Two police constables lied to their bosses and claimed they were sick with flu in order to go on a course about a cruise ship career.

PC Ben Matthews and PC Alex Tribe were caught in the act after pictures of them attending the programme appeared on social media.

They had already resigned from Kent Police at the time of misconduct proceedings earlier this month but bosses said if they had still been employed, they would have been sacked.

Both were based at Coldharbour Station in Aylesford, in Kent, where they worked in the same team.

PC Matthews had worked in the force for 13 years and had a ‘highly sought after’ role in a proactive targeting team within the tactical operations group.

At the time of his fabricated illness, he was supposed to be working on a murder investigation.

PC Tribe had eight years of experience and was working in the same team.

Neither attended the proceedings at the Kent Police Force Headquarters in Maidstone, which were overseen by Assistant Chief Officer Andrew Pritchard.

In his report, he said: ‘The case as alleged is simple. That both officers claimed they were sick, but during the period of alleged sickness, they attended a training course provided by an external training provider, I understand, with the purpose of readying them for a potential career on cruise ships.

‘The facts of the matter are accepted. Both officers accept that they were dishonest in claiming they were sick in January 2025, when in fact they were on a training course with an external provider.’

PC Tribe booked her place on the course on December 17, 2024, and on January 20, 2025, called in sick to work with influenza for the first few days, with the last days of the course falling on her rest days.

PC Matthews booked the initial day of the course off for childcare reasons, then also called in sick with the flu for the rest of the course.

The report states that the event from January 20 to January 24 was not the only one available that year, and was ‘not a one-off activity’.

Both officers had enough annual leave for the course, but neither put in a request in with their supervisors.

In their defence, PC Tribe and Matthews both said they were, in fact, sick – but with stress, not influenza.

They accepted misconduct but denied gross misconduct.

PC Tribe also said her mental health had been suffering at the time of the incident, and that she felt she was being bullied at work.

The report said: ‘The former officer puts forward several examples of how she felt oppressed and unable to make representations about her supervisor, and that her concerns were not being taken seriously.

‘There is indeed evidence that she did raise these issues in October 2024, two months before booking this course.

‘The former officer also has provided several messages between herself and some colleagues as evidence of how she, amongst others, felt that the supervisor was very hard to work with.’

But performance reviews showed positive interactions with her supervisor, and there were records of her being congratulated for her achievements.

The report continued: ‘She has sought to persuade that she was under such strain that booking the course and taking time off work (lying in the process) was her only option, and that this should mitigate the seriousness of her actions.

‘She also asserts that she felt she could not request leave as it would be rejected, and that this was not a discussion she could have with her supervisor.

‘There is no evidence that she did try to request leave and no evidence that she considered changing the course to a later date when leave would be more likely to be granted.’

PC Matthews also said he was a victim of bullying in the workplace, and was receiving unfair treatment compared to others and working long hours.

He said he was in receipt of unjustified criticism from his supervisor, but this was the same supervisor PC Tribe said she would turn to for support in the force.

Assistant Chief Officer Pritchard said: ‘I find that former PC Matthews has booked the training course with the likely intention of reporting sick from the outset.

‘He could have requested leave. Indeed, he did so for the first day, stating he needed childcare, and this was granted.’

It was decided that both officers’ actions were serious enough that they amounted to gross misconduct and that, had they still been serving, they would have been sacked.

The report added: ‘I believe the public would be appalled to think that officers in Kent Police could act with such obvious disdain for the rules and procedures that they are expected to follow in order to serve their own purposes, and would lie to achieve this, in addition to failing to turn up to duty when fit to do so.

‘Further, the officers are shown to be on the course in published social media articles.

‘The harm, therefore, is not just potential harm, but actual harm to the reputation of Kent Police and the profession of policing.

‘There are clear aggravating factors here of premeditation and planning (between the booking of the course, the conspiracy between the two officers and then later reporting sick).’

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Wales’ World Cup hopes ended in the cruellest of fashions as they lost to Bosnia on penalties on Thursday night

Wales’ hopes of making it to this summer’s World Cup crumbled to dust on Thursday night as they lost their qualification play-off semi-final to Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalties.

Dan James’ sensational long-distance strike had given Craig Bellamy’s side the lead early in the second half, but Edin Dzeko’s 86th-minute header drew Bosnia level and took the game to extra-time. But when the two teams still couldn’t be separated after a further half an hour, it came down to the dreaded spot kicks.

Karl Darlow’s fine stop from Ermedin Demirovic’s attempt handed the hosts in Cardiff an immediate advantage in the shoot-out, but Brennan Johnson skied his effort before Neco Williams’ kick was saved as Wales’ World Cup dreams were extinguished in the cruellest of fashions.

At the full-time whistle, Wales captain Ethan Ampadu said his side were “lost for words” about the result, with Darlow adding that they were “devastated”.

A gutted Bellamy, meanwhile, said his “heart hurt” over the result but vowed that his team will only continue to improve, adding that “there will be a solution” and “the sun will rise tomorrow”.

However, the Wales manager has been criticised by fans in the wake of the heartbreaking defeat, with many pointing the finger at his choice of second-half substitutions.

As the hosts pushed for a crucial second goal, Bellamy brought on Liam Cullen for Jordan James and Mark Harris for David Brooks, but the decision has been blasted as “criminal” and “a disaster waiting to happen” by disappointed supporters.

With both players struggling to make any impact after their second-half introduction, fans pointed to Josh Sheehan and the in-form Nathan Broadhead who were left on the bench, while Cardiff City star Rubin Colwill was left out of the matchday squad altogether.

Speaking after the game, Bellamy dismissed suggestions that his substitutions were to blame for the full-time result, saying: “I don’t think that’s fair. No, we make changes all the time and we have to.”

However, fans disagree, with one taking to X to write: “Bellamy has done a lot of good things since being manager, and is undoubtedly a very good coach but can’t help but think tonight is on him.

“Subs KILLED us, Mark Harris and Liam Cullen coming on… have a day off. Been here before with Wales.. and hurts all the same.”

Another added: “Got a lot of time for Bellamy, but Harris and Cullen over Broadhead is criminal,” while a third wrote: “No way we should be losing that. Shocking.

“Wales threw it away after getting complacent. Bellamy had to be questioned here for his game management and subs.”

One fan said the defeat was “100 per cent on Bellamy” for his “very, very, very bad subs”, while another commented: Craig Bellamy has absolutely murdered us with those subs tonight! Embarrassing decisions from him.”

“Crying out for Broadhead,” said another. “[But] he puts on Cullen and Harris. Unbelievable by Bellamy.”

The couple were the first of four people to die after falling from the cliffs in five days

An elderly couple who “jumped” from the cliff edge at Whitby have been named. North Yorkshire Police have confirmed David Jeffcock, 80, and Susan Jeffcock, 74, died on July 30 after falling from the cliffs near Whitby Abbey in North Yorkshire.

Prior to their deaths, a witness told The Daily Mail how he observed a pair “jumping” from the cliff edge. He was camping nearby on the clifftop when “all hell broke loose.”

He said: “Police, ambulances, and mountain rescue and coastguard helicopters were on the scene very quickly. The helicopter was here around 8pm on Wednesday night. The path leading to the cliff was extremely busy with walkers and dog walkers.”, reports Yorkshire Live.

“I was told the couple who died were walking along the path. Another couple were coming the other way. The next thing we know is they jumped. It was absolutely horrific to see. The poor souls did not stand a chance. They fell straight onto the rocks below.”

The pair were the first of four individuals to die after falling from the cliffs within five days. On July 31, the body of a woman in her 60s was discovered at the base of the cliffs by the Pavilion. Subsequently on August 2, the body of a woman, believed to be in her 50s, was located further along the coastline at Sandsend near the main car park.

Her injuries were consistent with her falling from the top of the cliff edge. The identities of the two women remain unknown.

An inquest into the deaths of Mr and Mrs Jeffcock is scheduled for Monday, 22 September at Northallerton Coroner’s Court.

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Final preparations are underway for NASA’s Artemis II mission, the first crewed mission around the Moon for more than 50 years. Four astronauts, three men and one woman, will spend 10 days aboard the Orion spacecraft, going further into space than any other humans as they orbit the Moon and return to Earth.

Issues caused by a fuel leak while testing the Space Launch System rocket used for the mission meant launch windows in February and March were missed. Now NASA is targeting early April for launch.

The mission is the next step of the Artemis programme, which plans to land astronauts back to the Moon by 2028. China has its own programme targeting a full crewed mission to the lunar surface by 2030.

In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast we speak to Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University about why NASA is sending people back round the Moon. Pace worked in space policy for the George W. Bush Administration, followed by a stint at NASA before his appointment as the executive secretary of the National Space Council during the first Trump administration, where he worked on the launch of the Artemis programme.

No human has set foot on the Moon since Gene Cernan climbed back aboard Apollo 17 in 1972. Pace says that once the Americans had beaten the Russians to the Moon “the geopolitical reason for continuing those missions really wasn’t there”.

Today, Pace believes the “geopolitical purpose for being on the Moon is to be there a lot”. He compares the Moon to Antarctica, arguing that the US and its allies have influence over Antarctica in part because they put 3,000 people on the ice every summer. “Rules are made by people who show up,” he says. It matters to him if China beats the US back to the Moon, “if China drives all the standards and the operating norms”.

For Pace, this means it’s important to up the flight rate to the lunar surface by building capacity to send more than one crewed mission a year. He thinks Artemis’s partnerships with commercial space partners will be crucial to achieving this.

“What we’re seeing now with Artemis is NASA and industry learning how to fly to the Moon, and then making a decision about what will be a sustainable future for doing this,” says Pace. “That is a current debate that will shape what happens after Artemis II.”

Listen to the interview with Scott Pace on The Conversation Weekly podcast and read an article based on the interview here. This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood and Gemma Ware. Mixing by Eleanor Brezzi and theme music by Neeta Sarl.

Newsclips in this episode from WTKR News 3, ABC News, International Astronautical Federation, CBS News,Space Policy and Politics and NBC News and British Movietone/AP.

Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript of this episode is available via the Apple Podcasts or Spotify apps.

A humpback whale that was stranded in shallow water off the north German coast has been set free by rescuers.

The whale had been stranded for several days on the Timmendorfer Strand, a popular resort town on the Baltic Sea coastline, with several rescue attempts made amid fears the marine mammal was going to die.

The 39 to 49ft-long whale was spotted on Monday, but the first attempt to free it was unsuccessful.

Experts gathered on Tuesday morning on the beach to find a way to get the whale off the ground, German news agency dpa reported.

Sven Biertumpfel, of the Sea Shepherd marine conservation group, told Sky News the Baltic Sea is not a humpback’s natural habitat, adding “maybe he followed some fish or some food”.

The whale, which weighs several tonnes, got entangled in nets, the conservationist said.

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Humpback whale stuck in the Baltic Sea off Germany.

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Rescuers initially managed to turn the whale so its head was pointing towards deeper water. But the animal then turned back to its previous position.

Boats from the coastguard and the fire department created large waves in the hope of freeing the animal – but it remained stuck, German public broadcaster NDR reported.

The whale could not actively be pulled back into deeper water because it could be seriously injured in the process, experts said.

Attempts on Thursday to dig a channel with heavy machinery were finally successful, and the whale was able to swim out into the sea overnight.

It was slow work, with rescuers trying to get the animal used to the noise of the machinery so as not to upset it.

By Thursday evening, the whale, which had been getting closer to its normal state, started to make its way slowly through the channel.

The rescue team tried to encourage it to keep going with lots of noise, with the animal reportedly responding with a humming sound.

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Early on Friday morning, the whale was on its way out of Lubeck Bay, one researcher said.

Stephanie Gross, of the Institute of Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, said the mammal, which was nearly 1,000 feet off the coast, was being accompanied by a coastguard ship and several other vessels.

The whale must now make its way on a complex route past the Danish islands, out into the North Sea, before finally passing into the Atlantic Ocean.

Labour says the SNP have “serious questions to answer” after the former leader of North Lanarkshire council was found guilty.

John Swinney has been urged to “come clean” on claims complaints about convicted sex abuser Jordan Linden were ignored.

Linden, the former SNP of North Lanarkshire council, was convicted on Thursday of 10 separate offences after a trial at Falkirk Sheriff Court, including five sexual assaults.

His victims were five young men and boys aged 15 to 22.

During the trial, a councillor who made complaints about Linden said: “Everywhere I went for help in the SNP I was ignored or it was downplayed.”

The man said he contacted the police in 2023 because he “did not feel confident” the reports he had made to the SNP would be dealt with appropriately.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “These are despicable crimes, and it is right that this vile individual is held fully responsible for his crimes.

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“However, there are also serious questions for the SNP to answer.

“During the trial, one of the men targeted by Linden said that when he went for help from the party, he was ‘ignored or it was downplayed’.

“John Swinney must come clean and explain why that was allowed to happen, and he must also set out what the SNP has done to root out this behaviour within his party.

“We have previously seen the SNP’s attempts to evade accountability when Derek Mackay was found to have groomed a teenager, and they tried to halt publication of the story.

“And we saw their willingness to allow Patrick Grady to return to the party fold at Westminster, despite having admitted to sexually harassing an SNP staff member.

“Enough is enough. John Swinney must make clear what he will do to end this sleazy and abhorrent conduct within his party and explain why the party has consistently chosen cover-up rather than telling the truth.”

Linden, 30, was also convicted of directing unwanted sexual communications towards seven teenagers, the youngest aged 14.

They included photos of himself in a bath and shots of his genitalia.

The offences took place over a 10-year period from 2011 until 2021.

The jury reached their verdict after less than four hours following a seven-day trial.

Linden rose to become North Lanarkshire council leader in 2022.

He resigned from the post a few weeks later when the allegations emerged and was arrested in 2024.

An SNP spokesperson said: “We hope today’s verdict brings some justice to those who have bravely come forward and shared their experiences – their courage in speaking out cannot be overstated.

“As proceedings remain ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

Linden is due to be sentenced at Falkirk Sheriff Court on May 5.

The Republic of Ireland suffered penalty heartache in their World Cup play-off semi-final against Czechia on Thursday night after throwing away a two-goal lead in Prague

Republic of Ireland fans have taken to social media to demand an investigation into a ‘siren noise’ during their penalty shootout loss against Czechia. The Boys in Green lost the shootout in Prague following a 2-2 draw.

Things had started in the perfect way for Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men took an early 2-0 lead through Troy Parrott and an own goal from Czechia goalkeeper Matej Kovar. However, goals from Patrik Schick and Ladislav Krejci saw the hosts level the game.

With extra time unable to separate the two teams, it was down to a penalty shootout. While Parrott, Adam Idah and Robbie Brady scored their penalties, Kovar made up for his earlier own goal by saving spot kicks from Finn Azaz and Alan Browne.

Four of Czechia’s five penalty takers found the back of the net, seeing their side through to the play-off final. The loss dashed Ireland’s hopes of featuring in this summer’s World Cup finals.

Taking to social media during and after the penalty shootout, Ireland supporters pointed out a loud siren noise that could be heard during the shootout, with some suggesting it was even a deliberate ploy from the home side to put their players off. One wrote: “So the ambulance siren only happens when we’re taking our penalties?!?!!!!”

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“I’m not a bitter man, but I hope the Czechs and their police siren guy have a miserable miserable experience in the second round. Also, that they meet a referee who is willing and able to book them,” a second said.

A third fan posted: “FIFA need to investigate the Czech v Republic game. Every time an Ireland player stepped forward for a pen a siren of some kind went off. Absolute farce.”

“So when’s the investigation going to be done into the siren that Czech fans kept setting off when Ireland were taking their penalties??” wrote a social media user.

There were more demands for FIFA to look further into the incident, with another fan posting: “There has to be an investigation into that penalty shootout, the Czechs playing a loud siren every time the Irish took their pen is disgraceful!”

“Can’t believe we’ve lost that. The better side overall with by far the better chances,” a sixth fan wrote. “Should be an investigation into that siren during the Ireland penalties too.”

A seventh said: “The Czech cheated, pausing before the pens were kicked to see where the goalie was going and then blaring a siren when Ireland were taking their pens to distract them.”

Czechia will take on Denmark in their World Cup qualifiers play-off final on Tuesday night, with the winners of the game booking a spot for the finals of the tournament in North America.

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The attack was on 68-year-old Richard Root, who was a leading American infectious disease specialist who had travelled to the African country of Botswana in order to help tackle the country’s HIV crisis

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A leading American infectious disease specialist who had travelled to the African country of Botswana in order to help tackle the country’s HIV crisis was killed in front of his helpless wife when a massive crocodile pulled him from a canoe and into a river.

68-year-old Richard Root had been invited of behalf of Botswana’s Ministry of Health to work at a hospital in Gaborone, the county’s capital.

Root, who had been the chairman of medicine at the prestigious Yale University, as well as several other major organisations across the States, was tasked with training young doctors and providing care for patients, and had been working in Botswana a matter of weeks when the attack took place.

On a rare weekend off, back in 2006, both he and his wife Rita travelled across the country in order to visit a remote clinic in an area known as Tuli Block, and decided to rent some canoes and explore the famous Limpopo river.

The pair were in separate canoes, and both were accompanied by an experienced guide, although nothing could have prevented what happened next.

According to reports at the time, the attack came out of nowhere, with the guide barely able to shout ‘croc’ before Root was pulled out of his vessel.

In a statement released by a spokesperson for the University of Pennsylvania, where Root worked at the time, the attack was over nearly as suddenly as it had begun.

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“Root was in a canoe in front and Rita in another one behind him,” she said.

“They just heard one of the guides shout ‘croc’ and then a crocodile appeared, pulled Root out of the canoe and took him straight down under. He was never seen again. It is believed that the crocodile was about 4.5m in length.”

Nobody else was harmed.

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Botswana Police Deputy Commissioner Thebeyame Timako later confirmed the doctor’s remains had been found “not far from where the crocodile had pulled him into the river”. His body was recovered four days after the attack.

Timako said there were no known records of similar fatal attacks in that specific area, noting that such incidents were more commonly associated with other local rivers such as the Okavango and Chobe.

Colleagues described Root as being totally driven by a desire to help curb the devastation caused by HIV and Aids in a country where infection rates are among the highest in the world.

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“He wanted to help and he had a lot to offer,” one doctor who worked with Jones said. “How could someone who was doing so much good be taken away so tragically? It is so unfair.

“He was always teaching the doctors and encouraging them to stay in Botswana and not to leave for other countries.”

She added simply: “The whole programme is stunned by his death.”

Disabled individuals relying on the Motability scheme are facing significant cost increases as the programme aims to offset £300 million in new taxes introduced following last year’s Budget.

The company has announced adjustments to mileage allowances, the introduction of charges for exceeding mileage limits, and new fees for taking vehicles overseas.

Users could also see advance payments rise by as much as £400 when starting a new lease agreement.

These changes emerge amid fierce political scrutiny of the scheme, which enables some recipients of disability benefits to allocate part or all of their payments towards leasing a new car or an accessible vehicle.

The scheme, which is only eligible for those with an entitlement for the higher or enhanced rate of the mobility component of disability benefit, is used by around 890,000 people.

However, the breadth and cost of the programme has led to significant criticism.

Last month, Reform UK said it planned to make sweeping changes to Motability to “end the abuse” of the scheme.

In last year’s autumn budget, the Chancellor announced that the scheme would no longer use “luxury cars” such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

Rachel Reeves also announced the Government would introduce VAT to advance payments for the scheme, and apply insurance premium tax to leases from July 2026.

Motability said this will hit the business with £300 million of additional taxes.

On Thursday, chief executive of Motability Operations, Andrew Miller, told people on the scheme that it will introduce changes to deal with the cost.

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“Together, these tax changes mean it will cost significantly more to run the scheme,” he said in a letter.

“If we did nothing, the average cost of a new lease would increase by around £1,100.

“It was clear to me that simply passing all these costs on to customers was not an option.

“We had to carefully consider how to reduce the tax impact as much as possible but also, focusing on changes that reflect how most customers already use their vehicles.”

He outlined plans to reduce the annual mileage allowances, increase excess mileage fees, change tyre replacement limits and introduce a charge for taking cars abroad.

It is understood that customers taking new leases after July 1 will see an average increase to advance payments of between £300 and £400.

Nevertheless, many new vehicles on the scheme will not require an advance payment.

Vladimir Putin has asked oligarchs to donate to Russia’s budget to stabilise the country’s finances as he presses on with the war in Ukraine, according to Russian media.

The Russian president held a closed-door meeting with leading businessmen on Thursday, The Bell online outlet reported.

Mr Putin discussed military funding and the continuation of the war, the Bell wrote, citing unnamed sources.

The war, which has been raging on for five years since Russia‘s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has seen the country’s defence costs soar, reaching 15.5 trillion roubles (£144bn) in 2025.

Russia is facing both falling budget revenues from energy sales and an economic slowdown. This is affecting tax income from other sectors of the economy.

The Russian government is said to be considering a possible 10% cut to all “non-sensitive” spending in its 2026 budget, with the final decision to hinge on the sustainability of the oil price rise triggered by the Iran war.

But oligarchs could now be providing the much-needed budget boost.

During the meeting with Mr Putin, billionaire Suleiman Kerimov pledged to donate 100 billion roubles (£922m), according to The Bell.

Oleg Deripaska, a metals magnate, also agreed to contribute when asked by the Russian leader, the Financial Times reported, citing three people familiar with the matter.

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Mr Putin reportedly said Russia will fight on until it captures the remaining areas of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, which are not currently under its control.