COLU @ CONCEPTS

Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitte Share this with Mess Image copyright AFP Image caption The 81-year-old's long political career has been plagued by scandals Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi looks set for another political comeback after a coalition he backed won Sicily's regional elections. The result adds momentum to the newly formed centre-right alliance. The vote on the Italian island has been viewed as a crucial test ahead of next year's national election. The 81-year-old billionaire businessman's career has been beset by scandals both in and out of government. The four-time prime minister has been away from the political centre stage  since he was expelled from parliament four years ago after being convicted of tax fraud. Mr Berlusconi is seeking to overturn a ban that bars him from public office ahead of the spring 2018 vote. The European Court of Human Rights is set to review his case later this year....

Image copyright AFP Image caption Jonathan Daval passed behind a poster of his murdered wife during the silent march Family and friends have joined a march of some 10,000 people through a French town in response to the murder of a local woman who vanished last weekend. The burnt body of Alexia Daval, 29, who disappeared while jogging, was found in woodland near Gray, a town in the north-eastern region of Haute-Saone. An autopsy has found she was strangled. No arrests have been made and her attacker's identity remains unknown. Women have honoured her with symbolic runs in cities across France. Image copyright AFP Image caption Mrs Daval's family led Sunday's silent march France country profile In Gray, a quiet town of 5,000 residents, people marched in silence on Sunday and listened to speeches by her grieving husband Jonathan Daval and other family members. Mrs Daval, a bank worker, went out for a run on Saturday 28 October. After not hearing from her for sev...

Image copyright AFP Image caption Catalan independence supporters protested outside the prosecutor's office in Brussels Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four former ministers have been freed with conditions by an investigating judge in Belgium. The judge said they could not leave the country without permission and had to give details of their accommodation. They had handed themselves in to Belgian police following an EU arrest warrant issued by a Spanish judge. Mr Puigdemont fled to Belgium after Madrid imposed direct rule on Catalonia following an independence declaration. He has said he will not return to Spain unless he is guaranteed a fair trial. The five are wanted in Spain to face charges including rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds. Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Puigdemont could be seen inside the public prosecutor's office in Brussels They are now expected to appear in court in Belgium within 15 days. Belgium has a maximum...

Image copyright AFP Image caption Abdelkader Merah went on trial at the start of October The brother of the French jihadist who murdered seven people in Toulouse, including three Jewish children, has been jailed for 20 years. A court in Paris found Abdelkader Merah guilty of terrorist offences. But he was cleared of having a direct role in the 2012 attacks, in which his younger sibling, Mohamed Merah, shot three soldiers and then three children and a teacher at a Jewish school. The court also jailed a second suspect, Fettah Malki, 34, for 14 years. Mohamed Merah, 23, was shot dead by police after a 32-hour siege in March 2012. His spate of deadly shootings, carried out in the name of al-Qaeda, was the first such jihadist attack in France since 1995. My brother the jihadist Who was Mohamed Merah? The high-profile trial, which has been held amid tight security, began last month. Prosecutors had asked for life imprisonment for Abdelkader Merah and 20 years for Fettah Mal...

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Mourinho lived in Spain between 2010 and 2013 Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is expected to appear in a Spanish court later to face tax fraud allegations relating to his time as Real Madrid manager. He is alleged to owe nearly 3.3 million euros (£2.9m, $3.8m) in undeclared image rights revenue. His representatives deny the allegation. There has been no confirmation that Mourinho will attend the hearing, but he has changed his pre-match routine. His pre-match press conference - which usually takes place on a Friday - was instead held on Thursday. Reports say the Manchester United players were also told that their training schedule had been changed. The Spanish authorities began a case against Mourinho in June, and he was summoned to appear in court in Madrid two days before his Manchester United side visit Chelsea in the Premier League. Why are Spanish football stars in legal trouble? Mourinho's representatives Gesti...