The rockstar saw his chance and he took it, when greeting the monarch at a charity event earlier this week. 

They were all gathered at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the King's Trust, along with the likes of TV presenters Ant and Dec, pop stars Rita Ora, Anne-Marie, and Craig David, as well as Jools Holland. 

Benedict Cumberbatch, Sir Idris Elba, and George Clooney were all there too. King Charles and Queen Camilla recently spent four days over in the US, hosted by Donald and Melania Trump. According to Sky News, Stewart couldn't resist making a quip, congratulating King Charles: "May I say, well done in the Americas. You were superb, absolutely superb."

He'd been cast in a production called Brighton Beach Memoirs alongside Rochelle 'Rocky' Parker, who played his auntie. Dempsey was just 18 years old at the time, and he'd set his sights on a large-scale career in showbiz, while Parker worked as a part-time actress, part-time stage coach. She was also a 44-year-old mother-of-three when they first met. 

Despite playing family in the production, the palpable chemistry they struck up reportedly continued long after the audience had left the theatre, and the pair embarked on a passionate love affair.

Dempsey was just 18 when they met (Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images) The couple dated for three years - during which Dempsey hired Parker as his official manager, and reportedly forged a close friendship with Parker's son, Corey - and in 1991, they tied the knot. The future Grey's Anatomy star was 21 when he and Parker, 48, exchanged vows. 

According to reports, their marriage was kept a secret for several years in a bid to avoid criticism over their 26-year age-gap. While working together professionally, Dempsey landed his first major feature film role in the wartime blockbuster In The Mood, subsequently going on to land the lead in coming-of-age hit, Loverboy. 

Within years, he'd become an established Hollywood name in TV and film, appearing in Sweet Home Alabama, Iron Jawed Angels, and Scream. By 1994, however, his relationship with Parker was said to have taken a dark turn, with Parker filing for divorce, citing 'irreconcilable differences'. The couple were born 26 years apart (Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images) The rumour mill alleged they'd butted heads professionally, while Hollywood gossip suggested infidelity one one of their parts, neither of which have ever been confirmed. During the proceedings, Parker claimed Dempsey had assaulted her on the set of the 1987 movie, Can't Buy Me Love. She later retracted this allegation, however, claiming she'd been 'advised to make' them by her legal representatives. 

Only on a handful of occasions has the actor addressed his first marriage, which he described during a 2006 interview with Barbara Walters as a 'Freudian nightmare that is public knowledge'. He continued: "I think I needed a mother. There were a lot of negative things that I'm still undoing from it. She had a son one year older than me." 

Three years after the pair's divorce, Dempsey married make-up artist Jillian Fink, going on to father three children with her.

Dempsey later remarried (James Gourley/Stringer/via Getty) Though they later planned to divorce amid some marital tensions, the couple stuck with it and have been together ever since. In 2014, Parker died of lung and throat cancer at just 74. 

Over on her TikTok page, the Kylie Cosmetics founder shared a backdated video of her doing make-up on a private flight as she gets ready for a date night with her BF of three years. "Get ready with me for date night in New York," the 28-year-old said in the clip captioned 'drafts'. 

"I got my hair done quickly before I left, and now I'm gonna do my makeup because when I land, it'll be, like, 7:30am. "I got a spray tan last night, and I feel didn't like it was dark enough so I got another spray tan before I left. 

"So I have to shower. I've been doing my makeup and then I have to shower. This is a new Kylie Cosmetics primer that I've actually had forever and ever." Kylie Jenner has faced some backlash over her video (TikTok/@kyliejenner) She then explained that 'this trip was very last minute' and that she's 'literally going for, like, 24 hours'. "We're in New York for a day. I can't believe I did this. I'm so excited," Kylie added. 

The post was met with some backlash in the comments, as one person wrote: "Does anyone else feel like this is too much? Taking a private plane to visit a city for less than 24 hours to go on a date? "I thought we cared about the climate, but yet everyone is cheering in the comments."

Some users suggested that the celebrity should have kept the video in her 'drafts' (TikTok/@kyliejenner) Another penned: "Anyways, everyone remember to use your paper straws and carpool whenever you can." While a third added: "Another day where a billionaire makes choices only caring about themselves not the environment or other people living in the same planet." 

"The turbulence always hits when I’m doing my mascara," someone else wrote. Not everyone was against her decision, however, as others thought it was unfair to blame one celebrity on the state of the planet. Kylie has been pictured courtside with her boyfriend in New York (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) "You may have a point. However, the amount of corporations that cause much much much more damage to our climate and nobody say anything about them or boycott them," one person said. 

"I completely agree that corporations are a HUGE part of the problem. People are definitely talking about that as well and boycotting those businesses," another added. Make-up company Maybelline also commented on the post: "24h in NYC has never looked this good."

Three people have died following a hantavirus outbreak onboard a Dutch cruise ship that set sail from Argentina on April 1. 

There's since been another five confirmed cases of the virus in connection to those onboard MV Hondius. Typically hantavirus is linked to rodents but it's believed that this strain, the Andes virus, could be because of person-to-person transmission. 

Today (May 10), the remaining passengers onboard the cruise ship are being evacuated in Tenerife. The Spanish authorities will begin evacuations of the ship by nationality. There's said to be 17 Americans onboard. Once everyone is off the ship, there's expected to be six repatriation flights to elsewhere in the European Union and four non-EU flights.

MV Hondius anchored near the port of Granadilla in Tenerife in the early hours of this morning (Europa Press Canarias via Getty Images) If people test negative and are not displaying symptoms, they will be taken straight to a chartered repatriation flight staffed by medical professionals and containing personal protective equipment such as face masks. 

As the passengers prepare to exit the vessel, the first person who died from the virus on the ship has been named as 70-year-old Dutch national, Leo Schilperoord. Schilperoord was a ornithologist who had been traveling around South America with his wife, Mirjam Schilperoord. Sadly Mirjam has since died from the virus as well. 

How did they contract the virus? Leo Schilperoord has been identified as 'patient zero' (Facebook) The Dutch couple are said to have been keen bird-watchers and has visited a rat-infested Argentina landfill in late March in the hopes of capturing a glimpse at rare species of Patagonian birds, including the White-bellied Seedsnipe. 

Supposedly the landfill, located four miles outside the city of Ushuaia, is popular with bird-watchers with this in mind. But Gastón Bretti, a photographer and local guide, warned that this particular site is 'a mountain of waste that today far exceeds the limit initially established by the authorities', he told Ansa Latina. 

It's thought that his landfill is home to long-tailed pygmy rice rats, which are known to carry the Andes strain of hantavirus. It's here that the authorities think the Schilperoords inhaled particles from the feces of these rats, the New York Post reports. They boarded the MV Hondius just a few days after visiting the landfill. The Argentinian landfill is reportedly a popular bird-watching spot (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The symptoms of the Andes strain of hantavirus and how it spreads 

The Andes strain of hantavirus is very rare. Microbiologist Dr Gustavo Palacios told CNN there have only ever been 3,000 known cases. It is the only documented form of hantavirus with human-to-human transmission. One study showed that window for patients to be infectious was about a day, when they develop a fever. But they also found it was transmissible through only brief proximity to an infected person. 

Andes virus (ANDV) is primarily found in South America and has a high fatality rate, between 20 and 40 percent. It can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which attacks the lungs. Symptoms start one to eight weeks after infection and the first signs can include: 

• Fatigue 
• Fever 
• Muscles aches 
• Headaches 
• Dizziness 
• Chills 
• Nausea and vomiting 
• Diarrhoea 

Later symptoms include: 

The 22-foot statue is a little on the nose, literally placing golden Trump on a pedestal with his fist in the air, reminiscent of the infamous picture captured during his attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

It was unveiled at a dedication on Wednesday by Mark Burns from 'Pastors for Trump', with the statue overlooking the president's own golf course in Florida. Sharing his shiny new likeness, President Trump said this week: "The Real Deal – GOLD – At Doral in Miami. Put there by great American Patriots!!!"

But the religious parallels of holy men raising up a golden statue and showering it with idolatry is, well, so obvious that even Pastor Burns had to address it as criticism rolled in. “Let me be clear: this is not a golden calf,” he said.

Other statues of Trump have been put up but for satirical reasons, like this of the president and former associate Jeffrey Epstein (Heather Diehl/Getty Images) The pastor continued: “This statue is a celebration of life. It is a symbol of resilience, freedom, patriotism, strength, and the will power to keep fighting for the future of America.” 

But even if the statue is no 'golden calf', a reference to the story from Exodus where the Israelites begin worshipping a golden statue of a cow while Moses goes to Mount Sinai to be handed the Ten Commandments, there are plenty of other biblical reasons to not erect a giant statue. 

There is also the story of King Nebuchadnezzar from Daniel 3, who builds an equally massive statue and instructs the people of Babylon to bow down before it, but is shown the error of his ways by three holy men who refuse to worship a false idol. 

This is all to say that, most, men of the book would be extremely hesitant to raise up a golden statue to a country's leader, which many pointed out when the statue was revealed. But one holy man who lined up to defend it was ridiculed for his defense of the statue, with MAGA pastor Robert Jeffress saying: "It looks like President Trump has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about the role of government than the Pope has."

   

Q: What’s your favorite Bible verse?

Trump: I wouldn't want to get into it because to me that's very personal. You know, when I talk about the Bible it's very personal.

Q: Are you an Old Testament guy or a New Testament guy?

Trump: Uh, probably equal. think it’s just an… https://t.co/3NDmc5lRmd pic.twitter.com/JlqcQkzfnq

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) May 9, 2026

This claim from a holy man, which is fairly easy to disprove, was blasted as 'stupid' by many, with other saying it was proof that the president's supporters were a cult. One infuriated social media user responded: "This Pastor must be absolutely stupid to make a statement like that. Its because of him and Christians like him that we have the worst disruptor of world peace in the White House." 

While Pope Leo XIV has spent literal decades studying the Old and New Testaments, as well as centuries of Catholic doctrine and debate on the meaning of the text, in one interview, Trump could not even name a favorite Bible passage. 

When asked, he responded: I wouldn't want to get into it because to me that's very personal. You know, when I talk about the Bible it's very personal." Then, when the interviewer made it more simple and asked half of the Bible he preferred, Trump unconvincingly said: "Uh, probably equal. think it’s just an incredible….the whole Bible is an incredible."

Ruhi Çenet found himself hit with a huge backlash from the public after photos of him attending the wedding which took place on May 3 began to circulate online, reports Türkiye Today. This is the the very same day that the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that it was investigating an outbreak on the ship. 

Addressing the situation in an Instagram post on Friday, Çenet explained: “On the date I attended the wedding, the Hantavirus epidemic was not announced by the World Health Organization,” 

He has since been quarantined ‘just in case’ as a precautionary measure, but has not shown any symptoms of the disease. Cenet, 35, boarded the cruise on April 1 in Ushuaia, Argentina. Hantavirus has been confirmed as the cause of death for three passengers Initially things got off to a good start, until the Captain of the ship announced the death of a 70 year old Dutch passenger on April 11 that was attributed to ‘natural causes.’ 

According to Çenet the Captain then went on to make an announcement the following day, which he claims stated: “Whatever health issues he was struggling with, I'm told by the doctor, were not infectious, so the ship is safe when it comes to that.” 

In a video clip, supplied to NBC News, the message continued: "The ship is safe. This gentleman, unfortunately, succumbed to natural causes. And like I say, we do what we can in order to continue in a safe and dignified way.” As a result, the cruise passengers were ‘not well informed,’ Çenet told the outlet, adding, "It's very scary because it was nothing that we were ready for.” The influencer was on board the Cruise ship MV Hondius when the first person died. (AFP via Getty Images) For the remaining days on board the cruise, Çenet self-isolated alongside his cameraman, but revealed that the ship operated normally for a full 12 days, allowing passengers to mix onboard the ship for meals and without any need for masking or distancing. 

The deceased passenger was removed from the ship on April 24, the same day that Çenet left the ship at St.Helena. "I wish we did not land there after the first casualty, because along with us, there were a hundred more passengers, and they were interacting with the islanders," Çenet told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"This is one of my regrets, because the island is the most remote one, and they don't have enough medical centres, enough doctors.” Just two days later, the deceased passenger’s wife, a 69 year old Dutch woman boarded a flight to South Africa, but sadly also succumbed to the illness and died on April 26. Çenet was also on board this flight. 

As of Friday, May 8, there are currently eight suspected cases, including three deaths. Six of these cases have been’"laboratory-confirmed as hantavirus infections, with all identified as Andes virus (ANDV),’ according to WHO.

Horner, 34, was sentenced to death earlier this week for kidnapping and killing Athena in November 2022. The child was taken from her home near Fort Worth, Texas, on the day the former FedEx driver delivered a Christmas gift to her home. 

Athena's body was found two days later not far from where she lived, with Horner later arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping and capital murder, which he pleaded guilty to in court. After being placed on death row by a Texas court earlier this week, Horner will now spend his final years at the Polunsky Unit, known as one of the most brutal death row prisons in the country. 

Prisoners awaiting execution are kept segregated and are said to spend up to 22 hours a day confined to their cells, which are just 60 square-foot wide. Tanner Horner was sentenced to death earlier this week (Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images) Horner's cell will be furnished with just a metal bunk bed and thin mattress, while a metal desk, toilet and sink will sit just feet away from where he will sleep. 

The killer will eat all of his meals in the cell and will be limited to having a pen and paper to write with. He will not have access to entertainment found in other prisons, instead just being given reading materials to study. 

As the Polunsky Unit is one of the most dangerous prisons in the US filled by many murderers, staff conduct regular surveillance, which continues throughout the night. Because of this, inmates are unable to get regular and continuous sleep. 

Horner will be let out of his cell for around an hour of exercise per day, but even that is conducted in a cage in the outdoors to ensure inmates do not mix. Conditions at the prison have been described as 'inhumane' and 'torture' by advocacy group SolitaryWatch. The prison is one of America's most brutal (United States States District Court Southern District of Texas Houston Division) Yancy Escobar, the wife of inmate Juan Balderas, who has been on death row for 11 years, told Telemundo Houston last month: "He lives there in a small cell for 24 hours. 

"Suddenly, they take him out to shower two, three times a week. The only time you can leave that cell is when you go to shower, and they take you in handcuffs. They put you in there, take off the handcuffs, you shower for 15 minutes, and they take you back to your cell." 

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico. 

If you have experienced a child bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.

The unnamed man had returned from a trip to South America with his wife and received an email from the ship's operator informing him of the ongoing outbreak. After noticing symptoms himself, he was immediately placed in quarantine and is now receiving care at the University Hospital Zurich (USZ).

His wife is self-isolating too, though she isn't showing any symptoms. Switzerland's Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) said it 'considers the occurrence of further cases in Switzerland unlikely' and 'the risk to the public in Switzerland is low'. 

That said, contact tracing is underway, while separately, the World Health Organisation is trying to track down more than 80 passengers and six crew who shared a flight with a Dutchwoman from the MV Hondius who tested positive for hantavirus and sadly died. Meanwhile, around 150 passengers are stuck on the MV Hondius, left in limbo after Cape Verde and then Tenerife refused to allow the ship to dock. The ship was sailing from Argentina to Cape Verde (AP Photo/Misper Apawu) The strain of hantavirus involved in the outbreak, which affects the lungs and heart, has a 20 to 40 percent fatality rate, with the WHO calling it 'a disease of major public health concern'. 

The health body said: "In line with the International Health Regulations (IHR), WHO is working with relevant countries to support international contact tracing, to ensure that those potentially exposed are monitored and that any further disease spread is limited. 

"The outbreak has caused growing concern because the virus can stay hidden in the body for up to eight weeks before symptoms appear." Health experts are especially worried because the virus may be spreading from person to person — something that is rare for hantavirus. Hantavirus is typically a group of viruses carried by mice and rats, and is transmitted by their droppings and urine. 

Three deaths linked to hantavirus outbreak The latest updates on the hantavirus outbreak (LADbible/Getty Stock Images) The WHO said at least five people connected to the cruise have become sick and three have died. Experts believe the outbreak may involve the Andes strain of hantavirus, a rare version that can spread between humans and has a death rate of around 40 percent. 

 

The ship arrived in waters off Cape Verde on 3 May, with a number of British nationals on board. Today (6 May), three suspected hantavirus patients were medically evacuated from the cruise ship to receive medical care in the Netherlands. 

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said on X: “WHO continues to work with the ship’s operators to closely monitor the health of passengers and crew, working with countries to support appropriate medical follow-up and evacuation where needed. 

“Monitoring and follow-up for passengers on board and for those who have already disembarked has been initiated in collaboration with the ship’s operators and national health authorities. “At this stage, the overall public health risk remains low.” 

Spreading from person to person Three deaths have been reported in connection with the hantavirus outbreak (AP Photo/Misper Apawu) Andes virus, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “With this particular hantavirus, the Andes virus, it is known very rarely to spread between people with close contact, usually symptomatic individuals who are in close contact with each other. 

“That’s important because it means it is very easy to isolate people who are unwell and to follow sort of quarantine and so on to avoid spread to other people. “It’s not like the situation we had with Covid-19 in the pandemic where people could spread even without symptoms, and therefore it was able to spread very easily in the population.” 

He added: “I think the risk is essentially zero of spread outside of this particular outbreak, because the authorities have recognised this and they know exactly what to do to make sure that the individuals are isolated and there’s no-one with transmission now that we know what we’re dealing with.” 

The symptoms of hantavirus Hantavrius can have serious health consequences (Getty Stock Images) Hantavirus can cause two life-threatening syndromes, according to the WHO: hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) and haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). 

The early symptoms of HCPS, which attacks the lungs, start one to eight weeks after infection, and include: 

• Fatigue 
• Fever 
• Muscles aches 
• Headaches 
• Dizziness 
• Chills 
• Nausea and vomiting 
• Diarrhoea 

Later symptoms include: 

• Coughing 
• Shortness of breath 
• Tightness in the chest 

Early symptoms of HFRS, which affects the kidneys, start one to two weeks after infection, and include: 

• Intense headaches 
• Back pain 
• Abdominal pain 
• Fever/chills 
• Nausea 
• Blurred vision 

Later symptoms include: 

Former actress Ana Obregon caused an international scandal when she used her dead son's frozen sperm and a surrogate to welcome her granddaughter Anita Sandra into the world in 2023, two years after her son's death from cancer. 

Then 68, Obregon shocked people in Spain when images emerged of her leaving a hospital in the US with a newborn in tow, especially as surrogacy is illegal in her homeland. With a torrent of questions pouring in, she confirmed her baby had been conceived with an egg donor.

Compounding the insanity of Obregon's story, her new daughter-granddaughter is technically a royal, as the father of her deceased son was the former Spanish King Juan Carlos, Alessandro Lecquio's nephew. Ana Obregon's son Aless died of cancer in 2021 (Instagram/@ana_obregon_oficial) "The girl isn't my daughter, she's my granddaughter. It was Aless' last wish to bring a child into the world," Obregon said at the time to ¡Hola! Magazine. 

In the three years since, the socialite has kept a low profile and focused on raising her and her son's daughter, but has shared a rare update on life as a mother at 71 to mark her country's Mother's Day. 

Speaking to her 1.3 million Instagram followers, the 71-year-old shared two pictures of her with daughter-grandaughter Anita and shared how the national holiday had become bittersweet. 

Translated from Spanish, she said: "Mother's Day hurts. My heart goes out to all the mothers who have their angels in heaven. Those who swallow their tears with a smile to survive. "I need to tell you that love is the greatest force that exists, that we should try to feel their love from wherever they are. I need to tell you that we will be their mothers forever."

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She continued: "Happy Mother's Day to the mothers who are lucky enough to have their children on earth, who can hug them, talk to them, smell them. Don't let a single day go by without telling them how much you love them. 

"Collect countless moments with them, because that's the only thing that truly matters in this life. The greatest pride and privilege is being a mother (at least for me). "Now I am a grandmother-mother to an angel who illuminates every second of my darkness. Blessed are all the mothers on earth and those who gave us life and are in heaven." 

Last year, the Daily Mail reports Obregon shared further insight into her life as a septuagenarian mom, which is now 'full of stuffed animals and toys' after welcoming her son's daughter into the world. She also admitted that it was becoming harder to pick her toddler up due to the pain it causes her back, while sharing her continued pain at losing her son Aless. 

Obregon said: "We live our whole lives saying that we are eternal and nothing happens here. Suddenly, one day they tell you at 25 years old that you have an aggressive cancer."

The A-list couple took to Instagram to announce the birth of their baby boy, as fans rushed to the comments with well-wishes. 

"Cameron and I are happy, excited, and feeling so BLESSED to announce the birth of our third child, Nautas Madden," singer Madden wrote. 

The star added: "Welcome to the world Son!! We love life with our family - our kids are healthy & happy, and we are grateful!!!" The celebrity couple announced the birth of their third child. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for REFORM Alliance) "Having a blast," the star added, "Sending all our best wishes - the Madden Family." Actress Diaz also commented a series of love heart emojis underneath the post. Instead of sharing a snap of the baby, the couple, who also share daughter Raddix, born December 2019 and son Cardinal, born March 2024, posted a graphic with an explanation of the unique name. 

The family revealed that the unique name, Nautas, means 'sailor, navigator, voyager, one who embarks on a journey and fears not the unknown'. Prior to his arrival, the couple did not announce that they were expecting a third child. 

Reports have previously claimed that the couple welcomed their children through surrogacy, though neither Madden nor Diaz have publicly confirmed this. One fan wrote: "Congratulations beautiful family!!!!" 

As another said: "Many blessings to you!!! May he always have lots of health and grow up to be a boy full of light and joy." Diaz previously opened up about motherhood in an interview on the Kelly Clarkson Show in 2022, where she spoke about the 'challenges' of raising a toddler.

   

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A post shared by Benji Madden (@benjaminmadden)

"My job is to just help her find the words to her emotions, her experience, what she’s going through, be able to help her identify that and then move through it," the Charlie's Angels star said. 

The baby news comes just months after Diaz recently made a return to the spotlight after taking almost a decade-long break from acting, for the dark comedy Outcome, starring alongside Keanu Reeves. Diaz described the break as a way to 'reclaim' her life and to focus on her family, after being thrust into the spotlight in the 90s. 

Eugenie, the daughter of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, had taken a six-month break on Instagram, returning to celebrate her husband's milestone 40th birthday yesterday (3 May). 

The retail giant is rolling back the once-popular machines in a major rethink of how people shop, with some locations ditching them altogether. Its latest move saw self-checkouts removed from a South Philadelphia location, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

A company spokesperson told the outlet the change is focused on improving customer service, saying it will help shorten lines and boost efficiency. But it comes as Walmart pushes ahead with plans to remodel more than 650 stores - but instead of doubling down on self-service, it’s bringing back more staffed checkouts. 

So, what’s behind the shift? Retailers say self-checkouts have become a major problem when it comes to theft. From items being deliberately skipped to “accidental” mis-scans, losses have reportedly been increasing, forcing stores to rethink whether the tech is worth it. 

Rising thefts in stores A 2025 LendingTree survey found 27% of shoppers admitted to deliberately stealing at self-checkout, while 36% said they’d done so accidentally. Separate industry data suggests losses at self-checkouts can reach up to 4% of transactions - compared to around 0.2% at staffed tills, highlighting the growing risk for retailers. 

 

A 2025 report from the National Retail Federation found total retail shrink hit $90 billion, with theft remaining a major driver of losses across US stores. Data from retail analytics company Everseen shows skip-scanning - where items aren’t properly scanned - is one of the most common forms of self-checkout theft, costing retailers billions each year. An industry analysis cited by retail security firm Solink found self-checkout loss rates can be up to 16 times higher than manned checkouts in some cases. Only the self-checkouts were affected. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Self-checkout plagued by issues 

And Walmart isn’t alone. Target, Costco and Dollar General are also scaling things back, introducing stricter rules or removing machines entirely in some locations. In many cases, customers are now being limited to around 10 to 15 items at self-checkout, while more staff are being brought in to monitor the area. 

For shoppers, the experience hasn’t exactly been seamless either. Glitches, rescans and long lines have turned what was meant to be a faster option into a frustrating one. At the same time, lawmakers are starting to step in. 

New state laws 

Across the US, several states are considering - or already introducing - new rules to crack down on self-checkout misuse, particularly as retail theft continues to climb. That includes everything from item limits to stricter staffing requirements, with some proposals aiming to make it harder for shoppers to misuse the systems in the first place. 

Despite the pullback, self-checkout isn’t disappearing completely. Walmart is still investing in alternatives like Scan & Go tech, while also improving in-store layouts as part of its wider overhaul. Changes in store have been around for awhile though, and haven't been making a dent in thefts. Now the law is getting involved. 

Lawmakers in states including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington are looking at introducing rules around self-checkouts - including limits on item numbers, minimum staffing requirements and a set balance between staffed and self-service lanes, according to USA Today. Whether more laws come in or not, the message is clear: self-checkouts as we know them is on the way out, as to what replaces them? That remains to be seen. 

FACTCHECK: New self-checkout rules being considered in the US 

Self-checkout has been an issue for years, with tricks and hacks all over TikTok showing people things like the 'banana trick' and 'passaround' - and no, we're not telling you them.  The latest saw a TikToker swipe a pen, and 'leave' with a stove. While it seems this was just for likes, it raises the question on what exactly are the self-checkout rules attempting to cut down the bad behavior.

In fact, health experts believe that people over the age of 70 should avoid daily showers, and the reasons are various.