The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected Moderna's application for approval of a flu vaccine, while Apple's revamped Siri launch faced further delays, according to reports released on February 11, 2026. Simultaneously, OpenAI disbanded its mission alignment team, raising questions about the future of AI safety, and Cuba grappled with a humanitarian crisis amid fuel shortages. In Japan, however, a swordsmith saw renewed interest in the centuries-old art of katana making.
The FDA's decision regarding Moderna's flu vaccine application, revealed on Tuesday evening, stemmed from the agency's pushback on the company's rationale for comparing its mRNA-1010 product to a standard dose for the seasonal flu, according to Al Jazeera. This occurred amid a recent rollback of longstanding vaccine guidelines. Moderna's stock had also tumbled, with a 29 percent drop in 2025, due to a slump in COVID-19 vaccine sales, Al Jazeera reported.
Meanwhile, Apple's plans for a new, AI-powered Siri, initially unveiled in 2024, have been delayed again, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, as reported by TechCrunch. The new Siri was expected to launch with the upcoming iOS 26.4 update in March, but the changes are now expected to roll out more slowly, potentially postponing some features until the May iOS update or even the release of iOS 27 in September. Testing issues reportedly caused the delay. The changes are rumored to make the digital assistant more like the LLM chatbots.
In the realm of artificial intelligence, OpenAI disbanded its mission alignment team, which focused on ensuring AI systems were safe, trustworthy, and aligned with human values, TechCrunch reported. The team's former leader was given a new role as the company's chief futurist. The team, formed in September 2024, was dedicated to working on alignment, a field seeking to ensure AI acts in accordance with human interests.
Elsewhere, Cuba faced a severe humanitarian crisis due to major fuel shortages, a direct result 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 struggling under the strain, with fuel shortages affecting nearly every aspect of life.
Amid these challenges, a traditional swordsmith in Japan experienced a resurgence of interest in the art of katana making. Growing pop culture interest, including anime and video games, has drawn a new generation of fans to the centuries-old craft, according to Euronews. Akihira Kawasaki, a 57-year-old swordsmith in Saitama Prefecture, continues the tradition, though the profession faces challenges, including an aging workforce and a demanding five-year apprenticeship.
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