Mr Cummings today said the assumption that people would tire of obeying the rules was 'obviously completely wrong'. Members of SPI-B today hit back at Cummings's claim and said he 'does not appear to understand the role of SPI-B not the contribution of behavioural scientists'. In a rollercoaster appearance in front of MPs today Mr Cummings outlined a series of failings by Mr Hancock and the Department of Health and Social Care. Pushed on why he didn't, Mr Cummings said: 'That would be speculation on my part. 'We absolutely reject Mr Cummings' claims about the Health Secretary.'

May 26, 2021 10:51 pmSri Lanka’s COVID-19 death toll saw an uptick today (May 26) as Director-General of Health Services confirmed 29 more victims. The latest fatalities have moved the country’s death toll to 1,298, according to official data. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.

If you live in the US, you can now pick up the ROG Phone 5 straight from Asus online store (linked below) for $1,000. Asus is only selling the 16/256GB trim for now. The ROG Phone is the latest iteration in the Asus gaming lineup and features a massive 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, the flagship Snapdragon 888 chipset and a 6,000 mAh battery with 65W charging. You also get mappable pressure sensitive Air Triggers touch areas and an RGB light panel on the back. If you need to refresh yourself on what the ROG Phone 5 brings to the table, head on over to our written review or check out our video breakdown here.

“Landfall process of Cyclone Yaas is complete. Between 10.30am (05:00 GMT) to 11.30am (06:00 GMT), it crossed 20km (12 miles) south from the Balasore coast,” IMD director-general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told Al Jazeera. Storm surges have been forecast in the low lying areas of Odisha and West Bengal states. His West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee told reporters that about 20,000 mud houses and temporary shelters had been damaged in the state. We are trying to maintain the communication system too,” NDRF official Arun Devgam told Al Jazeera.

Daily COVID-19 cases count moved to 2,325 on Wednesday (May 26) as 744 more people were tested positive for the virus in Sri Lanka. The new development brings the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus reported in the country to 172,275.

OnePlus has announced that it is offering Stadia Premiere Edition free to customers who purchase a new OnePlus smartphone from its official website. The Stadia Premiere Edition is a bundle that includes a Stadia Controller and a Chromecast Ultra, but the offer isn't applicable on all OnePlus smartphones. Only those who buy the OnePlus Nord, 8 Pro, 8T, 9, or 9 Pro are eligible for a free Stadia Premier Edition. Besides, this offer is currently only available in three countries - France, Germany, and the UK. If you live in any of these countries and buy one of the eligible smartphones, you'll receive a promo code within 15 days in Germany and France and 30 days in the UK to claim your free Stadia Premiere Edition.

Fans of Bridgerton are set to be thrilled as season two filming resumed in the heart of London on Tuesday. Stars including Jessica Madsen (pictured) were seen donning their period attire once again as they arrived at the historic Old Naval College to record the scenesThat's colourful! Bridgerton has been renewed for a second, third and fourth season with Netflix, and the next season is based on Julia Quinn's second Bridgerton novel The Viscount Who Loved Me. In February, Jonathan promised the show's second season will feature plenty of steamy sex scenes because they are 'at the heart' of the showRead all about it! In February, star Jonathan promised the show's second season will feature plenty of steamy sex scenes because they are 'at the heart' of the show in an interview with The Mirror.

People living in areas selected by the Epidemiology Unit in Galle, Matara and Kurunegala districts will be vaccinated against COVID-19 tomorrow (May 27), says Commander of Sri Lanka Army, General Shavendra Silva. The decision has been taken on the directives of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Sri Lanka today (May 26) received the second batch of Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine donated by the government of China. SriLankan Airlines flight UL-869 carrying 500,000 doses of vaccines that had departed from Beijing on Tuesday touched down at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake early this morning. Thereby, the President had instructed the relevant officials to carry on the inoculation drive using the new batch of Sinopharm jabs.

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, delivering a special statement in Sinhala language, has wished all Sri Lankans a peaceful Vesak. The Vesak festival is of immense importance to both Sri Lanka and India, the High Commissioner said, noting that Buddhism is not just a religion for the two nations, but also a philosophy and a way of life. Sri Lanka and India are rich Buddhist culture and spiritual heritage, Mr. Baglay said further. He recalled Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declaration of a grant assistance of USD 15 million to Sri Lanka in order to promote Buddhist ties between the island nation and India. Indian High Commissioner also recalled the time when PM Narendra Modi attended as the chief guest of the 14th International Vesak Day held in Sri Lanka in 2017.

By Will Kelleher For MailonlinePublished: 09:50 EDT, 26 May 2021 | Updated: 09:54 EDT, 26 May 2021The Lions squad received their first Covid vaccines on Wednesday in London as the tourists met for the first time before the South Africa tour. The British & Irish touring party were given Government clearance to have their jabs early, like the British Olympians will before the Tokyo Games this summer. Warren Gatland's Lions squad received their first Covid vaccines on Wednesday in LondonThe British & Irish touring party were given Government clearance to have their jabs earlyHowever it is understood he received his first vaccine in France last week – so will be covered like the rest of the squad. In April the head coach said: 'It would be a brilliant message if we were able to vaccinate all the touring party, the players and all the staff. At the London gathering on Wednesday the Lions all received their mountains of kit – from suits to face-masks, underwear to playing gear – and had their head-shot photos taken for the trip.

The Opals squad was announced on Wednesday with its most high-profile member, Cambage, the biggest star. The Tokyo Olympic Games will be her third after appearances at London 2012 and Rio 2016. In Liz Cambage’s own words, nope can’t be cheering on a team that doesn’t represent me...' wrote another on the Facebook page of the Australian Olympic team. In Instagram posts in early May, Cambage threatened to withdraw from representing Australia in Tokyo because of photos promoting the Australian Olympic team. Opals squad for Olympics: Rebecca Allen, Liz Cambage, Katie Ebzery, Cayla George, Tessa Lavey, Tess Madgen, Ezi Magbegor, Leilani Mitchell, Jenna O'Hea, Alanna Smith, Stephanie Talbot, Marianna Tolo.

Dominic Cummings today lobbed a series of astounding accusations at the Prime Minister while giving an account of the Government's response to Covid. Mr Cummings said it was 'crackers' that Boris Johnson - his former boss - ever got the top job in the first place. He said he told the Mr Johnson that he was 'not prepared to work with people like Hancock any more', accusing Mr Johnson of being 'frightened' to give him enough power to set up a functional system. It was 'crackers' Boris Johnson ever became the Prime MinisterAmid his astonishing allegations today, Mr Cummings claimed it was 'completely crackers' Mr Johnson was in charge and that thousands of people in the country could provide better leadership than the Prime Minister. Boris Johnson offered to be injected with Covid-19 on live TVMr Johnson also offered to be injected with it on live television to reassure the public, Mr Cummings claimed.

May 26, 2021 06:35 pmAs many as 1,581 persons have tested positive for the novel coronavirus today (May 26), the Ministry of Health reported. All new cases are associated with the New Year COVID-19 cluster. This brings the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country thus far to 171,481. As per official data, 27,834 virus infected persons are currently being treated at designated hospitals and treatment centres across the island. Meanwhile, the number of total recoveries has reached 142,378 and the death toll stands at 1,269.

Sanjay Rajaratnam PC took his oaths as the 48th Attorney General of Sri Lanka a short while ago, the President’s Media Division said. He was sworn in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Acting Solicitor General Sanjay Rajaratnam has been sworn in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as the 48th Attorney General of Sri Lanka. The new Attorney General took oaths at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo this evening (May 26), the President’s Media Division (PMD) said. Rajaratnam, who served the Attorney General’s Department for the past 34 years, has held the posts of Senior State Counsel, Deputy Solicitor General, Additional Solicitor General and Senior Additional Solicitor General before being appointed as the Acting Solicitor General in 2019. Rajaratnam was sworn in as a President’s Counsel in 2014, before then-President, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. With an extensive experience in civil law and criminal law, Rajaratnam has appeared in several notable cases as well.