Covid-19: First 16 and 17-year-olds offered jabs and the Edinburgh Fringe returns - BBC News
Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday evening.
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Friday evening. We'll have another update for you tomorrow.

Sixteen and 17-year-olds across the UK are now being invited to book their coronavirus vaccine. GPs in England have been told they can contact this age group, while invites will also be sent out in Wales. In Northern Ireland, walk-in centres are now open to older teenagers, and in Scotland they can register their interest online. Meanwhile, new Public Health England data shows most patients in hospital with Covid in England continue to be unvaccinated. PHE said that of the 1,467 people hospitalised with the Delta variant since 19 July, 808 (55.1%) were unvaccinated, while 512 (34.9%) had received both doses.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Why it is normal for some people to experience short-term side effects from Covid-19 vaccines

A long-distance couple separated by pandemic travel rules for 18 months have been granted an exemption to get married in England. Australian Chris Quealy, 72, proposed to Penny Steven, 69, from Amersham, over Zoom this year, as strict Covid border rules in Australia kept the couple apart. But on Thursday, the pair - who met in 2015 during a hike of Spain's Camino de Santiago - finally received confirmation of Chris's dispensation to leave Australia. "I am on cloud nine," says Penny, from Amersham. "It is a dream come true."

Italy has become the latest EU country to introduce a digital Covid certificate scheme for access to some services and venues, in a bid to curb infections. The "green pass" will allow access for people who have had at least one jab, have recovered from Covid or who have tested negative within the previous 48 hours. From Friday, anyone over 12 at venues such as gyms, bars, cinemas museums and restaurants must show their pass. You can read more here.

Jennifer Aniston has explained on Instagram why she has cut off unvaccinated friends - after telling a media outlet that she had "lost a few people from [her] weekly routine" who had refused the jab. Asked by followers on the social media platform why she was so worried given she was vaccinated, the Friends actress said there was a chance she could still catch the virus and give it to someone who was unvaccinated or medically vulnerable. You can read more here.

Today marks the return of the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe, after last year's festival was cancelled for the first time in more than 70 years because of the pandemic. But at a fraction of the size and with no posters, flyers or pop-up performances, this year's socially-distanced Fringe feels like a different sort of festival, says Pauline McLean, BBC Scotland's Arts correspondent.

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