The new Co-op Live in Manchester has been hit by further problems before it’s even fully opened – with tonight’s gig cancelled and two events this weekend postponed.

Concertgoers were supposed to have been allowed into the arena at 6.30pm tonight and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was due to perform at 8pm, according to the venue’s website.

However, a post on the venue’s social media at 6.40pm told fans the gig had been cancelled, after fans had started to gather.

Those planning to go to Olivia Rodrigo‘s dates at the arena this weekend immediately shared concerns over whether they would go ahead and, within hours, their fears were confirmed.

“Due to an ongoing venue-related technical issue, the scheduled performances of Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour on May 3 and 4 May are being postponed,” the venue said in a statement on X.

“Ticket holders can either hold onto their tickets or obtain a refund at point of purchase.”

Her Co-op Live gigs were two of the 10 UK dates on her European and US tour. The new dates are yet to be announced.

In an Instagram post after A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s last-minute cancellation, the US rapper said issues were down to “something [that] happened with the venue while I was at soundcheck”.

More from Sky News:
Brit missing after ‘jumping off Prague party boat’
Man charged with murder of boy, 14, in Hainault.

“We are working on rescheduling in the next few days,” he added. “I’m heated about the situation too, but safety first.

“Manchester, I got you. Just stay tuned for further info.”

Co-op Live bosses had sought to reassure fans that tonight’s show would go ahead and shared instructions for attendees just hours before the cancellation.

With a capacity of 23,500, the Co-op Live will be the UK’s largest arena when it’s fully open and was built at an estimated cost of £365m.

Headaches for the venue became clear last month when the capacity at a test event was reduced with just hours’ notice.

Rick Astley had been due to perform to 11,000 arena workers and VIPs on 21 April but at the last minute, thousands of people saw their tickets cancelled.

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

The venue was due to fully open with Peter Kay stand-up shows on 23 and 24 April, but these dates were pushed back too amid behind-schedule tests and safety concerns.

Kay’s fans were initially told the shows would take place just days later – but they were then postponed again, for a month’s time.

US rock duo The Black Keys were among the acts due to take to the stage during Co-op Live’s opening week. Their gig was previously pushed back to 15 May.

Co-op Live’s general manager Gary Roden announced his resignation last week following the initial setbacks.

US prosecutors plan to retry Harvey Weinstein after his 2020 conviction for rape was overturned in New York.

The disgraced movie mogul, who has been in jail for four years, appeared in a Manhattan court on Wednesday for the first time since that conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week.

A retrial could happen as soon as September.

“We believe in this case and will be retrying this case,” prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said.

In April, the state’s highest court ruled that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial – finding the hearing was prejudiced by “egregious” improper rulings by the judge, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that were not part of the case.

Just days after the landmark #MeToo ruling was overturned, he was taken to hospital, with his lawyer Arthur Aidala describing him as “somewhat of a train wreck health-wise” but still “sharp as a tack” mentally.

Weinstein, 72, has had cardiac issues, diabetes, sleep apnoea and eye problems for some time, and was “in constant pain”, Mr Aidala said.

He entered court in a wheelchair pushed by a court officer for the preliminary hearing on Wednesday.

Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006 and raping former aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 following the landmark 2020 trial in New York.

He remains behind bars as he was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for that crime, and is also appealing against this conviction.

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

Ms Blumberg told the judge that Ms Mann, who was in court, is prepared to testify again and has said she wants everyone to know that the defendant “may have power” but “she has the truth”.

Ms Haley’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, told reporters that her client has not decided whether she will give evidence a second time, as she found the experience traumatising and painful. She was not in court, Ms Allred said.

Read more: Harvey Weinstein – The fall of the king of Hollywood

Once considered the most powerful man in Hollywood, the first allegations against Weinstein emerged in 2017.

Dozens of women came forward claiming he bullied, pressured, coerced, or overpowered them while demanding sexual favours.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, and Lupita Nyong’o all accused him of sexual harassment, while actresses Asia Argento and Rose McGowan were among others who accused him of rape.

They are among more than 80 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.

He was also accused of reaching settlements to keep the stories quiet.

Weinstein has admitted his behaviour “caused a lot of pain”, but has maintained his innocence throughout, saying any sexual activity was consensual.

Hollywood star Melissa McCarthy has responded by saying, “I win the day”, after Barbra Streisand was criticised for asking her if she had taken a weight-loss drug.

Bridesmaids star McCarthy had posted an image of herself on Instagram at a charity gala alongside US director Adam Shankman on Monday.

Streisand, the legendary singer and actress, replied in a comment below: “Give him my regards, did you take Ozempic?”

The drug can only be prescribed for patients with Type 2 diabetes and is not licensed as a weight-loss treatment in the UK or US.

Streisand posted an apology on X for her original comment which was swiftly deleted after it sparked a backlash online.

In a short video shared on Instagram, hours after the apology, McCarthy said: “The takeaway: Barbra Streisand knows I exist, she reached out to me and she thought I looked good. I win the day.”

McCarthy was holding up a magazine with Streisand on the cover in the video, which was filmed at the premiere of the new Netflix movie Unfrosted, in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The 53-year-old will appear in the film alongside Jerry Seinfield and Hugh Grant when it is released this month.

McCarthy was earlier asked by a photographer in Los Angeles what she thought of Streisand’s comments and replied: “I think Barbra is a treasure, and I love her.”

‘I forgot the world is reading’

Streisand, 82, had said in her apology earlier on Tuesday: “I went on Instagram to see the photos we’d posted of the beautiful flowers I’d received for my birthday.

“Below them was a photo of my friend Melissa McCarthy, who I sang with on my Encore album.

“She looked fantastic! I just wanted to pay her a compliment, I forgot the world is reading!”

Read more entertainment news
College offers Taylor Swift course
Line of Duty actor dies suddenly
Depardieu to face sexual assault trial

In response to Streisand’s original comment referring to Ozempic, one social media user wrote: “Omg somebody please teach Barbra Streisand how to send a DM.”

Another wrote: “Omg…this comment from Barbra Streisand. Yes, it’s real, but she’s deleted it.”

Ozempic works by suppressing the appetite and lengthens the amount of time food stays in the stomach, leading to weight loss – at least for as long as you carry on taking it.

It has been banned as a treatment for obesity in the UK due to high demand for the drug causing a global shortage.

Numerous Hollywood stars are rumoured to have used Ozempic to lose weight – but just a handful of celebrities have admitted it publicly.

Stephen Fry was prescribed the drug in the US “years ago” and said earlier this year that side effects included vomiting up to five times a day.

Oprah Winfrey has said she has also taken weight-loss drugs, though she’s declined to specify which ones.