Nigel Farage last night insisted he is fighting a ‘real election’.

He spoke out after his by-election gamble left him facing off against a man dressed as a bin.

Voters in Clacton face the prospect of a ‘farcical’ ballot, featuring none of the main rival parties, after they all refused to fight the contest sparked by Mr Farage’s sudden resignation amid sleaze accusations.

Mr Farage, accusing his mainstream opponents of cowardice, now has joke candidate Count Binface as his chief rival.

Speaking to the Daily Mail from one of his favourite pubs in the Essex constituency, he batted away accusations that he himself faces the prospect of becoming a laughing stock over the Commons contest, set to take place next month.

Asked if he is bracing for hustings against Count Binface over the coming weeks, the Reform chief branded the notion ‘silly’, adding: ‘I’m asking for an endorsement of me as a person, and our agenda for change.’

It came as bookies trimmed Binface’s odds from 50-1 to 5-1 overnight and Labour and the Tories weighed in behind the comedian, real name Jon Harvey.

The candidate – who describes himself as a 5,900-year-old space warrior and has policy pledges including ‘building one affordable house’ and ‘nationalising Adele’ – branded the showdown ‘Binface vs Binfire’, adding: ‘Bring it on.’

Mr Farage, accusing his mainstream opponents of cowardice, now has joke candidate Count Binface as his chief rival

Talking trash: Bookies have trimmed Binface’s odds from 50-1 to 5-1 overnight, as Labour and the Tories weighed in behind the comedian, real name Jon Harvey

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He also stood in the Makerfield ballot that saw Andy Burnham return to Westminster last month, losing his deposit after gaining 95 of the 45,000 votes cast.

Mr Farage’s interview with the Daily Mail took place minutes after he officially ceased to be an MP.

MPs can only resign from Parliament via an archaic mechanism that involves being given a ceremonial job by the Chancellor of the Exchequer – in Mr Farage’s case, the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.

Rachel Reeves confirmed his appointment around 2pm yesterday, adding: ‘If he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop him.’

The Reform leader confessed to being wrong-footed by the Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Restore Britain as they all refused to participate in the run-off.

Asked if he’d considered the possibility of fighting as the only proper candidate, Mr Farage confessed: ‘No, of course not.

‘Why would they [not contest]? It’s a real election.’

Mr Farage accused all the other parties of ‘working together’ to undermine his by-election framing of a battle between him and the ‘establishment’.

‘The fact Labour and the Conservatives don’t want to stand, they’re both showing contempt for the electorate. They can use whatever terms they want – it’s a real election with real people.’

But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch mocked her Right-wing rival yesterday, joking: ‘If it’s the people versus the establishment, I think Nigel Farage might be looking like the establishment, and Count Binface may be the people. This whole thing is a farce.’ 

Also potentially threatening Mr Farage’s vote share, actor Laurence Fox, leader of the Right-wing Reclaim party, has said he will stand in Clacton. 

Last month, the hard-Right Restore Britain party took voters away from Reform in Makerfield. 

In another worrying sign for Mr Farage, a YouGov poll yesterday suggested the public are strongly opposed to the by-election and backed the boycott by opposition parties. 

They also do not believe the former Ukip leader has been honest about his finances.

Mr Farage is being investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over £5million he received from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne. 

He initially suggested it was to fund his personal security but has since said it was both a ‘reward’ for his Brexit campaigning and an ‘unconditional gift’.

This weekend he faced further questions about undeclared donations from a convicted fraudster, Reform supporter George Cottrell, also known as ‘Posh George’.

Mr Farage argued that calling the by-election was the only way of breaking the ‘paralysis’ Reform UK was facing this summer amid swirling questions about his personal finances and interests.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the by-election proposed by Mr Farage was ‘a farce’

He told the Daily Mail: ‘If there’s a daily media pile-on saying that I’m dishonest on this, that or the other, it leaves me in a position of paralysis. So I’ve done this to try and break that.

‘The extent of the co-ordination of the pile-on had left us slightly in a state of paralysis – that could have gone on for months. What if [the commissioner for] standards doesn’t answer until October?’

Mr Farage also launched a broadside against the House of Commons Standards Committee, accusing some of its members of bias. ‘It is going to be a completely subjective judgement.’

Mr Farage was fulsome in his defence of Mr Cottrell. Long-term ally Mr Cottrell, 32, reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the General Election, and has continued to allow him to use a Georgian property he rents for tens of thousands of pounds a month near Buckingham Palace.

Keir Starmer said Mr Farage had ‘run himself into a cul-de-sac’ with his decision to quit as an MP and trigger a by-election. 

The PM said at the Nato summit in Turkey: ‘Nigel Farage has been utterly exposed in this complete stunt that he was trying to set up. He’s up to his neck in sleaze and he doesn’t want to answer questions about it.’

The clock reads 2:13am. You are exhausted. Your eyes ache, your body feels heavy and the alarm is already beginning to loom over the night, yet your brain refuses to let go. Instead, thoughts arrive in waves. Did you send that email? What if you forgot something important? Perhaps now is also the perfect time for your mind to replay a conversation from 2017 with forensic precision.

Many people recognise this frustrating state of being “wired but tired” – the paradoxical feeling of being physically exhausted but mentally unable to switch off. Surely tiredness should produce sleep automatically, but the brain does not simply fall asleep because the body is fatigued. In fact, under stress, exhaustion and sleeplessness often occur together. Part of the reason lies in the biology of survival.

The human stress response evolved to deal with immediate physical threats. For most of human history, danger tended to be extreme and short-lived – a predator nearby, an environmental hazard or conflict with another human group. In those moments, the brain’s priority was not rest but survival.

When the brain detects threat, a region called the amygdala initiates the body’s classic fight-or-flight response. Stress hormones including adrenaline and cortisol are released. Heart rate increases, breathing quickens and attention sharpens. Energy is diverted away from long-term maintenance tasks towards immediate action.

This response is extraordinarily useful – if you are trying to escape a sabre-toothed tiger. It is much less useful when the “threat” is an overflowing inbox or mounting financial pressure.

Modern stressors are psychologically powerful but biologically peculiar. Unlike predators, they rarely resolve quickly. Emails continue arriving. Work follows us home through smartphones and laptops. Social media creates a constant stream of social comparison and low-level vigilance. Even leisure time has become strangely porous, interrupted by notifications, messages and often the expectation of permanent availability.

The result is that the parts of the brain responsible for keeping us alert can remain partially activated for long periods. This matters because sleep is not simply the absence of wakefulness. Falling asleep requires the brain to actively reduce alertness. A network of arousal centres in the brainstem, hypothalamus and forebrain normally keeps us awake and attentive during the day. To transition into sleep, these systems must quieten down.

Under long-term stress, however, the brain can become stuck in a state of hyperarousal. Even when the body is exhausted, the brain continues scanning, anticipating and rehearsing. From an evolutionary perspective, this makes a certain kind of sense. If the environment feels threatening or uncertain, being fully offline may not seem safe.

One reason this state feels so unpleasant is that physical exhaustion and mental arousal are controlled by overlapping but partly separate systems. Your muscles may desperately need rest while your brain continues producing stress-driven alertness. The result is the strange mismatch many people know well, a tired body and racing thoughts.

Cortisol also plays an important role. Under normal circumstances, cortisol follows a daily rhythm. Levels rise in the morning to promote wakefulness and gradually decline towards night. Chronic stress can disrupt this pattern, leaving the body activated later into the evening.

Some studies suggest that people with insomnia show elevated metabolic and neurological activity even while trying to sleep – almost as though the brain is idling too high. Modern life may amplify this problem in ways our nervous systems did not evolve to handle.

Why the modern world makes it worse

Artificial light suppresses melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep timing. Smartphones provide endless cognitive stimulation at exactly the point the brain should be winding down. Doomscrolling combines emotional arousal, uncertainty and novelty – three things human attention systems find almost impossible to ignore.

Then there is rumination: the repetitive mental replaying of worries and problems. Humans possess a remarkable ability to mentally simulate the future and revisit the past. This capacity helps us plan, learn and avoid danger. But it also means the brain can continue generating stress responses long after any immediate threat has disappeared.

The cruel irony is that the more exhausted we become, the harder emotional regulation often gets. Sleep deprivation itself increases amygdala reactivity while reducing the moderating influence of the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain involved in rational control and perspective.

A tired brain becomes more emotionally reactive, which can make worries feel even louder at night. In other words, being overtired can make the brain less capable of calming itself down.

This helps explain why “just relax” is usually terrible advice for insomniacs. Hyperarousal is not simply a failure of willpower. It is a deeply biological state shaped by stress systems, hormones, attention networks and learned patterns of vigilance. That does not mean the situation is hopeless.

Sleep researchers often emphasise that rest and safety are closely linked in the brain. Consistent routines, reduced evening stimulation, exercise, daylight exposure and limiting late-night screen use can all help reinforce the signals that night is a time for recovery rather than alertness. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia has also proved remarkably effective, partly because it targets the cycle of anxiety and sleeplessness itself.

Perhaps the most important point is broader. Feeling “wired but tired” is not evidence that your body has failed to rest properly. Often it is evidence that the brain has become too good at staying alert in a digital world that never really stops.

The scene is a Manhattan street. It’s still close to 100F but record producer Jack Antonoff is dressed in an almost comically oversized tuxedo. His graying hair is missing – shaved clean off – and so is his actress wife.

Antonoff was, of course, headed to Madison Square Garden, to watch one of his closest friends and longtime musical collaborators, Taylor Swift, marry her NFL sweetheart, Travis Kelce.

He wasn’t alone. The 42-year-old Grammy-winning producer – the architect behind some of Swift’s biggest albums – took his sister Rachel as a plus-one to Friday’s glitzy wedding, host to some 1,000 guests.

But where was his wife of three years, Margaret Qualley?

Online sleuths rushed to explain the 31-year-old actress’s absence. She’s tied up filming, they proffered. Unwell, perhaps. Or, horror of horrors, she’s had a falling out with the bride. 

Now, it seems, we know the truth, after news broke Wednesday that Qualley and Antonoff have reportedly split – and, sources say, things have been tricky for some time.

After news broke Wednesday that Qualley and Antonoff have reportedly split, insiders tell the Daily Mail the warning signs had been quietly piling up for some time

Antonoff and Qualley tied the knot in a small ceremony in New Jersey in 2023 

One guest at Swift’s nuptials tells the Daily Mail that Antonoff ‘didn’t look happy during most of the wedding, unless he was with Taylor.’ He was also overheard telling friends that he and Qualley ‘had a tiff’ before the ceremony.

Antonoff was still wearing his wedding ring at Swift’s wedding, as he was Wednesday when he was photographed outside their home in Brooklyn. 

But then, not long after, news broke via People magazine that the couple have reportedly called it quits after just three years of marriage.

The split appears to have come as such a shock that even Antonoff’s own family seem blindsided. 

Less than two hours before the news became public, the Daily Mail had spoken on the phone with Antonoff’s mother and asked her about rumors of marital strife. 

‘I don’t know anything about this, sorry,’ she said. ‘I’m so sorry, I really don’t have anything to say.’ 

Her apparent surprise is understandable. Antonoff and Qualley had looked like a successful Hollywood pairing.

They married in a small ceremony in August 2023. Swift was present, of course – and Qualley wore flats and a casual halter-neck dress.

As recently as February this year, the actress told Vanity Fair that she saw children in their future. ‘Yeah, for sure,’ she said. ‘I love my husband, my family. I love dancing and horses.’ 

One guest at Swift’s nuptials tells the Daily Mail that Antonoff ‘didn’t look happy during most of the wedding, unless he was with Taylor.’

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He was also overheard telling friends that he and Qualley, 31, ‘had a tiff’ before Swift’s ceremony 

Antonoff was still wearing his wedding ring at Swift’s wedding, as he was Wednesday when he was photographed (above) outside their home in Brooklyn 

But according to a second source close to the couple, the cracks had been forming for some time.

‘Jack didn’t want to put up a facade at Taylor’s wedding when they’re having trouble,’ the insider told the Daily Mail.

‘It’s been weird with her [Qualley] working and him doing his own thing the last several months. They definitely have lost the spark they once had and it doesn’t look like they’ll fix it.

‘Which is crazy, because they were bonkers for each other at one point and people thought they had something unique.’

It is also claimed that the couple’s increasingly separate lives drove them apart. 

Antonoff, who is also the frontman of the rock band Bleachers, has spent much of this year away on tour, while Qualley has thrown herself into filming. Her new movie Possession (a remake of the 1981 cult horror which will also feature Callum Turner) is anticipated for cinema release next year.

‘Margaret feels he has a tendency to prioritize his music career over their relationship,’ the insider said.

‘The disconnect between them has created significant tension, and despite the growing strain, Jack hasn’t shown much interest in repairing what’s been broken. The two are no longer on the same page.’

The source added that Qualley had finally reached ‘her breaking point’.

She has recently also been filming the supernatural thriller King Snake alongside Drew Starkey, the chiseled 32-year-old actor who made a name for himself starring opposite Daniel Craig in the 2024 gay romance movie, Queer.

Eagle-eyed fan have claimed that photographs making the rounds online show Starkey and Qualley at a minor league baseball game on May 30 in Arkansas during time off from filming in the area. Starkey’s brother was said to be present and the game was advertised online as ‘Faith & Family Night’.

One attendee told the Daily Mail the the trio kept a low profile and claimed Starkey in particular seemed to want people to ‘leave him alone.’

‘I think once he realized he was spotted on one side of the baseball field, he put a cap on and the three of them moved to the section next to where I was sitting,’ the attendee said. ‘You could tell he didn’t want to be bothered.’

Qualley has recently been filming the supernatural thriller King Snake alongside actor Drew Starkey (pictured)

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Other photos shared by fans allegedly capturing Qualley and Starkey spending time together at a public swimming pool during another break from filming have only added fuel to the fire.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Antonoff, Qualley and Starkey for comment. 

Qualley and Antonoff’s reported breakup has promoted something of a deep dive into the famed producer’s dating history, namely his relationship with Girls creator Lena Dunham, 40.

In her recently released memoir, Dunham reflected candidly on their five-year relationship, which ended in January 2018.

She recalled returning home one day to find an unnamed teenage pop star crying in Antonoff’s lap while he comforted her.

‘One day I returned home from a bone density test to find her sprawled across our sectional couch, weeping into Jack’s lap as he told her that “your teens are for experimenting” in a tone so comforting, it almost brought tears to my eyes,’ Dunham wrote.

In her recently released memoir, Girls creator Lena Dunham reflected candidly on her five-year relationship with Antonoff

‘It had been so long since he’d spoken to me with that kind of expansive generosity.’

Elsewhere, Dunham reflected on a period when the couple briefly separated and claimed that while she had carefully respected the boundaries they established, ‘if I wanted to look, perhaps I may have seen that Jack was not observing them as closely as I was.’

In April, Qualley changed her Instagram username from ‘isimostar’ – widely believed to be a nod to the Bleachers song, Isimo – to simply ‘sarahmargaretqualley23.’

Come Wednesday morning, Qualley seemed to briefly scrub her wedding photos from her Instagram. The missing photos have now reappeared – and the pair still follow each other on the social media platform.

The cases follow investigations by the Police Ombudsman’s Office

A police officer has been convicted of careless driving following an investigation by the Police Ombudsman’s Office.

The investigation was prompted by a public complaint alleging that the officer had, while on duty, driven through a zebra crossing, narrowly missing a child on a scooter.

The incident happened at Carlisle Circus in north Belfast on 2 April 2025.

The officer pleaded not guilty but was convicted following a contest at Belfast’s Laganside Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and received a fine of £250 and five penalty points.

In a separate case at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court last Friday, July 3, another police officer was acquitted of charges of using a mobile phone while driving, and driving while not in proper control of a vehicle.

The case was investigated by the Police Ombudsman’s Office after receiving a referral from the Public Prosecution Service based on video evidence submitted by police in relation to an alleged speeding offence by a member of the public.

The Police Ombudsman will now consider potential misconduct issues arising from both cases before submitting reports for consideration by the PSNI ’s Professional Standards Department.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

By MARK NICOL, DEFENCE EDITOR

Published: 23:59 BST, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 01:19 BST, 9 July 2026

Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran ‘is over’ and launched new bombing raids on Wednesday night after calling the country’s leaders ‘cuckoo’ and ‘scum’.

At the Nato summit in Turkey, the US President said the truce was finished and threatened to target Iran’s bridges, electricity grid and water-cleansing plants.

Later, addressing the second night of attacks, Mr Trump wrote on social media: ‘This is in retribution for Wednesday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!’

He also posted videos and photos of the raids, with images of smoke billowing into the sky after an apparent bombing.

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The US had renewed its onslaught on Iran on Tuesday night as ‘punishment’ after tankers came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz.

More than 80 US air strikes targeted military facilities, including craft used to harass tankers in the strait and air defence systems. Iranian state media said eight people died in the attacks.

US Central Command said they were launched to ‘impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway’.

The US also revoked a licence for Iran to sell oil on global markets as part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the countries agreed last month.

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At the Nato summit in Turkey, the US President said the truce was finished and threatened to target Iran’s bridges, electricity grid and water-cleansing plants. He is pictured here at the event with Keir Starmer

Emmanuel Macron is seen going for a morning jog in Ankara, Turkiye, where he arrived for the summit

In response, Iran targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait and declared the agreement ‘dead’. It claimed to have shot down a US MQ9 drone and to have damaged 85 US facilities. Earlier, Mr Trump told the summit: ‘These are evil, sick people – they’re cancer. And you’ve got to cut out cancer early.’

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After the President’s threats, Tehran vowed to turn the Middle East into ‘a sea of fire’ and close the Strait of Hormuz.

Officials also threatened to ‘rain missiles’ on Israel and claimed Iran’s regional proxies, such as Yemeni-based Houthi rebels, had their ‘fingers on the triggers’. The speaker of Iran’s parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said: ‘We don’t fold.’

After hostilities resumed crude oil prices rose by 5 per cent, while Gulf states such as Qatar condemned Iran’s ‘explicit violation’ of international law.

The US action was backed by Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, who confirmed the alliance’s position that Iran should never acquire a nuclear weapon.

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Away from the serious talks, French president Emmanuel Macron was spotted out for a morning jog in shorts and shades.

The degree of Honorary Doctorate of Sport was presented during the university’s summer graduation ceremonies in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the city, both on and off the pitch.

Mr O’Nien said: “I don’t think I can find the words to express what it means.

“I came here to play football and get the club back to the Premier League, and every time people thank me, I’m like – no, thank YOU.

“You guys took me on and gave me the opportunity.

“You gave me time and space to learn and grow as a player and as a dad.

“You guys have given me the life that I’ve always wanted, on and off the pitch.

“I’ve turned up and given my everything but without the community here, I wouldn’t have this opportunity.

“I am unbelievably grateful and I will make sure that I will do my best to keep contributing to the Sunderland community the best I can.”

Luke O’Nien with Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Sunderland (right) and Pro-Chancellor Jeff Brown (Image: University Of Sunderland)

Mr O’Nien joined Sunderland in 2018 and has become a fan favourite, earning the nickname “Mr Sunderland” and surpassing 300 appearances for the club.

His influence extends beyond football, as he regularly speaks about leadership, positivity and mental resilience.

He said: “One of the most important things in life is human connection and hearing people’s stories of where they’ve come from and where they’re going.

“I think everybody is carrying something that nobody else can see.

“We all have challenges, we all have setbacks and we all have moments when life feels heavy.

“Sometimes the best thing you can do is take the time to listen – not to judge, not to solve the problem, just to understand.

“When people feel seen, heard and supported, incredible things can happen.”

The university’s summer graduations are taking place throughout the week, running from Monday, July 6 to Friday, July 10.

This is the first time they have been held during the summer at The Fire Station in the city centre.

The ceremonies celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2026 and are expected to provide a significant economic boost to hotels, bars, restaurants and hospitality venues across Sunderland.

The US has started “additional strikes” after Iran’s “recent unjustified aggression” on civilian crews in the Strait of Hormuz

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Donald Trump has directed the US military to launch fresh assaults on Iranian targets, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The United States has commenced “additional strikes” in response to Iran’s “recent unjustified aggression” towards civilian crews, according to the Express.

A statement from Central Command read: “At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”

On 7 July, the US Command confirmed that numerous targets had been struck following “a series of powerful strikes”, triggered by alleged Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The Command subsequently confirmed that “over 80 targets” had been hit.

According to UN International Maritime Organisation figures, three civilian vessels were struck in the strait earlier on Tuesday. Iran, however, did not claim any of the attacks.

President Trump appeared to issue a stark ultimatum to Iran earlier this week, declaring “we’re either going to have a deal or we’re going to have a war”. Speaking at the NATO summit in Turkey yesterday and today (7 July and 8 July), the president stated: “If we make a deal with Iran, I’m not sure that will stick because I found them to be very dishonourable. We hit them very hard last night, very, very hard,” before adding that the US will “probably hit them hard again tonight”.

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His remarks regarding the precarious ceasefire triggered a further surge in oil prices. Brent crude climbed approximately 6.5% to $79 a barrel on Wednesday morning following Mr Trump’s declaration that the ceasefire had collapsed.

Sitting alongside the alliance’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, Trump said he was “very upset” with NATO, threatening to cut off all trade with Spain in a row over defence spending. Since, the U.S. has fired strikes at more than 80 Iranian targets around the strait of Hormuz.

Delays are building on the approach to the crash

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A busy Cambridgeshire road has closed due to a crash, causing delays in the area.

The A14 in Cambridgeshire eastbound within junction 35 near Stow cum Quy is shut due to the collision.

Cambridgeshire Police are at the scene of the incident that occurred just after 11.30pm on Wednesday, July 8.

Drivers have been advised to avoid the area where possible due to the crash.

There are currently delays on the approach to the closure according to National Highways.

A National Highways spokesperson said: “Please allow extra time if you’re travelling in the area. We’ll keep you posted.”

Today, Venus moves into Virgo for four weeks, bringing a practical and organisational quality to the following days. Plan, plan and plan.

Pisces, Aquarius and Capricorn, you will gain clarity and boldness when it comes to relationships. Whether getting closer or stepping away, you’ll know what to do.

Being thoughtful will come naturally throughout the Venus-Virgo tie, and revelations are on the cards. Don’t hold back.

Ahead, you’ll find all star signs’ horoscopes for today: Thursday July 9, 2026.

Like checking your horoscope every morning? You can now sign up to our free daily newsletter to get a personalised reading for your star sign delivered straight to your inbox.

To order your unique personal horoscope based on your time, date and place of birth, visit patrickarundell.com.

Aries

March 21 to April 20

Venus is not just about earthly sensuality. This planet helps us value ourselves and manage our finances. Today, she moves into the practical Virgo for a four-week stay. This is the sign of virtue, so a great chance to carefully marshal your resources or take pride in any personal hobbies that require concentration and precision. Thoughtful gestures will be appreciated.

Head here for everything you need to know about being an Aries

Taurus

April 21 to May 21

As Venus, your ruler, sashays into the practical Virgo, a fellow Earth sign, the next four weeks can help you bring order to both your social and creative worlds. Small refinements may make a surprising difference. Whether it’s updating your look, pursuing a hobby, or reconnecting with people who appreciate your talents, attention to detail can prove rewarding.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Taurus

Gemini

May 22 to June 21

An earthier dimension shapes up, with the Moon in Taurus and Venus, which influences taste and style, moving into gentle Virgo. Such has been the high-octane blend of recent days, particularly in your sign, with Mars and Uranus creating an electric buzz of excitement, you can appreciate the chance to chill out at home, decorate, or spend time in your outdoor space.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Gemini

Cancer

June 22 to July 23

Remember that old saying, “It’s not what we say, but the way that we say it?” Well, that can really ring true in the next few weeks, when your ideas, messages, and the way you express them resonate with the people you encounter. Whilst many of us chat by text now, you can still find that people are more responsive to what you say. Mutual rapport can be boosted.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Cancer

Leo

July 24 to August 23

Your finances can take a turn for the better now, but the trick will be to use any good fortune carefully. That more flamboyant side of your nature could be tempted to splash out, but one sound way of avoiding a powerful case of buyer’s remorse is to ask yourself this question: “Will any item I buy have a practical benefit?” If the answer is no, don’t rush any purchases.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Leo

Virgo

August 24 to September 23

The weeks ahead can be the perfect time to give yourself a makeover. If you are a dedicated follower of fashion, you may feel you are already on trend, but a few more individual, tasteful touches can give you a lovely personal boost. A creative hobby that has been calling out to you could also come into play. Blending your eye for detail with flair, the perfect mix.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Virgo

Libra

September 24 to October 23

Whether you’re involved or single, as your ruler, Venus, moves into the most reflective zone of your chart, it can give you plenty of cosmic food for thought around close involvements. You may find yourself nostalgic for someone from your past or deciding whether a current tie meets your expectations. After an incredibly busy time of late, you may also enjoy some “you time”.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Libra

Scorpio

October 24 to November 22

As Venus glides into the practical Virgo, though not her most glamorous place, this gives you a chance to celebrate the things you have in common, rather than the things that make you different. Venus here can be very discriminating, so try not to be too precise in who or what would meet your ideal. Socially, a busier time is in store, especially around group activities.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Scorpio

Sagittarius

November 23 to December 21

With Uranus, the planet of rebellion, now in your sector of relationships, this can bring to the fore that more outspoken and feistier part of your nature. A counterpoint to this is the planet of relating, Venus, moving into the most visible part of your chart. In the weeks ahead, her diplomacy and steadiness can be great qualities, especially in work or worldly interactions.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Sagittarius

Capricorn

December 22 to January 21

Enjoy nature, walking, rambles, or visiting places of historical interest? The month ahead can be very enjoyable. If you prefer home-based activities, researching or watching natural history programs can be gratifying. However, if a relationship has been uncertain, you may become firmer in your need to know where you stand, as the truth must come out.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Capricorn

Aquarius

January 22 to February 19

You have a reputation for cool detachment in all things romantic. Is that always the case, Aquarius? No, of course not, and the next few weeks can see things get altogether spicier – as long as you feel really comfortable with the person you’re with. In business, your ability to see value beyond what is obvious can also be amplified from now on, bringing rewards.

Head here for everything you need to know about being an Aquarius

Pisces

February 20 to March 20

As Venus enters your opposite sign, relationships come sharply into focus. The coming weeks can reward cooperation, give-and-take, and showing affection through practical gestures. Sometimes love is best expressed not through grand declarations but through consistency, reliability, and genuine consideration. Your listening skills will be appreciated, too, now.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Pisces

Your daily Metro.co.uk horoscope is here every morning, seven days a week (yes, including weekends!). To check your forecast, head to our dedicated horoscopes page.

Check out the tarot horoscope reading for the month of July here.

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MORE: Neptune Retrograde reveals what you’ve refused to see until now — your star sign’s tarot horoscope forecast

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The match between England and Mexico in the round of 16 has become the most-watched World Cup game not involving the U.S. broadcast in English in the country’s history, according to Fox.

The network said Wednesday an average of more than 21.7 million tuned in to watch England’s 3-2 victory in Mexico City on Sunday night. That tops the previous record of the final between Argentina and France in 2022, which was seen by 16.7 million.

Fox said the audience peaked at more than 25.7 million from 10:15-10:30 p.m. Eastern time. The U.S.-Belgium game the following night is the most-watched at 30 million.

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