18 July 2016 Current Affairs
Indian Railways to install TRI-NETRA to reduce train accidents
The Indian Railways has launched the Terrain Imaging for Diesel Drivers- Infrared Enhanced Optical and Radar Assisted (Tri-NETRA) system to avoid train accidents. The system will be installed on locomotives for enhancing the vision of Locomotive Pilots in inclement weather. The device uses infrared and radar technology to collect signals up to a distance of 2-3 km and displays the information (composite video image) on a screen fitted inside the locomotive. The Tri-Netra will alert the drivers of any physical obstruction on railway tracks ahead and thus give ample time for the driver to apply the brakes to prevent train accidents. It is made of high sensitivity infra-red video camera, high-resolution optical video camera and a radar-based terrain mapping system. These three components shall act as three eyes (Tri-Netra) of the Locomotive Pilot.
NASA announces discovery of 104 new planets outside solar system
NASA has announced the discovery of 104 new planets outside our solar system including four that could have Earth-like, rocky surfaces. Scientists discovered the exoplanets in Hawaii using Kepler space telescope. The unmanned Kepler mission has been scanning 150,000 stars in the Cygnus constellation for signs of orbiting bodies, particularly those that might be able to support life. The $600 million Kepler mission has allowed scientists to discover more than 4,600 planets 2,326 of them confirmed since it launched in 2009.
Legendary playback singer Mubarak Begum passes away
Legendary playback singer Mubarak Begum passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra after a prolonged illness. She was 80. She is known for her singing scores of songs, duets and ghazals for Bollywood, mainly during the 1950s-1970s. She had started her career with light music recitals in All India Radio (AIR). Her career as a playback singer began in 1949 with the Indian, Hindi-language film Aaiye.
18th July – Nelson Mandela International Day observed
“Every year Nelson Mandela International Day (also known as Madela Day) is observed across the world on 18 July to mark birth anniversary of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former South African President Nelson Mandela. 2016 Theme: “Take action, Inspire Change”. It aims to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better.”