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Tuition fees 'should be cut to £7,500'

Students should fork out less for university courses and pay off their loans over 40 years, not the current 30, according to a government-commissioned review.  It recommends cutting annual fees from £9,250 to £7,500 from 2021-22 and bringing back maintenance grants for poorer applicants.  The latter prospect was welcomed by outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May, although she noted it would be a decision for her successor. 

It's one that could have a big effect on the future of sixth-formers, as BBC News has found.  Universities, on the other hand, say they would need a "cast-iron guarantee" that the resultant funding shortfall would be addressed.  There have been claims that some institutions are already at risk of collapsing.  Ministers, however, have warned them against "scaremongering". 

If you're wondering about the financial benefits of study - and which degrees might help you pay back that loan a little quicker - check out this analysis. 

Ultra-processed food linked to early death

Look away if you're reading this over breakfast but cereals are named alongside chicken nuggets and ice cream as "ultra-processed" foods scientists are linking to early death.  Separate studies, assessing the diets of a combined 125,000 people, identified higher rates of death and poor heart health among those who ate more foods such as sausages and hamburgers, instant soups, mass-produced bread, ready-to-heat meals and meal-replacement shakes.  They don't necessarily prove a connection, say academics, but previous studies have linked ultra-processed foods to cancer and suggested they encourage people to eat more.  If it all leaves you wishing for a cheap, easy-to-find alternative that helps keep your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol level in check, digest this feature on fibre. 

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Chelsea win Europa League - and London bragging rights

Chelsea fans might be waking up with a headache after their team beat London rivals Arsenal in the Europa League final.  Chances are they were watching on TV rather than in the half-empty stadium 2,500 miles away in Baku, although the stadium's shape and positioning of cameras led to complaints the view was just as bad either way.  The victory will be tinged with sadness for Chelsea fans, after their star man Eden Hazard - who lit up the final with two goals - said "I think it's goodbye" ahead of a much-touted move to Real Madrid.  Remind yourself why he's so beloved by watching our selection of Hazard's top five goals for the club.  For Arsenal fans, the result means another season without Champions League football but they can take heart that manager Unai Emery is confident of attracting new players. 

Octavia Spencer ditches the 'sassy black woman' for horror

By Alex Taylor, BBC News

Octavia Spencer is ready to rip up the rule book, blood-soaked knife in hand.  The actress and producer makes her lead debut in psychological horror film MA, opening in cinemas this weekend.  It sees her play Sue-Ann - a seemingly fun-loving veterinary assistant whose willingness to turn her basement into a teen party hotspot masks chilling intent. 

"I felt people always wanted to see me as the nurturer, or the sage, or the sassy black woman.  And the funny thing is none of them are real life.  So I thought, well, since I'm not doing anything that remotely resembles me anyway, I may as well go for gold and just do something completely out of that range at the other end of the spectrum." 

Read the full story

What the papers say

Tory leadership candidate Boris Johnson appears on some front pages, which carry news of his court summons to answer a charge of misconduct in public office over claims he lied by saying the UK gave the EU £350m a week.  As the Metro notes, his lawyers have called the private prosecution - brought by a campaigner who crowdfunded £200,000 to launch the case - "a stunt".  Other papers lead on the review calling for university tuition fees to be lowered, while the Daily Star splashes on criticism of Monty Python star John Cleese for describing London as "no longer an English city". 

Daily digest

Boat capsizes Seven dead and many missing after collision on Danube in Budapest

Brexit Shutdown slashes UK car production by 45%

Murdered teenager Mum's plea for killer to reveal location of body

Online gaming Mother's horror amid fears over extent of child grooming

If you see one thing today

The truth behind Venezuela's blackouts

If you listen to one thing today

The Food Chain - Samin Nosrat: My life in five dishes

If you read one thing today

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The mystery of the 'identical' Miss India contestants

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Lookahead

Today EE launches the UK's first 5G mobile network in six cities: Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Manchester. 

10:30 The men's ICC Cricket World Cup gets under way at the Oval, in London, where hosts - and favourites - England take on South Africa. 

On this day

1990 The French government bans imports of British beef because of fears over BSE, or "mad cow" disease. 

From elsewhere

'Is this going to be a joyous place?' …  the architects asking revolutionary questions (Guardian)

Is Stalin Making a Comeback in Russia? ( The Atlantic)

It's not easy being an influencer!  Five social media stars reveal how it takes round-the-clock work... (Daily Mail)

What I've learnt as an atheist from dating a devout Christian (Independent)