Fuel shortages in Cuba, worsening US federal deficits, and departures at Elon Musk's xAI dominated headlines on February 11, 2026, alongside reports of Apple's ongoing struggles with its revamped Siri and Anthropic's pledge to mitigate the energy costs of its data centers. These developments highlight a complex landscape of international relations, economic challenges, and technological advancements.
Cuba faced a humanitarian crisis due to major fuel shortages, a direct consequence of the Trump administration's aggressive approach following the US military abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, according to Al Jazeera. The island nation of 11 million people was reportedly staggering under the strain, with the US going beyond its decades-long embargo.
Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected worsening long-term United States federal deficits and rising debt over the next decade, driven largely by increased spending, particularly on Social Security, Medicare, and debt service payments, as reported by Al Jazeera. The CBO's analysis, released on Wednesday, indicated a modest deterioration in the fiscal outlook compared to the previous year.
In the tech world, Elon Musk addressed a wave of departures from xAI, including two more co-founders who left that week, bringing the total to six out of the original 12, according to TechCrunch. At an all-hands meeting, Musk suggested the exits were about fit, not performance. "Because we've reached a certain scale, we're organizing the company to be more effective at this scale," he said, according to The New York Times. Musk further clarified on X that these departures weren't voluntary, stating that xAI was reorganized a few days prior "to improve speed of execution."
Apple continued to face challenges with its overhauled Siri, according to The Verge. The company had delayed the introduction of more personalized features nearly a year prior and was now planning to introduce them in later versions of iOS, including iOS 26.5 and iOS 27, according to Bloomberg reports.
Anthropic, another tech company, joined others in promising to limit the impact its data centers have on nearby residents' electricity bills, The Verge reported. The company was responding to growing backlash over the energy consumption of its data centers.
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