Welcome to your early-morning news briefing from The Telegraph - a round-up of the top stories we are covering on Friday. To receive twice-daily briefings by email, sign up to our Front Page newsletter for free. 1. Joe Biden: UK and allies had choice to remain in Afghanistan

       Joe Biden has hit back at the UK and Nato allies, claiming they "had a choice" to stay in Afghanistan and could have done so despite the United States pulling out of the country.

       The US president has faced a torrent of criticism from ministers and MPs over the botched withdrawal, which has left US and British officials scrambling to get their citizens out of the country after the Taliban seized power. Read the full story.

       2. Covid booster vaccines for all over-50s could be shelved

       The mass rollout of Covid booster vaccines to all over-50s this autumn could be shelved, with government scientists considering limiting third jabs to the most vulnerable.

       The NHS had drawn up plans to roll out a booster programme from September, based on interim advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Read the full story.

       3. Sussexes insist they did not publicly attack Queen in wake of unauthorised biography claim

       The Duke and Duchess of Sussex insisted on Thursday that they had not made any public statements criticising the Queen as they sought to further distance themselves from an unauthorised biography.

       A “close source” quoted in a new epilogue to Finding Freedom suggested the couple were unimpressed by Her Majesty’s claim that “recollections may vary” in response to their allegations of racism. Read the full story.

       4. Arts Council of Wales brands itself ‘systemically racist’ as language requirements exclude minorities

       The Arts Council of Wales is “systemically racist”, according to a report it commissioned itself, which says Welsh language requirements exclude minorities.

       The publicly funded body commissioned ￡51,000 worth of research which branded the organisation’s policies “racist”, along with those of National Museums Wales, a conclusion both bodies have accepted. Read the full story.

       5. Net zero switch threatens new oil shock, warns top economist

       The vast expense of ending global warming will trigger a blow to the world economy that is as damaging as the 1974 oil shock, a top international economist has warned.

       A scramble to cut carbon emissions is likely to send energy prices rocketing and hold back living standards for years to come, Jean Pisani-Ferry said in a report published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Read the full story.

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