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In the US state of Ohio, first you get a COVID-19 shot, then you get a shot at US$1 million ($1.29 million).

And then, if you're 22-year-old Abbigal Bugenske, you scream so loudly your parents think you're crying when you find out your the state's first Vax-a-Millionaire.

The mechanical engineer was driving to her family's home in suburban Cleveland when she took a call about the good news from state Governor Mike DeWine.

READ MORE: Victoria enters seven-day 'circuit-breaker' lockdown

A few minutes later she was in her parents' house screaming.

She described becoming the first winner of Ohio's $1 million Vax-a-Million incentive prize as "a whirlwind" during a news conference on Thursday morning (Friday morning AEST).

"It absolutely has not processed yet. I am still digesting it — and I like to say that it feels like this is happening to a different person. I cannot believe it."

The 2020 Michigan State University graduate plans to donate to charities and buy a car, but then invest most of the money and has no plans to quit her job.

Mr DeWine, a Republican, announced the program on May 12 to boost lagging vaccination rates.

"I know that some may say, 'DeWine, you're crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,'" the governor said when he announced the incentive.

But with the vaccine now readily available, the real waste, "is a life lost to COVID-19," the Governor said.

The $1 million wasn't the only prize on offer for vaccinated Ohioans.

Year 8 student Joseph Costello told reporters he was "very excited" to win a full college scholarship

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Mother Colleen Costello said she got the call from the governor as she left work on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).

At first she thought it was a recording, then realised it was the Governor himself.

"I was really thankful at that moment that there was a bench nearby, because I needed to sit down," she said.

Ms Bugenske said she received the Moderna vaccine as soon as she was eligible, long before the lottery was announced.

The Costellos said they were already vaccinated and had planned to have their children vaccinated by the end of the month, but the lottery announcement inspired them to move those appointments up.

More than 2.7 million adults signed up for the US$1 million ($1.29 million) prize and more than 104,000 children ages 12 to 17 entered the drawing for the college scholarship, which includes tuition, room and board, and books.

Four more $1 million and college scholarship winners will be announced each Wednesday for the next four weeks.

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The concept seemed to work, at least initially. The number of people in Ohio age 16 and older who received their initial COVID-19 vaccine jumped 33% in the week after the state announced its million-dollar incentive lottery, according to an Associated Press analysis.

But the same review also found vaccination rates were still well below figures from earlier in April and March.

More than 5.2 million people in Ohio had at least started the vaccination process as of Monday, or about 45 per cent of the state.

About 4.6 million people are done getting vaccinated, or 39 per of the state.

Nationally, more than 165 million Americans have started the vaccination process, or about nearly 50 per cent of the population. More than 131 million are fully vaccinated, or nearly 40 per cent.

About 500 million Australians are fully vaccinated, with almost 4 million doses administered, according to Health Minister Greg Hunt.

https://twitter.com/healthgovau/status/1397777092775981061

Mr DeWine's proposal inspired similar vaccine-incentive lotteries in Colorado, Maryland, New York state and Oregon.

The UN rights chief said Thursday that Israeli forces may have committed war crimes in the 11-day war with the militant group Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip. Michelle Bachelet also called on Israel to allow an independent probe of military actions in the latest spasm of deadly violence.

The remarks came as the UN's top human rights body opened a one-day special session to discuss the "the grave human rights situation" in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Bachelet said Hamas' indiscriminate rocket fire during the conflict was also a clear violation of the rules of war.

The UN high commissioner for human rights detailed to the Human Rights Council the "most significant escalation of hostilities since 2014" that left devastation and death in the Gaza Strip before a cease-fire last week.

READ MORE: US to reopen Jerusalem consulate, upgrading Palestinian ties

The 11-day war killed at least 248 in Gaza, including 66 children and 39 women. In Israel, 12 people also died, including two children.

"Air strikes in such densely populated areas resulted in a high level of civilian fatalities and injuries, as well as the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure," Bachelet said.

"Such attacks may constitute war crimes," she added, if deemed to be indiscriminate and disproportionate in their impact on civilians. Bachelet urged Israel to ensure accountability, as required under international law in such cases, including through "impartial, independent investigations" of actions in the escalation.

She also derided tactics of Hamas that included locating military assets in densely populated civilian areas, and firing rockets from them.

"These rockets are indiscriminate and fail to distinguish between military and civilian objects, and their use, thereby, constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law," Bachelet said. "However, the actions of one party do not absolve the other from its obligations under international law."

READ MORE: The frustration of young Palestinians is stronger than ever

She cautioned that unless the "root causes" of the violence are addressed, "it will certainly be a matter of time until the next round of violence commences with further pain and suffering for civilians on all sides."

The day-long debate involved personal accounts from Palestinians — such as that of a young woman journalist from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in east Jerusalem, an early flashpoint that triggered the violence — as well as statements from the council's 47 member states and also observer states.

The Organisation of Islamic Conference has presented a resolution that, if passed by the council, would mark an unprecedented level of scrutiny authorised by the council by setting up a permanent commission to report on human rights violations in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

A vote on the draft resolution was likely at the end of the session, which is largely virtual.

Israel — backed at times by the United States — accuses the council of anti-Israel bias and has generally refused to cooperate with its investigators.

READ MORE: Israeli-Hamas truce 'just a ceasefire', cautions Middle East expert

Israeli Ambassador Meirav Eilon Shahar said Hamas — designated a terrorist organisation by the US and its allies — had fired 4400 rockets at Israeli civilians from "from Palestinian homes, hospitals, and schools. Each one of these rockets constitutes a war crime."

"What would you do if rockets were fired at Dublin, Paris, or Madrid," she asked.

Riad al-Maliki, the Palestinian foreign minister, sought to highlight years of suffering by Palestinians in the lands controlled or occupied by Israel.

The Israeli war machinery and terrorism of its settlers continue to target our children who face murder, arrest and displacement, deprived of a future in which they can live in peace and security," he said by video message.

Aussie families have been caught up in a major security breach after a glitch with a popular camera allowed users to see inside other people's homes.

Company Eufy said a "software bug" in its security systems, which retail for up to $999, enabled thousands of customers to see each other's feeds.

Mackay Kayla Wilton said she installed the cameras to keep her family safe, so was shocked when she opened the app last month and it wasn't her home on the screen.

"I was shocked, I couldn't believe what I was seeing," she told 9News.

"I opened up our app and I saw someone else's front door, I could see their backyard, I could see their driveway and I could hear their conversations."

Ms Wilton was worried someone could be watching her in return so she quickly disconnected the cameras.

"It's really disturbing to know people out there could have been watching my son play in the backyard, seeing us out in the backyard, playing or hearing our personal conversations."

Thousands of other customers were impacted by the glitch and posted about their frustrations on the company Facebook page.

People across Australia, New Zealand, the US, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and Argentina were all impacted.

"If you're putting security cameras in, you're putting them in so you're secure – and here we have random people able to view other people's cameras.

"It's the worst-case scenario for Eufy," technology commentator Trevor Long said.

Eufy, owned by US company Anker, blamed the security breach on a software bug that emerged during a routine server upgrade.

In a statement on its Facebook page it said: "We realise that as a security company we didn't do good enough".

"We are sorry we felt(sic) short here and are working on new security protocols .. to make sure that this never happens again."

It's hard not to take it as a bad omen when a wall collapses next to you when you're walking to an exam.

But that's what happened to 17-year-old British boy Ryan Puttick last week.

Ryan was walking to the train station in Christchurch, Dorset, when the upper wall of a brick house collapsed.

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The bricks battered a parked car and spilled out across the road.

But Ryan didn't break his stride, walking through the bricks even as they were in motion.

"I know the video looks like I was fine, like it was a normal thing, but inside I was really, really nervous, really shook up," he told the BBC.

He was focused on getting on his train so he could get to his exam on time.

The hair-raising moment was captured by a doorbell camera across the road.

Nobody was hurt by the wall collapse.

READ MORE: Victoria opens vaccination to anyone aged 40 and over

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