Carla Sands began her career as a chiropractor, socialite and actor before succeeding her husband as CEO of investment firm Vintage Capital Group. In 2016, she met presidential candidate Donald Trump and became a fundraiser for his campaign.
Sands, who went on to become Trump’s ambassador to Denmark during his first term, introduced the businessman to movers and shakers, some of whom she says still work for the President today.
“I remember saying to friends, ‘I think this Donald Trump, I think he’s got it.’ And people would say to me, ‘You can’t be serious.’ And I would say, ‘You need to get ready for a Donald Trump presidency,’” she recalls.
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Fifa chief’s bizarre pledge to any World
Cup $2m ticket holder
The president of the football giant has said anyone who pays the exorbitantly inflated price for a ticket to the final will receive a “hot dog and a Coke” from him personally, amid fan backlash.
Caption: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – MARCH 28: FIFA President Gianni Infantino during an international friendly between Mexico and Portugal at Banorte Stadium on March 28, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Antonio Torres – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Photographer: Antonio Torres – FIFA
Provider: FIFA via Getty Images
Source: FIFA
Copyright: IG. @TONOTORRESTELLEZ
Ticket prices go sky-high
Fifa boss Gianni Infantino made the extraordinary promise after tickets for behind-the-goal seats for the 2026 World Cup final were listed for almost $2.3m (£1.7m) on Fifa’s official resale platform.
Speaking at a conference on Tuesday, he also pointed out that the listing “doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets”.
FOOTBALL
3 min read
FOOTBALL
4 min read
A closer look at the figures
It would cost…
£6,500
to get tickets for all of England’s group stage matches. Factoring in travel from the UK, food and accommodation, the total cost would be well over £8000.
Ticket prices for later games are even higher.
£8,333
is the cost of a ticket to the final, as sold by Fifa.
Resale tickets could cost up to 10 times as much, with prices reported to have reached £8.5m as of today.
The Government is being urged to focus on providing practical steps and clear communication to the public to avoid panic-buying of fuel (Photo: Michael Garner/Getty)
NEWS
How cutting speed limits could reduce Iran war price impact
Lowering speed limits on motorways and urban roads could lower drivers’ costs, according to a think-tank.
This is part of a package of measures which it says would soften the impact of price hikes resulting from war in the Middle East.
What the Institute for Public Policy Research calls for
Cut fuel duty by 10p
This would be a temporary measure.
Energy price cap £2,000
The cap would be per customer per year.
Lower speed limits by 10mph
Across 30mph and 70mph zones.
Explained
8 min read
How would this help?
Reducing the speed limit on motorways to 60 mph and 20mph in towns and cities could stretch fuel further in a shortage, as well as capping demand and helping drivers save money.
International bodies for fuel monitoring have recommended that countries impose speed caps to curb fuel usage.
CONSUMER
3 min read
NEWS
5 min read
‘A dual win’ – thinktank
[Benefits include] lowering fuel demand, while safer streets support swapping short trips to walking and cycling. This should be packaged with advice on how to drive more efficiently alongside recommendations for increased home working and carpooling.
INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH
Photographer: Justin Paget
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Digital Vision
NEWS
Paul Hollywood caught speeding at 96mph ‘due to sick cat’
(Photo: Channel 4/Love Productions).
Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood was pulled over on the motorway near his home in January and told police he was rushing to get his pet to the vets.
He has apologised for driving too fast after receiving a hefty fine and points on his driving licence.
TV star caught ‘bullying’ other cars
A police officer following Hollywood in an unmarked car saw his car “repeatedly ‘bully’ other vehicles out of its way, through use of unsafe tailgating”.
He was then seen “following them at an aggressively short distance, on one occasion roughly a mere two metres whilst travelling at approximately 80mph”. The officer pulled the chef over after matching his speed at 105mph.
TELEVISION
3 min read
TELEVISION
3 min read
Caption: Vehicles are pictured queueing on the M25 between Junctions 12 and 13 as a result of a protest by a Just Stop Oil activist positioned on an overhead gantry above the motorway on 9 November 2022 in Thorpe, United Kingdom. Just Stop Oil stopped traffic at multiple locations on the M25 for a third day as part of their campaign to demand that the government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents. (photo by Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Photographer: Mark Kerrison
Provider: In Pictures via Getty Images
Source: In Pictures
Copyright: Mark Kerrison
Hollywood pleaded guilty to speeding
Mr Hollywood accepts he was driving too fast. He was rushing home to get his unwell cat to the vet.
Hollywood pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving without due care and attention, which was dropped. He was fined £293 and ordered to pay a further £237 in costs by Worthing Magistrates’ Court last week.
Driven to distraction
Hollywood has been a judge on The Great British Bake Off since its founding in 2010, with several co-judges and hosts. He has competed in professional races for Aston Martin and admitted his speeding was his “most unappealing habit” on TV in 2022.
He said: “I probably drive a little bit too quick. It scares a few people. I took Mary in a car once and she was hitting me with her handbag.”
Caption: Television Programme: The Great British Bake Off with Paul Hollywood, Sue Perkins, Mel Giedroyc, Mary Berry
WARNING: Embargoed for publication until: 28/07/2015 – Programme Name: The Great British Bake Off – TX: n/a – Episode: n/a (No. 1) – Picture Shows: +++Publication of this image is strictly embargoed until 00.01 hours Tuesday July 28th 2015+++ Paul Hollywood, Sue Perkins, Mel Giedroyc, Mary Berry, The Great British Bake Off contestants – (C) Love Productions – Photographer: Mark Bourdillon
Photographer: Mark Bourdillon
Provider: BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon
Copyright: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES
The two Aston Martin cars were the slowest in qualifying on Saturday at Suzuka (Photo: Getty)
Caption: Undated handout composite photo issued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of Chung Biu Yuen (left), 65, a former Hong Kong police officer currently working at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, and Chi Leung Wai, 40, a former UK Border Force officer and special constable with the City of London Police. Both individuals were convicted under the National Security Act 2023 following a trial at the Old Bailey. Issue date: Thursday May 7, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: CPS/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Photographer: CPS
Provider: CPS/PA Wire
Source: PA
CRIME
UK immigration officer among two guilty of working for Chinese intelligence
A Border Force official and a retired Hong Kong police officer have been found guilty of conducting “shadow policing” operations for China on British soil.
What you need to know
Dual Chinese-British nationals Peter Wai, 38, and Bill Yuen, 65, were convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act. Wai was also convicted of misconduct in a public office by searching the Home Office computer system for people of interest to Hong Kong authorities.
Caption: Chung Biu Yuen arrives at the Old Bailey court, during a trial where he and co-defendant Chi Leung Wai are accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service, in London, Britain, May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Photographer: Toby Melville
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
Exclusive
4 min read
A closer look at the detail
The jury, which deliberated for 23 hours and 38 minutes, was discharged after failing to reach a verdict against the defendants in respect of a charge of foreign interference by forcing entry into the Pontefract home of alleged fraud suspect Monica Kwong on 1 May 2024.
Caption: Chung Biu Yuen arrives at the Old Bailey court, during a trial where he and co-defendant Chi Leung Wai are accused of assisting a foreign intelligence service, in London, Britain, May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Photographer: Toby Melville
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 02: Chi Leung Wai arrives at the Old Bailey on March 02, 2026 in London, England. Chi Leung (Peter) Wai and Chung Biu Yuen have been charged under the National Security Act with assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service and foreign interference, for allegedly agreeing to undertake information gathering, surveillance, and acts of deception. A third man, a Home Office immigration officer and former Royal Marine, Matthew Trickett, had also been charged, but was found dead in Maidenhead in May 2024. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
Photographer: Jack Taylor
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
The prosecution announced the Crown would not seek a retrial and the defendants were remanded into custody to be sentenced on a date to be fixed on 15 May.
Who were their targets?
Wai worked for Border Force at Heathrow Airport having formerly been in the Royal Navy.
He had gathered intelligence on the orders of ex-Hong Kong superintendent Yuen, who was a senior manager at the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office (HKETO) in London.
Targets included Hong Kong dissidents and protesters living in the UK – with “special attention” paid to politicians including Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
Analysis
8 min read
Demand for second-hand motors remains exceptionally high
MOTORING
The ‘sweet spot’ to look out for when buying a used car
A car stops feeling ‘nearly new’ but still drives like one.
Experts say this is the tipping point where second-hand cars drop significantly in price, but are still in good condition, making them excellent value for money.
After three or four years cars drop in price
Analysis by AA cars shows that used cars are significantly cheaper after three years than two, with some dropping almost £4,000 in price overnight.
This is because a wave of brand new cars will have been released, pushing down the value of each generation of older cars. Warrantees often expire around this time too.
BUSINESS
2 min read
OPINION
2 min read
How much could you save?
Peugeots and Fords offer biggest savings
Peugeot 3008 – 19.4% drop
From £18,603 to £14,989 for a three-year-old car.
Toyota Prius – 28.1% drop
From £15,685 to £11,280 for a four-year-old car.
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
It’s a good time to buy
Three and four years is the sweet spot where a car stops feeling ‘nearly new’ in the market, even if it still drives like one…Check service history, tyres and brakes, run an HPI check, and ask why it is being sold. If it is hybrid, ask for battery health and recall history.
ROHIT PARMAR-MISTRY, FOUNDER OF DATA COMPNAY PATTRN
Caption: A sign reads “Cars Wanted 4 Cash” outside an independent second-hand car dealership in Leigh-on-Sea, U.K., on Monday, April 29, 2013. European car sales are sliding to a 20-year low after German concerns over the debt crisis sent demand plunging last month in the region’s biggest economy and removed the main buffer protecting automakers. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Photographer: Bloomberg
Provider: Bloomberg via Getty Images
Source: Bloomberg
news
How German tourist won £850 payout for losing sun lounger race
Amenities like pools at hotels can often come with an added – and unexpected – resort fee
(Photo: Westend6/Getty Images)
A father has won a court battle with his package holiday provider after failing to secure a sunbed at his hotel in Greece, despite spending 20 minutes a day looking. The loungers had all been reserved with towels in the early morning.
Judge rules in favour of tourist
The unnamed man told a court in Hanover he got up at 6am to try and get sunbeds for his family, but found other tourists had beaten him to it. His children were forced to lie on the floor as a result.
The hotel had banned towel-reserving, but didn’t enforce the policy – the man said this meant he was due a refund.
The practice of ‘reserving’ poolside sunloungers is highly contentious (Photo: clubfoto/Getty Images)
Analysis
6 min read
How the case unfolded
Empty sun loungers line the beach in Lardos, Rhodes, on 29 July, after the wildfires (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty)
The man, who paid €7,186 for his holiday, said it was “defective”.
The provider initially agreed to pay him €350 but he wasn’t happy.
The judge took his side and ordered the travel operator to pay €986.70.
TRAVEL
7 min read
Sun bed wars
The so-called “dawn dash” or “sun bed wars” have long been a problem on package holidays, with some providers such as Thomas Cook even offering the option to reserve a lounger poolside for a fee.
Cruise ships docked near Great Bay beach in St Martin (Photo: onfilm/Getty Images)
Spain is looking at changing its ‘golden visa’ scheme that offers three-year residency to investors in property or business (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
The practice is frowned upon, with 71 per cent of Germans believing their fellow countrymen to be the worst culprits. But tourists from the UK also think that other Brits are the biggest offenders.
politics
Inside the Green Party fallout over Polanski antisemitism row
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, with party supporters during campaigning in Cardiff for the Senedd election. The Greens are expected to make substantial gains in elections across the UK on Thursday (Photo: Jon Rowley/Getty)
Insiders say a sense of unease and panic has overcome the party, with canvassers facing backlash on the doorstep in the final days leading up to today’s election. There is particular concern over their leaders’ handling of the issue.
Candidates arrested
Caption: A sign supporting the Green Party political party is displayed in a residential street on the eve of local and mayoral elections in England and devolved parliamentary elections in Wales and Scotland on May 7, in London, Britain, May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Photographer: Toby Melville
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
Two Lambeth Green candidates were arrested for their social media.
More antisemitic posts have been unearthed by Labour.
The party has tightened up vetting procedures in response.
POLITICS
3 min read
Campaigners fear scrutiny
There is a sense of unease in the party because people aren’t used to having the full weight of the Labour Party briefing against us. There’s a bit of worry in terms of how we are responding to the accusations, but I think Zack was clear that our vetting process hasn’t been good enough.
a source within the green party
Caption: A Green Party political sign put up by the householder to show support ahead of local council elections in London, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Photographer: Alastair Grant
Provider: AP
Source: AP
Copyright: Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
What did Polanski do?
In the wake of the Golders Green stabbings last weekend, the Green leader reposted a video of the attacker’s arrest, criticising the Metropolitan Police for using excessive force. His post sparked outrage.
Green leader Zack Polanski campaigning in Lambeth , south London last month. He told the BBC the messages by candidates accused of antisemitism were ‘unacceptable’ (Photo: Justin Tallis/AFP)
Green Party posters on display in Hackney. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
He has since apologised for the post, telling the BBC that the Green Party is “anti-racist” and that vetting procedures would be improved “to make it clear that antisemitism is completely unwelcome in the Green Party, as it is in society”.
Poll watch
Number of Brits with an unfavourable view of Polanski
47%
This is up from 39 per cent before his post, according to YouGov.
The Greens are still riding high in the polls ahead of today’s elections though.
555
The number of seats the party is predicted to win in today’s elections.
Voting intention has not changed perceptibly since the antisemitism row.
Think you know all the signs of heart problems? Some might be myths rather than fact…
These are the beliefs to be wary of, according to Dr Abdul Mozid, a consultant cardiologist at Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital.
‘Getting out of breath is just a sign of getting older’
Caption: Senior man laying down on the sofa, watching tv and holding the remote control.
Photographer: PicTour Studio
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
While ageing can contribute, breathlessness is also a common early warning sign of heart disease.
When the heart cannot pump efficiently, fluid can build up in the lungs, making simple activities difficult.
If it occurs while laying down, or while doing minimal activity, it should never be ignored.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
‘Sleep has little effect on the heart’
There are ways to get a better night’s sleep (Photo: Maskot/Getty/Digital Vision/Copyright Maskot Bildbyr?)
Poor or fragmented sleep increases stress hormone levels, raises blood pressure, disrupts glucose metabolism and promotes inflammation — all of which contribute to cardiovascular disease.
Good-quality sleep is not a luxury; it is a pillar of cardiovascular health alongside diet and exercise.
‘Exercise gives you a healthy heart’
You can ‘out-exercise’ metabolic stress
A young Indian woman sits on a couch at home, holding her hand over her heart, grimacing as she feels severe pain in her chest – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
This is not true. A poor diet high in saturated fats, refined sugars and salt promotes high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension, regardless of your activity levels.
Analysis
3 min read
Other heart health myths to ignore
Only “bad” cholesterol matters
While HDL cholesterol may be associated with lower risk in some contexts, it does not provide total immunity to heart problems. Managing LDL levels remains crucial as part of your overall health.
(Photo: Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty).
Midlife depression. Sad upset middle aged woman at home, feeling lonely. Aging anxiety and loneliness concept – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
It’s just anxiety
Women are more likely to present with less “classic” heart attack symptoms, such as fatigue, nausea, jaw pain or back discomfort. If symptoms are new or persistent, cardiac issues must be considered.
‘Heart disease is an older person problem’
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in women, yet risk is often underestimated. Symptoms may be subtle and attributed to life stage or stress.
Recognising these unique risk enhancers is vital to earlier diagnosis and prevention.
The older couple has a conflict. Upset mature woman, quarrel with her husband. Relationship crisis – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Caption: BERLIN, GERMANY – AUGUST 13: Symbolic photo on the topic of problems in a relationship. An older woman and an older man are sitting at home on August 13, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo Illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
Photographer: Thomas Trutschel
Provider: Photothek via Getty Images
Source: Photothek
The 65-year-old, who donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars to that campaign, says Trump is a great communicator. “Maybe the best communicator our country has ever had. I mean, Abraham Lincoln wrote some beautiful speeches, but President Trump understands communication in the 21st century. He’s really mastered it.
“Plus, he’s a successful businessman, so he understands how to negotiate, [while] most US presidents are political animals.”
And despite Trump’s attacks on his allies raising eyebrows and pulses around the world, Sands insists there is method to his insults.
Then-ambassador Sands with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Copenhagen in 2020 (Photo: Thibault Savary/AFP)
When earlier this year he disparaged the sacrifice of Nato troops who fought with the US in Afghanistan, Sands admits she felt wounded. “I felt bad for the Danish troops who had a higher per capita loss than the US and the UK troops,” she says.
But she adds: “You have to look at President Trump as a macro guy – he’s looking at the whole world. All he knows are the top-line numbers.”
At the weekend, the Pentagon announced that the US would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany over the next year, just days after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran. Trump warned this was just the beginning.
Sands, who served on Trump’s transition finance committee and economic advisory council in 2016, became US ambassador to Denmark in 2017 and stayed in the post throughout his first presidency. She says that Trump “doesn’t know the details, but he does know the big picture that most Nato allies were not standing with us”.
She adds: “Think about what he’s dealing with. He’s dealing with our economy, he’s dealing with the inner social issues in the United States, and then he’s dealing with the world… We have to look at the big picture.”
Sands, pictured at the inauguration of the Australian War Memorial in Copenhagen in 2020, claims Trump’s policies are ‘the best in my country’s history’ (Photo: Ole Jensen/Getty)
Sands – who was a candidate in the Republican primary in Pennsylvania’s 2022 senate election – says she admires Trump’s capacity to deal with all of this, “because most US presidents, they can get one or two big things done in a year”.
Right now, Trump’s deal-making abilities are being questioned. He had to retreat from threats and offers to buy Greenland from Denmark last year, and his strongarm attempts to resolve the war he launched against Iran in February have so far come to nothing.
Polls show he is enduring his highest-ever disapproval rating, of 62 per cent. When it comes to the war with Iran, 66 per cent of Americans polled say they disapprove.
Even so, unlike former Trump allies and Maga influencers such as Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who have condemned the conflict – accusing Trump of going against his promises not to get involved in forever wars – Sands continues to back him.
She says it was Iran, not Trump, that started the war when the Islamic Republic overthrew the monarchy in 1979, and that the President is acting consistently with the man she met a decade ago.
Sands, who now chairs the Foreign Policy Initiative at Trump-aligned think tank America First Policy Institute, says the President ‘doesn’t know the details, but he does know the big picture’ regarding Nato (Photo: Siavosh Hosseini/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“He’s talked about all the issues he’s dealing with today, for decades. He was talking about Kharg Island in 1988,” she said, referring to Iran’s island oil export hub that Trump threatened to seize by force in March.
Sands – who now chairs the Foreign Policy Initiative at Trump-aligned think-tank America First Policy Institute – says Trump is someone who has “watched these issues, who understands the geopolitics of all these issues, and he has a firm grasp on everything”.
Even his social media posts threatening to wipe out the Iranian civilisation fit this brief, according to Sands, who says Trump’s communication style is sometimes intended for a specific audience. “In this case, he’s messaging straight to the despots in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps that are literally mowing down citizens of Iran,” she says.
Trump with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office in March. Relations between the two leaders have gone downhill since then (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)
Sands claims that every US president since 1979 has said that”we will not let Iran get a nuclear weapon. We will not let Iran get a nuclear weapon. But they all punted.”
She says she remains optimistic that there are “good people” working on the ground in Iran to create a “good and beneficial government”, pointing to a recent meeting she had with Europe-based opposition group the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Sands adds that the failure of the US’s Nato allies to back Trump’s war and get involved would not be forgotten. “Two years ago, I would’ve said, ‘Yes, Article Five is ironclad [but] they said no when President Trump asked them to help open the Strait [of Hormuz],’” she said.
When it comes to Denmark, Sands claims the European country has never been able to defend Greenland and has never attempted to develop it.
“Greenland languishes like a welfare state on just enough to keep it going, but not enough to develop economically,” she claims. “The EU is now really investing a lot more than they ever have into Greenland. Part of that, I think, is to counter President Trump in the United States. But what’s going to happen is Greenland will go independent in this century.”
The businesswoman has also served on boards including the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art and the Los Angeles Philharmonic,
Ultimately she believes, Trump is what the planet needs right now.
“The fact is, the world needs a strong, virtuous US president,” she said. “You could say, ‘Well, Donald Trump’s not virtuous.’ His policies are, so I don’t look at the man… We are all flawed, all of us, whether we’re followers or leaders, sinners and saints, but his policies are the best in my country’s history.”