Meteorologists targeted in climate misinformation surge

Meteorologists targeted in climate misinformation surge
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People walk on the dried banks of the reservoir of Sau, located in the province of Girona in Catalonia, Spain, on April 16, 2023. (AFP)
Meteorologists targeted in climate misinformation surge
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This photo taken on April 16, 2023 shows the low water-level and the dried banks of the reservoir of Sau, located in the province of Girona in Catalonia, Spain. (AFP)
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Updated 13 May 2023

Meteorologists targeted in climate misinformation surge

Meteorologists targeted in climate misinformation surge
  • Accused of engineering a drought, Spain’s weather agency find its workers threatened in Twitter messages, phone calls and emails
  • Australia’s weather agency is falsely accused of doctoring its thermometers and France’s of exaggerating global warming

PARIS: Once trusted faces on the news, meteorologists now brave threats, insults and slander online from conspiracy theorists and climate change deniers who accuse them of faking or even fixing the weather.

Users on Twitter and other social media falsely accused Spain’s weather agency of engineering a drought, Australia’s of doctoring its thermometers and France’s of exaggerating global warming through misplaced weather stations.
“The coronavirus is no longer a trend. Conspiracy theorists and deniers who used to talk about that are now spreading disinformation about climate change,” Alexandre Lopez-Borrull, lecturer in Information and Communication Sciences at the Open University of Catalonia, told AFP.
“These scientific bodies are seen as part of the establishment, so anything they say may get disputed on social networks.
“They are providing evidence against what the climate deniers claim, so the latter try to discredit them.”

In a harsh drought and with local elections looming, Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) spoke out after its members were threatened in Twitter messages, phone calls and emails.
“Murderers,” “Criminals,” “You’ll pay for this,” “We’re watching you,” the messages shouted.
They came from people who believe the widely debunked theory that aeroplane condensation trails are really “chemtrails” sprayed by the authorities to poison people or create weather disasters.
Some referred to the “2030 agenda,” a debunked theory that global elites are plotting to subjugate people through Covid and climate policies.
“Do you want us to publish your contact details and those of your family?” read one Tweet aimed at an AEMET employee.
“Crooks! You are destroying nature on the orders of the damned 2030 agenda,” said another.
“We have seen an increase in insulting messages as a result of a thread we published about condensation trails” on April 10, AEMET spokesperson Estrella Gutierrez-Marco told AFP.
“What makes no sense is that they are insulting an institution that is constantly watching out for their interests, whose aim is... to contribute to people’s safety.”
Lopez-Borrull noted a “significant increase” in climate change denial — particularly among far-right supporters who see it as a leftist cause and oppose reforms aimed at curbing its impacts.
“People distrust politicians, judges and the media, and the cost of living is rising,” he said.
“In this context people feel alienated and end up listening to people they never listened to before, with messages appealing directly to the emotions.”

In another case investigated by AFP Fact Check, conservative media and Facebook users shared unfounded claims that Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) doctored its temperature readings.
In an analysis of data obtained via a freedom of information request, prominent climate skeptic Jennifer Marohasy said BOM’s electronic probes returned readings up to 0.7 degrees Celsius warmer than those of its older mercury thermometers.
Experts who analyzed the data said the claims were inaccurate.
Monash University emeritus environment professor Neville Nicholls said the difference between most readings on the electronic probes and the mercury thermometers was negligible — between zero and 0.1C (0.18 degrees Fahrenheit).
“This difference is very small compared to the strong warming trend in average temperature over Australia” — about 1.4C over the past century — Nicholls told AFP.
The World Meteorological Organization told AFP that the BOM’s measurements were in line with its standards, contrary to Marohasy’s allegation.

After a series of heat records in March in southwestern France, a critic on social media published a thread alleging that the country’s national weather service overstated warming by relying on readings from stations in urban districts, where temperatures are typically higher.
The thread received more than 139,000 views and spread to Facebook.
“Yet another way of making us feel scared and guilty,” one woman commented on the thread, referring to the weather service, Meteo-France.
“Luckily fewer and fewer people believe them after the Covid business. I’m glad not to watch their forecasts on France TV.”
Climatologists consulted by AFP debunked the claims, pointing out that the limited network of 30 weather stations referred to in the thread is not what scientists use to measure climate change, and the climate is also observed to be changing in rural districts.
“Meteo-France researchers use all possible measures and create computer models with various hypotheses and a longer timeframe for analysis,” said Christine Berne, a climatologist in the service.
“You can be sure we don’t just have our 30 little weather stations.”
One Twitter user accused Dutch broadcaster RTL Nieuws of exaggerating a late-April heatwave in Spain, posting as evidence a screenshot showing moderate temperatures in the Costa Blanca.
However, his screenshot was taken three days after the heatwave, in the cool of the morning.
Some of AFP’s full fact-checks on these topics are available at u.afp.com/ibQg, u.afp.com/ibQj and (in French) u.afp.com/ibwv.


‘What is a Woman?’ documentary tweet goes viral after Musk retweet

‘What is a Woman?’ documentary tweet goes viral after Musk retweet
Updated 03 June 2023

‘What is a Woman?’ documentary tweet goes viral after Musk retweet

‘What is a Woman?’ documentary tweet goes viral after Musk retweet
  • Twitter owner’s move comes after platform accused of stifling free speech 

LONDON: Elon Musk retweeted on Saturday the Daily Wire’s documentary on gender in the digital age, sparking a debate that saw the film gain over 110 million views and get retweeted at least 120,000 times.

The owner of Twitter wrote in his pinned tweet: “Every parent should watch this,” promoting “What is a Woman?”, which features American right-wing political commentator Matt Walsh.  

The move came a day after his platform was accused by users of stifling free speech for curtailing the film’s exposure on the basis of “misgendering.”

But Musk’s promotion of “What is a Woman?” was hailed by many Twitter users, including British broadcaster Piers Morgan, who replied with three claps.

Twitter user Silvia Penack said Musk’s backing for the film provided “two sides of the story” as opposed to “one-sided reporting.”

Another commentator shared a meme showing Musk standing up to a group of people who reject the documentary.

However, not everyone was pleased with Musk’s stance. Columnist Donna Miles said in response to the retweet: “People who want you to watch this so-called documentary clearly neither care about children’s safety nor women’s rights.”

Musk also promoted the film in his response to a tweet by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, in which the latter asked: “If aliens were to visit us right now, what’s one thing we’ve chosen to do as a society (that feels relatively simple or obvious) that would be super hard to explain?”

“What is a Woman?” was censored on Thursday by Twitter staff, but following accusations of “throttling free speech,” to which Musk did not respond, the film was allowed and retweeted by the platform’s owner, who said the initial rejection was “a mistake by many people at Twitter.”


Kremlin: Western journalists won’t get accreditation for Russian economic forum

Kremlin: Western journalists won’t get accreditation for Russian economic forum
Updated 03 June 2023

Kremlin: Western journalists won’t get accreditation for Russian economic forum

Kremlin: Western journalists won’t get accreditation for Russian economic forum
  • “It has indeed been decided this time not to accredit publications from unfriendly countries to the SPIEF,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS
  • “Interest in SPIEF is always great, all other journalists will work on the site“

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Saturday that journalists from “unfriendly countries” would not be allowed into the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which President Vladimir Putin has used to showcase the Russian economy to global investors.
“It has indeed been decided this time not to accredit publications from unfriendly countries to the SPIEF,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS, using the acronym for the forum which is held annually in Russia’s former imperial capital.
“Interest in SPIEF is always great, all other journalists will work on the site,” Peskov said. “Unfriendly countries” is a definition used by Moscow to describe those who have sanctioned it over the war in Ukraine.
Reuters’ Moscow bureau was told by the organizers of the forum on Friday that accreditation for its journalists had been canceled after receiving an earlier confirmation of accreditation on Thursday.
Reuters sought written clarification but none has been issued yet.
The Kremlin has repeatedly said it will not close “the window” to Europe which Tsar Peter the Great sought to open 300 years ago even though the West has imposed the most onerous sanctions in recent history over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


NEOM, Telfaz11 sign deal to produce 9 film, TV projects

NEOM, Telfaz11 sign deal to produce 9 film, TV projects
Updated 02 June 2023

NEOM, Telfaz11 sign deal to produce 9 film, TV projects

NEOM, Telfaz11 sign deal to produce 9 film, TV projects
  • 2 movies, TV series already in development, partners say
  • Telfaz11 to open offices at NEOM media hub this year

LONDON: The Kingdom’s media production hub NEOM has signed a deal with studio Telfaz11 to cooperate on at least nine TV and film productions over the next three years.

Two movies and one TV series are already in development, the two sides said after the deal was agreed on Thursday.

Wayne Borg, managing director of media industries, entertainment and culture at NEOM, said: “Our mission is to create a new world-class media hub at NEOM, one that supports the region’s industry to compete and succeed globally.

“This partnership with Telfaz11 complements and accelerates. This partnership, coupled with our evolving infrastructure, crew depth, industry learning programs, and highly competitive incentive scheme shows we are well on our way to achieving these goals.”

Telfaz11’s CEO Alaa Faden said: “We couldn’t be more honored to be at the center of NEOM’s next generation media and entertainment ecosystem.

“Telfaz11 has consistently operated on the leading edge of innovation, from launching the first Netflix partnership in the region to leveraging our powerful social media presence. And this new partnership with NEOM is yet another milestone in that effort.”

As part of the new deal, Telfaz11 will also open offices at NEOM later this year.

One of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 megaprojects, NEOM is a high-tech smart city and global media hub. More than 30 productions have been shot there over the past 18 months, including “Desert Warrior,” “Dunki” and “Rise of the Witches.”


Etisalat removes beIN channels from eLife TV

Etisalat removes beIN channels from eLife TV
Updated 02 June 2023

Etisalat removes beIN channels from eLife TV

Etisalat removes beIN channels from eLife TV
  • Du expected to continue to broadcast beIN until at least end of month
  • BeIN, however, said the partnership ended because the two companies could not reach an agreement

DUBAI: UAE-based Etisalat has removed Qatar’s beIN channels from its platform. The move came into play on Thursday.
“While beIN content will no longer be available on eLife TV, we will continue to invest in sports content to deliver to our customers an extensive range of popular sports both directly and via our partners,” Etisalat said.
BeIN, however, said the partnership ended because the two companies could not reach an agreement.
“After lengthy discussions where beIN has tirelessly sought to extend our decade-long partnership with Etisalat, we are disappointed not to be able to renew this relationship at this time,” it said.
BeIN holds the regional rights for the English Premier League and other major sports events, including last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
Etisalat and du, also based in the UAE, are the two major broadcasters showing beIN channels. According to local media reports, du said it would continue to air beIN channels but could not confirm if they would be available after July 1.


EU envoy to Gulf has Twitter account suspended within 24 hours

EU envoy to Gulf has Twitter account suspended within 24 hours
Updated 02 June 2023

EU envoy to Gulf has Twitter account suspended within 24 hours

EU envoy to Gulf has Twitter account suspended within 24 hours
  • Luigi Di Maio’s official feed said to have violated platform rules

LONDON: The new EU Special Representative for the Gulf had his official Twitter account suspended within 24 hours of its creation for what the platform said was a violation of its rules.

It remains unclear what rules Luigi Di Maio’s profile broke, just a day after it was created by the former Italian Foreign Minister created to share updates on his new role.

The suspension was lifted within hours.

Di Maio launched the institutional account — @EUSR_Gulf — on June 1, coinciding with his official start. He shared his enthusiasm for the new role in a tweet published in Arabic, Persian, English and Italian.

“First day in office as the EU Special Representative for the Gulf. Ready and fully committed to engaging with the member states and institutions of the EU, as well as each of our partners in the region,” he said in the post.

“There is so much at stake and so much to be done through genuine dialogue and mutual respect. For our common security and prosperity.”

However, before a second tweet could be shared, Twitter suspended the account. 

Di Maio’s new role represents a fresh start after he left Five Star following setbacks in last year’s Italian elections.

His appointment was however criticized at home and in Europe due to a series of faux pas he made while foreign minister.

In 2019, he caused the first diplomatic crisis between Italy and France since World War Two, leading to the withdrawal of the French ambassador from Rome, after he publicly supported the Yellow vests movement as members were demolishing the entrance of a government building in Paris.

He had previously stated that Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was Venezuelan and that Russia was a country in the Mediterranean.