BRIEFS

Eastern visit
Local authority officials from Japan have become the latest international techies to come to Hull to see how Oracle CRM software performs and improves services to customers. The 10-strong party visited the City Council's call centre in June for a tour and demonstration of the software in action.

ON THE BUSES
Hull bus station will close in late September to enable the ground to be cleared for the city's £160m St Stephen's development, for which construction will start early next year. Starting points for Hull's 1,800 daily bus departures will move to the Albion Street/Bond Street area for up to two years.

£2m more
Hull City Council is to spend an additional £2m on improvements to the Newington and St Andrews area in West Hull. Improvements will include the completion of work at the Boulevard, improved street lighting, renewal and refurbishment of parks, extending the Gipsyville Multi Purpose Centre Library and improving lift access at Walton Street Leisure Centre.

11% jump in votes
Turnouts were up in the region's European and local elections, following the introduction of all-postal voting. The pilot scheme saw a rise in turn-outs of 11 per cent on the previous year.

BIKER GROVE
Bikers are being given the chance to tune up their skills at a free training event this month. The event in East Park on August 21 will be an informal opportunity for motorcyclists to have a chat and gain safety advice from a team of specialists within the field. To book a place, ring 07989 396795.

THEM BONES
Mrs Pauline Prescott, wife of the Deputy Prime Minister, has launched a state-of-the-art bone scanner worth £68,000 at the Hull Royal Infirmary. The machine which measures bone density to help establish whether a patient has osteoporosis has been bought with funds raised by local charity OSPREY (Osteoporosis Research in East Yorkshire) for Hull's Centre for Metabolic Bone Disease. More than 7,000 patients a year have a bone density examination at the Centre which also has an international reputation for research.