Radio România Internațional

Tag: Good Friday

  • April 14, 2023

    April 14, 2023

    Ukraine – Romania will continue to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr, on Thursday, in Bucharest, after the meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov. The Ukrainian defense minister was on his first official visit to Romania, where he participated in the first conference on security in the Black Sea organized within the International Crimea Platform. During the meeting, the Romanian minister condemned in the toughest terms the war of aggression illegally and unjustifiably launched by Russia against Ukraine, which killed many civilians and destroyed critical infrastructure in many regions of Ukraine. The agenda of the meeting included talks on aspects related to the intensification of bilateral cooperation, also in the context of the EU and NATO, the Romanian side reiterating the importance of continuing the political and military dialogue and its implementation by prioritizing the implementation of the Comprehensive Assistance Package within the Alliance.



    Expenses — All Romanian ministries have presented plans to reduce expenses to balance the budget, but many do not want to give up the allocated funds. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, they justified every penny they received from the budget, while others came with small reductions, so that, all in all, the sum of the proposed spending reductions is far from the target of 20 billion lei (approx. 4 billion Euros), which should be saved until the end of the year. The Labor Ministry proposes a 20% reduction in fuel expenses and a reduction in non-essential internal and external trips. The Tourism Ministry is also considering the tourism marketing chapter. However, there are also ministries that will not substantially reduce expenses, such as the Ministry of European Investments and Projects, where the employees are paid mostly from European money, while the Ministry of Culture proposed savings of only 2 million lei. All proposals will be analyzed next week in the government meeting. Also next week, the Finance Ministry is expected to come up with its own analysis regarding the reduction of expenses and the increase in budget receipts.



    Good Friday – Easter is celebrated on Sunday, but until then, Orthodox Christians (majority in Romania) and the Greek Catholics mark Good Friday today. This is a day when they remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His placement in the tomb. Good Friday is the day when Jesus Christ was crucified between two thieves, being accused of blasphemy and opposing the Roman authority. According to the Gospel texts, at the moment when Jesus died on the cross, the earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke. After being taken down from the cross, Jesus was placed in the tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man of the time. The burial of Jesus is symbolized today by the placement of the Holy Epitaph in the middle of the churches, which is then carried around the church. This procession takes place during the Good Friday service, which is actually a symbolic funeral service for our Lord Jesus.



    Washington – A member of the US Air National Guard, suspected of being the author of the recent leaks of classified information of the Pentagon, was arrested on Thursday in Massachusetts, in the northeast of the United States. His name is Jack Teixeira and he is 21 years old. According to American media, he runs “Thug Shaker Central”, an online group where about 20-30 people express their passion for guns and video games. Originally posted on the groups web page – “Thug Shaker Central”, the secret documents that have been leaked since last weekend also on the Twitter and Telegram social networks give an image of the information gathering activities carried out by the US on a global level. Information was leaked about the Russian-Ukrainian war and the Western military aid offered to Kyiv. Dated from February and March, these documents show the shortcomings of both the Russian and Ukrainian armies. (LS)

  • April 6, 2018

    April 6, 2018

    GOOD FRIDAY– The most important events in Christianity are the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whose life and teachings are the foundation of Christianity. Today, Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers the world over, including Romania, a mostly Orthodox country, are marking Good Friday. Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. This is a day of mourning in church, a day when Christians meditate on Jesus suffering and death on the cross.




    SECURITY MEASURES – Over 50,000 employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry have been mobilised to maintain public order, safety and security across the country at Easter. Gendarme and police troops will be chiefly deployed around churches and other religious institutions. 250 thousand people are expected to attend more than 700 public events that will take place in Romania in the next four days. Traffic police, equipped with more than 300 traffic radars and backed by helicopters, will be monitoring traffic on Romania’s motorways at Easter.




    ROMANIAN ACADEMY – Historian Ioan-Aurel Pop, the rector of the Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca (north-western Romania) was elected president of the Romanian Academy. He received 86 of the 148 votes that were cast during the General Assembly of the Romanian Academy. The newly elected president, who will have a four-year term in office, will take over the position 15 days since his election. The elections for four positions of vice-president and one of secretary general will be held on April the 20th. The former president of the Romanian Academy, Ionel Valentin Vlad, passed away in December 2017.




    MARCH – The “Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi” Institute for the Romanians abroad, an institution subordinated to the Ministry for the Romanians Abroad jointly with the Lauder-Reut Educational Complex will be staging a March of Holocaust survivors dubbed “Let’s learn together’, in Poland, over April 9-13. The event, which has an educational character and is aimed at teaching students a dramatic episode in history, involves the participation of young people from 52 countries. The Romanian delegation includes students from Romania and the Republic of Moldova.




    POISONING – A Russian military research base has been identified as the source of the nerve agent used for the poisoning in Salisbury, The Times newspaper reported. The source of the military-grade poison was revealed in a British intelligence briefing for its allies, and was used to persuade world leaders that Russia was responsible for the attack. Britain blames Russia for the poisoning on UK soil of the former double agent and his daughter with what it says was a Soviet-made military-grade nerve agent, something that Kremlin denies. More than 150 Russian diplomats from 28 countries, Romania included, have been expelled. Russia has also retaliated by expelling Western diplomats.




    CONVICTION – South Koreas former President Park Geun-hye has been sentenced to 24 years in jail after she was found guilty of abuse of power and coercion, the BBC reports. The verdict was broadcast live and represents the culmination of a scandal which rocked the country, fuelling rage against political and business elites. Park was also fined 17 million dollars. She was found guilty of 16 out of 18 charges, most of which related to bribery and coercion. The former South Korean president has previously accused the courts of being biased against her has denied all wrongdoing.




    HANDBALL – The Romanian women’s handball team CSM Bucharest are today meeting on home soil the French team Metz, in the first round of the Champions League quarter finals. In the three other matches, the defending champion, Gyor of Hungary will meet Buducnost Podgorica of Montenegro, FC Midtjylland of Denmark will face Vardar Skopje of Macedonia, and Ferencvaros Budapest of Hungary will take on Rostov-Don of Russia. The winners will qualify for the Final Four tournament. We recall that CSM Bucharest won the Champions League in 2016. (Translated by Elena Enache)


  • December 28, 2017 UPDATE

    December 28, 2017 UPDATE


    GOVERNMENT– On Thursday, the Romanian Government held its last session in 2017. At the meeting, the Cabinet decided that 7000 new foreign workers will join the labour force in Romania in 2018. The decision was made in order to prevent illegal work and also as a result of a request made by the General Immigration Inspectorate. Also, the government decided that students in the vocational education system will continue to benefit from scholarships. The measure is aimed at raising young peoples interest in vocational education. The funds will be ensured from the state budget.



    JUSTICE LAWS – The special parliament committee set up to amend the justice laws on Thursday submitted to the Foreign Ministry the bills changing the status of the magistrates, the judicial organization and the functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy, for them to be presented to the ambassadors accredited to Bucharest. Last week, the embassies in Bucharest of several EU countries called on the parties involved in the reform of the Romanian justice system to avoid any action that would weaken the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. In an open letter, the diplomatic missions of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands drew attention to the risk posed by the amendments brought to the justice laws. These changes have been contested by civil society, part of the magistracy and the opposition. Also, the three laws were challenged at the Constitutional Court right after their adoption.



    BUDGET– Romanias consolidated general budget went up to 1.21% of the GDP after the first 11 months of the year. Revenues from taxes and duties were smaller then personnel and social security expenditure. According to the Finance Ministry, by year-end, the budget deficit will be maintained within the limit of 3% of the GDP.



    SYRIA – Some 40,000 people, of whom 10 thousand civilians, have died in the Syrian war this year, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Thursday. The total death toll includes 2100 children and 1500 women. According to the Observatory, 494,000 people have died since the start of the conflict in March 2011.



    ROMANIAN ACADEMY – The head of the Romanian Academy, Ionel-Valentin Vlad, who died on Sunday aged 74 was buried in Bucharest on Thursday. A synod of priests led by the Roman-Catholic Archbishop of Bucharest Ioan Robu officiated the funeral service. A commemoration event was also held on Wednesday, at the initiative of the Academys leadership and was attended by the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel. According to a communiqué of the Romanian Academy, Ionel-Valentin Vlad was a pioneer in several physics-related fields, and his death is a great loss for Romania. The Royal House of Romania has too appreciated the academicians civic spirit, professionalism and academic rigor. The death of the chairman of the Romanian Academy is a big loss for the Romanian people the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania has also stated.



    BANK HOLIDAY– The Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, the day when Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, may become a public holiday in Romania. The proposal was submitted to the Senate at the initiative of 42 MPs from all political parties. Among the reasons in favor of this initiative is the fact that Good Friday is a bank holiday in 16 out of the 28 EU states. Romania only has 14 public holidays, as compared to other countries, which have 16 or more.



    HANDBALL-On the 29th and 30th of December, Romanias national mens handball team will participate in the Yellow Cup, a tournament hosted by the city of Winterthur, in Switzerland. On Friday, Romania will take on Russia and on Sunday, depending on the results of the first day, it will play against either Switzerland or Serbia. Back to the country, the Romanian team will resume training ahead of the Carpati Trophy, which starts on January 5th. Participating alongside Romania will be Portugal, Tunisia and Bahrain. Coached by the Spanish Xavi Pascual, the Romanian team is preparing for the first round of the 2019 World Championship preliminaries, to be held between January 11 and 13 in Bolzano, Italy.




  • April 14, 2017

    April 14, 2017


    CORRUPTION – The former Romanian deputy Sebastian Ghita was localized and detained by the police in Belgrade last night, after four months since his disappearance. Romanian authorities will take the necessary measures to have him extradited. When he was found, he presented false documents apparently issued by an EU state. Sebastian Ghita disappeared on December 21st, 2016 and a national search warrant was issued on his name as he had violated the terms of the legal restrictions imposed on him pending trial. On January 10th, the High Court issued a European warrant and he was also placed on the Interpols wanted list. Ghita is being tried in two cases of corruption and prosecuted in another two. More on this after the news.



    EASTER – Christians across the world, including in Romania, which is a predominantly Orthodox country, are commemorating on Good Friday the crucifixion and the burial of Jesus. This evening, believers will attend masses recalling the burial procession. On Saturday night Christians will celebrate Easter, the Resurrection of Christ. This year, the Orthodox and Catholic Christians celebrate Easter on the same day.



    US ATTACK – Last night, Washington used in Afghanistan the largest non-nuclear bomb ever launched by the US. The bomb targeted several grottos and tunnels in the east of the country, where Islamic State terrorists were allegedly hiding. The clashes between the terrorist group and the Afghan forces in the region have grown in intensity lately. The bomb used by the Americans, dubbed the mother of all bombs, weighed some 10,000 kg and was guided by means of a GPS system. According to the Pentagon, the super-bomb is the right weapon to destroy the ISIS hiding places and to carry on the offensive against terrorists. This is the second massive ordinance air blast used by the Pentagon within a week, after the bombing of Shairat airport, controlled by the Assad regime in Syria. The US arsenal contains another 19 such bombs, costing more than 300 million dollars. We recall that Donald Trump promised in his election campaign that he would drop a shower of bombs against terrorists.



    NATO – As of today, the Cincu shooting range in Sibiu County, central Romania, is hosting the international military exercise Resolute Castle 17. By September 30th, Romanian soldiers will be training alongside US and British soldiers. The exercise, carried for the third consecutive year, is aimed at ensuring a better training of the forces in order for them to be able to deal with crisis situations. Another goal of the exercise is to increase the level of interoperability between the three countries military engineers and to improve the infrastructure of the training center, the Romanian Defense Ministry has announced. The extremely complex security situation in the region has urged NATO to organize a large number of such exercises, especially involving soldiers from the Baltic countries. 120 Romanian soldiers have already been integrated into the NATO combat force in Poland, and a marine corps is attending the Summer Shield exercise underway in Latvia.



    BORDER SECURITY – Romanian check points are getting crowded, because of a new European regulation tightening EU and Schengen border checks, which took effect last week, and because of increased traffic ahead of the Easter holidays. The most crowded is the Vama Siret checkpoint in the north, on the border with Ukraine, where trucks have to wait 10 hours to exit the country and two hours to enter. Also crowded are the checkpoints on the borders with the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria and Hungary. Authorities say that the borders will remain croweded in the following days, because restrictions have been imposed in Hungary too for the Easter holidays period.



    HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball team and winner of the Champions League CSM Bucharest is playing in Budapest on Saturday against the Hungarian squad Ferencvaros. The match is decisive for qualification into the final four of the most important European competition. In the first match, in Bucharest, the Romanians won 30-25 and became 1 seed. We recall that CSM Bucharest won the Champions League in 2016, playing the final match against another Hungarian team, Gyor.




  • April 13, 2017 UPDATE

    April 13, 2017 UPDATE


    EU FUNDS– Romania currently has some 6.8 billion Euros available for investments in the transport sector, of which 5.1 billion from EU funds, the European Commissioner for regional policy Corina Cretu has stated. According to a news release issued by the Representation of Romania to the EU, Creţu discussed in Brussels on Wednesday with the Romanian Transport Minister Răzvan Cuc, and emphasised the need to spend up the funds provided by the EU. Corina Creţu also mentioned the benefits entailed by the programmes in this sector, which allowed for the transport network in Romania to be extended and improved. In turn, Minister Răzvan Cuc presented the commitment of Romanian authorities to finalising the current investments and starting new projects.



    FINANCE– The Romanian Financial Oversight Authority on Thursday sanctioned NN, the largest private pension fund in the country, with a fine of 750,000 lei, accounting for 1% of the companys registered capital, for transmitting information aimed to destabilise the pension fund, Ion Giurescu, the vice-president of the Authority has announced. The decision was made as a result of the fact that on Wednesday, NN sent an e-mail to its clients warning them about an alleged nationalisation of private pension funds. Also, the Financial Oversight Authority decided on Thursday to witdraw the authorisation of Raluca Tintoiu as general manager of NN Pensions and to give her a fine of 100,000 lei. In the coming days, Romanias Parliament will initiate the procedures to dismiss the entire management of the Financial Oversight Authority. The announcement has been made by the president of the governing Social Democratic Party Liviu Dragnea, following the scandal about the alleged nationalisation of private pension funds. According to Dragnea, the head of the Authority Misu Negritoiu was the one who started the rumours. Both the Social Democratic leader and the Finance Minister Viorel Stefan have denied that such a scenario is being considered.



    CORRUPTION – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday approved the request made by the National Anticorruption Directorate to start the prosecution of Gabriel Sandu, a former minister of communications and IT between 2008-2010. He has been investigated for abuse of office in a new case of corruption, known as Microsoft 2. On Tuesday, anticorruption prosecutors started the prosecution of another 5 people, among whom the former tennis player Dinu Pescariu and the businessman Claudiu Florica, also accused of abuse of office. Prosecutors say that the two allegedly paid Gabriel Sandu, the communications minister back then, more than 2 million Euros, through another businessman, to help them win a public tender. In this case, the estimated damage stands at some 51 million Euros. Gabrel Sandu already got a prison sentence in October 2016 in the case known as Microsoft 1, one of the biggest cases of corruption in Romania. In that case, bribe stood at 60 million Euro, and the damage to the Romanian state was estimated at 27 million.



    FDI – Foreign direct investments in Romania went up by 85% in the first months of the year, as compared to the same period in 2016, reaching 655 million Euros, according to a press release made public on Thursday by the National Bank of Romania. According to the Bank, between January – February 2017, the current account of the balance of payments registered a surplus of 204 million Euros, as compared to a deficit of 139 million in the first two months of the year 2016.



    EXPORTS– Romanian exports to Syria were 80% lower in 2016 than in 2011, when civil war broke out in that country. In 5 years, Romania has lost at least 500 million euros in exports, the daily Ziarul Financiar reports. Syria mostly imported livestock from Romania, sheep and goats, as well as dairy, eggs and fish. The daily also mentions that Romania has stayed uninvolved in the conflict in Syria, and in 2012 the then President Traian Băsescu would not close the Romanian diplomatic mission in Damascus, arguing that the country hosted a large Romanian community. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, 10,000-12,000 Romanians live in Syria, mostly women married to Syrian citizens. The Embassy of Romania also provides consular assistance to citizens from other countries, like Canada, France and Australia.



    COOPERATION Airbus Helicopters and the Romanian company IAR Ghimbav on Thursday signed an agreement on the manufacturing in Romania of the multi-role twin-engine helicopter H 215 M. The embassies of France and Germany in Bucharest have hailed the agreement and have stated they support this cooperation. According to the French Ambassador to Bucharest Francois Saint-Paul, the agreement strengthens the strategic partnership and is a symbol of Romanias, Frances and Germanys European commitment in the field.



    BORDER SECURITY– Romanian check points are getting crowded, because of a new European regulation tightening border checks, which took effect last week, and because of increased traffic ahead of the Easter holidays, the General Border Police Inspectorate reports. Waiting times for the trucks entering Romania at the Siret checkpoint in the north-east reach 10 hours. Problems are also reported at Giurgiu in the south and Petea in the north-west, where waiting times are around 90 and 60 minutes, respectively, while in Albiţa, in the north-east and Ostrov, in the south-east, those who want to cross the border have to wait for at least 30 minutes. The longest automobile queues are reported in Giurgiu and Petea. Border police say they are trying to strike a balance between citizen security and smooth traffic.



    AFGHANISTAN – In a video conference on Thursday, the Romanian Defence Minister Gabriel Les addressed the Romanian soldiers deployed in Kandahar and Kabul on the occasion of the Easter holidays. He thanked them for the way in which they had been serving their country, far from their families and the loved ones. Currently, Romania has in Afghanistan infantry, advisers to the Afghan military, intelligence structures, logistical support staff and special operations forces.



    GOOD FRIDAY – Christians all over the world, including in Romania, which is a predominantly Orthodox country, will recollect on Good Friday Christs crucifixion. Some believers drink only water on this day and many attend the religious masses symbolizing the carrying of Jesus to his tomb. On Thursday, Christians commemorated Holy Thursday, when the Saviour washed the feet of his disciples, had the Last Supper and was arrested following Judass betrayal. On Saturday night Christians will celebrate Easter, the Resurrection of Christ. This year, the Orthodox and Catholic Christians celebrate Easter on the same day.




  • April 29, 2016 UPDATE

    April 29, 2016 UPDATE

    GOOD FRIDAY– Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers worldwide, including Romania, a country with a majority Orthodox population, marked Good Friday, the day also known as Holy Friday, when Christians commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his entombment. Hundreds of people in Targu Jiu, southern Romania, symbolically retraced “Via Dolorosa” or the Way of Suffering, marching in the longest such procession in Europe. On Sunday, Orthodox and Greek-Catholics believers will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.



    LAW– Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday promulgated the law under which the teaching staff in the state sector will receive back due incentives and raises, for the 2008-2011 period, without demanding that in a court. The document was adopted early this month by the Chamber of Deputies, as the decision-making body. The sums to be given back will be spaced out and will be paid in the following five years, as follows: 5% of the salary difference between the initial wages and the cut salaries in the first year, 10% in the second year, 25% in the third and fourth years, respectively, and 35% in the last year. These sums of money will be paid annually, in equal quarterly tranches.



    COLECTIV-The case concerning the fire that killed 64 young people in Bucharest’s Colectiv nightclub last autumn has reached the trial stage. Six people were sent to Court, including the three owners of the nightclub, under charges of manslaughter, bodily harm and breach of workplace safety and health regulations. Sixty-four people died and over 100 others were injured in the tragedy that shocked the entire country.



    UNEMPLOYMENT-The unemployment rate in Romania continues to be on the decrease, being slightly smaller in March as against the previous month 6.4% from 6.5%, according to the National Statistics Institute. Of the total number of people aged between 15 and 74, less than 600 thousands were still looking for a job in March. This figure is also smaller as compared with the same month of last year, when the number of unemployed stood at 613 thousand.



    NATIONAL OPERA SCANDAL– The Prime Minister’s Control Body has initiated an investigation at the National Opera House in Bucharest mostly to establish the way in which people were hired in the institution’s high-level positions. Over the past few days, three performances have been cancelled at the Opera House, against the backdrop of discontent voiced by the opera employees about the successive nominations for the position of director general, as well as about disparities between the salaries of the Romanian and foreign ballet dancers, respectively. The Culture Minister Vlad Alexandrescu announced on Thursday he would step down at the request of prime minister Dacian Ciolos, who will nominate another person at the helm of the ministry. On Friday, Alexandrescu said he agreed with the prime minister not to step down before Easter.



    DEFENSE AND DETERRENCE- The Romanian, Ukrainian and Turkish border police plan to set up a joint patrol fleet in the Black Sea, aimed at ensuring stability in the region. Combating poaching and drug and weapons trafficking will be the patrol fleet’s main tasks. In Bucharest, Romanian Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc has recently announced that Romania will initiate procedures for the setting up of a NATO fleet in the Black Sea, for defence and deterrence purposes. Moscow has criticized this move, saying that it seriously undermines security and stability in this part of Europe forcing Russia to respond in order to maintain its security.



    BOXING-Romanian Lucian Bute will return to the boxing ring on Saturday evening. In a boxing gala hosted by Washington, Bute will fight Gambian-born Swedish boxer Badou Jack for the WBC super middleweight belt. Jack Badou has 20 wins in professional competitions, of which 12 by knockout, and only 1 defeat. Lucian Bute is the former super middleweight champion in the IBF version. He successfully defended his title nine times, for nearly four years and a half. He has 32 wins, of which 25 by knockout, and three defeats. If he wins on April 30, Bute will become the only Romanian boxer to hold two world titles in the two boxing versions.

  • April 29, 2016

    April 29, 2016

    Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers worldwide, including Romania, a mostly Orthodox country, are today marking Good Friday. This day, also known as Holy Friday, is the day when Christians commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. From the early days of Christianity, Good Friday was observed as a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting. Special religious services are being held this evening. Hundreds of people will march in procession in Targu Jiu, in southern Romania, symbolically retracing “The Way of the Cross”.




    The case concerning the fire that killed 64 young people in Bucharest’s Colectiv nightclub last autumn has reached the trial stage. Six people were sent to Court, including the three owners of the nightclub, under charges of manslaughter, bodily harm and breach of workplace safety and health regulations. Sixty-four people died and over 100 others were injured in the tragedy that shocked the entire country.




    The unemployment rate in Romania continues to be on the decrease, being slightly smaller in March as against the previous month – 6.4% from 6.5%, according to the National Statistics Institute. Of the total number of people aged between 15 and 74, less than 600 thousands were still looking for a job in March. This figure is also smaller as compared with the same month of last year, when the number of unemployed stood at 613 thousand.




    The Prime Minister’s Control Body has initiated checks at the National Opera House in Bucharest for a number of reasons, such as establishing the manner in which people were hired in the institution’s high level positions. Ninety-five years since its establishment, celebrated this very month, the National Opera House in Bucharest is the stage of a huge scandal and witnesses an unprecedented crisis, with three performances cancelled and the Culture Minister Vlad Alexandrescu stepping down as a consequence.




    The Romanian, Ukrainian and Turkish border police plan to set up a joint patrol fleet in the Black Sea, aimed at ensuring stability in the region. Combating poaching and drug and weapons trafficking will be the patrol fleet’s main tasks. In Bucharest, Romanian Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc has recently announced that Romania will initiate procedures for the setting up of a NATO fleet in the Black Sea, for defense and determent purposes. Moscow has criticized this move, saying that it seriously undermines security and stability in this part of Europe forcing Russia to respond in order to maintain its security.




    Romanian Lucian Bute will return to the boxing ring on Saturday evening. In a boxing gala hosted by Washington, Bute will fight Gambian-born Swedish boxer Badou Jack for the WBC super middleweight belt. Jack Badou has 20 wins in professional competitions, of which 12 by knockout, and only 1 defeat. Lucian Bute is the former super middleweight champion in the IBF version. He successfully defended his title nine times, for nearly four years and a half. He has 32 wins, of which 25 by knockout, and three defeats. If he wins on April 30, Bute will become the only Romanian boxer to hold two world titles in the two boxing versions.