:00:00. > :00:12.There's more throughout the evening on the BBC News Channel.
:00:13. > :00:16.The Sun columnist Kelvin MacKenzie has been suspended from
:00:17. > :00:19.the newspaper after he expressed "wrong" and "unfunny" views
:00:20. > :00:23.The Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson has condemned the article
:00:24. > :00:25.about Everton midfielder Ross Barkley as "racist
:00:26. > :00:31.Barkley was punched in a Liverpool bar last weekend, in what his lawyer
:00:32. > :00:35.Sun columnist Kelvin MacKenzie compared Barkley, whose
:00:36. > :00:38.grandfather was Nigerian, to a "gorilla at the zoo".
:00:39. > :00:41.MacKenzie was the editor of The Sun at the time
:00:42. > :00:42.of the Hillsborough disaster, and controversially produced
:00:43. > :00:47.the front page claiming the Liverpool fans were to blame.
:00:48. > :00:50.Three children on the Isle of Man remain in hospital after swallowing
:00:51. > :00:54.The children aged 11 and 12 are in a stable
:00:55. > :00:59.It's thought they'd found the substance near The Bowl
:01:00. > :01:04.in Douglas at the National Sports Centre yesterday afternoon.
:01:05. > :01:07.Rail passengers across the region face disruption this weekend
:01:08. > :01:09.as major engineering works are carried out.
:01:10. > :01:11.Roads and rail routes in Manchester are particularly affected.
:01:12. > :01:18.Manchester's Victoria Station has been unusually quiet today.
:01:19. > :01:20.Many passengers have found alternative ways to travel
:01:21. > :01:22.following warnings of disruption to services over the
:01:23. > :01:29.We are slightly affected because normally we get a direct
:01:30. > :01:31.from Manchester Victoria to Newcastle, and now we have
:01:32. > :01:40.We booked months in advance, and it really wasn't such a big deal.
:01:41. > :01:46.I think the weather has affected people coming into the city centre.
:01:47. > :01:48.They never seem to manage these projects carefully.
:01:49. > :01:50.It does not matter what station you go to,
:01:51. > :01:52.A, they are always overrun, B, they are badly mismanaged,
:01:53. > :01:56.All of Manchester's city centre stations are affected,
:01:57. > :01:59.with buses and diversions replacing many services through not only
:02:00. > :02:04.Victoria, but also Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations.
:02:05. > :02:06.And this is one of the projects being carried out.
:02:07. > :02:09.The Ordsall Chord will link Victoria and Piccadilly Station
:02:10. > :02:13.The aim is to eventually get more trains through
:02:14. > :02:16.But city centre road closures will also be necessary
:02:17. > :02:20.while a bridge is replaced, the Castlefield viaduct is
:02:21. > :02:26.The routes into Victoria are blocked from the north.
:02:27. > :02:31.Also, routes are blocked from Liverpool into Victoria Station.
:02:32. > :02:35.We have practically refurbished and replaced the majority
:02:36. > :02:38.of the railway within the central Manchester area.
:02:39. > :02:40.While many rail routes are quiet, thousands of people
:02:41. > :02:42.are flying from the region's airports this weekend.
:02:43. > :02:45.Manchester Airport says it expects more than 290,000 people
:02:46. > :02:48.to pass through its doors, a 12% increase year on year.
:02:49. > :02:54.For those staying at home and hoping to avoid disruption,
:02:55. > :02:57.Network Rail and Transport for Greater Manchester say they will
:02:58. > :03:03.It's hoped most of the engineering works will be completed
:03:04. > :03:06.Naomi Cornwell, BBC North West Tonight.
:03:07. > :03:11.It's the 40th anniversary of the Easter Boat Gathering
:03:12. > :03:14.at the National Waterways Museum in Cheshire, which sees boat owners
:03:15. > :03:16.from around the country gathering on the banks of the Mersey.
:03:17. > :03:24.Dozens of boats of all different shapes, sizes and colours are coming
:03:25. > :03:27.together this Easter bank holiday for the annual Boat Gathering
:03:28. > :03:34.This year is an extra special celebration because it's
:03:35. > :03:39.It is quite fitting that such an event takes place at this site,
:03:40. > :03:42.because not many people realise how historically important
:03:43. > :03:48.The town is named after the docks, the ports, and that is because,
:03:49. > :03:52.in the 19th century, this was the largest inland waterway
:03:53. > :03:58.The event, which runs from today until Easter Monday,
:03:59. > :04:01.will have boat trips, of course, but also music,
:04:02. > :04:04.workshops and activities for the whole family.
:04:05. > :04:07.There is something for everybody on the canal, not just
:04:08. > :04:11.Mums and dads, grandparents, we get lots of schoolchildren,
:04:12. > :04:14.so it is a fantastic place to come this weekend.
:04:15. > :04:17.The Easter Boat Gathering is on until bank holiday Monday.
:04:18. > :04:25.Deena Campbell, BBC North West Tonight, Ellesmere Port.
:04:26. > :04:31.The big question is will the weather gets better?
:04:32. > :04:39.It is not looking warm at all. Good evening. It will not be a warmer
:04:40. > :04:43.ankle at a weekend. It will feel much colder this weekend because we
:04:44. > :04:50.have the wind blowing in from the Arctic. Saturday looks better. We
:04:51. > :04:56.will seem a non-Sunday. For tonight, it should be mostly dry. There is a
:04:57. > :05:02.lot of cloud around. Temperatures down to three, four Celsius. It will
:05:03. > :05:06.be bright tomorrow, we're expecting sunny spells, isolated showers
:05:07. > :05:11.through the afternoon, a lot of cloud of bubbling all. A breezy
:05:12. > :05:16.afternoon, ten, 11 Celsius. Clear skies tomorrow night. It will be a
:05:17. > :05:18.cold night. Tomorrow, it will look like it will be a wet one on Sunday,
:05:19. > :05:25.but Easter Monday could be drier. That is it from us. We will be back
:05:26. > :05:35.tomorrow. The political power base across
:05:36. > :05:41.Greater Manchester is shifting. For years we have been saying
:05:42. > :05:44.in the north west London Who do you want to put in charge
:05:45. > :05:49.on the fourth of May? Someone who understands Manchester
:05:50. > :05:51.and sees the opportunity this city If we blow it, we will regret
:05:52. > :05:55.it for a generation. A BBC North West
:05:56. > :05:58.special on the Greater