February 11 Overseas Headlines: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Admits Visiting Epstein's Private Island; Google Issues $32 Billion in Bonds Within 24 Hours; Tesla Appoints New Head of Global Electric Vehicle Sales

　　Global financial media headlines from last night and this morningfocused on the following top stories:

　　1. U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick admits visiting Epstein’s private island  

　　2. With additional new clauses, the European Parliament moves closer to approving the US-EU trade agreement  

　　3. Alphabet raises nearly $32 billion in 24-hour bond sale; century-long GBP bond sees nearly tenfold oversubscription  

　　4. Latest Tesla leadership change appoints European executive to oversee global EV sales  

　　5. Abu Dhabi's MGX nears deal to participate in Anthropic’s over $20 billion funding round  

　　6. United States considers seizing tankers transporting Iranian oil to pressure Tehran

　　U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick admits visiting Epstein’s private island  

　　Howard Lutnick, Commerce Secretary under the Trump administration, admitted on Tuesday that years ago, he had lunch with his family on the infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private island.

　　“In 2012, during a family vacation, I passed by there by boat and did have lunch with him,” Lutnick said while testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

　　“My wife, four children, and the nanny were all there, along with another couple and their children who also joined.”

　　With additional new clauses, the European Parliament moves closer to approving the US-EU trade agreement  

　　As senior lawmakers agreed to make adjustments ahead of a planned vote later this month, the European Parliament is one step closer to approving a trade agreement with the United States.

　　Members of the European Parliament’s Trade Committee confirmed on Tuesday they will vote on February 24. They also agreed to include a sunset clause in the agreement—unless extended, the deal will expire in March 2028—and to give the US six months to reduce the current 50% tariff on products using steel and aluminum.

　　If the US fails to lower the tariff on products using the aforementioned metals to 15%, the EU will consider reinstating tariffs on US industrial imports as well as some agricultural and food products.

　　Alphabet raises nearly $32 billion in 24-hour bond sale; century-long GBP bond sees nearly tenfold oversubscription  

　　Alphabet Inc. is set to raise nearly $32 billion in less than 24 hours through a bond sale, highlighting the massive financing needs of tech giants competing to develop artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, and showing strong interest from credit markets in funding these companies.

　　Google’s parent company Alphabet issued $20 billion of USD-denominated bonds across seven tranches on Monday, then followed up with GBP and CHF-denominated bonds, breaking records in both markets. The GBP bond included an extremely rare 100-year maturity, marking the first time since the dot-com era that a tech company has issued such an unusually long-term bond.

　　All tranches of the bond offering saw strong demand. According to people familiar with the matter, the USD portion alone saw over $100 billion in orders. The £1 billion (about $1.4 billion) 100-year GBP bond was nearly ten times oversubscribed.

　　Latest Tesla leadership change appoints European executive to oversee global EV sales  

　　Tesla has appointed one of its European business leaders to oversee global EV sales, marking the latest leadership change in the company’s troubled automotive business.

　　According to sources familiar with the matter, Joe Ward, Tesla’s Vice President for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), will lead the company’s sales, service, and delivery organization.

　　Abu Dhabi's MGX nears deal to participate in Anthropic’s over $20 billion funding round  

　　According to sources, Abu Dhabi’s MGX is close to reaching an agreement to participate in Anthropic’s latest funding round, further increasing its investment in the AI powerhouse start-up.

　　MGX is in talks to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in this round, which is expected to total over $20 billion.

　　An announcement regarding this proposed investment could come in the next few days. However, no final decision has been made, and the size and structure of the investment may still change.

　　United States considers seizing tankers transporting Iranian oil to pressure Tehran

　　U.S. officials said that Trump administration officials had discussed whether to seize more tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil to pressure Tehran, but had so far refrained due to concerns over likely Iranian retaliation and the potential impact on global oil markets.

　　As part of a two-month blockade against sanctioned tankers serving Venezuela, the U.S. has already seized several vessels carrying Iranian oil, claiming these tankers form a so-called “shadow fleet” that helps move oil from multiple sanctioned countries to buyers.

　　If the U.S. takes further action to prevent other sanctioned vessels from loading oil in Iran, it could squeeze Tehran’s main source of revenue and expand the White House’s aggressive strategy in the Caribbean implemented in December.

Editor: Li Tong