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An Israeli air strike early Sunday heavily damaged one of the few functioning hospitals in Gaza, as the Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas 'command and control centre'

"Can you help me take down the Texas lottery?" That's what a London banker-turned-bookmaker asked "acquaintances" in 2023, reports the Wall Street Journal. The plan was to buy "nearly every possible number in a coming drawing" — purchasing $1 tickets for 25.8 million possible combinations, since "The jackpot was heading to $95 million. If nobody else also picked the winning numbers, the profit would be nearly $60 million." Marantelli flew to the U.S. with a few trusted lieutenants. They set up shop in a defunct dentist's office, a warehouse and two other spots in Texas. The crew worked out a way to get official ticket-printing terminals. Trucks hauled in dozens of them and reams of paper... [Then Texas announced no winner in an earlier lottery, rolling its jackpot into another drawing three days later.] The machines — manned by a disparate bunch of associates and some of their children — screeched away nearly around the clock, spitting out 100 or more tickets every second. Texas politicians later likened the operation to a sweatshop. Trying to pull off the gambit required deep pockets and a knack for staying under the radar — both hallmarks of the secretive Tasmanian gambler who bankrolled the operation. Born Zeljko Ranogajec, he was nicknamed "the Joker" for his ability to pull off capers at far-flung casinos and racetracks. Adding to his mystique, he changed his name to John Wilson several decades ago. Among some associates, though, he still goes by Zeljko, or Z. Over the years, Ranogajec and his partners have won hundreds of millions of dollars by applying Wall Street-style analytics to betting opportunities around the world. Like card counters at a blackjack table, they use data and math to hunt for situations ripe for flipping the house edge in their favor. Then they throw piles of money at it, betting an estimated $10 billion annually. The Texas lottery play, one of their most ambitious operations ever, paid off spectacularly with a $57.8 million jackpot win. That, in turn, spilled their activities into public view and sparked a Texas-size uproar about whether other lotto players — and indeed the entire state — had been hoodwinked. Early this month, the state's lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, called the crew's win "the biggest theft from the people of Texas in the history of Texas." In response to written questions addressed to Marantelli and Ranogajec, Glenn Gelband, a New Jersey lawyer who represents the limited partnership that claimed the Texas prize, said "all applicable laws, rules and regulations were followed...." Lottery officials and state lawmakers have taken steps to prevent a repeat. The article also looks at a group of Princeton University graduates calling themselves Black Swan Capital that's "won millions in recent years" by targetting state lottery drawings with unusually favorable odds. "State lottery directors say they are seeing more organized efforts to buy lottery tickets in bulk," according to the article, "but that the groups are largely operating legally and transparently..."

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Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump is not afraid to escalate threats against a key US adversary by involving the Department of Defense if the country attempts to obtain nuclear weapons.

MasterChef star Graham Hornigold was blindsided by his estranged mother Dionne, who features in Netflix's Con Mum, after she revealed she had terminal cancer - but it was all just a terrible lie.

MailOnline takes a look at the weirdest, wackiest and worst homes to have ever hit the market, from a property with prison cells in its basement to a home designed to look like a Wetherspoon pub.

The Hollywood actor, 72, was thrown out of the ITV house after an altercation with Love Island's Chris Hughes , which saw him explode into an obscene rant.

Rhian Butlin, 32, who had been suffering from 'excruciating' pain, underwent a hysterectomy and also had the lining of her bowel and appendix taken out during major surgery in December.

Jamaican reggae legend Max Romeo has died aged 80.

The brand new documentary is set to be broadcast later this month

Russia staged a barbaric new double Iskander-M missile strike on Ukraine today hitting a trolley bus, killing at least 21 people and leaving 83 injured. 

Up to 100 horse carts were causing 'mayhem' as they sped through towns and villages causing motorists to swerve out of the way and screeching to a halt.

The errors could have hampered the learning and communication skills of those affected, with 'devastating and lifelong' consequences, Wes Streeting said.

Middle Kingdom retaliates against White House's 'instrument and weapon to bully and coerce'

World War Fee  China is upping tariffs on US imports to 125 percent, branding the Trump administration's tax policies a "joke."…

Somewhere in Montana sits the only coal-fired power plant in America that hasn't installed modern pollution controls to limit particulate matter, according to the Environmental Protecction Agency. Mining.com notes that it has the highest emission rate of fine particulate matter out of any U.S. coal-burning power plant. When inhaled, the finest particles are able to penetrate deep into the lungs and even potentially the bloodstream, exacerbating heart and lung disease, causing asthma attacks and even sometimes leading to premature death. Yet America's dirtiest coal-fired power plant — and dozens of others — "are being exempted from stringent air pollution mandates," reports Bloomberg, "as part of US. President Donald Trump's bid to revitalize the industry: Talen Energy Corp.'s Colstrip in Montana is among 47 plants receiving two-year waivers from rules to control mercury and other pollutants as part of a White House effort to ease regulation on coal-fired sites, according to a list seen by Bloomberg News. The exemptions were among a slew of actions announced by the White House Tuesday to expand the mining and use of coal. The Trump administration has argued coal is a vital part of the mix to ensure sufficient energy supply to meet booming demand for AI data centers. The carve-out, which begins in July 2027, lasts until July 2029, according to the proclamation. In an email to Bloomberg, a White House spokesperson said the move meant that America "will produce beautiful, clean coal" while addressing "necessary electrical demand from emerging technologies such as AI."

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It's got a lovely mixture of built-up residential areas and beautiful greenery

Kristin Cavallari has kept her kids Camden, 12, Jaxon, 10, and Saylor, 9, out of the spotlight and off her social media. Until now that is.

Owen Cooper, the 15-year-old star of Netflix school murder drama Adolescence, today sensationally became the favourite to win an historic Emmy Award for his performance.

It was a huge project and had to be carefully lifted into place

Witnesses reported seeing the vehicle, which appears to be a dark coloured Volkswagen,  'start smoking' at Gatwick Airport earlier this afternoon, April 13.

The Celebrity Big Brother housemates were seen just moments after Mickey Rourke was removed from the show in now-deleted live stream.