Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Orkney.

The appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Gibson - Gary - of Transcona, New Scapa Road, Kirkwall, was announced by Lord Lieutenant Tony Trickett on Monday.

Mr Trickett said: "This is a richly deserved honour for Gary, who has given decades of service to so many aspects of Orkney life, to the great benefit of many generations of Orcadians."

Kirkwall police have expressed concern after a light was removed from a man overboard lifebelt of the North Isles ferry Earl Thorfinn between 4pm and 7.30pm on Saturday.

The police are investigating and would welcome any information on the incident.

A spokesman said: "Removal of an essential piece of safety equipment could result in tragic circumstances should a person go overboard for whatever reason."

The Very Rev Dr Robert Gillies, 55, was consecrated and installed as the new Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney in a service in St Andrew¹s Cathedral, Aberdeen, on Saturday.

The service was attended by around 600 people, including representatives from Scottish Episcopal churches across Scotland, other church denominations and local dignitaries including the Lord Lieutenants of Aberdeenshire and Kincardinshire, a representative of the Lord Provost, and local MSPs and councillors.

Dr Gillies was elected as the new Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney in April. He has most recently served as rector of St Andrew¹s Church, St Andrews, and Dean of that diocese.

Workmen repair the burst water mains in Kirkwall's Mounthoolie Lane.

A water main supplying part of Kirkwall had to be shut off on Friday morning, following a burst.

Kirkwall residents contacted Scottish Water early on Friday morning reporting a loss of water.

Scottish Water located the problem four-inch main in Mounthoolie Lane about 8am and repaired it.

"To do this safely we had to shut off the main," Jason Rose, Scottish Water spokesman said. "During a burst, harmless natural sediment, which has built up in the pipes over time, gets stirred up and this can cause water to appear brown or yellow. Water should return to clear when left to run for a few minutes."