Say “cheese,” and that’s often the result: A cheesy, plastered-on fake grin in a photo. Dean Fleischer-Camp, who directs the popular “ Marcel the Shell With Shoes On ” videos with former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Jenny Slate, pranks his friends by asking them to pose for photos, but taking video of them instead. Read full article > >

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‘Smile’: Video by ‘Marcel the Shell’ director examines how we say ‘cheese’

Yemen has staggered from crisis to crisis since the popular uprising began early last year. The interim government must now deal with a resurgent movement and a political standoff.

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Militants and Politics Bedevil Yemen’s New President

Spain’s ruling Popular Party calls for an end to criticism of a hunting trip to Botswana during which King Juan Carlos broke his hip.

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Hunting row besets Spanish king

Spain’s ruling Popular Party calls for an end to criticism of a hunting trip to Botswana during which King Juan Carlos broke his hip.

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Hunting row besets Spanish king

Historian Dominic Sandbrook examines why in the popular imagination the 1970s are lampooned and despised as the era of Edward Heath, the decade of the donkey jacket, and the age of the Austin Allegro.

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Was the 1970s really such a grim decade?

Spain’s ruling Popular Party wins elections in Andalucia but may not be able to force the Socialists from power.

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Rajoy falls short in Spanish vote

Starbucks, the popular American coffee retailer, plans to open its first store in India in September through a joint venture with Tata Global Beverages.

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Starbucks Plans to Begin Populating India at Last

US actor Harry Morgan, best known for playing Colonel Sherman Potter in the popular series Mash, dies at the age of 96.

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Mash star Harry Morgan dies at 96

Spain’s conservative leader Mariano Rajoy says the country’s voice must be respected again, after a resounding election win for his Popular Party.

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‘No miracles’ warns Spain victor

European stock markets fall again despite a resounding victory for Spain’s centre-right Popular Party in the country’s election.

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Markets down after Spain election

NEW YORK — The “Shrek” spinoff “Puss in Boots” landed on all fours, opening with an estimated $34 million to lead the box office. The DreamWorks 3-D animated film, distributed by Paramount Pictures, proved the popular character voiced by Antonio Banderas was a big enough draw outside the “Shrek” franchise. Read full article > >

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‘Shrek’ spinoff ‘Puss in Boots’ scratches up $34M debut, lands on No. 1 spot on all fours

BEIRUT — The sudden escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran threatens to reignite old feuds and exacerbate new ones across a region already dangerously destabilized by the tumult of the Arab Spring. From Tunisia to Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain and Syria, the popular revolts underway since January have drawn new battle lines in a part of the world long associated with confrontation, pitting the ruled against their rulers and raising hopes that the struggle for greater freedoms by ordinary people will give birth to a new, improved Middle East. Read full article > >

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Alleged Iranian plot to kill Saudi envoy could renew regional tensions

More than the popular protests, Western sanctions have threatened President Bashar al-Assad’s government, which relies on its economic successes as a source of its legitimacy.

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President Assad of Syria Is Threatened by Faltering Economy

Washington’s crowded local-news market got a new entrant on Thursday: HuffPost DC , an offshoot of the popular news and commentary site that will focus on the metropolitan area. HuffPost DC launched Thursday with stories about potential commuting delays caused by the renovation of a Metro escalator at Dupont Circle next year, problems at local animal shelters and reaction to an ongoing criminal investigation of alleged gang activity at a shopping center in Falls Church. Read full article > >

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HuffPost DC joins Washington’s crowded local-news market

Republicans and Democrats are no longer fighting over whether to tackle the popular entitlement programs — Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — but how to do it.

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Benefits Programs Face Bipartisan Effort to Cut Them