Horoscope Today: Read daily horoscope predictions for February 24, 2026. Know all about the astrological events and influences that will be affecting each of the 12 zodiac signs. Our astrologer has analyzed the movements of the planets and the alignment of the stars to bring you the most accurate and up-to-date horoscope predictions for the day ahead. Get ready to discover what the stars have in store for you today.Aries:Today, you may feel dissatisfied, lazy, and dull. This may affect the speed of your current projects and cause delays at work. Love birds are advised to avoid making any important decisions regarding marriage. Job seekers may face disappointment in interviews. You may waste your precious time on unproductive tasks.

Taurus:Today, you may feel dull, and your focus on your targets may weaken. You might make hypothetical decisions that are not practical. Your expectations may be very high, and due to impatience, you may not be able to fulfill them, which could upset you. Be careful during adventure trips and avoid rash driving. However, by the afternoon, your profits may increase. You may start working with new clients, which could benefit your business in the near future.Gemini:Today, you may be able to control your inner weaknesses after self-analysis. This may boost your confidence. You may fight against bad habits or addictions. Singles are likely to find a good match. Love birds may gain clarity in their relationships. You may also receive opportunities for overseas travel. Students may hear good news regarding academics.Cancer:Today, you may feel better, and situations may come under control. Your network may help you at work. You may plan overseas travel. This is a good time to enhance domestic harmony and love life. With creativity, you may bring home artistic or decorative items for your family. You may also plan to watch a movie or go out with friends or family.Leo:Today, you may feel tired due to overworking. This could make you lazy or careless, so you are advised to stay patient. If you are planning an adventure trip, consider postponing it for a while. Past investments may turn into unproductive assets. Students are advised to work harder. You may experience back pain, nervous system issues, liver-related problems, or skin issues.Virgo:Today, your creativity may be high, and you may plan to renovate your house. You might purchase items for your home or office renovation, which may enhance your social status. Harmony with your spouse is likely, bringing peace to domestic life. Disputes with friends, co-workers, and partners may settle down. You may receive good news regarding legal matters.Libra:Today, your creativity may be high, and you may attend a creative event. Money that was previously stuck may now be recovered. Job seekers are advised to update their knowledge with the latest skills. Students should put in more effort in their academics.Scorpio:Today, you may be busy with your children’s academics and may plan for their higher studies. Couples may hear good news regarding children. You may plan to upgrade your qualifications to gain promotion in your current job. Singles may find their soulmate.Sagittarius:Today, you may feel disconnected from reality and may not be able to handle your responsibilities properly. Your investments may bring losses. You are advised to read documents carefully before signing them. An elder’s health may upset you. You may plan to renovate your house, but it is better to postpone it for now.Capricorn:Today, you may help needy people, which could increase your social respect. You may put in your full effort at work, allowing you to complete tasks before time. You may hear good news from a sibling. However, excessive work may make you tired. Avoid stress, as it may affect both your professional and personal life. Practicing meditation or observing fasting may help you stay balanced.Aquarius:Today, you may be busy with family and social events. You may behave politely with people around you, which could enhance your image among relatives and friends. You may spend money on artefacts or other items to improve your social status. You may hear good news from a close relative.Pisces:Today, disputes with siblings may settle, strengthening your relationship with them. Your energy levels seem good, which may help you complete difficult projects easily. You may expand your network through a short work-related trip. Helping a needy person may also enhance your social status.

You don’t have permission to access “http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/vijays-chennai-north-debut-puts-dmk-bastion-to-test-11126521” on this server.

Reference #18.34a21ab8.1771873848.15ad5599

https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.34a21ab8.1771873848.15ad5599

With appraisal season around the corner, conversations about pay hikes, promotions and performance rewards are returning to office corridors as companies reassess compensation strategies.Companies are preparing to roll out an average salary hike of 9.1 per cent in 2026, signalling a shift towards skills-based pay structures rather than uniform annual increments, according to a report, as reported PTI.The fourth edition of the EY Future of Pay report said compensation strategies are increasingly being redesigned around specialised capabilities, productivity outcomes and long-term retention priorities as businesses recalibrate workforce investments.Global Capability Centres (GCCs) are expected to lead salary growth with projected increments of 10.4 per cent, reflecting sustained global demand for specialised digital skills. Financial services firms are likely to follow with hikes of around 10 per cent, while e-commerce companies may see 9.9 per cent increases and life sciences and pharmaceuticals 9.7 per cent, the report noted.The findings are based on inputs from 178 companies across 16 sectors in India.

Attrition stabilises as hiring pressures ease

The report indicated that attrition levels are gradually stabilising, declining to 16.4 per cent in 2025 from 17.5 per cent in 2024, with more than 80 per cent of exits remaining voluntary, suggesting job changes continue to be opportunity-driven rather than restructuring-led.Financial services recorded the highest attrition at 24 per cent, particularly in sales, relationship management and digital roles. Professional services followed at 21.3 per cent, while Hi-Tech and IT stood at 20.5 per cent. GCCs reported relatively lower attrition at 14.1 per cent, underscoring growing workforce stability in the segment.“We are at a turning point in how organisations think about investing in their people. The future of pay in India is no longer defined by the size of the annual increment alone. It is increasingly about precision – deciding which skills to invest in, which outcomes to reward, and how to balance competitiveness with sustainability,” EY India Partner and Leader, Total Rewards, HR Technology and Learning, People Consulting, Abhishek Sen said.Rewards strategies are becoming more deliberate, with sharper differentiation supported by data-driven decision-making, he added.“At the same time, employees are looking beyond the size of the increment; they want clarity, fairness, and consistency in how pay decisions are made,” Sen said.

Skills, AI roles drive pay premiums

With artificial intelligence adoption accelerating, compensation models are increasingly aligned with measurable business impact and specialised expertise. Between 50–60 per cent of large organisations now use analytics in compensation planning, making data-led pay decisions central to rewards strategy.Nearly 45–50 per cent of surveyed organisations are shifting towards skill-based pay frameworks, marking a structural change in India’s compensation landscape.Emerging technology roles — including AI, generative AI, machine learning and engineering –can command up to a 40 per cent skill premium, the report added.Companies are also reshaping long-term incentive plans (LTIPs) to strengthen retention and align compensation with performance. About 30 per cent of firms now run two or more LTI plans simultaneously, while ESOP adoption rose to nearly 78 per cent in 2025, up from about 71 per cent in 2024.Nearly 75 per cent of NSE 200 companies now offer LTIs, making them a standard component of CEO compensation, particularly in listed firms.Median CEO pay in Nifty 200 companies reached Rs 7–9 crore in 2025, reflecting a 12–15 per cent year-on-year increase. On average, 25–30 per cent of CEO compensation is fixed pay, another 25–30 per cent comes from short-term incentives, while 45–50 per cent is linked to long-term incentives.COOs and CFOs emerged as the next highest-paid leadership roles, the report said.The study also noted that India’s new Labour Codes are prompting organisations to reassess wage structures, upgrade payroll systems and undertake cost modelling exercises to prepare for compliance changes.

Former UK ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office as part of an investigation linked to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson was seen being escorted from his home and driven away in an unmarked vehicle, reported The Guardian. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest without naming him.A police spokesperson said: “Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, February 23 and has been taken to a London police station for interview. This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.”The Met investigation reportedly relates to alleged leaking of Downing Street emails and market-sensitive information to Epstein. A probe was opened after the release of files connected to the late financier.In February, officers searched two properties linked to the 72-year-old in London and Wiltshire. Then Met deputy assistant commissioner Hayley Sewart had said, “The searches are related to an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offences, involving a 72-year-old man.” In an earlier statement, she added, “This will be a complex investigation requiring a significant amount of further evidence-gathering and analysis. It will take some time to do this work comprehensively.”Mandelson is understood to believe he has not committed any offence.The development has intensified political scrutiny over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson as US ambassador in December 2024. Starmer had acknowledged he was aware that Mandelson and Epstein were in contact after Epstein was jailed in 2008 for child sex offences, according to the British Daily. .A senior figure in the Labour Party for decades, Mandelson was first elected as MP for Hartlepool in 1992 and was a key architect of the New Labour project under Tony Blair. He later held multiple cabinet roles and played a central role in Labour’s 1997 general election campaign.Following the latest revelations and political fallout, Mandelson quit the Labour Party and resigned from the House of Lords. The police investigation remains ongoing.

US President Donald Trump

TOI correspondent from Washington: Still miffed with the US Supreme Court striking down his liberation day tariffs, MAGA supremo Donald Trump on Monday cautioned countries not to take advantage of the situation and warned them of higher tariffs if they did so. “Any Country that wants to ‘play games’ with the ridiculous supreme court decision, especially those that have ‘Ripped Off’ the USA for years, and even decades, will be met with a much higher Tariff, and worse, than that which they just recently agreed to. BUYER BEWARE!!!” Trump said in a post, even as several countries, including India, put a hold on framework trade deals with Washington.

Trump did not name any country but an Indian delegation that was scheduled to arrive in Washington DC this week deferred its visit as New Delhi sought to assess the fallout from the SCOTUS ruling, following which the US president announced a worldwide 15 percent tariff on imports under a separate statute (Section 122) that empowers him to do so. Several countries, including India and many others in Asia/East Asia, who clinched interim trade deals with the US with tariffs ranging from 18 percent to 25 percent, will be happy with the new 15 percent announced by Trump (the maximum allowed under Section 122 for a period of 150 days), but the Trump administration has indicated that “a deal is a deal” and countries cannot renegotiate the agreement, even though India is yet to sign on the dotted line of what has been characterised as a “framework for an interim trade deal,” pending conclusion of a final bilateral agreement. Paradoxically, European nations, which concluded deals that set tariffs at 10 percent are chagrined that Trump has bumped it up to 15 percent and they are also insisting “a deal is a deal” and cannot be changed. This has put the administration in as much of a bind as the world at large amid confusion in trade and business circles. Compounding the confusion, the administration has directed the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to stop collecting tariffs under IEEPA (in deference to the SCOTUS ruling) starting midnight Tuesday. The new Section 122 tariff of 15 percent announced by Trump is expected to kick in immediately. In a separate post on Monday, Trump continued to rail against the SCOTUS ruling, calling it “their ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive.” He claimed that while the court had ruled against his “liberation day tariffs,” it has in effect “approved all other tariffs, of which there are many, and they can all be used in a much more powerful and obnoxious way, with legal certainty, than the tariffs as initially used.” “Our incompetent supreme court did a great job for the wrong people, and for that they should be ashamed of themselves (but not the Great Three!),” Trump said, continuing to insult the six members of the apex court who voted to strike down the IEEPA tariffs by adding he will be using lower case letters for the Supreme Court “based on a complete lack of respect.”