Russian art exhibit 'to go ahead' ...
Government to support Czech film with 100 million crowns ... Liverpool is preparing to twist and shout about its Capital of Culture title with acrobats and a former Beatle at the official opening.
The People's Opening event will take place in front and on top of St George's Hall in the city centre.
It kicks off a year-long programme of more than 350 events, which are set to attract an extra two million visitors and boost the economy by Ј100m.
The ceremony starts at 2008 GMT and is expected to attract 30,000 people.
More than 600 performers will take to the stage during the event.
The show's centrepiece will be a rooftop performance by Ringo Starr who will be premiering a new song.
Former Eurythmics frontman Dave Stewart and The Wombats will also be taking centre stage at the proceedings.
Clare McColgan, executive producer for the Liverpool Culture Company, said the opening show "will be something the city has never seen".
"It involves some big names, it has the wow factor.
"Liverpool has been through a massive change in the last five years so we have taken that as the artistic theme, so the show includes lots of cranes, aerial performances and pyrotechnics."
Director Nigel Jamieson, responsible for the opening ceremony for the Sydney Olympic Games, and Jayne Casey, co-founder of Liverpool super club Cream, will be in control of the show.
It has taken more than 100 tonnes of staging, 2.5 miles (4km) of fibre optic cabling and 250 people more than 40,000 hours to set up.
Two 40ft (12m) screens have been erected to relay proceedings to what is expected to be a huge crowd on Lime Street.
It is thought the show will last about 40 minutes although there will be events during the day building up to the main event.
Despite earlier criticism, Phil Redmond, Brookside creator and deputy chairman of the Culture Company said he was sure it would go to plan: "It's like a scouse wedding - a lot of rowing but it gets there in the end."
On Saturday the new Echo Arena will play host to a musical extravaganza which will showcase some of the most famous names in Merseyside music.
Ringo Starr, Echo and The Bunnymen, The Farm, Riuven, The Wombats, Pete Wylie, Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will take centre stage alongside community choirs and gospel groups in the "once in a lifetime show".
At a press conference the former Fab Four drummer said he was proud to be a part of the celebrations.
"I'm from Liverpool, I do feel that - it's in my soul.
"It has changed so much over the years but the atmosphere of the city doesn't change - it's still here."
Liverpool's art galleries and museums will also be open to visitors until 2200 GMT.
Experts at the North West Development Agency have predicted that the year-long title and other planned events could net Ј50m from tourists.
They also expect the same amount again to be generated on Merseyside.
Peter Mearns, executive director of marketing at the NWDA, said: "As the celebrations get under way for Capital of Culture the eyes of the world will be on England's North West and it is critical that we seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show the world exactly what we have to offer here."
(BBC)
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