Newspaper review: Reaction to conviction of Jeremy Forrest

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22998703

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The Daily Mail and the Sun are among the papers to focus on the case of teacher Jeremy Forrest, who has been found guilty of abducting a 15-year-old schoolgirl.

The Mail quotes a family friend who claims the pair, who had fled to France, remain "desperately in love" and plan to resume their relationship "as soon as he is free".

The Daily Express says Forrest, who has already spent nine months behind bars, has boasted that he is enjoying his time in jail.

One friend describes how he has been teaching illiterate inmates to read and write.

'Artificially inflated'

The Daily Telegraph leads on accusations that drug companies are secretly colluding with pharmacists to overcharge the NHS by millions of pounds.

The paper, which has carried out an undercover investigation, says pharmaceutical firms appear to have rigged the market in so-called "specials" - prescription drugs that are largely not covered by national NHS price regulations.

The Telegraph claims the cost of more than 20,000 drugs could have been artificially inflated, with cash offered to chemists who agreed to sell them.

The companies named in the report have denied any wrongdoing - although two of them have launched investigations.

'Pensions blow'

"Pension blow for millions" is the front page headline in the Express. It says billions of pounds were wiped off the value of retirement funds as share prices around the world plummeted.

According to the Financial Times, the sell-off has raised fears that the world is entering a new phase of financial turbulence.

The personal finances of UKIP leader Nigel Farage fall under the spotlight in the Daily Mirror.

It says Mr Farage has admitted opening a trust fund on the Isle of Man in a plan to slash his tax bill.

But he calls the whole thing a mistake, saying he never used the scheme because he is not rich enough - and actually ended up out of pocket.

However, the Mirror says that Mr Farage's involvement in an offshore trust is a "hammer blow to his carefully cultivated 'man of the people' act".

Gandolfini tributes

Nearly all of the papers carry generous tributes to actor James Gandolfini after his sudden death from a suspected heart attack.

An editorial in the Times describes how he turned the New Jersey mobster, Tony Soprano, into a bewitching giant of the small screen, who became as memorable a character as Marlon Brando's Godfather.

The Sopranos changed television forever, it says, and Gandolfini was pivotal in that transformation.

The Independent calls him a "rare talent without a hint of ego", while the Guardian describes how he tried to inject anger into his portrayal of Tony Soprano by hitting himself on the head, or staying up all night, to evoke the desired reaction.

The Sun pays tribute to a "huge man, and a huge talent, who will be hugely missed".

'Happiness formula'

Finally, after a cold spring and months of economic gloom, the Telegraph declares today "the happiest day of the year, apparently".

The claim comes from a psychologist who fed every date of the year into a mathematical "happiness" formula.

Put simply, approaching holidays, higher temperatures and the hope Andy Murray will triumph at Wimbledon mean that 21 June came out on top.