Corsican blasts

Ajaccio (Reuter) - Corsican separatist gunmen hijacked a helicopter and blew up five holiday homes on the tiny offshore 'millionaires' island' of Cavallo yesterday, police said.

The independence movement Resistenza claimed responsibility for the attack, saying: 'This is an action against the Mafia.' The gunmen forced the pilot of the private helicopter to land at the Fishermen's Village holiday resort and blew up the villas.