What's in the News

Terracotta army 'may have belonged to empress' (August 13, 2009, AFP) China's famed ancient terracotta army which surrounds the tomb of the nation's first emperor actually belonged to a female ancestor, a historian told a state-owned newspaper Wednesday. The army of life-sized figures discovered near the northern city of Xi'an is usually thought to be guarding the burial site of Qin Shihuang, who presided over the unification of China in 221 BC and declared himself the first emperor. But historian Chen Jingyuan told the Global Times he believes the emperor's ancestor Empress Xuan, who died 55 years before Qin's birth, was the real mastermind behind the army.
Chen presents his evidence in his new book "The Truth of Terracotta Warriors," which details discrepancies such as the army's distance from Qin's tomb and the hairstyles and clothes of the warriors which he says indicate they belonged to the empress. But other historians and archaeologists disagree with his findings. Liu Zhancheng, head of the terracotta warriors archaeological team, said there was strong evidence that the first emperor was their rightful owner.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has also condemned the report, saying ''This piece is so blatantly racist and can induce to hate crimes in such a way that we think authorities need to take care of the matter.''

The ministry is also reportedly considering summoning the Swedish ambassador to protest against his government policies as well as the article.

The Israeli Embassy in Stockholm has also sent a strong diplomatic protest to the Swedish government.