Corsica

French court rules use of Corsican language in public office is illegal

France — Link

A court in the French island of Corsica has ruled that the Corsican language cannot be used in the exercise of public office, effectively outlawing debates in the tongue at the island's political assembly, and pronounced that local rules establishing “the existence of a Corsican people” were also a violation of France's constitution.

Five killed in Corsica storm

France — Link

Victims on the French Mediterranean island include a 13-year-old girl who died after a tree fell in a campsite and a British woman who vanished while kayaking off the coast.

Macron calls for calm in Corsica after nationalist prisoner dies

France — Link

Yvan Colonna died on Monday evening in a Marseille hospital, three weeks after he was assaulted by another prisoner.

France suspends jail term for Corsican nationalist on life support

France — Link

A French judge has suspended on medical grounds the life sentence handed to Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna for the 1998 assasination of a senior state official and who remains in a coma since he was severely beaten by a fellow prisoner in a mainland jail earlier this month.

French government raises possibility of 'autonomy' for Corsica

France — Link

French interior minister Gérald Darmanin, visiting Corsica where rioting has followed the serious assault in a mainland jail of a nationalist figure by a fellow prisoner, has said that Emmanuel Macron, if re-elected in  presidential elections next month, could offer autonomy to the Mediterranean island which has been under rule from Paris since the 18th century.

Rioting in Corsica over assault of jailed nationalist

France — Link

Six days of street protests on the French island of Corsica over the serious assault in a mainland prison of nationalist figure Yvan Colonna, serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of a prefect and who was left in a coma by a fellow prisoner jailed for jihadist activity, turned to rioting overnight Wednesday, when law courts and a bank were targeted.

Popular SE France tourist regions witness surge in Covid cases

France — Link

Provence and the Riviera in south-east France, along with the Mediterranean island of Corsica, all highly popular summer destinations for tourists, have declared emergency measures to deal with a surge in hospital admissions of Covid-19 cases, with medical staff reporting that the patient age-groups are notably younger than previously seen.

Man jailed for life over killing that led to femicide outcry in France

France — Link

Bruno Garcia-Cruciani’s murder of Julie Douib in Corsica became a rallying call against domestic killings.

The Corsican village gripped by fear of spiralling vendettas

France — Report

The French Mediterranean island of Corsica, known as “the island of beauty” for its stunning scenery, coastlines and wildlife, is also known for its clans and underworld gangs, and a murder rate well above the average in mainland France. Hélène Constanty reports from the Corsican village of Cargèse, where a string of killings has raised fears of a spiralling blood feud, and where a local collective is standing up to organised crime.

Pictured: French air force pilot's initiation ordeal tied to fighter jet target

France

A young French air force pilot who, in a cruel initiation prank by otherairmen, was hooded, trussed, and tied to a post used for target practice by fighter jets, has filed a formal complaint with the public prosecution services for “aggravated violence” and “deliberately endangering the life of others”. Mediapart reveals here photos and video of the disturbing events at an airbase in Corsica which, as Justine Brabant reports, further tarnish the image of the air force after prosecutors in February opened an investigation into allegations of “institutionalised” harassment at a major base in eastern France.

France launches coronavirus travel pass

France — Link

The new app will be tested on flights to Corsica this week.

France sends warship to evacuate Covid-19 patients in Corsica

France — Link

A helicopter carrier has been sent to the French Mediterranean island of Corsica to evacuate people seriously ill from with infection from the Covis-19 coronavirus, who will be taken to hospitals in the southern mainland cities of in Marseille and Toulon.

Corsica, southern mainland France battered by Storm Fabien

France — Link

The Mediterranean island of Corsica and the south of mainland France have been swept by strong winds and rain causing severe flooding and power outages, closing down roads and an airport. 

Net closes around Corsican clans suspected of EU subsidies fraud

France — Investigation

The French Mediterranean island of Corsica is the focus of a series of investigations into the suspected mass fraud of European Union agricultural subsidies. One of the alleged methods of the fraud is the fictitious declaration of swathes of scrubland as pasture land for cattle farmers. The sums involved are vast, and those suspected of the scam include some closely related to the island’s notorious and feared underworld gangs. Hélène Constanty reports.

One dead, several injured in attack in Corsica shooting

France — Link

Officials said lone gunman shot several passers-by in the Lupino neighbourhood of Bastia, on the north coast of Corsica.