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Rina Chandran
For Rina Chandran's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
High tides in Funafuti, Tuvalu, in February. About 40% of the main atoll and capital district Funafuti is already underwater at high tide, and the tiny nation is forecast to be submerged by the end of the century.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Mar 4, 2024
Tuvalu preserves history online as rising seas threaten existence
"We cannot outrun the rising tides, but we will do what we can to protect our statehood, our spirit, our values," minister Simon Kofe said.
People take pictures of the city skyline lit up by drones during a performance to welcome the Lunar New Year of the Dragon, at Marina Bay in Singapore on Feb. 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 26, 2024
Singapore embraces AI to solve everyday problems
Ranked the fifth most innovative country by the GII last year, Singapore was an early adopter of AI, releasing its first national strategy in 2019.
Commuters watch videos on their mobile phones as they travel in a suburban train in Mumbai, India.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 14, 2023
Bollywood star in lycra or deepfake? AI on social media takes toll
More than 90% of deepfake videos online are pornographic, according to technology experts, and most are of women.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center) waves to supporters during a road show as a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) election campaign ahead of the Telangana state assembly elections, in the city of Hyderabad on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 28, 2023
Hindu-Muslim tensions stoked online as India prepares to vote
During the BJP's rule over the past decade, party members and allies have been accused of inflammatory speech against Muslims.
Demonstrators hold signs during a protest against COVID-19 measures Munich in 2022.
WORLD / Society
Oct 4, 2023
AI 'supercharges' online disinformation and censorship, report warns
Internet freedom declined for the 13th straight year, with China, Myanmar and Iran having the worst conditions of the 70 countries surveyed.
Kenyan schoolchildren use computers in Nairobi on May 6.
WORLD / Society
Sep 28, 2023
Girls avoiding internet due to abuse and bias, report warns
A survey of more than 10,000 teens and their parents found that girls are constantly being told they are vulnerable and not competent online.
Women work in a warehouse in on the outskirts of Chennai, India.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 5, 2023
India's women gig workers organize with WhatsApp and secret meetings
Once seen as promising greater autonomy and higher earnings for women in India, the system is now riddled with issues.
Afghan women during a protest against Taliban restrictions on women's freedom in Kabul in 2021
WORLD
Aug 14, 2023
Afghan women take protests online as Taliban crush dissent
Organizing through social media and messaging apps, women have posted pictures and videos of the protests, drawing attention to the worsening crisis.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 10, 2023
Indigenous groups fear culture distortion as AI learns their languages
Critics warn Indigenous groups are at risk from bias that can be embedded within algorithms, while generative AI models may also spread incorrect information.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 23, 2023
China's Mekong dams turn Thai fishing villages into 'ghost towns'
Local fishing communities who live by the river have seen their harvest fall since China built nearly a dozen dams upstream.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 20, 2023
AI boom is dream and nightmare for workers in developing countries
For workers labeling the text, images, video and audio needed for AI services, lax labor regulations and low wages are the norm, tech experts say.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Feb 6, 2023
India's push for digital sovereignty risks more online surveillance
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing for self-reliance in everything from manufacture to vaccine development, and especially technology.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 19, 2023
Asia turns to tech to help watch over a growing elderly population
Smart home technologies such as cameras, robots, motion sensors and artificial intelligence-based speakers are being rolled out to help take care of loved ones.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 29, 2022
Rising online crackdowns across Asia target citizens and Big Tech
During the COVID-19 lockdowns in Vietnam last year, blogger Bui Van Thuan took to Facebook to criticize a government's response. Days later, he was arrested.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 19, 2022
Activists fear surveillance threat as China equips Belt and Road countries with spy tech
Beijing is selling extensive digital surveillance packages to old Silk Road governments under its signature infrastructure initiative.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 8, 2022
A year on, Afghans hide out fearing death by data
In the past year, human rights groups and the U.N. have documented the killing or enforced disappearance of hundreds of former members of the security forces.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2022
Heat wave fee for Asia's gig workers does little to cool climate stress
Riders and drivers are dealing with extreme weather, as they often work long hours, waiting at street corners and outside restaurants for orders.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2022
Uber drivers to protest low pay and unsafe work after leaks
A leak has shown that Uber knowingly flouted laws, duped police and exploited violence against vulnerable drivers as it lobbied governments for access.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jul 12, 2022
Health care data privacy fears grow worldwide after U.S. restricts abortion access
Activists fear some could be too scared to search online for the term 'abortion,' and caution against sharing data in mobile health apps often used to track fertility.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Jul 7, 2022
Twitter challenges Indian government in court over requests to remove posts
Observers say the case may have ramifications far beyond India, as countries increasingly seek to curtail the power of social media.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on