NHS Orkney's Pharmacy Practices Committee has refused to grant the application, by NorsePharm Ltd, to provide pharmaceutical services in Dounby.

The committee concluded that, although the current provision of pharmaceutical services in the neighbourhood was inadequate, they were not convinced of the viability of the proposal and decided not to grant the application.

The applicant has 21 days to lodge an appeal.

Tickets for this Saturday's heat of the Talented Orkney competition have now sold out.

The last heat of the contest, before the final, is due to take place, from 7.30pm, in the Orkney Arts Theatre, Kirkwall.

Tickets for the final, to be held in the Pickaquoy Centre on March 27, are also selling fast and those wishing to attend are advised to get their tickets as soon as possible. They are available from the CLAN shop and Bruce's Stores, both in Kirkwall's Victoria Street, priced at £6.

The final will see the winning acts from all three heats perform again, and will feature entertainment from Liberty Unplugged and The Silver Darlings.

The NorthLink freight and livestock vessel, mv Hascosay, has been sold to a Middle East buyer and will leave her temporary berth in Kirkwall in the coming days, bound for Beirut.

Since leaving NorthLink’s service three weeks ago, the Hascosay found a temporary home at Kirkwall Pier, but she is now scheduled to leave for a shipyard in Beirut, where she will undergo some modifications designed to facilitate her new livestock-only role.

The Hascosay has been purchased by a Jordanian buyer and will now be used for shipping livestock to Jordan from Brazil, Georgia and Romania.

Her regular NorthLink crew, of around 17, will undertake the 12-day voyage to Beirut.

NHS Orkney has welcomed the Scottish Government’s revenue funding allocation of £31.3 million for 2010-2011 – an above inflationary rise of 2.94 per cent.

Gerry O’ Brien, director of finance at NHS Orkney, said: “NHS Orkney is pleased that the indicative funding levels previously set out in the draft budget have been confirmed by the cabinet secretary for health and well-being.

“NHS Orkney is currently preparing its budget for 2010-2011, which will be based on the confirmed uplift levels.

“We will continue to deliver high quality patient care, while maintaining maximum value for money.”

Scotland’s NHS revenue funding allocations were announced in Parliament on Thursday by Nicola Sturgeon.

Orkney Health and Care Shadow Board confirmed on Thursday that a formal agreement to fund the new health and social care residential facilities at St Margaret’s Hope and Kirkwall has now been signed.

This commits Orkney Islands Council and NHS Orkney to the joint funding of both buildings and the cost of staffing the facilities once complete.

A member/officer group will now be established to look at ways of selecting names for each facility and at the possibility of establishing a 'Friends of' group to further involve the public in the development.

Islands councillors on Orkney Islands Council’s licensing sub-committee, have decided not to introduce practical driving tests for taxi drivers.

Following a period of consultation with the local taxi trade and other bodies, a report before councillors on Thursday recommended that, as of April 6, 2011, all licence holders would be required to sit the practical test as a condition of their licence.

Furthermore, all new taxi driving licence holders would be required to have sat the test, known as the Hackney Carriage Assessment, prior to applying for a licence.

The committee members voted not to introduce the test as a standard condition of the licence.