On test, the quality shone through. The Dryrobe Advance is reliably waterproof, windproof and lined with a cosy synthetic ‘lambswool’ material that provides instant warmth and comfort when you get out of winter water and feel the cold bite.

This robe is roomy enough to get changed under in chilly, windy conditions too, but is on the bulky side, so I’d size down if you’d like to wear it as a coat.

There are plenty of pockets, plus a waterproof hood. The waterproof outer material is a tough nylon that feels made to last and doesn’t let an inch of rain or a breath of wind through. This robe ticks the sustainability box too, using recycled materials throughout as well as ECO Durable Water-Repellent (DWR), which is a plant-based coating that delivers weather resistance without harmful chemicals.

Read our full Dryrobe Advance Long Sleeve Robe review.

If you’re more of a dog-walking or city street-donning Dryrobe wearer, the brand has just launched the brand new Nexus. It’s more waterproof (30,000mm) and more breathable than the Advance (and consequently more expensive), but it is also more tailored, making it more of a hybrid between a winter coat and a changing robe.

On first test, after a cold plunge bath outside on a chilly 3C morning, it performed excellently, keeping me snug and warm. We will publish a full review after further testing.

Key specifications

• Waterproof level: 25,000mm
• Outer material: Recycled nylon
• Lining: Recycled polyester
• Colours available: 16

2. Best Value Changing Robe: Passenger Escapism Recycled Robe

The Hawking family have defended the late physicist after a photograph from the Epstein files

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The family of the late British astrophysicist Professor Stephen Hawking have responded to ‘insinuations of inappropriate conduct’ following the emergence of a photograph from the Epstein files showing him alongside two women in bikinis.

A spokesperson for the Hawking Family told the Mirror: “Professor Hawking made some of the greatest contributions to physics in the 20th century whilst at the same time being the longest-known survivor of motor neurone disease, a debilitating condition which left him reliant on a ventilator, voice synthesiser, wheelchair and round-the-clock medical care.

“Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme.”

The two women pictured with Professor Hawking in the photograph are understood to have been his long-standing carers, with the image now confirmed to have been captured at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in the US Virgin Islands in 2006, where Professor Hawking delivered a lecture on quantum cosmology.

Professor Hawking was amongst 21 distinguished scientists who participated in a conference organised by Epstein on his Little St James island and the neighbouring St Thomas in 2006, reports the Mirror.

Prior to the summit, Professor Hawking appeared in two photographs – one depicting him at a barbecue with several other attendees, and another showing him being given a tour of the island’s seabed from within a submarine. Epstein had reportedly adapted the underwater vessel to accommodate Hawking, who was wheelchair-bound due to his motor neurone disease.

There are no known photographs of Professor Hawking and Epstein together.

The esteemed Cambridge professor is mentioned at least 250 times in the multitude of emails and documents released by the US Department of Justice as part of their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. However, being referenced in these files does not imply any wrongdoing, and Professor Hawking has never been accused of any criminal activity.

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In a poorly composed 2015 email sent by Epstein to his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, the financier proposed a monetary reward for anyone close to Virginia Giuffre who could help refute an allegation that Hawking had participated in an “underage orgy” in the Virgin Islands.

Epstein wrote: “You can issue a reward to any of virginias friends acquaionts [sic] family that come forward and help prove her allegations are false. The strongest is the clinton dinner, and the new version in the virgin isalnds that stven hawking particpated in an underage orgy.”

Ms Giuffre did not publicly accuse Professor Hawking of such actions before her death last year, and Epstein’s email is the sole recorded mention of such a claim.

An unverified tip received by FBI officials in 2019 and subsequently released by the US Department of Justice suggested that Epstein and Hawking attended an “all-male” club together in 2011.

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Mary Cosby and her son Robert Jr shared an emotional conversation on the programme before he died at the age of 23

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Mary Cosby had a heartbreaking conversation with son Robert Jr on screen prior to his death. Her son was confirmed to have died aged just 23 after police attended his Utah property.

Years earlier, Mary opened up on her difficulties with her son as the pair sat down to confront his drug addiction. In 2024, the reality TV star and her son had a rare moment as cameras rolled.

Mary opened up to Robert about her concerns and told him she had noticed changes in his behaviour. Speaking in a confessional on the show, Mary said: “Robert was like, the perfect child.

READ MORE: Martin Short ‘inconsolable’ as A-list pals support him amid daughter’s suicideREAD MORE: Katie Price shows off new face after booking in for ‘full treatment plan’ in Dubai

“He was very good in school. He got straight A’s all the way up until he graduated. When he set his mind to do something, he did it. He was like our prize, very smart, very advanced. That’s the Robert I know, and that’s the Robert I’m trying to reach.”

The cameras then showed her entering her son’s room. Telling him she had be honest, she told her son: “You’ve gotta be real. You’ve gotta talk to me.” He confided in his mum the he had taken Xanax and had been awake all night.

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She then asked him: “So were you just gonna sleep through the day? Just sleep your whole day away?”But he said he “just took half to just chill me out”. “And then I took an Adderall to balance out the Xanax,” he admitted.

Mary looked tearful as she asked her son if he thought he had a problem and quizzed him on whether he was unhappy. He told her: “Sometimes, I feel like, I don’t know, just life is like this chicken without seasoning. But when I get high, it’s like seasoning.”

He began to open up to his mum, saying he first took Xanax when he was 16. He admitted a friend gave him it at a party.

Robert went on: “Then I was like, ‘I like this’. I started buying it. Then I started doing Xanax with acid, and then Molly with Xanax, because I really like Xanax, so I mixed it with everything, Xanax and cocaine.”

“You know, the regular 30-milligram Oxys I noticed, like, this is a turning point for me. I was taking 10 at once, and I couldn’t even feel it. I couldn’t feel it at all.”

Mary pleaded with her son to let her help him before she got upset as she told cameras she felt like she had let her son down. “I’m very aware,” she said. “And I do know that Robert did smoke weed.

“I do know he would eat edibles, but yet I just trusted him in my mind, thinking that’s where he would stop. And I was clearly wrong. I mean, clearly wrong. I missed the mark.”

And in a haunting comment after telling her son he was wasting each day by getting high, Mary said: “You will die.” Robert’s words then hurt Mary as he said: “I wanted to die at the time.”

“You know how that would kill me?” Mary then said before her son admitted she was the only reason he hadn’t killed himself.

Crying, Mary then told her son: “You have to know I love you more than anything. More than anything in this world. I think I love you more than dad, like, don’t ever tell dad I said that, but you’re my friend, you’re my son, you’re my gift. God gave you to me. You’re the only thing that ever made me happy. Before I had you, I was never happy. You came and you were so real. It was everything I hoped for in a person.”

As Robert was also seen tearful, Mary pleaded with her son to change before he told her he loved her. On Wednesday, the reality TV star told TMZ: “Our beloved son Robert Jr. has been called home to the Lord. Though our hearts ache, we take comfort in God’s promise and in knowing he is finally at peace. We are grateful for your prayers and trust in the Lord to carry us through this time of sorrow.”

*Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.

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Former Harvard University president and economist Larry Summers will resign from his teaching role at the end of the academic year, just months after his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was revealed through a federal document disclosure.

Summers has been on leave from the school since November, and will not be returning to the university before his final day, according to the New York Times.

The economist and former Treasury Secretary under the Clinton administration has also resigned from his role as co-director of the Mossava-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, according to a Harvard spokesperson.

Jason Newton, the spokesperson, confirmed to the Times that Summers’ resignation comes “in connection with the ongoing review by the University of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were recently released by the government.”

The news of Summers’ resignation was first reported in The Harvard Crimson, the school’s newspaper.

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Summers issued a statement saying he has made the “difficult decision” to retire, adding that he will “always be grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues I have been privileged to reach and work with since coming to Harvard as a graduate student 50 years ago.”

He said that he will now look forward to “engaging in research, analysis and commentary on a range of global economic issues.”

Summers’ links to Epstein weren’t unknown, but his closeness to accused child sex trafficker only became clear after the federal government released a trance of Epstein’s emails in November.

Summers has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to his friendship with Epstein.

The documents capture private moments between the men, including friendly banter about a Summer’s alleged romantic interest in a woman who was not his wife. Elsewhere, Epstein described himself as Summers’ “wingman.”

In a 2019 email, Summers complained to Epstein that a woman he was interested in was involved with another man.

“I said what are you up to. She said ‘I’m busy,’” he wrote. “I said awfully coy u are.”

Epstein responded, saying “shes smart. making you pay for past errors. ignore the daddy im going to go out with the motorcycle guy, you reacted well.”

Summers also appeared to use a racist term in one exchange to refer to his attraction to an Asian woman.

“I’d be happy to have a rational affair w yellow peril,” he wrote in the message. Moments before that message, he wrote that he was “way smitten with her so woukd sacrifuce (sic) lots for being w her.”

The men were having conversations as recently as 2019, more than a decade after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a child. Summers’ and Epstein’s correspondence continued until July 5, 2019, just a day before Epstein was arrested and charged with child sex trafficking, NBC News reports.

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After the November document dump, Summers issued a statement acknowledging the emails and expressing regret for his association with Epstein. He said he was “deeply ashamed” and would take “full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”

Shortly after the messages were made public, Summers retreated from public life and stepped down from the board of directors of the OpenAI Foundation. OpenAI is the company that developed ChatGPT.

“In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI,” he said in a statement at the time. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress.”

In December, Summers was banned for life from the American Economic Association due to his ties to Epstein. The group said late last year that it accepted Summers’ voluntary resignation.

“Effective immediately, the AEA has imposed a lifetime prohibition on Mr. Summers’ attending, speaking at, or otherwise participating in AEA-sponsored events or activities, including serving in any editorial or refereeing capacity for AEA journals,” it said in a statement at the time.

The Independent has requested comment from Summers.

Harvard has launched an investigation into its own ties to Epstein, including a review of both donors and employees who might have been close to the disgraced financier.

The university launched a similar probe in 2020, which reportedly turned up only one explicit reference to Mr Summers. The report found that Summers had helped start a program pitched by Epstein.

You can use your current bills to calculate what your future bills will be

The cost of energy is set to fall from April after Ofgem announced its new energy price cap. The typical dual fuel household will now pay £1,641 a year for their energy from April 1, 2026. That’s down from £1,758 based on the cap set on January 1, 2026.

That’s the typical household, however. You can use your current bills to estimate how much your bills will change by using our interactive calculator.

The price cap sets the maximum you can be charged for unit rates and standing charges – so your bill can be higher or lower than the price cap figure.

The average unit rate for gas is falling from 5.93p per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 5.74p per kWh, while the standing charge is decreasing from 35.09p a day to 29.09p. The average unit rate for electricity is falling from 27.69p per kWh to 24.67p per kWh. The standing charge is rising from 54.75p a day to 57.21p a day.

Tim Jarvis, Director General, Markets, at Ofgem, said: “Today’s announcement will be welcome news for many households. Wholesale energy prices have fallen in recent months, and we’re investing in our network to safeguard the future energy system. The main driver of today’s reduction is the change to policy costs announced by the Chancellor in the budget.

“Our focus at Ofgem remains on bearing down on the costs within our control, and unlocking the investment needed to support the transition to a more stable energy system over the longer term.

“We’re also seeing encouraging signs of greater engagement and competition, with switching increasing by almost 20% year on year. More households are choosing time‑of‑use tariffs that offer cheaper off‑peak rates, and suppliers are offering a wider range of products, including deals with savings at evenings or weekends.

“The price cap protects households from overpaying for energy, but it’s a safety net. Last year, consumers on fixed deals paid around £115 less than the cap on average, so we’d encourage people to speak to their supplier about the options available and consider whether a different tariff or payment method could help bring their bills down further.”

At the 2026 Bafta awards, big wins for independent British film I Swear and American horror film Sinners were overshadowed by a regrettable moment. Activist John Davidson said the N-word – arguably the most offensive slur in the English language due to the centuries of violence and oppression it carries – while Sinners’ stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award.

Davidson, on whom the film I Swear is based, has Tourette syndrome – including coprolalia which causes the involuntary use of obscene and socially inappropriate words and phrases.

Jordon and Lindo looked shaken and have since expressed their discomfort and disappointment with Baftas’ handling of the situation. In an apology letter to Bafta members, the academy said it was launching a “comprehensive review” into the incident.

Since the incident, Davidson has received extensive online abuse, including accusations that he is a racist – an accusation that fails to consider that this was an involuntary audible compulsion. Davidson has stressed there was no intention behind the word, stating he was “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”.

Two things can be true at the same time. While this incident was involuntary, that does not lessen the hurt or offence that Jordan, Lindo and members of the viewing public felt. No one could have prevented Davidson’s involuntary compulsion in the moment.

However, it could have been edited out of the delayed broadcast. In fact, a second slur was removed, but this one was missed. Doing so would have spared viewers from hearing the slur and helped protect Davidson and others with Tourette’s from the abuse that followed. It also could have reduced the spread of misinformation about the condition, which directly undermines the mission of I Swear to teach empathy and kindness towards people with Tourette syndrome.

By broadcasting the Baftas on a two-hour delay in a condensed format, the BBC assumes greater editorial responsibility than with live transmission. It must therefore meet higher standards and be able to justify its editing choices. The BBC failed to do that in this instance, causing undue harm to both black and disabled people.

There are two main reasons why the Baftas are broadcast at a delay. The first is engagement. The award ceremony lasts three hours, so to help make it less tedious, the broadcast is edited down to two hours.

The second is political. The BBC’s editorial guidelines require them to prevent harm and offence to viewers. Award shows are considered high-risk because they are live and broadcasters cannot control what winners say.

This is often called “the tyranny of live”. As media and communications scholar Paddy Scannell wrote, in live broadcasting “if something goes wrong, the best you can do is damage limitation, for once the words are out of your mouth they are in the public domain and they cannot be unsaid”.

Yet, by broadcasting at a delay to mitigate “the tyranny of live”, broadcasters open up a new can of editorial worms – “the tyranny of the edit”.

In live broadcasting, when things go wrong, they can often be blamed on live conditions. While this does not necessarily reduce any harm caused, it can reduce culpability. Once a programme has been edited, this no longer applies, raising the editorial standards and making broadcasters accountable for every word spoken and removed.

In other words, broadcasters must be able to justify every editorial choice to their audience, especially when those choices cause harm or censor a political perspective.

Reaction and lessons for the BBC

The BBC has apologised for broadcasting the slur and re-edited the programme for BBC iPlayer. Producers overseeing the coverage told the Guardian that they did not hear the N-word from the broadcast truck due to a technical issue. That would hardly be a reassuring defence of their actions.

Davidson later said that he was assured by Bafta that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast, and that he felt “a wave of shame” over the incident. He also questioned the decision to seat him so close to a microphone.

The BBC has also offered no explanation for the post-production removal of sections of My Father’s Shadow director Akinola Davies Jr’s acceptance speech, including a statement of solidarity with “the economic migrant, the conflict migrant, those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution and those experiencing genocide” and the remark “free Palestine”.

Labour MP Dawn Butler has written to the BBC seeking a full explanation for these decisions.

Beyond the immediate fallout, this episode carries wider lessons for the BBC about learning from past errors. Last summer, the BBC was found to have broken harm and offence standards after airing “death, death to the IDF” chants in Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set. After this incident, they promised to review their protocols around the livestreaming of “high-risk” events. Yet a similar misjudgement happened again.

To maintain public trust and support, the BBC must be more responsive in explaining their editorial choices – and more forthcoming when they get things wrong.

Cuba claims its military fired on a US speedboat that entered territorial waters, killing four people and injuring six in a confrontation on Friday

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Cuban military forces have shot at an American boat, resulting in four fatalities and six casualties, according to emerging reports.

Cuba’s Ministry of Interior (MININT) announced today (February 25) that a US speedboat bearing the Florida registration FL7726SH was spotted approximately one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino Channel, near Cayo Falcones in Corralillo Municipality, Villa Clara.

According to the Home Office’s official account, hostilities erupted when the “violating” craft opened fire on Cuban border personnel, wounding the commander, after Border Guard Troops moved in to identify the vessel.

The statement confirmed the “offending boat opened fire against the Cuban personnel, causing the commander of Cuban vessel to be injured. As a result of the confrontation, at the time of this report, on the foreign side, four aggressors were killed and six were injured, who were evacuated and received medical assistance”.

Cuba’s Home Office further declared: “Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defence is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban State in order to protect its sovereignty and stability in the region. Investigations are continuing by the competent authorities to fully clarify the facts.”, reports the Express.

The exchange of gunfire occurs against a backdrop of escalating tensions between the United States and the communist nation, separated by merely 100 miles (160 kilometres) of the Florida Straits, AFP reported. This development follows Washington’s decision to ease the near-total oil embargo on the island, initially imposed by President Donald Trump in January following the U.S. removal of Cuba’s key ally, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.

The agency further reported that prior to Maduro’s apprehension by U.S. forces on January 3, Cuba had depended on Venezuela for approximately half its fuel requirements.

In response to concerns from Caribbean leaders, who feared that depriving Cuba of oil would rapidly lead to economic collapse, Washington announced it would permit shipments of Venezuelan oil for “commercial and humanitarian use,” according to AFP.

Daniel Dubois refused a fist bump from world champion Fabio Wardley as the pair came face-to-face at a lively news conference in London.

The world title fight between two of Britain’s biggest punchers takes place at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on 9 May.

After some long-winded bickering between the two camps, the fighters – relatively restrained until that point – finally sparked into life.

Wardley said he would “flatten” the challenger. “My power is proven. If there’s time left on the clock, I’m taking you out of the fight,” he added.

The 31-year-old – with 19 stoppages in 20 wins – will make the first defence of his WBO crown, having claimed the ‘interim’ title against Joseph Parker before being upgraded to full champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.

Former IBF champion Dubois, 28, is coming off a devastating knockout loss to generational great Usyk last summer.

“If you look back, when it gets dicey, he’s not up for it,” Wardley said of Dubois, who has faced accusations of folding too easily in his three stoppage defeats.

Wednesday’s news conference took place at Dutch Hall, a converted 16th-century church tucked away in the heart of the city.

Dubois – never one for lengthy monologues – kept his answers short and matter of fact.

But the Londoner was clear in his intention. “Victory by knockout, by any means necessary,” he said.

When the fighters eventually stepped forward for the obligatory face-off, Dubois looked away first as Wardley smirked.

Moments later Wardley extended his fist in a gesture of respect, but Dubois shook his head and refused to engage.

The former glamour model visited an aesthetics clinic on Tuesday with her husband Lee Andrews, where she splashed the cash on course of beauty treatments

Katie Price has showed off her new face after booking in for a series of tweakments in Dubai. The former glamour model visited an aesthetics clinic on Tuesday with her husband Lee Andrews, where she splashed the cash on course of beauty treatments.

On Wednesday evening she posed for a glamorous selfie in front of the Burj Al Arab, telling fans she had enjoyed a “gorgeous dinner with a gorgeous view”. Katie wore her hair up and showed off her tan in a white dress, accessorising with some gold jewellery.

READ MORE: Katie Price’s husband says he prefers the ‘natural look’ as she reveals weight gainREAD MORE: Princess and Junior Andre ‘sign up’ for huge BBC series

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The newlyweds both underwent aesthetic tweakments, with the clinic claiming on Instagram that they have set out a “treatment plan” for Katie “over time” – suggesting she isn’t planning on coming back from her honeymoon any time soon.

Sharing a snap with Katie and Lee on Instagram, aesthetic practitioner Max McNiel wrote: “It was lovely to see you today @katieprice. It was great to have you both in clinic today & was lovely to meet you both!

“Thank you for trusting me to carry out your treatments & I look forward to seeing you both again soon. A full treatment plan for Katie has been set out to achieve best results overtime.”

It’s not yet known what the Pricey has done to herself, however the clinic says it specialises in ‘lip contouring’.

The mum-of-five, 47, promised fans she would come back to Blighty last week with her new husband, Lee, 43, who hasn’t stepped foot in the country since their bombshell wedding in Dubai.

After the shock nuptials, the former glamour model returned home to the UK on her own just days later – as her new husband explained she needed to see her children .

She then flew back out to Dubai for their ‘honeymoon’ after the businessman claimed he would come to the UK several times. However, the couple have now been in Dubai for several weeks.

Last night, the Pricey admitted she’d put on half a stone in weight since meeting Lee, who she teased was a “feeder”. Taking to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday evening, Katie told fans: “I have a confession to make. He is a feeder. I’ve been to the doctors and everything, asked them why… everyone’s saying how I’ve lost weight.”

“I’ve got to sort you out, I’m sorry,” Lee replied. “I’ve actually put on half a stone,” Katie continued. “You’ll be pleased to know I’ve put on half a stone because I can’t stop eating. And you’re eating for one, that’s the truth,” Lee said, referencing recent speculation that Katie was pregnant. She has since confirmed she isn’t. “I’m just comfy,” Katie concluded as the couple enjoyed their meal in Dubai.

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The changes will come into affect in March 25, which will recognise vehicles automatically.

Under the new system, travellers will be able to pay for parking after their visit, either online, by phone, or via Auto Pay.

A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “We’re introducing a new barrierless parking system, so you can simply drive in and out without stopping.

“No barriers. No queues. No pay stations.

“Your vehicle will be recognised automatically, and you can pay after your visit – online, by phone, or via Auto Pay.”

More information can be found here: https://pay.manchesterairport.co.uk