The crowd had gathered at midnight beneath large nets of balloons containing vouchers and gift cards for nearby shops. Within seconds of the balloons going airborne, people rushed toward them, pummeling fellow shoppers in the process. The event was part of a 33-hour Christmas shopping marathon at Westfield, which featured a slogan that’s now taken on a darker meaning: “Shop until you drop.” Hundreds of people immediately fell to the ground or were flung outward into a Christmas display as the crowd compressed and shoppers lurched for gift cards worth as little as $5, according to available footage and Nine News Melbourne....

The video, posted by Julie McFadden on her “hospicenursejulie” page, has been viewed more than 100,000 times and had received more than 8,300 likes at the time of writing. McFadden has been working as a hospice nurse for more than five years and regularly posts insights into her job and end-of-life care on her social media accounts in a bid to raise awareness about the process of dying. “I’ve witnessed hundreds of deaths and here’s the hardest part—terminal agitation,” she said in the video....

The group in the balloon’s basket screamed after a man thought to be their guide shouted, “Here we go! Brace!” as they plunged towards the earth when their daytrip in the skies above Perris, California, went horribly wrong. “Hang on! Just hang on! Hang on! Everybody hang on!” the guide can be heard screaming as the descent ends with a bang when the basket smashes into scrubland. The basket is tipped and dragged along by the wind buffeting the balloon, some of the passengers still whimpering as they clung on inside....

Aimed at tourists visiting the Angkor Wat temple and surrounding sites, these luxury accommodations consist of a lodge in central Siem Reap and a resort closer to the main temple complex. Ambience: The rooms feature a mix of colonial Indochinese and traditional Cambodian touches, with fully modern amenities. The lodge is nestled on a quiet street in the old colonial area, while the resort offers more-exclusive cottages. Décor: Ornate wooden exteriors open onto cozy, colonial-style lobby cafés and airy rooms with French doors....

Rooms The 117 rooms range widely in luxury and price (up to $724 per night). A host of Dutch designers have added unique touches, including cast-fiberglass bathrooms that roll on wheels. Food The restaurant features a cross section of European cuisine— including coq au vin and grilled mackerel—with an emphasis on local ingredients. The cavernous dining hall offers a splendid view of the hotel’s interior, and the classy bar lures diners to stay for drinks....

Rooms: The 197 rooms and 27 suites range from approximately $320 to $3,700. Décor: The look is classic, focused on clean lines and neutral colors, with art-deco and Oriental accents. The supersize bathrooms are among Saudi Arabia’s biggest, and a touchscreen remote adjusts each room’s lighting, curtains and temperature. Food: For those not in the mood for the more formal Globe, Il Terrazzo serves Brazilian churrasco, a variety of slow-roasted meats, on an open-air terrace overlooking a lushly landscaped plaza....

The agreement was announced by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal and ranking member Kevin Brady, as well as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden and ranking member Mike Crapo. “As Russia continues its unprovoked attack on the Ukrainian people, we have agreed on a legislative path forward to ban the import of energy products from Russia and to suspend normal trade relations with both Russia and Belarus,” the lawmakers said in a statement....

“What’s going to happen with the January 6 commission is the media will use this to smear Trump supporters and President Trump for the next few years and cover up the real damage happening to the people this country, which is tearing down our economy, ripping our borders wide open and hurting this country,” U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who was one of only few members to speak out against the commission on the House floor during Wednesday’s debate....

The bill, which was co-sponsored by over 300 members of the House, passed via unanimous and rare bipartisan vote, and the legislation will now go to the U.S. Senate for consideration. The Congressional Gold Medal is the legislative body’s “highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions,” according to the Senate website. The action by Congress comes after 11 Marines, one Army soldier, and one Navy sailor were killed at Hamid Karzai International Airport over the summer in a suicide bombing perpetrated by terrorist group ISIS-K....

WHAT’S NEW The Houston Astros entered 2013 as one of the favorites to be the worst team in baseball and won just 51 games. They remain one of the most likely teams to pick up that inglorious honor again in '14, but there is some hope in Texas, both for Astros fans and fantasy owners. The Astros made a couple of splashes over the winter. One was a trade, acquiring perennial fantasy tease Dexter Fowler from the Rockies....

The quick setup: First-and-goal for the Golden Hurricane, who were down by seven with 15 seconds remaining. Two Houston defenders were running off the field while two more were coming on. MORE: Top photos from Week 7 None of them, it seems, got to their intended locations in time. Tulsa had to call a timeout after that. When play resumed, this happened: The officials got that one right, at least....

Don’t look now, but Houston enters Week 9 with more sacks than anybody in the NFL. Not only that, his total of 10 through seven games has him on pace to challenge Michael Strahan’s single-season record. It helped last week to play the hapless Rams. Houston came away with three sacks and four hits on quarterback Austin Davis in the Chiefs’ one-sided victory. Is Houston’s rise unexpected? Kind of, but he did have a career-high 11 sacks last season en route to being a Pro Bowl alternate....

The show, which has just begun its second season, tells terrifying tales every week, with each episode more horrifying than the last. Where Season 1 of American Horror Stories had ties to AHS Season 1, aka Murder House, Season 2 featured an unexpected tie to Coven, the third season of the flagship show. How ‘American Horror Stories’ Season 2 Connects to ‘AHS: Coven’ The premiere episode of American Horror Stories is titled “Dollhouse” and it follows a young woman named Coby (Kristine Froseth) who is kidnapped by Spalding (Denis O’Hare), the boss of a doll factory, in 1961....

The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) released its key findings regarding the shooter’s motivations for the attack, during which Betts killed nine people and injured 27 others. They concluded that the attacker’s decision to commit the mass shooting was likely a result of his “enduring fascination with mass violence and his inability to cope with a convergence of personal factors.” It was also found that the attacker had “fantasized about mass shootings, serial killings, and murder-suicide for at least a decade....

Diana: The Musical follows Diana Spencer, the newlywed princess to Prince Charles, and her journey as she is thrust into the spotlight. The musical also touches on the struggles she faced as a member of the British royal family and the breakdown of Diana and Charles’ marriage. The musical was filmed in 2020 without an audience at the Longacre Theatre and features the original Broadway cast. Newsweek has a full look at the Diana: The Musical actors and how they compare to the real-life figures....

However, determining the most effective way to communicate company objectives can be difficult. Below, nine Newsweek Expert Forum members share their perspectives on the best way for a leader to clearly communicate the vision and goals of the company with current and potential employees. 1. Use Simple Storytelling Communicating vision improves motivation and loyalty while also providing a sense of belonging. That is why I do it with storytelling and by keeping it simple....

It all started with a couple of games played between 19-year-old chess grandmaster Hans Niemann and the No.1 player in the world, Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, 31. The American Niemann streams his games online, and he beat Carlsen in a matchup that left a sour taste in the mouth of the loser, who insinuated that the victor had cheated. Niemann beat Carlsen again in the Sinquefield Cup at Saint Louis Chess Club in St....

The test, called ‘Castle Bravo,’ took place on the Bikini Atoll, a coral reef that forms part of the Marshall Islands, on March 1, 1954. Following the explosion radiation spread across 15 separate islands and atolls, causing many to be evacuated, with locals later suffering from cancerous tumors and birth defects. By 1995 the U.S. Government had paid out $43.2 million in compensation to 1,196 claimants, according to the National Claims Tribunal....

Roe’s demise gives states the authority to regulate abortions at any stage of pregnancy, and researchers say about half of U.S. states will move to ban the procedure. Some Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for the Biden administration to take sweeping action, with one proposal touted in a letter from Senator Elizabeth Warren and 23 colleagues suggesting the use of federal land for access to abortions. That could work because there “is neither a general federal prohibition on abortion, nor…a prohibition on abortions being performed on federal land,” Professors David Cohen, Greer Donley and Rachel Rebouché argue in a forthcoming paper for the Columbia Law Review....