German courts bomb threat, head of Japan’s Olympic committee indicted: Europe briefing

Copyright REUTERS

Published on 11/01/2019 - 06:27•Updated 26/04/2019 - 10:42

Here are the top stories we were watching today.

1) German courts evacuated due to bomb threats

A German court in the eastern city of Potsdam has been evacuated in Germany due to a bomb threat, police said on Friday.

Brandenburg police said in a tweet that the building was searched and "has now been completely cleared".

The Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported that three courts in the cities of Kiel, Erfurt, and Magdeburg all received threats that had been sent over e-mail, adding that all three had been evacuated.

2) Head of Japan's Olympic Committee indicted in France

The head of Japan's Olympic Committee, Tsunekazu Takeda, has been indicted in France on corruption allegations, a spokesperson for the Paris financial prosecutor's office confirmed to Euronews on Friday.

According to the French newspaper Le Monde, Takeda started being investigated by French authorities in December.

Takeda refuted being indicted by French authorities and said that no improper actions such as bribery took place in connection with Tokyo's successful 2020 summer games bid, reported Reuters.

The International Olympic Committee's ethics commission on Friday opened a file on Takeda.

3) Snow brings chaos to central Europe

Extreme snowfall in central Europe has brought chaos to parts of Germany and Austria with schools shutting their doors, ski slopes evacuated, and a state emergency declared in one city.

4) Tennis world reacts to Murray's retirement announcement

Former world number one Andy Murray has said the Australian Open could be his last tournament as he continues to suffer from severe pain from his right hip, he said on Friday. Murray had surgery on his hip a year ago and hasn't been able to recover to be on his best form.

Murray told reporters at Melbourne Park that he had hoped to play until at least this year's Wimbledon tournament but said he felt the Australian Open might end up being his last.