Priceless Romanian ancient gold stolen from a museum in the Netherlands

Three golden bracelets and a priceless helmet from the Romanian exhibition "Dacia! The Kingdom of Gold and Silver" were stolen from the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands, on January 24. The exhibition, featuring collections from 15 Romanian museums, included 600 artifacts. The thieves blew up an external wall of the exhibition hall to gain access to the exhibits and then fled in a car. Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu dismissed the director of the National History Museum, Ernest Oberländer-Tărnovanu, because the stolen artifacts, dating from the 5th-4th century BC, were taken for the exhibition in violation of Romanian legal requirements, Digi 24 reported. Three men suspected of the theft were arrested in the town of Heerhugowaard, about 50 km north of Amsterdam. Dutch police are also searching for a fourth participant in the heist, The Guardian reported.

Serbia’s President Vučić says PM’s resignation could lead to early elections

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić said that a new government must be formed within 10 days, otherwise there will be new elections, reported BGNES. "I am open to both options. We will either go to elections or form a new government", Vučić said in an address to the nation. The political crisis in the country was triggered by ongoing student protests, which have strong public support. The protests began after the collapse of a concrete canopy at the renovated train station in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024, resulting in the deaths of 15 people. The violence against the protesters led to the resignation of Prime Minister Miloš Vučević and the Mayor of Novi Sad, Milan Đurić. Aleksandar Vučić called for peace and added that the anger of the majority of the Serbian population is growing, which is concerning. 

Edi Rama: Albania is not in talks to accept people from Gaza

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama dismissed claims made by an Israeli media outlet that Tirana was negotiating with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to host 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza, reported Euronews Albania. On his social media profile, Edi Rama denied the allegations made by Israeli journalist Amit Segal and wrote that has not heard something so fake in quite some time. ''Full respect and solidarity for the people of Gaza, who have been dehumanized by the savage Hamas regime and have endured a hellish war. But let me be clear: Albania has not been asked by anyone to intervene, nor can we ever consider to take on any such responsibility'', Albania’s Premier Edi Rama wrote on X. He emphasized that Albania is proud of its strong friendships with Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the Palestinian people.

Boycott of shops in Croatia causes snowball effect in other Balkan countries

The January 24 boycott against shops in Croatia triggered a snowball effect. The action was driven by citizens' dissatisfaction with high prices. Following Croatia's example, calls for similar civil actions against stores, gas stations and restaurants on January 31 are spreading on social media in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Montenegro, reported BTA.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković described the January 24 boycott as an important and clear message from citizens and added that "the message will be taken into account when determining measures for price control''.

The repetition of the action on January 31 is supported by consumer protection associations, trade unions and political parties in Croatia.

Political parties of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots call for the integration of the two communities

The leaders of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political parties have encouraged both leaders on the island to overcome any difficulties in reference to the UN Secretary General’s proposal to open more crossing points, as a means to strengthen bonds. They also called for focusing on the main issues of the Cyprus problem, as expressed in the Guterres framework of 2017, announced the Cyprus News Agency (CNA). The position of the leaders is included in a joint communique issued after the bicommunal meeting of the Leaders and Representatives of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political parties participating in the bicommunal dialogue under the auspices of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Nicosia at the Ledra Palace, reported CNA. The communiqué further stated that all Cypriots "deserve to live in a normal European country and enjoy the same common values as all EU members."