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UAE paid $6m to reputation firm tied to Epstein whitewashing to bury damaging report on ambassador

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Emirati flag fluttering above Dubai’s marina with the Burj Al Arab landmark hotel in the background [KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images]

The United Arab Emirates paid more than $6 million to a secretive US reputation management firm tied to whitewashing a client’s link to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to manipulate Google search results and suppress damaging reporting about its ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al-Otaiba, according to a New York Times investigation.

The revelation appears in a wider investigation into Terakeet, a Syracuse-based firm that specialises in search engine optimisation and online reputation management for powerful clients facing public scrutiny. 

While the New York Times investigation focuses mainly on Terakeet’s failed attempt to repair the reputation of Goldman Sachs general counsel and supporter of Israel,  Kathryn Ruemmler, over her links to Epstein, one of its most striking revelations concerns the firm’s work for the UAE and its long-serving ambassador in Washington, Yousef Al-Otaiba.

An advocate of Israel, Ruemmler’s Washington legal career saw her make the case for legislation to combat the anti-BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions) campaign. In 2019, she and former US solicitor general Paul Clement were cited as having written legal opinions arguing that legislation linked to President Donald Trump executive order on anti-Semitism did not violate the First Amendment, even though critics warned that such measures could be used to suppress campus criticism of Israel and support for BDS. 

READ: The Emirati lobby: The biggest spender and the largest Arab one

Terakeet’s work for the UAE is said to have begun in July 2019 and continues to this day. Much of its formal work focused on promoting tourism in the Emirates. However, former employees told the paper that Al-Otaiba was concerned about a 2017 article published by The Intercept, written by Ryan Grim, now co-founder of Drop Site News, which reported that the ambassador had once had ties to sex workers and traffickers.

Rather than challenge the report directly, Terakeet allegedly worked to bury it.

The Times reported that a small team at Terakeet was tasked with pushing Grim’s article off the first page of Google search results. The account manager, Kenneth Schiefer, reportedly relocated from Syracuse to Washington for more than a year to work in person with Al-Otaiba at the UAE embassy, avoiding a digital trail of emails and text messages between them.

Terakeet then established a personal webpage for Al-Otaiba and generated flattering online profiles emphasising his leadership and diplomatic credentials. The firm supplied these profiles to institutions linked to the ambassador, including the Milken Institute, the Special Olympics and Harvard’s Kennedy School, as well as to The Marque, a paid digital profile directory.

READ: Reports: UAE ambassador embroiled in global corruption scandal

The Times also reported that Terakeet used an anonymous editor handle, VentureKit, to create what it described as a fraudulent “sock puppet” account, Quorum816, to add positive information about Al-Otaiba to his Wikipedia page in 2020. Wikipedia later reversed the edits and suspended both accounts.

The purpose of the operation was clear: to create enough favourable and “differentiated” content about the UAE ambassador to force damaging reporting lower down in Google search results. According to the Times, the effort succeeded. By 2023, The Intercept article had dropped to page two of Google results. Today, for most users, it appears on page five.

The UAE is said to have paid Terakeet more than $6 million between 2020 and 2022 for the work.

The wider New York Times investigation centres on Terakeet’s work for Goldman Sachs and Ruemmler, a former White House counsel under President Barack Obama. Terakeet reportedly sought to address what an internal memo described as her “association risk problem” over her ties to Epstein.

Senior Terakeet figures reportedly discussed how to promote favourable material about Ruemmler so that at least 80 per cent of the first 30 Google results would be positive. The firm created or planned personal websites, LinkedIn pages and multiple biographical profiles intended to appear above stories about her meetings and correspondence with Epstein.

But the effort ultimately failed. New documents released by the US House Oversight Committee and later by the Justice Department reportedly revealed extensive references to Ruemmler in Epstein-related records, including emails in which she used affectionate terms for him and discussed travel, gifts and legal advice. Ruemmler announced in February that she would resign from Goldman Sachs.

READ: Leaks: UAE spent $2.7m to improve Sisi’s image in US

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Continue ReadingUAE paid $6m to reputation firm tied to Epstein whitewashing to bury damaging report on ambassador

UAE says Iran targeted ADNOC tanker with drones in Strait of Hormuz

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UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, speaks during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibion and Conference (ADIPEC) on 13 November 2017 [Karim Sahib/AFP via Getty Images]

The United Arab Emirates said Iran targeted one of its oil tankers with drones while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, condemning the incident as a “terrorist attack”.

In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the vessel, operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), was struck by two drones as it passed through the strait.

ADNOC confirmed that its crude oil tanker Barakah was involved in the incident off the coast of Oman, adding that no injuries were reported among the crew.

The company said the tanker was not carrying any cargo at the time of the attack.

READ: Iran had no plan to target UAE, senior military official says

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Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer says that he's banning words and phrases now as well as placards.
Keir Starmer says that he’s banning words and phrases now as well as placards.

Continue ReadingUAE says Iran targeted ADNOC tanker with drones in Strait of Hormuz

UAE, Jordan condemn ‘hostile’ statements by Israeli prime minister against Qatar

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a speech in Jerusalem on August 13, 2025.[Photo by RONEN ZVULUN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a speech in Jerusalem on August 13, 2025.[Photo by RONEN ZVULUN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan on Thursday condemned “hostile” statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Qatar, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Qatar’s security and stability are an “integral part” of that of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, stressing that any assault on a GCC member state “constitutes an attack on the collective Gulf security framework.”

The ministry voiced the UAE’s “categorical rejection” of Netanyahu’s remarks, which it said included future threats against Qatar, warning that such rhetoric undermines regional stability and pushes the region toward “extremely dangerous trajectories.”

In a statement, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said: “We strongly condemn the hostile threats and unacceptable escalatory statements made by the Israeli prime minister against sisterly Qatar and his desperate attempt to justify the blatant Israeli aggression against it.”

It affirmed “the Kingdom’s full solidarity with the State of Qatar, its security, stability, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and citizens, as well as its support for any measures Qatar may take to protect its security and sovereignty.”

READ: Russia says Israeli strikes on Qatar show its unwillingness to stop humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

The ministry also renewed its call on the international community to “assume its legal and moral responsibilities, compel Israel to halt its aggression on Gaza, its dangerous escalation in the West Bank, and its violations of the sovereignty of states and the UN Charter.”

Netanyahu’s remarks came amid mounting international criticism of Israel’s deadly strike on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday.

“You either expel them (Hamas) or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will,” Netanyahu addressed Qatar on Wednesday.

Netanyahu likened the Israeli assault on Doha to the US pursuit of Al-Qaeda following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Qatar swiftly rejected the comparison, branding it a “new, miserable justification for Israel’s treacherous practices” and a reckless violation of its sovereignty.

The Israeli strike killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer. Hamas confirmed that its leadership had survived the attack.

Qatar condemned the attack as a “cowardly act” and a blatant violation of international law, warning it would not tolerate Israel’s “reckless behavior.”

The Gulf state, along with the US and Egypt, has been playing a central role in efforts to mediate an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 64,700 Palestinians since October 2023.

READ: Israel’s latest attacks on countries of region must serve as ‘wake-up’ call: Turkish parliament speaker

Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.

Continue ReadingUAE, Jordan condemn ‘hostile’ statements by Israeli prime minister against Qatar

‘Dystopian’: UAE Used Global Climate Summit to Push $100 Billion in New Oil Deals

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Original article by JULIA CONLEY republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

United Arab Emirates’ minister of industry and CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, speaks at an event in Houston on March 6, 2023.  (Photo: Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images)

“Make no mistake, COP28 was hijacked by the interests of the fossil fuel industry,” said one campaigner.

A new analysis released by human rights and anti-corruption group Global Witness on Wednesday left no room for doubt, said one campaigner, that the host country of last year’s United Nations climate summit, the United Arab Emirates, prioritized fossil fuel interests over the planet.

“Make no mistake, COP28 was hijacked by the interests of the fossil fuel industry,” said Patrick Galey, senior investigator for Global Witness, referring to the 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The analysis showed that the UAE’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) used the COP28 presidency of its CEO, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, to seek deals worth nearly $100 billion with oil, gas, and petrochemical companies in at least 12 countries.

Fossil fuel firms, said Galey, “weren’t content simply to block or stall genuine climate policy but used the opportunity to pursue more climate-wrecking oil and gas deals.”

Al Jaber previously denied that ADNOC used COP28 to further its business interests after a leak of briefing documents that instructed the company to discuss fossil fuel deals with at least 16 states that were present at the talks.

According to Global Witness, the company sought deals with at least 11 of those countries and at least one other that had not been included in the leaked documents.

The group’s investigation found that the UAE redoubled its investment in oil and gas in Egypt in 2023, the year Al Jaber presided over COP28. ADNOC finalized a deal with TotalEnergies Marketing Egypt, purchasing a 50% stake in the company for a reported $200 million—resulting in the UAE now jointly operating 240 service stations across the country and contributing to its record profits posted in 2023.

Other deals sought by ADNOC with COP28 participants include a joint venture with BP to buy a 50% stake in NewMed Energy in Israel and multiple bids for a stake in Braskem, the largest petrochemical producer in Latin America. The company is part-owned by Brazil’s state-run oil and gas producer Petrobas.

ADNOC also finalized deals worth an estimated $17 billion with Lukoil in Russia and Wintershall in Germany to develop the Hail and Ghasha gas field in the UAE.

Global Witness’ findings bolstered a report by the Center for Climate Reporting and the BBC in November, which showed Al Jaber used his position at COP28 to push for fossil fuel deals with foreign governments.

The report confirms the worst fears of climate campaigners, who were incensed in early 2023 when Al Jaber was named the president of the U.N.’s largest annual climate conference and warned of conflicts of interest due to his position at the helm of ADNOC.

As it turns out, said Galey, “the UAE knew exactly what it was doing and was not let down—COP28 seems to have been molded towards the benefit of its state oil company.”

“As depressing as it is dystopian, climate talks must never be allowed to create more climate chaos,” he added.

The analysis was released weeks after U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) led 24 Democratic lawmakers in writing to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House Senior Advisor John Podesta, urging them to support conflict of interest guidelines ahead of COP29, which is scheduled to take place in November in Baku, Azerbaijan.

With Mukhtar Babayev, the country’s ecology and natural resources minister who worked for a state-owned oil and gas company for more than 20 years, set to preside over the conference, Galey said that “COP28 seems to have provided other petrostates with a sinister playbook to copy and paste from.”

“As the UAE passes the baton onto Azerbaijan, we are now looking at the possibility of consecutive COPs being hijacked for the interests of big polluters and their profits,” said Galey, noting that scientists have warned the planet is “dangerously close” to heating that exceeds 1.5°C.

Global Witness pointed to recently announced plans to partially privatize the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) ahead of COP29, “with its downstream and petrochemical subsidiaries made available to help attract foreign investments.”

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who signed the letter spearheaded by Merkley and Schakowsky, said Global Witness’ report “is a disturbing warning about the potential for further fossil fuel corruption at COP29, which incredibly will also be hosted by another fossil fuel executive.”

“I will continue urging the U.S. and UNFCCC to adopt new policies to prevent these absurd conflicts of interest that frustrate the international community’s work to address the urgent threats of climate change,” she said.

Global Witness reached out to ADNOC, SOCAR, and COP29 for comment regarding its investigation, and was told that ADNOC is working to “secure, reliable, and responsible supply of energy to support a just, orderly, and equitable global energy transition and that allegations regarding Al Jaber’s deal-making at COP28 are “false, not true, incorrect, and not accurate.”

A COP29 spokesperson said Azerbaijan is “100% committed to bringing countries together with the ambition of keeping the 1.5° target within reach.”

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), said in a statement Wednesday that Babayev should be removed “from any leadership role at COP29.”

“It is an absolute scandal that the UNFCCC has two years running put an oil and gas executive in charge of this event,” she said, “thus putting foxes in charge of the henhouse.”

Original article by JULIA CONLEY republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Continue Reading‘Dystopian’: UAE Used Global Climate Summit to Push $100 Billion in New Oil Deals

Report Details ‘Toxic’ Fossil Fuel Pollution in COP28 Host UAE

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The sun sets amid heavy air pollution in Dubai. (Photo: Forbes Johnston/flickr/cc)

Original article by BRETT WILKINS republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

“Nobody will ever hold the government to account publicly,” said one climate campaigner. “We do not have the privilege of speaking out against the government.”

Despite greenwashing efforts like hosting the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference, the United Arab Emirates—the world’s seventh-biggest oil producer and sixth-largest exporter—is contributing heavily to toxic air pollution, creating a “devastating impact on human health.”

That’s according to a Monday report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) report—entitled ‘You Can Smell Petrol in the Air’: UAE Fossil Fuels Feed Toxic Pollution —which “documents alarmingly high air pollution levels in the UAE” and how toxic air caused by oil and gas production creates “major health risks” for the country’s 9.4 million people.

As the report details:

The UAE government says that the country has poor air quality but mainly ascribes this to natural dust from sandstorms. However, academic studies have shown that natural causes are not the single, or in some cases even the major, factor in air pollution. A 2022 academic study found that, in addition to the dust, emissions including from fossil fuels contribute significantly to the problem in the UAE. Air pollution and climate change are directly linked, as the extraction and use of fossil fuels are the sources of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

The report’s researchers analyzed levels of PM2.5 —fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller that can penetrate human lungs and blood—at 30 UAE government monitoring stations and found that they were, on average, three times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) daily recommended exposure.

According to the latest available data from the World Bank, the UAE’s mean annual PM2.5 exposure is over eight times higher than what the WHO says is safe .

The WHO estimates that approximately 1,870 people die each year from outdoor air pollution in the UAE.

“Fossil fuels pollute the air people breathe in the UAE,” HRW environment director Richard Pearshouse said in a statement . “But the obliteration of civil society by UAE’s government means that no one can publicly express concerns, let alone criticize the government’s failure to prevent this harm.”

The report explains:

Those in the UAE wanting to report on, or speak out about, the risks of fossil fuel expansion and its links to air pollution face risks of unlawful surveillance, arrest, detention, and ill-treatment. Over the last decade, authorities in the UAE have embarked on a sustained assault on human rights and freedoms, including targeting human rights activists, enacting repressive laws, and using the criminal justice system as a tool to eliminate the human rights movement. These policies have led to the complete closure of civic space, severe restrictions on freedom of expression, both online and offline, and the criminalization of peaceful dissent.

“Nobody will ever hold the government to account publicly,” said one climate activist interviewed by HRW. “We do not have the privilege of speaking out against the government.”

Pearshouse argued: “Air pollution is a dirty secret in the UAE. If the government doesn’t allow civil society to scrutinize and speak freely about the connection between air pollution and its fossil fuel industry, people will keep experiencing health conditions that are entirely preventable.”

Most of those affected by air pollution in the UAE are migrant workers, who make up nearly 90% of the country’s population. In addition to enduring widespread serious labor abuses, these workers—many of whom hail from some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries—face deadly dangers from air pollution.

Migrant workers interviewed by HRW said they breathe air that burns their lungs, are often short of breath at work, and suffer from skin and other ailments they believe could be caused by pollution. However, migrant workers told HRW that they were given no information about the risks of air pollution or how to protect themselves.

One migrant worker told HRW: “Sometimes, the environment becomes dark and murky. We discuss among friends why it is that way… The conversation ends there. During such times friends also fall sick.”

While the UAE government has submitted a recently revised domestic climate action plan as required by the 2015 Paris agreement, the plan has been criticized for its continued reliance upon fossil fuel production.

“Sometimes, the environment becomes dark and murky. We discuss among friends why it is that way.”

The choice of the UAE and the CEO of its national oil company— Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber —as host and president of the U.N. Climate Change Conference also stunned and angered many climate campaigners around the world. In the United States, climate activists were also outraged after U.S. climate envoy John Kerry glowingly endorsed Al Jaber as “a terrific choice” for the COP28 presidency.

Late last month, internal records leaked by a whistleblower showed that Al Jaber used meetings about COP28 to push foreign governments for fossil fuel deals. In response to the allegation, former Marshallese President Hilda Heine resigned from COP28’s advisory board.

Al Jaber stoked further controversy over the weekend when he insisted there is “no science” supporting the effort to rapidly phase out planet-heating fossil fuels.

Original article by BRETT WILKINS republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Continue ReadingReport Details ‘Toxic’ Fossil Fuel Pollution in COP28 Host UAE