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Horoscope today, July 4, 2025: Daily star sign guide from Mystic Meg

OUR much-loved astrologer Meg sadly died in 2023 but her column will be kept alive by her friend and protégée Maggie Innes.

Read on to see what’s written in the stars for you today. 

♈ ARIES

March 21 to April 20

You can declare this your personal independence day, in emotional terms, as Neptune turns retrograde in your sign.

You have more answers in your heart than you may think – the key is to access them.

By breaking free from old patterns of loving, and perhaps loyalty, and being open to change, you can do just that.

Mystic Meg with Maggie Innes, Friday.
Your weekly horoscope for Friday

♉ TAURUS

April 21 to May 21

Everything you hold secret inside is ready to be shared – on your own terms, as sensitive Neptune changes direction.

Plus Venus moves to your zone of values, signalling you are making your own rules for relationships, even if this may make a few waves for other people.

Luck that missed you is on the way back.

Get all the latest Taurus horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♊ GEMINI

May 22 to June 21

Venus sets up home with you, and you can feel the security this brings.

Instead of waiting for people to support you, you can create your own happy place – the surprise can be who with.

If you’re single, the least likely person in your life suddenly seems the most attractive.

Gemini couples find common ground at last.

Get all the latest Gemini horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♋ CANCER

June 22 to July 22

Planets of commitment and novelty bond in your friendship zone, and you can expect more of people closest to you, after a time of grinning and bearing it.

Your chart can enjoy secret romance with Venus as your guide.

You will love the new sexy side of you.

Family times are precious, try to maintain them.

Get all the latest Cancer horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♌ LEO

July 23 to August 23

Your adventure begins as Neptune travels back – part of this process may be realising you have made a love mistake, but it’s still not too late to fix this.

Valuing friends for who they are rather than what they do is a revelation, as it takes you towards a new level of trust.

You have a need to connect, try not to deny this.

Get all the latest Leo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♍ VIRGO

August 24 to September 22

As Venus moves to the top of your chart, only the biggest dreams will do – so if you know you are short-changing yourself, address this.

It’s better to be honest now than to carry on telling yourself less than the truth.

The friend who always seems so together, could need more support than they say – do explore this.

Get all the latest Virgo horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

a purple circle with the zodiac signs in it
Getty
Luck waits where items are refunded[/caption]

♎ LIBRA

September 23 to October 23

With a personal moon plus the new reverse path of Neptune, this can be a day of reviewing relationships – but try to do this with a cool head rather than a hot heart.

Just one small adjustment can make a big difference.

Pluto’s effect on your creative chart can be sudden, but welcome big ideas start to break through.

Get all the latest Libra horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

List of 12 star signs

The traditional dates used by Mystic Meg for each sign are below.

♏ SCORPIO

October 24 to November 22

If you have never considered a career in a caring role, this could be your moment – so many aspects of your chart point towards this.

But it must be on your terms, and something you want, rather than feeling you should.

In love, deep feelings abound – this time, you won’t just cope with them, you can celebrate them.

Get all the latest Scorpio horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♐ SAGITTARIUS

November 23 to December 21

When you make the first move, even if you feel they are in the wrong, it can be a gesture of peace that changes everything.

So do consider if this is something you are prepared to try.

Setting a deadline on any response can be a positive approach that keeps you in control.

Luck waits where items are refunded.

Get all the latest Sagittarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♑ CAPRICORN

December 22 to January 20

Your new Venus self is self-helping – you can start to see the key to a happy future lies in your hands.

And events that may have felt out of control calm down again.

Repeating a positive message to yourself keeps confidence high, and your trust in the future stronger than any possible regrets about the past.

Get all the latest Capricorn horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

a zodiac circle with the signs of the zodiac on it
Supplied
A journey that’s been delayed can get a prize boost[/caption]

♒ AQUARIUS

January 21 to February 18

Your communication style may be cool and collected, but the new direction of Neptune can change this to something more open and vulnerable.

Admitting you may not always know all the answers is a liberation for you, and encourages other people to open up, too.

A journey that’s been delayed can get a prize boost.

Get all the latest Aquarius horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

♓ PISCES

February 19 to March 20

Ignoring a health question is not a solution.

So much of money management is dry and detailed – but you can let a little more emotion into cash transactions.

Denying your feelings, especially about deals or discussions, is not a smart strategy.

So if you have strong views, do share them. Love has a new sense of security, that can start with an “M” address.

Get all the latest Pisces horoscope news including your weekly and monthly predictions

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Euro to Peso Exchange Rate Today, Friday, July 04, 2025

Details about the Euro to Peso Exchange Rate Today Euro to Peso – Here is the exchange rate between Euro Dollars and the Philippine Peso today, Friday, July 04, 2025. Many Filipinos are working abroad. Among these are European countries. The exchange rate between the currencies of European countries and the Philippines may change from ... Read more

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Pound to Peso Exchange Rate Today, Friday, July 04, 2025

Convert Pound to Peso w/ This Exchange Rate Today POUND TO PESO – Here is the exchange rate between the British Pound Sterling (BPS) and the Philippine Peso today, Friday, July 04, 2025. The Filipino is one of the races that can be found almost anywhere across the globe. There are lots of Pinoys in ... Read more

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Horse racing tips: ‘This race should set up perfectly for him’ – Templegate’s red-hot Sandown NAP

TEMPLEGATE tackles Friday’s action hungry for winners.

Back a horse by clicking their odds below.

CASH (4.10 Sandown, nap). 

Jamie Spencer’s mount can swoop late to take the Listed Gala Stakes. He was in decent form at Goodwood last time when the challenge came a little late. There are a couple of prominent racers in the field who should set it up nicely.

ELSASS (3.25 Doncaster, nb)

Went down in a tight finish here last time and can go one better for in-form Charlie Johnston. The handicapper has left his mark alone despite that promising effort and he has a lot more to offer with just four starts under his belt.

TRUESHAN (4.45 Sandown, treble).

He’s nine now but looked in good form when returning with an excellent fourth in a French Group 1 last time out. It’s a big drop down to Listed level from there and we know he has plenty of staying power. He won this race last year and can repeat the feat.

Templegate’s tips

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Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org.


Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

  • Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
  • Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
  • Never chases their losses
  • Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
  • Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
  • Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

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Lionesses star Leah Williamson poses in new Calvin Klein collection ahead of Euro clash with France

Woman in Calvin Klein bra and jeans.

ENGLAND footballer Leah Williamson gets extra support ahead of tomorrow’s Euro clash with France.

The team captain, 28, wore a sports bra and pants as part of Calvin Klein’s new collection.

Leah Williamson in Calvin Klein underwear.
Calvin Klein/Zachariah Mahrouche
England captain Lead Williamson wore a sports bra and pants as part of Calvin Klein’s new collection[/caption]
Leah Williamson in Calvin Klein underwear.
Calvin Klein/Zachariah Mahrouche
Ace Leah stunned ahead of tomorrow’s Euro clash with France in this sports bra[/caption]

Defending champions England begin their Euro 2025 Group D campaign at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, at 8pm.

Leah this week opened up on England’s secret weapon for the tournament.

The defender believes Michelle Agyemang will give England a different attacking edge after her stunning debut. 

Williamson says she “could only dream of having” Agyemang’s athleticism after going toe-to-toe with the striker during training.

Earlier in the week, The Sun revealed that Prince William gave a surprise send-off to the Lionesses before they flew off to the Euros.

The Prince of Wales ­presented the team with their shirts at the FA’s St George’s Park ahead of their journey to Switzerland.

He chatted with coach Sarina Wiegman and team captain Leah Williamson.

William is also aiming to fly to Switzerland next month to cheer on the Lionesses as they defend their crown.

The Prince is throwing his support behind the national women’s team — just as in 2022 when he was at Wembley to watch them win the title.

Wills will attend at least one group game, maybe more depending on his royal commitments.

Leah Williamson in a Calvin Klein underwear campaign.
Calvin Klein/Zachariah Mahrouche
The defender shows off the CK waistband in double denim[/caption]
Leah Williamson of England Women's national team running on the field.
Alamy
Defending champions England begin their Euro 2025 Group D at 8pm, pictured Leah on the pitch during England’s demolition of Jamaica[/caption]

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Black Sabbath fans left fuming as Ozzy Osbourne charges ‘laughable’ amount for VIP meet and greet

FANS have been left unimpressed over ‘laughable’ Ozzy Osbourne charges for a VIP meet and greet.

Ozzy co-founded iconic rock band Black Sabbath in Birmingham back in 1968.

Ozzy Osbourne performing at a halftime show.
AP
Fans are fuming over ‘laughable’ Ozzy Osbourne VIP meet and greet costs[/caption]
Black Sabbath band members at a press conference.
Getty
Ozzy rose to fame in iconic rock band Black Sabbath[/caption]

He will soon be appearing at Comic Con Midlands along with his family.

However, pricing for a VIP meet and greet with Ozzy has reportedly left fans raging.

The Mirror reports enthusiasts are being charged £666 for the top-level Ultimate Sin VIP package.

This comprises a group photo with Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and Jack – but is restricted to two people per photo, except for under-5s.

Meanwhile, supporters hoping Ozzy will sign their guitar or microphone will have to fork out £750.

This comes to £1,416 altogether, when counting the Ultimate Sin VIP package.

As well as this, the music legend will also sign a book for £225 as well as a album, toy or poster for £375 – for VIP purchasers.

Writing on Facebook, one user commented: “Laughable prices, genuinely laughable.”

Another joked: “Time to start selling me kidney.”

While a third queried: “Do we have to get VIP to meet Ozzy or can we meet him solo?”

To which the events page replied: “You’ll need the VIP package.”

The 76-year-old has reunited with Black Sabbath on several occasions after originally leaving in 1979.

On Saturday, he will perform alongside his bandmates for the final time.

Ozzy has had a number health issues over the years which have prevented him going back out on tour.

They will play on home turf – Villa Park in Birmingham – as part of the Back To The Beginning festival.

Along with Ozzy, the show will reunite the original band members – Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward – for the first time in 20 years.

Speaking about the final gig, Ozzy candidly said: “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up.”

The gig will also feature sets from other huge heavy metal bands, including Metallica, Slayer, and Pantera.

But Ozzy’s poor health means he won’t be able to play a full set.

“We’re only playing a couple of songs each.

“I don’t want people thinking ‘we’re getting ripped off’, because it’s just going to be … what’s the word? … a sample, you’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath.”

Ozzy Osbourne performing at a halftime show.
Getty
Ozzy has had a number of health issues over the years[/caption]
Black Sabbath accepting their UK Music Hall of Fame award.
Getty
The group are soon set to play their final performance[/caption]

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BOC chief suspends unserved letters of authority, mission orders

MANILA, Philippines – Newly appointed Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno has ordered the suspension of the implementation of all previously approved but unserved letters of authority (LOAs) and mission orders (MOs). The LOA authorizes customs officers to demand evidence of payment of duties and taxes on imported goods openly for sale or kept

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19 more medicines now VAT-exempt – BIR

MANILA, Philippines – Nineteen maintenance and lifesaving medicines have been included in the list of those exempted from value added tax (VAT), benefiting more people. Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr., during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on Thursday, said nine medicines were included under Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) 59-2025 issued on

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USD to PHP Exchange Rate Today, Friday, July 4, 2025

Guide on USD to PHP Exchange Rate Today, Friday, July 4, 2025 – How Much You Will Get? USD TO PHP – You can check out the exchange rate between United States (US) Dollar to Philippine Peso today, Friday, July 4, 2025. Countless Pinoys are employed abroad for several years now in the pursuit to ... Read more

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It all started when Bill and I went round to Ozzy’s house looking for a singer, says Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi

Collage of Black Sabbath photos.

FOR 57 years, Tony Iommi has been Black Sabbath’s keeper of the flame.

He is “Master Of The Riffs” — some say he invented heavy metal — and he is the only band member to stay the course.

Black Sabbath band photo.
Alamy
Heavy metal Black Sabbath in 1970, pictured Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne[/caption]
Black and white photo of Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath playing guitar on stage.
Getty
‘Master of the riffs’ Iommi[/caption]

“Everybody else has come and gone and come back,” the guitarist tells me in his soft Brummie tones. “I’ve been the constant one.”

Talking to the affable Iommi, 77, it’s hard to imagine that he’s responsible for some of rock’s darkest, dirtiest, most bone-crunching riffs.

Tomorrow, he and the rest of the original line-up face their final curtain.

It’s our last chance to hear Paranoid, War Pigs and Iron Man performed live by the four musicians who created them.

No doubt all eyes will be on the singer, the “Prince Of Darkness” himself.

Despite complaining to me recently that he has enough health issues “to fill a medical dictionary”, Ozzy Osbourne is set to give his hometown of Birmingham a hellraising last hurrah.

But let’s not forget that the Back To The Beginning extravaganza at Villa Park also marks the end of a journey for bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward — and Iommi.

Sabbath are held in highest esteem by the bands that followed in their wake, hence an incredible supporting cast.

With Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello serving as musical director, there’s a blizzard of metal titans paying their dues.

Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Sammy, Hagar, Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Duff McKagan and Slash (Guns N’ Roses), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit) — the list goes on.

“It’s a great honour,” says Iommi. “I’m so proud of everyone who has come forward to support Sabbath.

“They’ve come from everywhere to be a part of something. This is a real one-off.”

Iommi is particularly chuffed that his old mucker Ward, who he first met at Birchfield Road School, is back in the Sabbath fold for the first time since 2005.

At school, I didn’t even know that Ozzy could sing

Iommi

“Bill and I were in a couple of bands before Sabbath,” he says, “and that’s when we went round to Ozzy’s house looking for a singer. It was how it all started.”

Seeing that the gig is called Back To The Beginning, I ask Iommi to sift through the mists of time to describe how the band came together.

He begins by giving me his first impressions of Ozzy before moving on to Geezer.

“At school, I didn’t even know that Ozzy could sing,” he says. “It was a racket at first, I must say, but after we’d been playing for a while, he got really good.”

As for the singer’s madcap behaviour, Iommi adds: “He got more loony as we went on. In the early days, we’d be on this little stage at a club or somewhere and we had this thing between us.

“If I broke a string, I’d shout to Ozzy, ‘Organise a raffle, organise a raffle!’ which meant, ‘Talk to the audience’.

“He wasn’t very good at that in the early days, he didn’t know what to say.

“But he got more and more confident and, eventually, he became like he is — very out front.”

Iommi moves on to Geezer and says: “Before Sabbath, Bill and I used to play these all-nighters at a place in Birmingham.

“I always remember seeing Geezer there, crawling up walls because of the drugs they were on in those days.

‘I made my fingertips’

“Me and Bill used to think, ‘Blimey, he’s mad, that guy’. Of course, when we got together with him, we realised he was very, very sensible.

“Geezer had never played bass before — he was a guitar player ­— but it was amazing how quickly he picked it up.”

So what about Iommi himself? “Originally, I wanted to play drums,” he replies, “but because of where we lived with my parents, you couldn’t get a drum kit in the house. It was so small.

“My mother bought me a guitar, one of these cheap £20 ones from a catalogue, and I sat in my room learning to play. I really enjoyed it.”

Then he adds with a self-deprecating chuckle: “And I’m still trying to learn to play the guitar!”

This was the early Sixties when one band in particular caught Iommi’s ear — The Shadows led by his guitar hero Hank Marvin.

Black Sabbath band photo.
Ross Halfin
The band now, from left Bill, Geezer, Ozzy and Tony ahead of their last gig[/caption]

“I used to listen to the Top 20 on my little radio,” he says.

“The Shadows really inspired me because I loved their sound and style.

“They were an instrumental band and it was great because I had something to learn and to relate to. Then I could go off and do my own thing.”

I thought that I’d become involved in the scene in some way and I didn’t expect to become a musician

Iommi

Iommi was also shaped by his tough upbringing in Aston.

Of the neighbourhood where he lived, he says: “It was rough and gang infested. You had to be careful walking round the streets because you’d get beaten up if you were in the wrong area.

“I started doing martial arts — judo and karate — purely to protect myself,” he continues.

“I went training three or four times a week.

“I thought that I’d become involved in the scene in some way and I didn’t expect to become a musician.”

Iommi recalls having “a dream of being on a stage, look-ing out, I always thought it was to do with martial arts but, of course, it wasn’t. I later realised it was about being on stage playing guitar”.

At 17, he had a horrific industrial accident which would have a profound effect on Black Sabbath’s signature heavy guitar sound.

While operating a guillotine press in a sheet-metal factory, Iommi lost the tips of the middle and ring fingers on his right hand.

He says: “I went to the hospital and they said, ‘You might as well forget playing the guitar’.

“I just couldn’t accept that attitude so I made my own fingertips with thimbles. I had to come up with a totally different way of playing.

“I also worked on the guitar all the time. I had it in bits and put it back together, trying to make it more comfortable to play.

“Eventually, that extended to experimenting with amplifiers, making a sound that would be more full.”

By the time Sabbath, originally known as Earth, got together in 1968, Iommi was on a mission to make a success of it despite financial hardships.

Black Sabbath performing on Top of the Pops in 1970.
supplied
Black Sabbath’s Top Of The Pops performance[/caption]

“Oh God, I drove the bloody van!” he exclaims. “Unloaded the gear, played, drove back.

“We were hard up. We might make 15 quid and, on our way home, stop off and spend it all at a fish and chip shop.

“But it was great because we started from nothing and we went through the whole thing together.

“We became glued to each other, we lived in each other’s pockets, and it really made us a band.”

Iommi continues: “The name was Geezer’s idea after he watched a Boris Karloff film called Black Sabbath. It was appropriate for our music and it stuck.

“When we were Earth, we got misbooked because they thought we were a pop band. We absolutely died a death!”

An all-important step for Sabbath, like any up-and- coming act, was getting a record deal.

Iommi remembers how it happened: “We used to play at a club in Birmingham where Jim Simpson, who became our first manager, would get people to come down and see us.

“Of course 99 per cent of them said ‘no’ and one per cent said ‘yes’. We were playing something different. In those days, it was all soul, not our kind of music.”

The self-titled debut album contains the song Black Sabbath which bears Iommi’s first great riff.

He regards it as their breakthrough moment.

“That track hit home,” he says. “It was so different and we knew straight away, ‘That’s it, that’s what we want to do, that’s the benchmark’.”

‘Screaming girls’

Iommi took on a lot of the responsibility at the time, getting the others out of bed and into the studio by 9am.

“Everybody needs somebody to direct them,” he affirms. “Otherwise it turns into chaos.”

That first album, now regarded as a trailblazing triumph, landed to lukewarm reviews but it didn’t deter Iommi and his bandmates.

I always remember somebody — I won’t mention his name — came to review us. He left unknown to us and we DIDN’T play, but he still reviewed the show. What does that tell you?

Iommi

“Of course, you never want a bad review but you have to believe in what you do,” he says.

“If we did get a reasonably good review, we’d bloody faint, but we never lost that belief and that’s what made us stronger.

“I always remember somebody — I won’t mention his name — came to review us. He left unknown to us and we DIDN’T play, but he still reviewed the show. What does that tell you?”

Next came the album which propelled Sabbath to the stratosphere, Paranoid, with its iconic three-minute adrenaline rush of a title track.

Iommi says: “We never went to the States with the first album but Paranoid opened up America for us.”

And yet the song itself was almost an afterthought, as he explains.

“When we were finishing the album, we went out to get something to eat.

“The producer came out and said to me, ‘We need another track. We haven’t got enough tracks’. So I had to come up with Paranoid. I waited for the others to come back and played it to them.

“Geezer wrote some lyrics, the guys learnt the song and we recorded it there and then.

“It was supposed to be filler but it was the one that took off — and we ended up on Top Of The Pops.”

Appearing on the UK’s premier pop showcase went against everything Sabbath stood for in their quest “to be an album band taken seriously for our music”.

Iommi says: “It was funny. You’ve got people like Cilla Black and then us. Bloody odd combination, it was!

“And the last thing we wanted to do was attract screaming girls.”

After Paranoid, Sabbath were on a roll, producing a string of high-octane, high-quality albums — Master Of Reality (1971), Vol.4 (1972), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) and Sabotage (1975).

“For each album, we tried different things,” says Iommi. “On Master Of Reality, I started tuning down a bit to get an even heavier sound.

Black Sabbath performing on Top of the Pops in 1970.
supplied
Appearing on the UK’s premier pop showcase went against everything Sabbath stood for in their quest ‘to be an album band taken seriously for their music’[/caption]

“The whole vibe on Vol. 4 was great. We went to Los Angeles where John du Pont was unfortunate enough to rent us his house.

“It was a fantastic place with a ballroom, swimming pools and, God, did we have some fun.”

It was only after ten years in the business that the wheels started to fall off for Sabbath, resulting in Ozzy’s exit.

“Obviously, drugs were involved,” says Iommi. “It got to a stage where Ozzy had lost interest. He’d go missing for a couple of days in Los Angeles — things like that.

“I was nominated to go to the record company and make all the excuses. We were coming up with riffs but it just wasn’t going anywhere.

“It got to a point where I had to say, ‘Look, we’ll have to replace Ozzy or break up’. At the time, it was best for both of us and Ozzy went off and did his own thing.”

Sabbath regrouped with Ronnie James Dio taking over on lead vocals, the first of a succession of singers.

Then, in the late Nineties, the original Sabbath reformed and toured until 2005.

Minus drummer Ward, they got back together for the Rick Rubin-produced 13 (released in 2013) and played live again until 2017.

Now, eight years on, Sabbath are making their last stand.

They’ve all had well-documented health issues but Iommi and Ozzy see the funny side.

Ozzy even called himself “Iron Man” after surgeons inserted bolts in his neck following a fall at his home in the outskirts of Los Angeles

“He should be called the Six Million Dollar Man,” laughs Iommi. “I hear from him every few days and we complain to each other.

“We’ve all had problems so it’s quite an achievement for us to get on stage again after so many years.

“We’ll do the gig – then we’ll probably keel over!”

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