A TABLET that’s actually far more than well, a tablet, particularly when connected it a smart keyboard accessory, the new iPad Pro 12.9 inch is actually more of a highly portable computer.

The new Smart Keyboard Folio, especially designed for the iPad Pro, turns Apple’s powerful tablet into a powerful notebook computer, one that’s more powerful and more portable than most laptops on the market.

The new Smart Keyboard Folio is among several improvements to the new iPad Pro. For example, it comes with a new and better screen design, Face ID technology, a more powerful A12X Bionic processor, advanced cameras, improved audio and a new Apple Pencil.

The new iPad is powered by Apple’s new A12X Bionic chipset with Neural Engine. Apple says the A12X Bionic is its smartest and most powerful chip ever, making iPad Pro powerful enough to handle apps you use everyday, like Microsoft Office and pro apps like Adobe Photoshop CC.

Apple is confident that its A12X Bionic delivers faster performance than 92 per cent of all portable PCs sold in the last year, including the most popular Intel Core i7 models.

The A12X Bionic has an eight-core fusion design with four performance cores to tackle heavy computational tasks and four high efficiency cores to take on everyday tasks. The new performance controller dynamically divides work across these cores, harnessing all eight when a power boost is needed.

And the new chipset comes with Apple-designed seven-core GPU that delivers performance twice as fast than the A10X Fusion in the previous-generation iPad Pro. Apple says the new GPU offers Xbox One S class performance in a thin and light device and the new GPU delivers 1,000 times the graphics performance of the original iPad.

The A12X comes with Apple Neural Engine, which is built for advanced machine learning in everything from photography to augmented reality. With its eight-core design, the Neural Engine can complete up to five trillion operations per second. In Photos, it intelligently stitches together your photos and videos to create Memories. It improves AR performance by identifying the environment like floors and tables more quickly, and even enables expressive Memoji by mapping up to 50 facial gestures.

In short, compared to the A10x Fusion, the A12X provides up to 35 per cent faster single-core performance, 90 per cent faster multicore performance and 2x faster graphics.

During the test, I found the new iPad Pro handled apps that were designed specially for iPad like Pixelmator and Linea Sketch fast and efficiently.

I used AnTuTu Benchmark V7.2.0 to test the new iPad Pro’s performance and it got very high scores of 546,454. Compared to the AnTuTu’s ever-growing database of iOS users from around the world, the new iPad Pro 12.9 in my hands was ranked third on December 31, after two other iPad Pro apparently of the same model. Actually, this was the highest performance score I have ever seen during my reviews of various mobile devices.

With the new Smart Keyboard Folio, I could type just as if I were using a laptop with a full-size physical keyboard. The new keyboard folio magnetically attaches to the back of iPad Pro and has two viewing angles thus making it easy to use on a desk or your lap. It uses the Smart Connector to connect to iPad Pro, so it never needs to be charged or paired; and when folded, it protects the front and the back of your iPad Pro.

It comes with auto-wake function that allows iPad Pro to wake or sleeps when you open or close it.

The new iPad Pro also features an all-new, all-screen design with advanced Liquid Retina display. It has beautiful rounded corners that follow the edges of the design to deliver ultrathin bezels.

The new iPad Pro has precision-milled glass, advanced pixel masking, and sub-pixel anti-aliasing to allow the display to follow the curves of the device, while a new backlight design allows the display to extend into the corners. This results in smooth, distortion-free edges, so whatever you are doing looks great from one rounded corner to the next.

And the Liquid Retina display is very bright. Actually, it is the brightest and most colour accurate iPad display so far, featuring P3 wide colour support for true-to-life colours; True Tone, which automatically adapts the display colour to your environment for a more natural viewing experience; and an anti-reflective coating for the best viewing experience indoors and outdoors.

Moreover, the iPad Pro has ProMotion technology, which automatically adjusts the display refresh rate up to 120Hz for ultrasmooth scrolling and incredible responsiveness on the display, whether using your finger or the Apple Pencil.

I enjoyed viewing photos and watching HD movies on the Liquid Retina display. Movies streamed on TrueID TV app from TrueVisions played smoothly and looked great.

And the four-speaker design improves the sound system whether you’re listening to music or watching a movie. Apple comes with a new audio architecture that delivers wider stereo sound for a high-fidelity, cinematic audio experience in any orientation for watching movie, playing a game or a FaceTime call.

The built-in sensors ensure that when you are holding the iPad Pro either in portrait or landscape orientation, you’ll get best sound experience with bass going to all four speakers while the mid and high frequencies come from the topmost speakers.

The new iPad Pro also comes with five microphones to allow it capture stereo audio when recording video in any orientation.

The new iPad Pro also comes with fast wireless and Internet connections. It uses 802.11ac Wi-Fi and uses fast LTE connection, supporting up to 29 LTE bands.

The new iPad Pro also supports future eSIM, which is available in 180 countries and regions around the world. I tested it on TrueMove H’s LTE, using microSIM and, yes, the connection was very fast. Applications were downloaded quickly and my snapshots were backed up to my Google Photos cloud storage in no time.

I used Ookla Speedtest app to measure the connection speed and I found that the new iPad Pro achieved the download speed of 85.0 Mbps and upload speed of 38.5 Mbps.

The new iPad Pro comes with a 12-megapixel rear camera, which is capable of capturing ultra-detailed still images and Live Photos in wide colour, 63MP panoramas, and 4K video at 60 fps. The Liquid Retina display is an excellent viewfinder for composing shots. The Live Photos is a mode for shooting a still with a short video clip.

With the advanced camera, large display and thin and light design, the new iPad Pro is excellent for enjoying augmented reality.

The test found that the new iPad Pro really captured beautiful, sharp and clean photos in most lighting environments.

The new iPad Pro uses a TrueDepth camera system for the front camera, allowing the tablet to use Face ID for secure unlocking. The 7-megapixel TrueDepth camera provides features like Portrait mode, Selfie Scenes in Clips, and Animoji and Memoji in Messages and Group FaceTime.

The Face ID begins with data captured by the TrueDepth camera. Sensors read the unique geometry of your face and compare it to information protected by the Secure Enclave of the A12X Bionic chip. If there’s a match, iPad Pro unlocks.

And the TrueDepth camera brings Portrait mode to iPad Pro for the first time, creating a precise depth map to separate the subject from the background. It also features Portrait Lighting for stunning studio-quality selfies.

The new iPad Pro supports the new Apple Pencil that attaches magnetically to iPad Pro and charges wirelessly. The new Apple Pencil comes with double-tap function to allow you to switch tools. With a simple double tap, you can change tools –like from a pencil to an eraser within Notes without interrupting your workflow. You can also customise your taps to easily switch between Apple Pencil functions.

I was happy to see that the iPad Pro now features a high-performance USB-C connector, instead of Apple Lightning port. The USB-C port makes it compatible for using iPad Pro’s charger with other mobile devices.

Moreover, it brings a whole new set of capabilities to iPad Pro. You can connect it to accessories that change the way you use the iPad, such as cameras, musical instruments, or even docks or you can connect it to high-resolution external monitors, with up to 5K resolution. USB-C on iPad Pro allows you to connect to data accessories and a display at the same time, which is critical for those creative pros whose workflows require high-bandwidth input and output at the same time.

The new iPad Pro does not come with a 3.5mm headphone jack. If you want to use a pair of headphones, you will need to buy a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter.

The new iPad Pro runs on iOS 12 and this brings several new features to the tablet, including Group FaceTime that allows up to 32 participants to join a video call.

The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a suggested retail price of Bt35,900 for 64 GB storage, Bt40,900 for 256GB, Bt47,900 for 512 GB and Bt61,900 for 1 terabyte storage. The new Apple Pencil retails for Bt4,490 and Smart Keyboard Folio is priced at Bt7,290.

>> Networks: GSM/EDGE; UMTS/HSPA+; LTE

>> OS: iOS12

>> Chip: A12X Bionic chip with 64-bit desktop-class architecture , Neural Engine, Embedded M12 coprocessor

>> Capacity: 64GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

>> Display: 12.9-inch Liquid Retina LED-backlit display with 2732×2048 pixel resolution.

>> Cameras: 12-MP rear camera with f/1.8 lens; 7-MP TrueDepth front camera with Face ID technology

>> SIM types: eSIM, nano-SIM

>> Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0

>> Connectors: USB-C, Smart connector

>> Sensors: Face ID , Three-axis gyro , Accelerometer , Ambient light sensor , Barometer

>> Battery: Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data network

>> Dimensions: 280.6 x 214.9 x 5.9mm (HxWxD)

>> Weight: 633g

>> In the box: iPad Pro , USB-C to USB-C Connector, USB-C Power Adapter , Documentation

This second edition of the carnival will include a food festival featuring different varieties of Kerala and South Indian food guaranteed to delight the expat Indian community as well as Thais and other nationalities.

Other highlights include stalls offering goods from Kerala, games for kids and a colourful cultural onstage presentation by talented artists from among the members of various South Indian Communities, which gets underway after 5.30.

Admission is Bt50.

 Find out more at Facebook.com/thaimalayali.samajam.

Playmondo, a world-class amusement park for kids and a hub of advanced games with premium safety standards, threw open its doors earlier this month at the Forum Zone on the second floor of CentralWorld.

Playmondo is a brand new amusement park on the second floor of CentralWorld.

“We believe that playing generates learning and understanding for children, and I have been in this amusement park business for a long time. Thus, I can easily observe a child’s playing behaviour and his or her preferences. Playmondo is built on the idea of turning an indoor amusement park into a small planet where children can play and learn safely while enhancing their imaginative powers. We have chosen a Tardigrade named Phi Mon as Playmondo’s mascot. This animal is known as the world’s most tolerant creature as they can remain in the nature in all climate conditions. We want the kids to learn about tolerance and the beauty of nature through this mascot,” says Hansa Kraikosol, chief executive director of Playmondo Group and a leader in the amusement park business.

Hansa Kraikosol

Playmondo is designed for kids from one year up to 13 on the concept “Play Plern Learn Roo” and features four play zones inspired respectively by the desert, ocean, volcano and jungle. Each activity support growth during childhood. Cognitive development is promoted through interactive games and reactive play such as the Ball Wall, against which children throw a ball then catch it on its return. Blue Blocks allow them to use their imagination and assemble the blocks in a variety of shapes. Physical development is encouraged through the trampoline and a climbing wall while social development is fostered through games that require kids of play together and make new friends.

Ple Nakorn with his wife and their children

For older kids, there’s “Playsquare Laser Tag”, a place for space warriors in the form of an advanced laser field with full lighting and audio effects that sets the stage for a galaxy war in which youngsters learn how to observe, defend themselves and visualise in the dark. The illuminated bulletproof vests and laser guns are brand new and imported from the US and the field is fitted with protective equipment throughout. Players must be at least 110 centimetres tall to take the weight of the bulletproof vest.

Pornpilas Assakul with her children

A number of celebrities turned out for the opening with their kids and took time away from the activities to share some parenting tips. They included Juthatham Chirathiwat, Vasu Virajsilp, Jannis Yangpichit, Milin Yuvacharuskul, Capt Vantita Lewchalermwongse, Pornpilas Assakul, Chirawan Techaruvichit, Praewpreeya Jumsai Na Ayutthaya, Bhumiphat-Sopin Rongratana, Wanwilai Techasomboon, Jongkol Palarit, Nathanaporn Euawanthanakhun, Pornpan Pongsak, Nantanach Mongkolrattanachat, Natarnin Khunathanard, Duangkamol Tirawat, and actor Nakorn “Ple” Silachai and his wife June Kasama.

Juthatham Chirathiwat and Vasu Virajsilp with their son

“My parenting style focuses on my children’s health. As germs and viruses are everywhere, we do our best to protect them when we take them out to play. We are also well aware of the influence of social media and avoid videos with explicit and violent content to prevent them from becoming familiar with and emulating inappropriate behaviour. I let them do activities they enjoy to encourage their skills. My son loves football and practises every day while my daughter is interested in art so she spends her free time painting and drawing,” says mother of twins Jannis.

Chirawan Techaruvichit and Duangrit Chairungruang with their boys 

Milin also focuses on letting her children develop their skills. “I let them do activities based on their age. Sometimes we take them on a trip to open their world, and learn about the things about them. My daughter is adventurous and confident and I am happy to let her play while I observe her from a distance,” she says.

Milin Yuvacharuskul and her daughter

“I use both traditional and modern parenting techniques to raising my kids, focusing on manners and appropriate behaviour as the first priority. I allow them to express their thoughts and make decisions by themselves and encourage them to ask questions when they are in doubt. I also teach them through activities we do together. For example, when we are watching cartons and there are some violent scenes, I try and explain. When we plan trips, I let them take part. My child is interested in maths and collecting car models,” says Vantita.

Jannis Yangpichit with her twins

Vasu and Juthatham are mainly concerned with hygiene and safety. “There are at an age when we need to watch them closely but without stifling their creativity.”

Praewpreeya Jumsai Na Ayutthaya with her sons

Ple Nakorn and June Kasama give their kids freedom while maintaining a light control. “Children are naughty and try to learn by themselves but it may be dangerous sometimes. We try and tell them off as little as possible. We don’t like to say no to them and we allow them to learn from social media. Our family enjoys exercising together and sometimes we take them out to learn about what they have experienced on online media in the real world, like going to the zoo, hiking or jetskiing.”

Kids’ day out

– Tickets are Bt550 for kids 75 to 100 cm tall and Bt650 for kids taller than 100 cm and allow three hours of play.

– Tickets for Playsquare Laser Tag start at Bt350 per game. Each game lasts 15 minutes and has a maximum of 24 players.

– For more information, call (02) 103 2499 or (02) 103 2455, or visit Facebook.com/playmondo.

Artist+Run gallery, part of the gallery cluster N22, was packed out on the evening of Thailand’s national children’s day two Saturdays ago when a new exhibition “The Intangibles of Emptiness” opened. This opening didn’t feature speeches by either curator or artist but a live performance by Pichet Klunchun Dance Company who created paintings and installations that have remained on show.

For Pichet, “The” in the show’s title refers to dancers who use different parts of their bodies to create meaning in the assigned empty space, and for him, this ends, also, in emptiness after the performance. This work is thus his attempt to record such intangible emptiness.

In the small gallery filled with excited audience members, standing and sitting on the floor and chairs, plus many who couldn’t make it inside, members of Pichet Klunchun Dance Company, in construction worker outfits, walked around with both painting and construction materials and tools. What looked like an abstract painting was created by the performers who shifted back and forth between building and painting, with choreographed dance movements.

The performance, or the construction, continued outside the studio, after Pichet kicked open a seemingly locked door in the wall. With the gallery door now blocked by a waist-high brick wall, the audience had no choice but to follow the performers out through this small opening. Another painting was then created by the dance ensemble, while many materials were put into a working cement mixer.

Smoke was constantly emitted and many onlookers chose to stand further away. Thinking back about the performance now that the PM 2.5 issue reached a crucial point, many would be able to make the connection, just as Pichet intended, between the artists and the construction workers – both are craftsmen who need special skills in their works. We would also think about the fact that many materials are thrown out or put aside before the final work is shown to the public.

Also cheekily fun and ironical was the choice of background music, which covered a wide range of genres, as if to remind us that in many countries classical western music is not restricted to elite art aficionados and, by contrast, country music doesn’t appeal just to bluecollar workers. And in any democratic society, contemporary arts should be open and comprehensible to all people, no matter what their educational or economic background.

What made this similar to most exhibition openings, though, was the fact that most of the audience was made up of those working in visual arts, and very few in performing arts. And so while this work attempts to bridge the gap between these two fields in a country where most people think that such a division is still necessary, this remains a work-in-progress. Also, for the wider general public, this involves a visit to the exhibition to see the works and watch the video recording of the live performance, or record of the intangible emptiness, without the creators being present.

Word is that Pichet is planning to take this interdisciplinary work, first seen last year at a Chiang Rai mountain resort hotel, forward and will soon revive it in a larger gallery for a wider audience. Stay tuned.

In a performance titled “Knit”, Kawita uses her body as a medium to challenge the concept of materialism in a world where more value is attached to products than to the people who created the product.

In front of a colourful backdrop, she becomes the tools women use in knitting, dyeing and weaving. Simultaneously, her spider-like movements portray a woman fighting to construct her life through her labour, in the same way a spider struggles to build a web to survive.

“Knit” also involves audience participation to remind us to cherish the skills of the people who create the elements intrinsic to a luxury lifestyle.

“Knit”-inspired sweet and savoury delicacies will complement the hotel’s afternoon tea menu, including a red Mont Blanc dessert handcrafted by executive pastry chef Nicolas Pelloie.

The Knit afternoon tea set for two will be hosted in the Lobby from 3.30 to 4.30pm and is priced at Bt1,400-plus.

The hotel is meanwhile launching an Artist-in-Residence programme, letting a rotating selection of live there for up to three months while using a specially created studio to create original pieces inspired by their stay. Guests will be able to meet and chat with the artists in the studio and enjoy a rare perspective of the artistic process.

Kawita will be the first artist-in-residence, using the opportunity to curate new works for an exhibition in Europe later this year.

For reservations and details, call (02) 020 2888 or email diningpbk@peninsula.com.

Recorded at the Opera Bastille with the Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus, the film directed by Benoit Jacquot adheres to the three acts delineated by Giuseppe Verdi.

Alfredo Germont falls in love with courtesan Violetta Valery at a party at her Paris salon. He is determined to cure her tuberculosis and they leave Paris for a contented life in the countryside. But Violetta’s happiness is destroyed when Alfredo’s father Giorgio pays her a visit.

Verdi based “La Traviata” on Alexandre Dumas’ novel and stage play “La Dame aux camelias”, which was in turn inspired by the life and death of actual Parisian courtesan Marie Duplessis.

Verdi offered a more complex and sympathetic portrayal of his heroine, highlighting Violetta’s noble nature and her devotion to Alfredo.

“La Traviata” is today the mostperformed opera in the world and the role of Violetta a favourite for many star sopranos.

Richard Eyre’s stunning naturalistic production contrasts the superficial glamour of 19thcentury Parisian high life with intimate scenes for Violetta with Alfredo and Giorgio, culminating in the heartbreaking final act.

Verdi’s sublime score contains some of his most inspired arias and duets, including Violetta’s introspective “Ah forse’ lui” and hedonistic “Sempre libera” and Alfredo and Violetta’s “Parigi, o cara”.

Tickets cost Bt200 (Bt100 for AF students and members) at the door.

Like most member nations of the United Nations, Thailand has set itself the goal of eliminating new infections of HIV/Aids and reaching “Getting to Zero” by 2030.

It is an ambition that faces many challenges. Current figures show that the nation has more than 400,000 HIV-infected patients and that 21 per cent of them are over the age of 50. Improved medical treatment and more efficient drugs will push an increasing number of those infected into the 50 years-plus bracket as the target date draws near, thus exposing them to age-related medical conditions.

At the same time, a the national survey in 2016, conducted by the Thai Red Cross Aids Research Centre in 2016 found 6,200 new patients being infected with HIV per year – or 17 persons per day – and that the majority of these were among the younger generation, especially men who have sex with men (MSM).

Speaking at the 21st Bangkok International Symposium on HIV Medicine held last week at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Professor Emeritus Praphan Phanuphak, MD, the director of the Centre and director of HIV-NAT Thailand, stressed that active and coherent strategies are urgently needed to tackle the problem.

“Although the present situation seems better in terms of medical treatment, the fact that there are 6,200 new HIV-infected patients per year is not good because it has been around this figure for the past six years. We know we can make it zero. We need to look at other countries’ strategies, examine how they have handled the situations and then analyse and improve our policies. This should be done through a comprehensive review of the management of HIV infection and opportunistic infections in parallel with efforts to improve access to therapy as well as the latest updates on research into HIV treatments and vaccines. The United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids – UN-Aids aims to bring an end to the disease in 2030, meaning that the incidence will be changed from ‘epidemic’ to ‘endemic’ or individual infection.

“Another goal is to achieve a 90-per-cent reduction in new patients from the current global figure of two million annually. Ending Aids also refers to a reduction in deaths of the HIV-infected, as well as zero stigmatisation or discrimination, which is very hard,” he says.

“A study has followed 3,000  serodiscordant couples for over 3 years, one of whom is HIV infected,

taking anti-Aids drugs until no more virus was detected in their blood although infection still remains in the body, none of the HIV-negative couples has even be infected even consistent condom use is not the norm. The most promising result of the study is that it shows that none of the partners have become infected. This is known as the ‘U=U’ campaign.”

U=U is an informational campaign about how effective HIV medications can prevent sexual transmission of HIV. U=U means “Undetectable = Untransmit table”, indicating that if an HIV-positive person is on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) with a consistently undetectable HIV viral load, the HIV virus cannot be transmitted to a sex partner. As a prevention strategy, this is often referred to as Treatment as Prevention, or TasP. U=U and TasP are based on substantial scientific data. In fact, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said that people who take ART daily as prescribed and achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting the virus to an HIV-negative partner.

“So there is no reason for social discrimination against HIV-infected individuals at the workplace or anywhere else. The bottleneck is getting those at risk to get a free blood test at least twice a year and for everyone else to get one at least once in a lifetime with their partner – assuming they have never had sex with anyone else. It can be an annual health checkup but most people are afraid others will hear about it. In some cases, even those who know they are infected refuse to take the medication because they are afraid that someone might see it and talk about it. Others may have poor adherence to the medication resuting in treatment failure with development of drug resistance,” the professor explains.

The ideal approach is known as the Strategic Timing of Antiretroviral Treatment (START). This global treatment has shown that HIV-infected individuals have a considerably lower risk of developing Aids if they start taking anti-retrovirals as early as possible thus reducing the risk of HIV transmission to uninfected sexual partners.

“The early treatment is definitely beneficial to the HIV-positive person. We have run campaigns with workshops and various activities for the past two years. Now we want to legalise the import of the HIV Home Kit selftest on the Thai market, so that individuals who might have recent exposure can get hands-on results in time to receive further medical treatment,” Dr Praphan adds.

In addition to the self-test, one of key successes in early treatment is access to the PEP medication within 72 hours. PEP stands for post-exposure prophylaxis and involves taking HIV medicines within 72 hours after possible exposure to HIV to prevent becoming infected. It should, however, only be used in emergency situations though it does away with the need to wait for two weeks to get the test results.

“It should be available as an emergency control measure. Hospitals in Bangkok should welcome patients and prescribe medicine even if the patients’ rights to access medical treatment – the gold card – specify another province. However, PEP is not intended to replace regular use of other HIV prevention methods, such as consistent use of condoms during sex or preexposure prophylaxis [PrEP],” he says.

“At our anonymous clinic, we do SameDayART [anti-retroviral therapy] to ensure patients get the medicine immediately. We also have a ‘navigator’ to help with patient consultations throughout the treatment. The SameDayART has proved very successful. Of some 1,000 HIV-infected patients, 80 per cent can start taking medicine on the same day and the rest within three days. We are expanding this method to other provinces, so that we don’t lose patients there,” he adds.

PrEP is another effective strategy to ending Aids and was explained to the symposium by Prof Andrew Grulich, Head of the HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Programme at the Kirby Institute. Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is considered an effective HIV prevention intervention and could be a potential game changer in the region.

In his presentation of the expanded PrEP Implementation in Communities in New South Wales study launched in March 2016, Grulich explained that the initial target of 3,700 high-risk men who have sex with men was reached in October 2016, with an average monthly recruitment of 499. More than 9,500 participants are currently in the trial, making it the largest PrEP trial globally.

The high-level, targeted and rapid rollout of PrEP in New South Wales has led to a 35-per-cent decline in statewide HIV diagnoses in MSM, and a 44-per-cent decline in early HIV infections in MSM, levels unprecedented since the beginning of the HIV epidemic. This was achieved less than one year after the target recruitment was reached. In a concentrated epidemic with high testing and treatment coverage, the PrEP scale up led to a rapid decline in HIV transmission at the population level.

“This study has given impressive results. As we move towards 2030, UN-Aid has introduced the ‘90-90-90’, an ambitious treatment target to help end the epidemic. This means that by 2020, 90 per cent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90 per cent of all those with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained anti-

retroviral therapy, and 90 per cent of all people receiving anti-retroviral therapy will have viral suppression. In Thailand, the

first 90 has now reached 91 per cent, the second is 72 per cent and the third is 80 per cent. So, we can see where we need to solve the problems. By 2030, we aim 95-95-95,” Dr Praphan notes.

Many strategies will be needed to end the Aids epidemic and it will present an enormous challenge not only for the medical profession and policy makers, but also for the world of technology in getting to zero. In this context, work is already steaming ahead on an application by the Thai Red Cross Aids Research Centre that will draw at-risk and infected young people into the fold.

A panel of judges will then select the 10 best photos, which will be featured on billboards in select cities, Apple retail stores and online. The winners will be announced later next month.

The judges will include renowned photojournalists Pete Souza and Luisa Dorr as well as travel photographer Austin Mann.

Following a rigorous three-phase judging process, which includes an onsite evaluation, the winners will be announced during the awards ceremony at the 19th WTTC Global Summit in Seville, Spain from April 2 to 4.

All 15 finalists illustrate a strong commitment to supporting change, transformation in business practices and consumer behaviour towards a more environmentally conscious sector.

“This year’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards shine the spotlight on those organisations which are leading the way in sustainable travel and tourism. They reflect WTTC’s Strategic Priorities of Climate Action, Destination Stewardship, Future of Work, and Social Responsibility. I am delighted that as we mark our 15th anniversary year, we are particularly highlighting initiatives that are combatting the illegal wildlife trade, in line with the WTTC Buenos Aires Declaration which was launched in April 2018,” said Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of WTTC.

Awards Lead Judge, Prof Graham Miller at the University of Surrey added: “The shortlisted projects and businesses demonstrate community development, sustainable employment practices, female empowerment, innovative environmental technology and protection of land and marine wildlife as well as positively contributing to the broader Sustainable Development Goals. Their efforts in these areas are a beacon to the rest of the travel sector in signalling the way to a more sustainable world.”

The Climate Action Award will be given to organisations undertaking significant and measurable work to reduce the scale and impact of climate change. The three finalists are Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort in Aruba, the Brando, Tetiaroa Private Island in Tahiti, and Tourism Holdings Limited in New Zealand.

The Investing in People Award will be presented to organisations demonstrating leadership in becoming an exciting, attractive, and equitable employer in the sector. The finalists are Lemon Tree Hotels Limited in India, Reserva do Ibitipoca in Brazil, and Shanga by Elewana Collection in Tanzania.

The Destination Stewardship Award will honour organisations helping a place to thrive and bring forward its unique identity for the benefit of its residents and tourists. The finalists are Grupo Rio da Prata in Brazil, Masungi Georeserve in the Philippines, and St Kitts Sustainable Destination Council, St Kitts and Nevis.

The Social Impact Award will be given to organisations working to improve the people and places where they operate. The finalists are Awamaki in Peru, Intrepid Group in Australia and Nikoi Island in Indonesia.

The Changemakers Award will put a special spotlight on fighting the illegal wildlife trade through tourism, an issue that is also a focus of WTTC with its Buenos Aires Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade launched last year. The finalists are Kelompok Peduli Lingkungan Belitung (KPLB) in Indonesia, SEE Turtles in the US, and The Cardamom Tented Camp in Cambodia.

More details on the awards and the finalists can be found at http://wttc.org/T4TAwards

Miller is a regular at the San Francisco Punchline, The Stand in Scotland and The International in Dublin and is now chomping at the bit ready to do her storytelling, cabaret and standup comedy throughout the world to prove that her ageing has been amazing.

At 83, Lynn Ruth Miller is still going strong.

She started her comedy career at 71. She made it to Las Vegas in America’s Got Talent, 2008, won People’s Choice at the 2009 Branson Comedy Festival, the finals of Bill Word’s Funniest Female Contest 2009 and reached the semifinals in the SF International Comedy Competition, She has also appeared on “Britain’s Got Talent” and won both nights of the Texas Burlesque Festival without taking off anything that matters.

She was the 2013 TO&ST winner of “Granny’s Gone Wild: at the Edinburgh Fringe. That show was performed at the Soho Theatre in London in March 2014. In August, she performed her fourth solo show “Not Dead Yet” a compilation of stories and songs about her life, directed by Sarah Louise Young with songs written by Young and Michael Roulston.

She will be supported by multi awardwinning Comedy Central comic Carlos Rodriguez.

Tickets are Bt600 in advance online at ComedyClubBangkok.com and The Royal Oak Pub, and Bt800 on the door.