NEW YORK, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 57.3 in February 2026, according to a preliminary reading released Friday by the University of Michigan (UM) Surveys of Consumers, up from the final reading of 56.4 in January 2026. The preliminary reading of the Current Economic Conditions Index rose to 58.3 in February, up from the final reading of 55.4 in January but below last February's 65.7. The Index of Consumer Expectations was 56.6, down slightly from the final reading of 57 in January and below last February's 64. Meanwhile, long-run inflation expectations inched up for the second straight month, from 3.3 percent in January to 3.4 percent in February. "While sentiment is currently the highest since August 2025, recent monthly increases have been small ... and the overall level of sentiment remains very low from a historical perspective," said UM Surveys of Consumers Director Joanne Hsu.

FRANKFURT, Feb ‌6 (Reuters) - Berlin airport is ‌resuming operations but with significant ‌delays and cancellations after black ice had grounded flights in the German ‍capital earlier on Friday, ‍the airport ‌said. Snow and freezing rain during a ‍prolonged ​cold snap have disrupted flights, road and ⁠rail traffic in Germany. "BER Airport is resuming flight operations. However, significant delays and cancellations are still occurring. Airlines decide independently whether flights will operate or be cancelled," ‌the airport said in a post on X.

Norway, an ally of Ukraine and Europe's top supplier of pipeline gas, has been increasingly concerned that Russian intelligence agencies could target its energy infrastructure, either physically or via cyber attacks. "The northernmost counties and Svalbard are of particular interest and therefore especially exposed to intelligence and influence activities," it added. "Russian intelligence may see benefit in carrying out sabotage operations on targets in Norway in 2026," it said. PST also said that Russian services ‌are increasingly trying to recruit Ukrainian refugees in Norway to gather intelligence or carry out sabotage. There has been a wave of arson, sabotage and cyberattacks in Poland and other European nations since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

PETALING JAYA: Deputy Army chief Leftenan-Jeneral Datuk Tengku Muhammad Fauzi Tengku Ibrahim has been appointed as the the Malaysian Joint Forces Headquarters Joint Forces commander. The handover ceremony was held at Wisma Pertahanan here on Friday (Feb 6), marking the official transition of command of the Armed Forces’ joint operations headquarters. Tengku Muhammad Fauzi will lead the Joint Forces Headquarters, which is responsible for coordinating domestic and international operations and exercises involving the Army, Navy and Air Force. Zahani, meanwhile, assumes his new role at MiDAS following his tenure as the 15th Joint Forces commander. The ceremony was witnessed by Jeneral Datuk Malek Razak Sulaiman and attended by service chiefs and senior officers of the Armed Forces.

BERLIN, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Extreme winter weather caused numerous traffic accidents across northeastern Germany on Friday, while flight operations at Berlin Brandenburg Airport were suspended for hours before gradually resuming later in the day. The German Weather Service warned of dangerous icy conditions caused by freezing rain in parts of the German states of Berlin, Brandenburg, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Police reported multiple accidents on icy roads, including several on motorways around Berlin, where sections were temporarily closed. At Berlin Brandenburg Airport, no take-offs or landings were possible from Thursday evening due to black ice and persistent freezing rain. Airport officials warned that renewed black ice could force another temporary suspension of flights.

LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - ‌A planned $600 billion artificial intelligence spending splurge by big tech firms in 2026 is adding to investor unease ‌as they assess the implications for profitability as well as a potential existential threat to software firms. Meanwhile, shares in data analytics firms continued to come under selling pressure on concerns that they face an existential threat from powerful new ‍AI models. Although analysts said the stock market selloff has been overdone, investors remain ‌cautious. JOLT TO DATA ANALYTICS FIRMSA selloff in software and data and analytics firms was triggered by a ‍new plug-in from Anthropic's Claude. Investor nerves over potential AI‑driven disruption are coinciding with a ‌growing tendency to punish big tech firms for signaling even heavier spending on the technology.

Russia exports over a third of its oil in Western tankers — mostly from Greece, Cyprus and Malta — with the help of Western shipping services. The ban would end that practice, which mostly supplies India and China, and render obsolete a price cap on purchases of Russian crude oil that the Group of Seven (G7) Western powers have tried to enforce with mixed success. EU proposes broadest clampdown on Russian crude exportsReuters was first to report in December that the European Union (EU) and the G7 were discussing the ban. She said the ban would be "in coordination with like-minded partners", and that Russian LNG tankers and icebreakers would encounter "sweeping bans" on maintenance and other services. It proposed further measures against cryptocurrency companies that enable Russia to circumvent Western sanctions.

The Johor housing and local government committee chairman said the number of unsold properties had dropped from 13,000 to less than 10,000 in recent years. "Landed properties are being snapped up very quickly in recent years as Johor continues to enjoy rapid development. "The most popular ones are those located near the soon-to-come Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link," he said at a press conference here. On a separate matter, Mohd Jafni also urged the public to apply for the many state government housing incentives available. Meanwhile, the new rental assistance scheme offers RM200 a month for 10 months, totalling RM2,000.

When you swap items, you practise taking turns, making choices and respecting others. Have fun!Here are the letters from Starchild readers on the topic, Swap club. "My trading or swap club is for trading items you don't need for the books of your choice. "I bring snacks that I like, such as homemade cookies or fruit, and my friends bring theirs too. "My favourite swap club activity is doing arts and crafts with my friends.

KUALA LUMPUR: The chairman of IJM Corporation Bhd has been detained in connection with investigations into corporate governance issues, procurement processes, financial transactions and the ownership of overseas assets estimated to be worth about RM2.5bil. “The MACC also carried out inspections and searches at three additional locations, namely a fund and investment management institution, an investment bank, and the suspect’s residence. “Preliminary investigations found that the investment bank had been appointed to manage a takeover offer process involving IJM Corporation Bhd, including regulatory matters with a self-funded statutory body,” the source said. Following this, the MACC froze 70 personal and corporate bank accounts linked to the case, involving funds totalling approximately RM30.6mil. He added that the suspect was released within 24 hours after his statement was recorded due to health concerns.

THE Pahang state government has fully implemented the Electronic Procurement System of Pahang (ePPHG) as part of its efforts to strengthen governance, transparency and financial discipline in the management of public sector procurement. The ePPHG system was developed and is maintained by CDC International Sdn Bhd using the dynamic electronic procurement system, better known as SPEED. Previously, state procurement management faced challenges arising from non-standardised processes, reliance on manual methods and varying levels of compliance across agencies. Through ePPHG, procurement activities are now consolidated under a single digital platform, enabling more systematic control, monitoring and audit readiness. Our role goes beyond platform delivery, ensuring system continuity in line with evolving policy requirements and procurement frameworks,” she said.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s athletics legends led by Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan is encouraged by the progress of Malaysia’s current generation of sprinters, particularly Mohd Azeem Fahmi and Mohd Danish Iftikhar Mohd Roslee. Azeem, 21, holds the national 100m record of 10.09 seconds, set at the 2022 World Junior Championships in Cali, Colombia.

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 482,742 summonses amounting to RM25.3mil were issued to foreign drivers for various traffic offences from 2023 to last year. Road Transport Department (JPJ) Enforcement director Datuk Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan said records showed that Rohingya, Bangladeshi, Indonesian, Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese nationals were among those most frequently issued summonses. "During the same period, a total of 462,835 foreign nationals were issued summonses for various traffic offences," he told a press conference at the JPJ office here on Friday (Feb 6). He added that JPJ had also seized 15,789 vehicles driven by foreign nationals during the same period. "Based on records from 2023 to 2025, JPJ carried out enforcement actions involving the seizure of 15,789 vehicles driven by foreign nationals," he said.

PETALING JAYA: The death of a six-month-old baby boy while under the care of a babysitter in Datuk Keramat here is still under investigation. He said the baby was rushed to hospital for further treatment but was later pronounced dead by medical personnel. Earlier, media reports said the victim’s mother, Noor Ainy Mohd Rusly, 33, had demanded justice over her baby’s death while under the care of a babysitter in Datuk Keramat late last year. She said she and her husband have yet to be informed of the actual cause of their baby’s death. The babysitter, said to be in her 40s, is believed to no longer be staying at the house and has since moved to Sarawak.

KUALA LUMPUR: Counterfeit currency, cryptocurrency mining machines, alcohol and cigarettes were among 66,165 case exhibits valued at over RM1.8mil have been disposed of at the Brickfields police headquarters. Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Hoo Chang Hook said that the disposal involved 180 investigation papers from the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and nine from the Commercial Crime Investigation Division (CCID). These items were collected between 2023 and January 2026, following court destruction and disposal orders obtained under Section 407(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code. "A total of 378 units are CCID exhibits, while the remaining 65,787 units involve CID cases, including portable printers, computer sets, gambling equipment, vice and prostitution-related items, contraband and other general case items," he added. The event was also attended by Kuala Lumpur senior deputy public prosecutor Wirna Rifin @ Ariff and Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court Judge Izralizam Sanusi.