Nepal has banned all vehicle traffic entering and leaving the Kathmandu Valley for three days, starting on Saturday, due to severe rainfall and landslides. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority announced the restriction will remain in effect through Monday, affecting thousands of residents returning from Dashain celebrations in their hometowns. The timing disrupts the typical post-festival migration pattern when people travel back to the capital after observing the major Hindu holiday.
Long-distance travel has been prohibited across five of Nepal's seven provinces—Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini—due to flooding and landslide dangers. Major highways remain blocked, including the Prithvi Highway and...
Tone2 Audio updated Gladiator to version 4.1 on Saturday. The harmonic-content-morphing synthesizer received the update at no cost for current Gladiator 4 owners, while owners of versions 1 through 3 can upgrade at a reduced price.
The update adds double-click functionality to reset knobs to default values. Tone2 Audio enhanced the font layout on personal computers, improved Windows 11 compatibility, and made numerous minor refinements. The company fixed a graphical interface glitch on Mac computers that occurred when users pressed Command + left-click to reset a knob.
Gladiator 4.1 maintains full backward compatibility with all previous versions. Users can load existing song projects and patches without additional steps.
Dawesome Music introduced Kontrast, an augmented wavetable synthesizer plugin, on Saturday. The software expands traditional three-dimensional wavetable synthesis by incorporating wave terrain synthesis techniques from the late 1970s.
The plugin creates sound by tracing paths across a surface and reading height values at specific points. Users can shape trajectories of any form, and the timbre results from both the trajectory shape and the terrain beneath it. The software combines familiar wavetable scanning with expanded sonic possibilities.
The company set an introductory price of 79 British pounds for an unspecified period, and the regular price stands at 119 British pounds. The plugin runs on macOS and Windows in VST3 and AU formats.
Nembrini Audio launched the Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere plugin on Saturday. The software replicates the rotary motion and tube saturation of the original hardware through advanced modeling technology.
The plugin offers independent rotor speed controls for low and high frequencies. Users can adjust speeds in hertz or sync them to their digital audio workstation tempo, and the breaker function stops rotor movement while preserving tube coloration. Guitar and keyboard input modes optimize tone shaping, while full stereo processing creates wide rotary effects.
The company set an introductory price of $29.99 through Oct. 31, and the regular price stands at $99. The plugin works with major digital audio workstations and plugin formats...
Toontrack released the New Orleans EZX expansion for EZdrummer 3 and Superior Drummer 3, marking the 70th title in its EZX collection. Drummer Terence Higgins and engineer Misha Kachkachishvili created the library at Esplanade Studios in the Tremé neighborhood.
The expansion features two distinct libraries called Traditional and Artist. The Traditional collection contains early 1900s instruments from the New Orleans Jazz Museum, while the Artist library showcases modern kits inspired by sounds from the 1950s forward. Higgins sampled five authentic kits that represent different periods in New Orleans music history.
The package contains percussion instruments, including washboards, cowbells, bottles, and a pandeiro drum. Mix-ready...
Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned on Thursday evening that the National Nuclear Security Administration faces a funding crisis within eight days because of the federal government shutdown. The administration will suspend operations after exhausting available resources and must implement emergency procedures that could compromise national security.
The Senate failed to pass spending legislation on Friday after both Republican and Democratic proposals fell short of the required votes. Lawmakers plan another attempt on Oct. 6 as both parties blame each other for the impasse. Wright attributed delays to Democratic obstruction of confirmations for more than 20 department officials.
The NNSA employed over 65,000 federal workers and...
The Nelson Mandela Foundation condemned Israel's seizure of the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on Saturday. Israeli forces intercepted boats in international waters, and activists face transfer to Ketziot prison in the Negev Desert. The facility has faced allegations of torture and abuse against Palestinian detainees.
The foundation stated it cannot remain silent when humanitarian initiatives face obstruction, and those advancing human dignity are detained. South African author Mohale Mashigo criticized President Cyril Ramaphosa for maintaining coal trade with Israel after the country detained writer Zukiswa Wanner and other flotilla members. The organization quoted Nelson Mandela's statement that South African...
Sanae Takaichi won the election as head of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday and will become the nation's first female prime minister. The 64-year-old former economic security minister defeated Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a runoff after securing backing from 159 LDP members. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation earlier this month to prevent a party split after the LDP lost its parliamentary majority.
Takaichi called for party unity and said rebuilding requires help from all generations. An extraordinary parliamentary session in mid-October will formally select the new prime minister. The LDP leader previously expressed admiration for former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and advocated for...
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that global energy markets cannot function without Russian oil production. Western sanctions imposed in 2022 failed to collapse the Russian economy as predicted. European nations discovered their continued dependence on Russian energy despite attempts to reduce consumption through fiscal support and subsidies.
The shift represents a fundamental change from dollar-system dominance to commodity-backed stability. Central banks have accumulated massive gold reserves as a quiet measure of de-dollarization. Oil-for-yuan transactions remain modest, but they allow sellers to convert their currency into gold on the Shanghai Gold Exchange.
Western policymakers view energy primarily as a source...
