The satirist who is known as ‘Egypt’s Jon Stewart’ was arrested this weekend on charges of insulting the country’s president and the religion of Islam. Bassem Youssef is the host of a Daily Show-like weekly political and cultural program in which he points out the hypocrisy of the nation’s political leaders (in all parties) and criticizes fundamental Islam.

The show, which is watched by more than 30 million Egyptians, warns that some Muslim clerics and Islamic TV presenters want to turn the religion into a "weapon and political tool." Youssef was released after posting bail, and even used the proceedings to further jab president Mohamed Morsi. He wore a comically oversized graduation hat when he turned himself in, one similar to what Morsi wore to a recent ceremony in Pakistan … Discuss

The viral video craze affectionately known as the “Harlem Shake”, may seem like a relatively innocuous (if not annoying) Internet trend here in the U.S., but the dance-video has taken on a strange new life in the Middle East. It all seems to have started when conservative Salafist Muslims in Tunisia tried to stop students from making their own "Harlem Shake" videos. At several colleges across the country, students clashed with authorities and riot police, who see the dance craze as potentially immoral.

In Egypt, another "Harlem Shake" video has caused a stir, after an influential member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s online community (the group closely tied to Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi) released a video mocking an opposition group. This comes just a week after 70 individuals made a "Harlem Shake" protest video in front of the Muslim Brotherhood's Cairo headquarters … Discuss

A gas explosion caused a hot air balloon in Egypt to plummet to the ground, killing 18 of the 21 people onboard. It’s the deadliest hot air balloon crash in more than 20 years. The hot air balloon was part of a popular tourist attraction, in which visitors would fly over scenic farmland and ancient temples near the banks of the Nile River. Officials in the Luxor province where the crash occurred have announced they are temporarily banning all hot air balloon rides while they further investigate the cause of the crash … Discuss