Tuesday briefing: How Copenhagen is helping tourists go green

In today's newsletter: As visitors overwhelm Venice, Barcelona and other famous cities, a model rewarding travellers for being more responsible could inspire other municipalities

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Good morning. Today we're taking a little trip to Copenhagen to explore a new pilot initiative designed to reward tourists for climate-friendly actions". The CopenPay scheme has been designed to encourage visitors to act a bit more responsibly and think about their impact on the environment during trips to the Danish capital.

In return for small environmental actions - like cycling to attractions or fishing litter out of the canals - visitors have been rewarded with small gifts such as free ice-cream and museum tours.

Climate crisis | Hot weather inflamed by carbon pollution killed nearly 50,000 people in Europe last year, with the continent warming at a much faster rate than other parts of the world, research has found. Heat-related mortality was highest in Greece, with 393 deaths per million people.

Ukraine | Ukrainian forces have captured 1,000 sq km (386 square miles) of Russia's bordering Kursk region, Kyiv's top commander has claimed, as Vladimir Putin vowed a worthy response" to the attack. 121,000 people have fled the region since the incursion began.

UK news | A shop security guard has described how he overpowered a knifeman as he stabbed an 11-year-old girl and her mother, 34, in a horrific" and apparently random attack in London's busy Leicester Square in front of shocked workers and tourists.

UK news | A series of errors and misjudgments" in Valdo Calocane's mental health care led to him being discharged, despite repeatedly not taking medication and showing signs of aggression, months before he killed three people in Nottingham, a report says. The Care Quality Commission warned of systemic issues with community mental health care".

Technology | Labour MPs have begun quitting X in alarm over the platform's direction, with one saying Elon Musk had turned it into a megaphone for foreign adversaries and far-right fringe groups". Meanwhile, Donald Trump gave a rambling interview to Musk on the platform that was marred with technical issues initially preventing many users from watching the conversation.