United States: Authorities say a Tesla sedan in Autopilot mode has crashed into a parked police cruiser in Southern California. Police Sergeant Jim Cota says the officer was not in the cruiser during the crash in Laguna Beach. He says the Tesla driver suffered minor injuries. The police SUV ended up with its two passenger-side wheels on a footpath. Tesla's semi-autonomous Autopilot mode has come under scrutiny following other recent crashes. The carmaker says the function is not designed to avoid a collision and warns drivers not to rely on it entirely.
Italy: Donald Tusk, the European Council President, has told senior EU figures in Brussels to stop lecturing the Italians about voting for Eurosceptic parties. Tusk issued a withering put-down after it was reported that Gunther Oettinger, the EU's budget commissioner, had suggested that economic uncertainty could teach Italians not to vote for populist parties Five Star Movement and The League. "My appeal to all EU institutions: please respect the voters. We are there to serve them, not to lecture them," Tusk wrote on Twitter. Five Star and The League, which were on the verge of forming a coalition government, have reacted furiously to what they said was Brussels meddling in Italy's affairs.
United States: A Philadelphia woman seen on video being punched in the head by a police officer on a New Jersey beach said she didn't spit at the officers before the weekend altercation. A lawyer for 20-year-old Emily Weinman of Philadelphia told Philly.com the charges against Weinman are exaggerated. Wildwood, New Jersey Mayor Ernie Troiano defended the police, claiming Weinman was "by far the aggressor here". Troiano told Philly.com that Weinman "chose to attack the officer, spit on the officer." Weinman said that she was spitting sand out of her mouth after being knocked to the ground, not spitting at the officers. She's facing two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest and other charges. Stephen Dicht, Weinman's lawyer, said he was appalled by the number of people who had posted that Weinman "got what she deserved." The video, filmed by another beachgoer, shows two officers trying to subdue Weinman, with one officer hitting her in the head twice with a closed fist. The video does not show what led to it. The officers have been reassigned to administrative duty during the investigation.
Religion: Christians in Western Europe are less accepting of immigrants and non-Christians than people without religious affiliations, a study published today that was based on a 15-country survey found. The Pew Research Centre report revealed that Christians — whether or not they are churchgoers — are more likely than western Europeans who don't identify with a religion to express negative views of Muslims, Jews and migrants. They also are more inclined to think their country's culture and values are superior. The study was based on a telephone survey of 24,599 randomly selected adults in the 15 countries. The survey found that Swedes were the least likely to express anti-migrant and anti-minority views, while Italians were the most likely.
