Agostini, Krausz and L'Huillier Win 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics https://english.aawsat.com/culture/4581951-agostini-krausz-and-lhuillier-win-2023-nobel-prize-physics
Agostini, Krausz and L'Huillier Win 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics
The award is the second of the season after the Medicine Prize went to mRNA researchers Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman. Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP
Scientists Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics for "experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter", the award-giving body said on Tuesday.
The prize, which was raised this year to 11 million Swedish crowns (about $1 million), is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Physics is the second Nobel to be awarded this week after Hungarian scientist Katalin Kariko and US colleague Drew Weissman won the medicine prize for making mRNA molecule discoveries that paved the way for COVID-19 vaccines.
Created in the will of dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel, the prizes for achievements in science, literature and peace have been awarded since 1901 with a few interruptions, becoming the arguably highest honor for scientists everywhere.
While the sometimes controversial award for peace can hog the limelight, the physics prize has likewise often taken center stage with winners such as Albert Einstein and awards for science that has fundamentally changed how we see the world.
Last year, Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger won the prize for work on quantum entanglement, where two particles are linked regardless of the space between them, something that unsettled Einstein himself who once referred to it as "spooky action at a distance".
Announced on consecutive weekdays in early October, the physics prize announcement will be followed by ones for chemistry, literature, peace and economics, the latter a later addition to the original line-up.
China’s Porcelain City Carries Centuries-old Heritage to New Generationhttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/5319308-china%E2%80%99s-porcelain-city-carries-centuries-old-heritage-new-generation
Chinese porcelain artist Chen Qing holds up two cups after painting them in Jingdezhen, known as China's "Porcelain Capital," in eastern China's Jiangxi province, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
China’s Porcelain City Carries Centuries-old Heritage to New Generation
Chinese porcelain artist Chen Qing holds up two cups after painting them in Jingdezhen, known as China's "Porcelain Capital," in eastern China's Jiangxi province, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Chinese porcelain artist Chen Qing has a vivid memory of her grandfather. It was the only time he wrote down the formula for her family’s distinctive red pigment.
He asked her mother to memorize it and burned the paper minutes later. The secret has since been passed down orally from one generation to the next.
“My mother did not reveal the formula to me until I was over 30,” Chen said.
Her family has practiced the craft since around 1860 in Jingdezhen, known as China’s “Porcelain Capital.” It is located in Jiangxi province, about 1,180 kilometers (735 miles) southeast of Beijing.
Students practice traditional ceramic craftsmanship at Zhan Shao Ceramic Arts Practice Base in Jingdezhen, known as China's "Porcelain Capital," in eastern China's Jiangxi province, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Jingdezhen’s pottery-making history spans more than 2,000 years. It began during the Han Dynasty, and its porcelain sites were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2026.
Small details take years to master Jingdezhen’s craftsmen have kept alive techniques once used to produce porcelain for the imperial court. That knowledge later spread to private artisans.
Chen’s ancestors adopted some of those traditions after the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912.
“The craft is very difficult for an outsider to master,” The Associated Press quoted Chen as saying. “A family might spend nearly a century developing a single technique.”
Two tables in her studio are covered with brushes, unfinished pieces and pigments. She works in silence, a lamp lighting her strokes.
Chen’s fingers never touch the porcelain’s surface. She steadies her hand against its outer edge, holding the brush firmly as she paints delicate, precise strokes.
Painting a porcelain teacup can take days to complete. A single particle of dust or sweat could ruin the piece and require her to start from scratch.
Landscapes are the most difficult scenes to paint because their boundaries are not clear. A mountain summit might be emerald green, gradually shifting to brown and other warmer colors farther down the slope.
“Mastering a craft is a lifelong process,” Chen said. “Few people are willing to spend more than 10 years learning such a painstaking craft.”
Fragments of porcelain reveal a spiritual past Artists like Chen work alongside archaeological sites and museums to preserve China’s porcelain heritage.
Chinese ceramic wheel-throwing artist Zhan Shaolin demonstrates his craft in Jingdezhen, known as China's "Porcelain Capital," in eastern China's Jiangxi province, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Jingdezhen’s Imperial Kiln Institute researches and restores ceramics excavated from an adjacent complex, where pieces for emperors were crafted in kilns whose remains are still visible today.
The institute is incorporating new technologies into its work, including artificial intelligence, to help match and reconstruct ancient porcelain fragments.
“By the establishment of our ceramic gene bank, we can collect all kinds of information,” said the institute’s president, Weng Yanjun. “We hope that we can retrieve ancient technology with modern science.”
That research can also shed light on the culture and beliefs that surrounded porcelain-making centuries ago.
Among the tiles made at Jingdezhen’s imperial kilns were those used in the Bao’en Pagoda.
It was part of a Buddhist temple complex that was destroyed during a 19th-century rebellion in the city of Nanjing. Its exterior walls were covered with porcelain tiles, each bearing an image of the Buddha.
Traces of other religious traditions can also be found in porcelain studied by the institute, Weng said.
“Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and, later on, European Catholic Christianity harmoniously blend into the porcelain decorations,” he added.
Porcelain-making was surrounded by its own beliefs Within Jingdezhen’s imperial kiln complex stands a shrine commemorating Tong Bin, the protective spirit of ceramics.
Known as the “Immortal Master of Wind and Fire” or “Kiln God,” Tong was revered during the Qing dynasty for sacrificing himself in protest against the abuse of kiln workers, according to local tradition.
The shrine remains open today, with a statue honoring Tong inside alongside figures representing other traditional roles in porcelain-making.
“In ancient times, the technology was not as advanced as it is today, so, in many cases, people had to rely on their beliefs — their gods — to help bring good luck and better results,” Weng said.
How artisans today honor their craft varies widely Some Jingdezhen craftsmen say they hold no particular beliefs associated with porcelain-making. Others display figures of Budai — or the laughing Buddha — in their workshops as symbols of good fortune and prosperity.
For artisans like master Sun Lixin, however, the work retains a spiritual dimension. He is a fourth-generation practitioner who learned the trade from his father at age 13.
“Some traditional rituals have faded considerably,” Sun said. “Yet in the hearts of craftspeople, that reverence remains.”
Every time he paints or fires a piece, Sun is mindful of the hundreds of millions of years of geological history the white clay has undergone before reaching his hands.
He does not visit Jingdezhen’s shrine, but has a practice of his own. Sun instinctively bows to the Kiln God before a firing, wishing for it to be successful and for fine porcelain to emerge.
“If we do not care for it, paint it with devotion and treasure it, how could we possibly do it justice?” Sun said.
Artists from China and abroad find their way to Jingdezhen While Jingdezhen’s pottery-making continues to be passed down within families, universities and residency programs host new generations of Chinese and international practitioners.
Paola Masi is an Italian ceramic artist in a residency program through October.
She said Song dynasty porcelain shaped her early training. So coming to Jingdezhen feels like going back to the roots of her own path as an artist.
Chinese artist Huang Qi graduated from Jingdezhen Ceramic University in 2015 and left the city to work elsewhere. She eventually decided to come back and is also now an artist-in-residence.
“Jingdezhen is where my dream began,” Huang said. “More and more people are coming and the city is attracting growing attention.”
Encountering fellow craftspeople has allowed her to learn new techniques, while Jingdezhen’s inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List makes her optimistic about the future.
“It gives us confidence,” Huang said. “Things will continue to get better.”
Lebanon Returns 37 Artifacts Smuggled Out of Egypthttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/5319135-lebanon-returns-37-artifacts-smuggled-out-egypt
An artifact dating back to the Egyptian Pharaonic civilization, illegally smuggled out of Egypt, is displayed during a ceremony marking its handover to Egypt at the Lebanese National Museum in Beirut, Lebanon, 16 September 2026. (EPA)
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Lebanon Returns 37 Artifacts Smuggled Out of Egypt
An artifact dating back to the Egyptian Pharaonic civilization, illegally smuggled out of Egypt, is displayed during a ceremony marking its handover to Egypt at the Lebanese National Museum in Beirut, Lebanon, 16 September 2026. (EPA)
Lebanon on Wednesday returned to Egypt dozens of pharaonic artifacts that had been seized from the Beirut port years earlier.
"Thirty-seven antiquities... were seized from Beirut port in 2020, having arrived from an Arab port," Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh said during a handover ceremony at the Beirut national museum.
"After investigating the identity and ownership of these items, it was determined that they belonged to Egypt," he added.
Five of the items were on display at the ceremony, including masks made of fabric, wood and clay.
"Cooperation between states... contributes to preserving humanity's heritage," Egyptian ambassador Alaa Moussa said at the ceremony.
Laura Salloum, an official with Lebanon's directorate of antiquities, told AFP that at the time of their seizure, the items were stored in a single container.
They "had been purchased by a Lebanese national without any official documentation regarding their source -- namely, Egypt," she said.
Antiquities smuggling is common in Egypt. Over the past decade, Cairo has recovered nearly 30,000 archaeological artifacts, according to officials.
Cultural Sector Participates in UNESCO Global Forum on Ethics of AI in Riyadhhttps://english.aawsat.com/culture/5319033-cultural-sector-participates-unesco-global-forum-ethics-ai-riyadh
Cultural Sector Participates in UNESCO Global Forum on Ethics of AI in Riyadh
The cultural sector's participation in the forum underscores the Ministry of Culture's interest in technological developments - SPA
The cultural sector is participating in the fourth edition of the UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Riyadh, taking part in panel discussions and workshops.
These sessions address cultural and linguistic diversity in AI, the ethical use of AI in museums, and the future of work in the field in the age of AI and digital technologies, SPA reported.
The forum brings together more than 100 international speakers and experts to discuss responsible governance frameworks and the ethical and safe development of emerging technologies, with a focus on issues including digital diplomacy, government readiness assessment, privacy, and the protection of cultural and linguistic diversity.
The cultural sector's participation in the forum underscores the Ministry of Culture's interest in technological developments, support for cultural innovation, and efforts to highlight AI-related cultural initiatives, products, and services.
It also provides a broad platform for exchanging expertise and experience with leading local and international experts and specialists.
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