Health advice for people travelling to Germany

GOOD news for holiday makers in the North West looking for a quiet or exciting Summer Sun holiday on the Mediterranean -  The South of France is now on your door step.

This Summer the North West now has a direct gateway to the Var region in southern France, following the recent launch of Ryanair’s new route to this famous sunny holiday destination, with fares starting from just £13 one way including taxes, available via Ryanair’s website.

Whether it is for a short break staying in one of the region’s legendary fishermen’s villages, a holiday along the Var’s 400km coastline with creeks, bays and sandy beaches, or a lazy stroll through the preserved nature and hilltop villages of inland Provence, this top French holiday destination can only be reached from the North West by flying direct from Liverpool John Lennon Airport and taking less than 3 hours.

On arrival in The Var Provence – Côte d’Azur region, after landing adjacent to the sea, between the pine and palm trees, Toulon–Hyères Airport, with its relaxed, hassle free environment means luggage can be collected in a matter of minutes with bus, taxi and car rental facilities all conveniently located. The airport is ideally situated for easy access to all the main cities across the region, with popular Saint-Tropez just 45 minutes away by bus, see:- reseaumistral.fr and also via:- visitvar.fr/en The airport is situated in the centre of this beautiful part of Southern France between such popular areas as the dazzling Verdon Canyon, the Cistercian Thoronet Abbey, the Golden Islands and of course the legendary Saint-Tropez. The Var is also well known for its festivals, music, theatre and other cultural celebrations. For more information on all destinations email:- info@vartourisme.org.

Starting your journey couldn’t be easier too with the convenience of departing from Liverpool John Lennon Airport. With its recent improvements to passenger facilities, the airport offers the region’s passengers a relaxed, hassle free start to their holiday. With the added convenience of ample, great value, on-site parking plus new rail services now calling at nearby Liverpool South Parkway, the Airport is better connected than ever with the region’s transport network. For more information go to:- liverpoolairport.com.

The flights from Liverpool John Lennon airport to Toulon-Hyères airport operate two times a week, between March 28 and October 28 2011*: Mondays: Dep Liverpool 6:40 AM Dep Toulon-Hyères 10:55 AM Fridays: Dep. Liverpool 6:20 AM Dep. Toulon-Hyères 10:35 AM The flight duration is less than three hours.

* Check details of the Liverpool - Toulon Hyères route on:- ryanair.com.

Euro MP calls for reforms to give Merseyside Police more time to fight crime

THE government should act to ensure that police officers in Merseyside do not have to waste their time dealing with spurious arrest warrants issued in another EU country.

That’s the message from North West Euro MP Arlene McCarthy, ahead of a key debate in the European Parliament on Wednesday.

She is concerned that European arrest warrants, introduced in 2004 to help speed up the extradition of suspects in serious criminal cases, have resulted in police spending too much time chasing people accused of petty crimes in other European countries.

Arlene has joined with other Labour Euro MPs to call on the government to strike an agreement with our European partners to ensure that the warrants, which are issued in one EU country for the arrest and fast-track extradition of a suspect in another, are used to tackle genuinely serious offences.

Arlene said:- "Merseyside Police raised their concerns with me about the use of these arrest warrants and the number of police hours wasted, for example, in tracking down a Polish offender accused of stealing chocolate bars from a supermarket. I don't want police in Merseyside, who are already under pressure because of government cuts, to have to spend valuable time finding someone wanted in Poland for stealing chocolate. European arrest warrants have made it easier for us to bring people accused of serious crimes to justice quickly. But their use for petty criminals and minor misdemeanours will actually undermine the police's ability to fight more serious offences. Some countries have been applying the warrants in cases for which they were never intended. They were introduced to help us in the fight against murder, terrorism and rape, not low-level theft."

Labour Euro MPs support the idea of the arrest warrants, which have resulted in the return of dozens of serious criminals including bringing back from Italy one of the people convicted of the July 2005 London bombings. However, they want to see agreement between national governments that a proportionality test will be applied, to ensure that they are only used in the most serious cases, saving local police time to fight crime on our streets.

Campaigners for reform have cited a number of examples that would not pass that test, but where warrants have been issued, including bicycle theft, pig rustling, the theft of wardrobe doors and going over an overdraft limit.