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How Benjamin Franklin designed US dollar that countered copycats

Benjamin Franklin was so busy as an inventor, publisher, scientist, diplomat and U.S. founding father that it's easy to lose track of his accomplishments.

So add one more to the roster: his early work in printing colonial paper currency designed to counter a constant threat of counterfeiting.

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Pope's Ukraine peace envoy heads to Washington

Pope Francis' peace envoy was traveling to Washington on Monday as part of the Holy See's peace initiatives for Ukraine, hoping to support humanitarian operations especially concerning children, the Vatican said Monday.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi's visit, which lasts through Wednesday, follows his recent mission to Moscow and an earlier stop in Kyiv, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Iran's morality police return after protests to impose Islamic dress on women

Iranian authorities have announced a new campaign to force women to wear the Islamic headscarf and morality police returned to the streets 10 months after the death of a woman in their custody sparked nationwide protests.

The morality police had largely pulled back following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last September, as authorities struggled to contain mass protests calling for the overthrow of the theocracy that has ruled Iran for over four decades.

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Italy demands Louvre return looted antiquities

Italy has demanded the restitution of seven antiquities which it believes were looted before being sold by dealers to the Louvre in Paris in the 1980s and 90s, the museum said on Friday.

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Russian lawmakers further restrict transgender rights in new legislation

Russian lawmakers on Thursday approved a toughened version of a bill that outlaws gender transitioning procedures, with added clauses that annul marriages in which one person has "changed gender" and bar transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents.

The bill received swift, unanimous approval of Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, in its key second reading, and lawmakers scheduled the third and final reading for Friday. There is little doubt that the bill, a crippling blow to Russia's oppressed LGBTQ+ community, will be adopted amid the Kremlin's crusade to protect what it views as the country's "traditional values."

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Tourists are packing European hotspots, boosted by Americans

Tourists are waiting more than two hours to visit the Acropolis in Athens. Taxi lines at Rome's main train station are running just as long. And so many visitors are concentrating around St. Mark's Square in Venice that crowds get backed up crossing bridges — even on weekdays.

After three years of pandemic limitations, tourism is expected to exceed 2019 records in some of Europe's most popular destinations this summer, from Barcelona and Rome, Athens and Venice to the scenic islands of Santorini in Greece, Capri in Italy and Mallorca in Spain.

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Influencer arrested over TikTok video satirizing wealthy Emiratis in Dubai

An online influencer has been arrested in Dubai over a satirical TikTok video in which he portrays a brash Emirati on a spending spree inside a luxury car showroom.

The comedic sketch, in which he tosses stacks of bills at bewildered employees and offers to buy the most expensive car — a $600,000 Ferrari SF90 — poked fun at the lavish lifestyles on display in the city, known for its gleaming skyscrapers and over-the-top tourism attractions.

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UN rights council condemns Koran burnings despite splits

The U.N.'s top human rights body overwhelmingly approved a measure calling on countries to do more to prevent religious hatred in the wake of Quran burnings in Europe, over the objections of Western countries who fear tougher steps by governments could trample freedom of expression.

Applause broke out in the cavernous chamber of the Human Rights Council on Wednesday after the 28-12 vote, with seven abstentions, on a measure brought by Pakistan and Palestine that was backed by many developing countries in Africa, as well as China and India, and Middle Eastern countries.

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Japan top court backs transgender woman in toilet case

In a landmark verdict, Japan's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of a transgender bureaucrat who sued the government over access to female toilets at work.

The court found that a decision barring the woman from using nearby toilets and forcing her to use others two floors from her office was "extremely lacking in validity".

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Iran sentences rapper to six years for backing protests

A prominent Iranian rapper who backed nationwide anti-regime protests last year, has been sentenced to more than six years in prison over charges of "corruption on earth", local media reported Monday.

Toomaj Salehi, 32, was arrested in October after expressing support for mass demonstrations triggered by the death in custody of 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, Mahsa Amini. She was arrested for allegedly breaching the country's strict dress code for women.

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