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A traditional Arab folk dance - with a twist - has taken social media by storm.

Video journalist: Alex Dackevych

Reporting by: Lamia Estatie

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Image copyright Presse Ocean-Eric Cabanas

Overheated men and boys in the UK and Europe are defying dress codes by wearing skirts.

Bus drivers in France are among those who have been coping with soaring temperatures by ditching their trousers.

Image copyright @youngvulgarian/Twitter

The Queen has opened parliament to lay out the government's plans for the next two years.

At the top of the agenda was Brexit, and as the monarch proposed new laws to prepare the UK for its departure from the European Union (EU), some social users couldn't help noticing the Queen's choice of headwear.

A hashtag which seemingly promoted a protest outside Parliament was actually boosted by people sharply opposed to the demonstration.

It prompted dozens of headlines and was the top Twitter trend in the UK on Wednesday morning.

Image copyright @yasher/Twitter

Ever had that awkward moment when you go in for a hug but the receiver doesn't really seem into it?

Republican Senator Marco Rubio knows the feeling. He was attending a business meeting on Tuesday with President Trump's daughter Ivanka when he was snapped in this failed interaction.

Image copyright Twitter/@petercrouch

Summer is all about sea, sun, and fun. For English footballer Peter Crouch, it's also about spending time with gentle giants of another species.

While on holiday in Sardinia, the 6ft 7in Stoke City striker shared a photo of himself enjoying a break by spending time with what he suggested was his giraffe "family".

A fake Daily Mail front cover went viral after fooling thousands of people, including journalists and politicians.

Perhaps it's a sign of the political times we live in that so many people were willing to believe that a crudely Photoshopped Daily Mail front cover calling for Prime Minister Theresa May to resign was genuine.

Image copyright European Photopress Agency

Striking images have been shared online showing residents in the besieged town of Douma - a suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus - taking part in an Iftar feast on a colourful table surrounded by grey destruction and rubble.

The outdoor gathering for residents was organised by the Syrian Adaleh Foundation, founded in 2012 to aid affected areas in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta. The group meals will run for the duration of the last 10 days of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Some social media users in India are seething over a Hindu group's demand to ban a famous ancient book on love and sex in temples which are widely known for their erotic sculptures.

The leader of the little-known Bajrang Sena group was outraged at the reading material being hawked inside the world-famous Khajuraho temples.

Image copyright Eric Suszynski

Social media has breathed life into many hobbies and skills that once might have seemed old-fashioned, and quilting is one prime example. But now, in a symptom of America's divisive political climate, online communities devoted to this traditional American art form have been ripped apart.

It started with political chat and ended up with abusive messages, calls for boycotts and an online civil war between liberals and conservatives. A familiar story, perhaps - only this time it happened in the world of quilting.