When ancient artifacts become political pawns Oct 25, 2009
It didn't go unnoticed in Paris, Berlin or Cairo that Hawass pressed his case about Nefertiti and suspended the excavations by the Louvre just after his country's culture minister, Farouk Hosny, lost a bitter contest to become director general of the United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO. The post went late last month to a Bulgarian diplomat instead ... It didn't go unnoticed in Paris, Berlin or Cairo that Hawass pressed his case about Nefertiti and suspended the excavations by the Louvre just... (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Egyptians conflicted over preserving Jewish past Oct 25, 2009
Hosny apologized for that statement and Israel dropped its opposition to his election, but he ended up losing all the same, to a Bulgarian diplomat, whereupon he blamed Jewish pressure. "It is the Israelis who caused Farouk Hosny to lose the bid in UNESCO, so I don't know why he tries to please them by developing their temples," said Sayed el-Iraqi, who runs a toy store near the synagogue. (USA Today)
French Muslim Soccer Team Refuses Gay Match Oct 21, 2009
The new Unesco director general, a Bulgarian, takes over after a controversial selection process. Ben Barnier - - October 15, 2009 10:26 ET. (Newsmax)
UNESCO confirms first female director-general Oct 16, 2009
The incumbent Bulgarian ambassador to France and Monaco, a mother of two grown children, has been a member of the UNESCO Executive Board since 2007. Thanks to her diversified study experiences in the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the University of Maryland and the Harvard University, she can speak fluent English, Russian, French and Spanish besides her mother tongue. (Xinhuanet, China)
Chinese, Bulgarian leaders vow to cement ties Oct 15, 2009
Chinese, Bulgarian leaders vow to cement traditional friendly relations_English_Xinhua. Chinese, Bulgarian leaders vow to cement traditional friendly relations ... Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (front R) and Bulgarian Vice President Angel Marin (front L) inspect honour guards during a welcoming ceremony in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria, Oct. 14, 2009. (Xinhuanet, China)
Binge drinking spreads to Italy Oct 2, 2009
" For 20 (about $29), the pub crawlers are taken to The Highlander, a Scottish-themed pub where for an hour and a half they can drink as much as they like. After that they have to buy their own drinks, but the ticket includes a 30 percent discount at subsequent bars and free entry to a nightclub. The pub crawl motto, "I Came, I Saw, I Crawled" originally attracted only foreigners, but now Italians are beginning to join in and make up 5 to 10 percent of the nightly drinking... (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Faith in finance Sep 26, 2009
Nako Raynow Stefanov, Bulgarian delegate. But the mood here is one which suggests that people of faith are increasingly determined to make their voice heard, in a world where secular values took the economy to the brink of collapse. (BBC News -- Business)
Egypt: Minister blames Jews for UNESCO loss Sep 24, 2009
Bulgarian diplomat unseats controversial cultural minister for U.N. chair ... Farouk Hosny was defeated on Tuesday by Bulgarian diplomat Irina Bokova in a tight race for the position of UNESCO chair. (MSNBC -- International)
* Bulgarian beats Egyptian candidate after five rounds of voting at UNESCO Sep 24, 2009
Bulgarian beats Egyptian candidate after five rounds of voting at UNESCO ... A Bulgarian diplomat on Tuesday became the first woman to lead the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), beating out a controversial Egyptian candidate whose one-time threat to burn Israeli books had galvanized opposition. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
UN Candidate Blames 'New York Jews' for Loss Sep 24, 2009
A Bulgarian diplomat on Tuesday became the first woman to lead UNESCO, beating out Hosny in a close race. For months, Hosny had been considered the favorite, but critics raised Egypt's record of cultural censorship and highlighted the minister's threat last year to burn Israeli books _ a comment he later apologized for. (Newsmax)
Egyptian says Jews kept him from UN job Sep 24, 2009
Farouk Hosny was defeated on Tuesday by Bulgarian diplomat Irina Bokova in a tight race for the position of UNESCO chair. It was clear by the end of the competition that there was a conspiracy against me, Hosny told reporters at the airport upon his return from Paris. (Boston Globe)
Arab world divided over reasons behind Hosni's UNESCO loss Sep 24, 2009
Bulgarian former foreign minister Irina Bokova delivers a speech after being elected head of the UN culture agency in Paris Sept. 22, 2009. Xinhua/Reuters Photo). (Xinhuanet, China)
Egypt loser condemns Unesco vote Sep 24, 2009
Farouk Hosny was defeated in his bid to become the organisation's cultural head on Tuesday by Bulgarian Irina Bokova. Mr Hosny, who would have been the first Arab to hold the post, said he lost because of "Zionist pressures". (BBC News -- Europe)
Bulgarian wins top UNESCO job after anti-Semitism row Sep 23, 2009
PARIS (AFP) - Bulgarian career diplomat Irina Bokova won the top job at the UN culture agency Tuesday after a race clouded by anti-Semitism accusations against her Egyptian culture minister rival, UNESCO officials said ... Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov told AFP in Sofia that "this is really unexpected and a huge victory for a small country like Bulgaria.". (Yahoo! Asia News)
Bulgarian chosen to head Unesco Sep 23, 2009
The UN cultural and scientific organisation Unesco has chosen its new leader, former Bulgarian Foreign Minister Irina Bokova ... FROM OTHER NEWS SITES UNESCO: Bulgarian candidate beats Egypt's Hosni to top job - 30 mins ago Book burner snubbed as Unesco elects woman boss - 8 hrs ago Bulgarian wins top UNESCO job after anti-Semitism row - 11 hrs ago Bulgarian for top UNESCO job - 12 hrs ago Race on for UNESCO's top job - 26 hrs ago. (BBC News -- Europe)
Bulgarian Diplomat Wins UNESCO Race Sep 23, 2009
(PARIS) A Bulgarian diplomat on Tuesday became the first woman to lead the U.N.'s agency for culture and education, beating out a controversial Egyptian candidate whose one-time threat to burn Israeli books had galvanized opposition. Irina Bokova, 57, defeated Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosny after a suspenseful and drawn-out race, sealing victory in the fifth round of balloting at the organization's Paris headquarters. (Time.com)
UNESCO Undecided Over New Leader Sep 20, 2009
The other remaining candidates are the EU external affairs commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, former Bulgarian foreign minister Irina Bokova and Ecuadorean politician and diplomat Ivonne Baki. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. (CBS News -- World)
Sunday TV: Little Britain USA Sep 12, 2009
An illuminating examination of the trade in Bulgarian antiquities, fuelled by poverty and a lack of legislative protections and funnelled into an international black market with links to organised crime. This compelling Dateline report sounds a little like the plot from an Indiana Jones sequel but it doesn't come with the requisite happy ending. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Israel row hits Unesco race Sep 8, 2009
Other candidates in the running are Lithuania's Ambassador to Unesco Ina Marciulionyte, former Bulgarian Foreign Minister Irina Bokova, former Algerian Foreign Minister Mohammed Bedjaoui and former Russian deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yakovenko. There are two candidates from Africa, Tanzania's Sospeter Muhongo and Benin's ambassador to Unesco, Noureini Tidjani-Serpos. (BBC News -- Africa)
* World News Quick Take Sep 7, 2009
An overloaded sightseeing boat carrying dozens of Bulgarian tourists has sunk in a lake on the western border, killing 15 people, officials said. The vessel, called the Ilinden, sank rapidly on Saturday in just 6m of water in Lake Ohrid, police spokesman Ivo Kotevski said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Guard soldiers train in Romania Sep 1, 2009
MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania About 350 Tennessee National Guard soldiers from units across the state are now training with Romanian and Bulgarian land forces. The exercise is the 2009 rotation of the U.S.-Romanian and U.S.-Bulgarian combined military exercise being held this summer and fall in those two countries ... More than 3,800 Romanian, Bulgarian, U.S. troops and civilians are participating. (Columbia Daily Herald, TN)
Solstice greeted at Stonehenge (13) Jun 21, 2009
"I've been playing the Gadulka, a 13-string Bulgarian fiddle in the circle, its been magical," he said. Mystery surrounding the monument has long prompted speculation about its original function and gives it even more of an allure, Batchelor said. (Pocatello Idaho State Journal, ID)
City Beat (75) Jun 16, 2009
Balkan music legend Bregovic and his band merge gypsy and traditional Bulgarian music with rock. His music appears on the Borat soundtrack. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
This Week: Arts and entertainment picks May 4, 2009
As part of Bay Area Bulgarian May festivities, renowned kaval player - that's a wooden flute - and "Riverdance" performer Theodosii Spassov will demonstrate the unique technique that has won him numerous awards. With the Folk Project Band and Tatiana Sarbinska. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Practicing ancient arts of ancestors Feb 16, 2009
Whether classic Indian dance, Chinese flute, Korean fan dancing, or Bulgarian folk singing, youngsters are learning ancient skills, even as they play in soccer games, listen to pop music, or play computer games ... For example, folk singing is diminishing as Bulgarians turn to Western music, says Violet Jeliazkova, of Woburn, founder of the Bulgarian American Center ... Jeliazkova is actively encouraging more children to join Bulgarian folk singing and dance groups, which are often popular among... (Boston Globe)
Libya acts in HIV row with Bulgaria Feb 8, 2009
Tripoli blames the infections on five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who were convicted last year of deliberately infecting more than 400 children at a hospital in Benghazi. "Libya will boycott Bulgarian companies and shut the doors of all investment and trade opportunities for Bulgarian companies because the Bulgarian government has ignored demands to take responsibility for the action of its citizens in the HIV case," the official told Reuters ... "The boycott decision was also... (Yahoo News -- Libya)
