Bulgarian elected as new Unesco chief

A Bulgarian diplomat became the first woman to lead the UN’s agency for culture and education, beating a controversial Egyptian candidate whose one-time threat to burn Israeli books had galvanised opposition.

Irina Bokova, 57, defeated Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosny after a drawn-out race, sealing victory in the fifth round of balloting at the Unesco organisation’s Paris headquarters. The vote among board members was 31 to 27.