Corsica: France calls for calm after nationalist dies from prison attack

Yvan Colonna's death following assault on mainland raises fears of fresh violence on the island

The French government has appealed for calm following the death of the jailed Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna after he was attacked by a fellow prisoner almost three weeks ago.

Colonna, 61, had been in hospital in a coma since the assault on 2 March in a prison where he was serving a life sentence for the murder of Claude Erignac, the French prefect - the government's senior representative in Corsica - in 1998.