Political rhetoric aims ‘vitriol and hatred’ at immigrant asylum-seekers, California advocates say

Iranians are voting in a runoff election for the remaining seats in the country’s parliament after hard-line politicians dominated March balloting. People in 22 constituencies across the country will elect 45 representatives from a pool of 90 candidates, 15 of whom are considered moderate. In the capital, Tehran, 16 representatives will be chosen from 32 candidates, all hard-liners. Final results are expected on Monday, though counts in smaller constituencies are likely before that. Iran’s parliament plays a secondary role in governing the country. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say in all important state matters.

After the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders worldwide vowed to do better next time but are still struggling to finalize a global plan. The World Health Organization is overseeing an effort to come up with an agreement for responding to the next pandemic. The accord aims to define how countries might stop future pandemics and share scarce resources like vaccines. But experts warn there are virtually no consequences for countries that choose not to comply. A final draft of the treaty was meant to be ready Friday but deep divisions over issues like intellectual property could derail the agreement.

A few weeks ago, Edmundo González Urrutia was just another grandfather visiting his daughter and grandchildren, who live abroad, enjoying two months of family time. That leisurely pace will have to wait because González is now getting ready for a campaign to become Venezuela’s next president. González became the candidate of the Unitary Platform coalition last month after former lawmaker Maria Corina Machado, and her handpicked alternative were banned from registering. González told The Associated Press Thursday he plans to kick off his campaign later this month and said Machado and other opposition leaders will continue to host events around the country.

Charred homes and cars dot the hilltop West Bank village of Duma, a searing reminder of Palestinians' vulnerability to rising violence from Israeli settlers. The head of village council says the wreckage is the aftermath of an attack in mid-April that left 15 homes damaged by arson and six residents injured by bullets. He says Duma lacks the power to defend itself. The U.N. says there have been nearly 800 settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began. The attack in Duma occurred after a 14-year-old Israeli who went missing was found dead. Authorities arrested a man from Duma they say was connected to the boy's alleged murder.

About 6 million Catalans are called to cast ballots in regional elections on Sunday that will surely have reverberations in Spain's national politics. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is hoping his party can pull off a big enough win so it can forge a leftist coalition and end a decadelong rule of separatists in Barcelona. Fugitive former regional president Carles Puigdemont is running a campaign from southern France and has pledged he will return to Spain after the election. By that time an amnesty Sánchez is pushing through to clear Puigdemont and others in trouble with the law should be in effect.

Shunned publicly by politicians and intellectuals for centuries, Vodou is transforming into a more powerful and accepted religion across Haiti, where its believers were once persecuted. Vodou believers are seeking solace and protection from violent gangs that have killed, raped and kidnapped thousands in recent years. Amid the spiraling chaos, a growing number of Haitians are praying more or visiting Vodou priests known as “oungans” for urgent requests ranging from locating loved ones who were kidnapped to finding critical medication needed to keep someone alive.