SPORTS'Ready to write Chelsea story' - Lacroix makes £52m move
Lacroix won three trophies in two seasons with Crystal Palace
Chelsea have signed France's World Cup defender Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace for £52m.
The 26-year-old, capped seven times by France, has penned a contract at Stamford Bridge until 2032.
The Frenchman joined Palace from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in 2024 for an initial £15.5m and became a regular under Oliver Glasner last season.
Lacroix made 55 appearances in all competitions as Palace won the Uefa Conference League , the club's first major European trophy.
The defender made three appearances for France during the 2026 World Cup, including against England in the third-place play-off, as Les Bleus finished fourth.
"I think when I saw the players like Reece [James], like Morgan [Rogers], I'm just really happy to be also in a way in their story, you know? To write part of the Chelsea story with them," Lacroix said.
"I'm really proud, really happy, to be part of this beautiful project and I just want to start playing.
"I'm really excited to see the guys, to see the manager, to start the season, because I feel like we have a story to write here, and I can be part of it, so it's beautiful."
Lacroix is Chelsea 's third signing of the summer transfer window, joining Morgan Rogers and Marco Palestra in moving to west London, as the club prepares for its first season under new boss Xabi Alonso.
Deals for winger Geovany Quenda and forward Emmanuel Emegha were agreed in 2025, with both players formally completing moves this month.
The Blues are also currently in talks to sign Brighton striker Danny Welbeck and Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson.
Lacroix had been on a shortlist of centre-back options since it became clear Chelsea 's defence was underperforming and that they needed more physicality and leadership in their backline.
Although former Manchester City defender John Stones and Como's Jacobo Ramon were also known to be under consideration, it always felt as though the 6ft 4in Palace defender was Chelsea 's preferred target.
Lengthy negotiations over both personal terms and the transfer fee with Crystal Palace added uncertainty to the deal.
However, Lacroix gave the move the green light last week after France's World Cup campaign ended with a fourth-place finish following defeat by England in the bronze-medal match.
The signing offers a glimpse into Chelsea 's future direction after a season in which they finished 10th in the Premier League and ended the campaign without a trophy, prompting frustration among supporters.
Co-owner Behdad Eghbali said Chelsea would "tweak" their model and add experience to what he still believes is a strong core of young players including Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Levi Colwill.
Not only is Lacroix the oldest player signed under the current ownership since Eghbali and his sporting directors took control, but Chelsea also attempted to sign Granit Xhaka, 34, from Sunderland in a deal that would have been highly unusual for the club's recruitment strategy.
Although Chelsea were unable to reunite the Switzerland midfielder with his former Bayer Leverkusen manager Alonso, the attempt sent a clear message that the club's approach is changing.
Along with £117m arrival Rogers, who turned 24 on Saturday, Lacroix's arrival means Chelsea have delivered on their pledge to make at least two ready-made signings.
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OTHERSVirtual interviews don't show bosses your personality, says Burnham
Bosses should not rely so heavily on virtual job interviews when hiring as they don't capture candidates' personality and passion, Andy Burnham has said.
"One thing I really don't like is this culture now of interviewing via Zoom or Teams," the prime minister told a careers podcast, adding: "How does a young person shine in that situation?"
With more than one million 16 to 25-year-olds not in work or education, and vacancies at a five-year low, firms are increasingly turning to AI to sift through applications and choosing online interviews over in-person.
But some young people have told the BBC the experience of applying for hundreds of jobs and never hearing back is "robotic and brutal".
It comes as some 89% of UK recruiters say they are planning to use more AI in the hiring process this year, according to data from Linked In.
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Speaking to former political adviser Jimmy McLoughlin on his podcast Jimmy's Jobs of the Future, Burnham said he was concerned that the use of technology was not making recruitment processes "fairer".
"How do you get over some of your personality, your passion?" he asked, referring to virtual interviews. "It seems to me to then work against people who have that side to their character and work for those who are just giving the more formulaic answer.
"I do worry about that and I've seen that in relation to my kids and their situation."
More than one million 16-25-year-olds are not in education, employment or training - the highest level in more than 12 years, official figures show.
A major review by former minister Alan Milburn found job and career opportunities for young people are "not growing, they're shrinking" with one in six set to be out of work, education or training in five years unless action is taken.
"We are at risk of a lost generation" with young adults facing a "perfect storm" of challenges, Milburn warned in May.
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Burnham also told the podcast that companies who provide six-week work placements for teenagers could be prioritised for government contracts.
He said he wanted to increase the number of 45-day placements, to give 16 to 18-year-olds the chance to spend more time with an employer and gain practical experience.
The PM also called for senior executives to offer young people who do not have established contact networks the chance to shadow them.
It comes after Burnham unveiled plans on Tuesday to open up new technical education routes to 14-year-olds, which would be put on the same footing as traditional academic pathways.
From Year 10, pupils will be able to combine core academic subjects, such as English and maths, with technical education linked to jobs in their area.
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OTHERSShell profits double as oil prices rise due to Iran war
Shell's profits for the second quarter of the year have more than doubled after the Iran war pushed up oil prices.
The oil giant posted profits of $9.84bn (£7.37bn) for the April-to-June period, up from $4.26bn at the same point last year.
The price of crude has risen since the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran due to major disruption to global supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the Strait of Hormuz.
But energy prices have also seen sharp swings during the conflict, which has boosted Shell's trading business.
Shell chief executive Wael Sawan said the company's "operational performance enabled very strong results during another quarter of severe disruption in global energy markets".
Together with its profits of $6.92bn for the first three months of the year it means Shell has seen a 70% surge in first-half earnings.
Shell and other energy giants such as BP and Norway's Equinor have seen bumper profits this year, partly down to trading on oil price swings.
Before the conflict began, the price of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, was around $73 a barrel.
Since then, it has peaked above $120 but also fallen back below $100 as speculation has swirled over when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen.
These big movements in the oil price can widen the gap between buying and selling prices which typically enables traders to make bigger profits.
However, the conflict in the Middle East has also affected some of Shell's operations.
Its LNG production in Qatar has been shut down since early March because of the conflict, and its Pearl gas-to-liquids facility in Qatar suffered "extensive damage" when it was hit by a missile attack in March . The company has said repairs could take about a year.
Overall gas production fell to 631,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day for the April to June period, from 909,000 barrels per day in the first quarter, the firm said.
Total oil and gas production in the first half of the year fell 16% compared with the first half of 2025, although Shell did point to new oil production in Brazil and the Gulf of America.
"The standout contribution came from Shell's trading operation, which once again demonstrated the value of its integrated business model, supported by healthy refining and chemicals performance and robust production growth in Brazil," said Maurizio Carulli, global energy analyst at Quilter Cheviot.
"[Shell] remains a steady ship in an industry where conditions can change rapidly."
However, environmental campaigners reacted with anger to the latest results.
"With extreme heatwaves and wildfires hitting the UK and ravaging Europe, it's outrageous that Shell is making huge profits while continuing to fuel the climate crisis," said Friends of the Earth energy campaigner Danny Gross.
"These profits have been built on an energy crisis that's left households across the country struggling with high energy bills at home and expensive fuel at the pumps. This underlines the urgent need to end our dependence on costly oil and gas."
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POLITICSBurnham says nuclear sub investment will protect UK and boost jobs
Ongoing investment in nuclear submarines will "protect Britain for decades to come" but also support 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships, Andy Burnham has said.
Speaking ahead of a visit to Barrow-in-Furness, where four new Dreadnought-class submarines are being built, the prime minister said: "Security is not only about what we build, it is about who builds it, and who benefits from it."
The project to replace existing nuclear submarines will receive £8.4bn to support progress towards getting the new vessels ready for service.
Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge welcomed progress on the submarine programme but accused Burnham of "failing to commit" to fully funding defence.
Burnham has said he wants to honour the UK's commitments on defence spending - including meeting a Nato target of spending 3.5% of national income by 2035.
A separate target to increase the UK's defence spending to 3% of GDP is another promise the Burnham government will face pressure to outline.
John Healey resigned as defence secretary under Sir Keir Starmer's leadership over frustrations that there was no clear timeline to meet that target.
Healey, who is the new Chancellor, and Burnham face the tricky task of finding the extra money needed to fulfil the pledges.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, recently appointed Defence Secretary Wes Streeting refused to confirm whether the prime minister would commit to spending 3% of GDP on defence.
He said he was "100% confident the prime minister and the chancellor will give us what we need", however "before we set out specific spending commitments we will also set out how we pay for them at the same time."
He added: "I'm not going to... set out new spending commitments ahead of the Budget or the spending review when these sorts of decisions are made, because we would end up making a commitment on spending without spelling out how we would fund it."
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The Dreadnought-class submarines will replace the UK's four Vanguard-class vessels that have been in operation since 1992, carrying Trident missiles to provide a nuclear deterrent.
Those Vanguard submarines are due to be retired in the 2030s, with the Dreadnoughts entering service at the same time.
The project has taken 20 years to get to this stage and was first announced in 2006 by the then Labour Prime Minister, Tony Blair. A decade later, in 2016, MPs formally approved building the new submarines.
Thursday's announcement of £8.4bn marks the start of what has been called the fourth phase of the project.
The spending was already planned, and was included in the Defence Investment Plan, published in the final days of Sir Keir Starmer's government.
The plan sets out £63.6bn over the next four years for what is called the Defence Nuclear Enterprise.
The bulk of the money (£47bn) will go on keeping the nuclear submarines in operation, continuing with the Dreadnoughts, starting work on what might replace them in 30 years' time, and constructing several other new submarines and upgrading the UK's naval docks and manufacturing facilities.
The prime minister will use his visit to Barrow-in-Furness to stress how defence spending can have economic benefits for the country.
"The submarines produced in Barrow will protect Britain for decades to come, and the 47,000 jobs and apprenticeships will change lives both in this town and in dozens of places like it," he said prior to his visit.
"British money, spent on British workers, British firms and British skills, in the places that were written off for 40 years."
The government says the spending on the UK's nuclear defence currently supports around 47,000 British jobs â and is forecast to rise to 65,000 by 2030, including 22,000 apprenticeships by 2035.
Since becoming prime minister, Burnham has said he wants to reduce the number of young people not in employment, education or training and has announced funding to help those starting apprenticeships.
In a further step, Burnham has said the public procurement process, used to decide how to spend taxpayer cash, will favour companies offering 45-day work placements.
Speaking to the Jimmy's Jobs of the Future podcast, , external he said there would be "more social value weighting in public contracts", with a particular focus on firms offering such placements.
He said the move had been inspired by his time as Greater Manchester mayor, when he oversaw a rise in the number of 45-day placements offered by private firms.
But the announcement offered little detail of the extent of the changes, how they would be implemented and how many firms he expected to roll out the placements as a result.
Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson James MacCleary called for the use of defence bonds to "raise dedicated funding to rebuild capabilities across the whole of the armed forces".
For Reform UK, Danny Kruger dismissed Burnham's announcement as a "rehashed spending plan" that did "nothing to address the crisis in the UK's nuclear programme".
"If the prime minister actually cared about keeping Britain safe and ensuring our armed forces can stand alongside our allies, he would commit to a significant increase in spending and a total overhaul of both procurement and the nuclear enterprise," Kruger said.
Green Party Westminster leader Ellie Chowns questioned the decision to spend billions of pounds on "weapons that must never be used".
"Ministers should not pretend that the best way to create employment is by funnelling ever-increasing sums into the nuclear weapons programme," she said.
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