Museums are increasingly becoming the target of climate change protesters.
At the centre is Just Stop Oil, a group of environmental activists responsible for five recent demonstrations in UK museums and the subjects of several arrests owing to their activities.
In June, two campaigners glued themselves to Horatio McCulloch's painting My Heart’s in the Highlands (1860), at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.
Also in June, two other activists glued themselves to the frame of Vincent van Gogh’s Peach Trees in Blossom (1889) at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
“I’m sorry everybody, we don’t want to be doing this. We’re here glued to this painting, this beautiful painting, because we’re terrified for our future," said Louis McKechnie, 21, one of the protesters with Just Stop Oil, which has received funding from US philanthropic organisation Climate Emergency Fund.
McKechnie also pointed out climate change is threatening the landscape depicted in Van Gogh’s painting of the countryside near Arles, southern France.
In July, two activists glued themselves to the frame of Tomson’s Aeolian Harp (1809), a painting by JMW Turner at the Manchester Art Gallery. In a statement on their website, Just Stop Oil said the piece depicts areas of London that could be underwater as early as 2030.
The following week saw two more protests by the non-violent group.
Two campaigners glued themselves to the frame of Hay Wain (1821) by John Constable at The National Gallery, London. They also covered the work with a reimagined version depicting how the continued use of oil will destroy the countryside. This version replaced the river with roads, filled the sky with aeroplanes and trees burning in wild fire.
Another demonstration was at the Royal Academy, London, which saw five protestors glue their hands to The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.
“Leonardo da Vinci said out of all the sciences, art is the queen of communication,” said one of the protestors. “In this day and age, communication for truth of the experience of humanity during these times of catastrophic climate change is needed now more than ever.”
As part of their peaceful resistance, Just Stop Oil also spray-paint their logo on the floors or walls of the museum where a protest is taking place. In the Royal Academy, the words “No New Oil” were also spray-painted under the Renaissance masterpiece.
There have been other recent instances of protestors from other groups around Europe infiltrating museums, too..
In May, at the Louvre Museum in Paris, a man smeared cake over the glass shield protecting the Mona Lisa by Leonardo. As he was being escorted away, the protestor yelled he was acting against “people who were destroying the planet”.
More recently, protesters from the Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) group in Italy stuck their hands on Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera (meaning Spring) in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, while holding a sign reading "Ultima Generazione, no gas, no carbon".
“Is it possible to see a spring as beautiful as this today?” Ultima Generazione said in a statement.
No harm came to the painting, it was reported in local press, as the group had consulted with art restoration experts beforehand. “In the same way that we defend our artistic heritage, we should be dedicated to the care and protection of the planet that we share with the rest of the world,” a statement on the Italian group’s website said.
While museums and galleries have a long history of being at the centre of political and social protests — such as artist Nan Goldin's protests against the Sackler family and America's opioid crisis — this is the first time activists have glued themselves to artworks, potentially damaging priceless masterpieces.
Minimal damage has been reported from museums, however, and solvents can be used to dissolve the glue without affecting the paintings. After all, the longevity of the artworks and art world depends on the longevity of our planet, say activists.
The main aim of Just Stop Oil is to stir up publicity, something they've successfully done. Yet, while many have applauded their efforts, others aren't impressed. Nadine Dorries, Britain’s culture minister, for example, tweeted the protesters were “attention seekers” who “aren’t helping anything other than their own selfish egos".
"Disrupting access to our fabulous cultural assets and putting them at risk of damage is unacceptable. These protestors should be removed and held responsible for the damage and disruption," she said.
The debate only serves to push the conversation forward, say activists who are urging organisations to take immediate action against environmentally unfriendly materials.
"Directors of art institutions should be calling on the government to stop all new oil and gas projects immediately," McKechnie said in a statement on Just Stop Oil's website. "We are either in resistance or we are complicit."
It is only one in a number of ways activist groups across the world are now trying to drive this message home.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
How to book
Call DHA on 800342
Once you are registered, you will receive a confirmation text message
Present the SMS and your Emirates ID at the centre
DHA medical personnel will take a nasal swab
Check results within 48 hours on the DHA app under ‘Lab Results’ and then ‘Patient Services’
