Dolphins and porpoises’ have washed up recently after the H72 Frank Bonefaas trawler anchored in Weymouth Bay. E nvironmentalist, Michelle Lloyd says theres ‘no place’ for super trawlers in our oceans when the dolphins are washing up in numbers coinciding with the trawlers journey, catching them as ‘by- catch’. Dolphins eat the same fish that the trawlers catch so there’s risks they could be caught within the nets. She fears for the future safe- ty of the dolphins as “super trawlers are one of the biggest reasons they’re washing up.” She said: “Dolphins need to come up for air every 5 minutes and that is impossible for a dolphin to survive if it’s caught up underwater in a net.” As well as the dolphins, Ms Lloyd also expressed her con- cern for the oceans. She said: “Our oceans need our help. The state of them right now is not sustainable. We can’t go backwards, once those fish are gone; they’re gone.” Sarah Hodgson, from Dorset Wildlife Trust said: “There’s a number of reasons why dolphins can die. They do die of natural causes as well as from plastic pollution, noise pollution, tangled in fishing gear and other bits of netting.” Ms Hodgson believes we should understand the real scientific reasons for the deaths of the animals follow- ing post mortem exam results. She added: “It may be un- wise to jump to conclusions about why these animals are dying. It could be that we are missing the real reason.” This is not a new occur- rence as dolphins have been washing up on the beaches since December. BOURNEMOUTH TELLINGS FISHING BAN CALLED AS MORE DOLPHINS WASH UP BREAKING NEWS: FIRST COVID-19 DEATH A patient has died aged 69 at University Hospital in South- ampton after testing positive for Covid-19. The man had underlying health conditions and this is the first death at the hospital from the virus. There has been more than 50 cases of the virus reported since the outbreak began. TURN OVER FOR PANDEMIC UPDATES BY SOPHIE FENTON-HOBBS BY ALEX DANIELS Photo by Stella Major R etailers and supermarkets are struggling to keep up with the demand of shoppers who wish to prepare themselves for the development of the coronavirus outbreak. As of Wednesday, the World Health Organisation have de- clared the virus a ‘pandemic’ and this has impacted the high streets. Supermarket assistant Phil Daniels, who has had nearly 40 years of retail experience, had this to say. “We’re seeing more and more people come in and coming in at different times to avoid large crowds. The toilet paper section and antibacterial soaps section are becoming barren and need constant restocking.” The pandemic has also put a strain on the workers, with more stock coming in that needs to be put out. Toby Heath, a supermar- ket assistant at another shop, said this. “We are seeing a massive spike in stock recently to compensate for the increase in demand. We’ve even had to stop customers from arguing over the last few packs of toilet roll. ” Recent figures suggest that the mortality rate for coronavirus is only around 4% but that is a big step up from the mortality rate of the flu which is around 1%. Department manager and local stock planner Connor Pidgley has stated that the demand in his store is “unprecedented” and said this. “The demand we are getting is similar to Christmas sales except on a much smaller selection of product lines. This is putting a strain on our shop.” PANIC BUYING Shelves empty after retailers struggle to keep up with Coronavirus outbreak demands T he first confirmed case of COVID-19 has been recorded at Bournemouth University. Dorset council area have recorded six cas- es in total bringing the virus right to our doorstep. The University’s response has remained on emphasising Public Health England and the NHS’s advice about self-isolation and increased hygiene practices. There has been a call for the university to close after many oth- er universities have followed such precautions and are conducting classes online to help delay the spread of the virus. Bournemouth University’s Ma- jor Incident Group has been con- vening regularly and will provide a decision on the matter, by 3pm on the 16th March. COVID-19 has been classified as a pandemic by the WHO and many European countries includ- ing Italy and have closed their borders or at the very least limited travel to and from the nations. Until then, the standard pre- vention measures remain. 6 CASES NOW CONFIRMED: IN DORSET FIRST COVID-19 CASE AT BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY BY ALEX DANIELS BY AADITYA VENKATESH A fter a vote made in Par- liament on the 8th of January the UK’s continuing membership of Erasmus+ is no longer a priority in Brexit negotiations. If in 2021 the government decide not to continue in the programme, funding for teaching, travel- ling and studying in Europe will no longer be available to UK citizens from the EU. Bournemouth is one of the many areas across the South- West for centres that use and depend on the funding they receive from Erasmus+ and the negative effects of losing this are almost too high to count. Lucy Cochrane, the Head of Training at the ITTC, explains that losing Erasmus+ would mean also ‘losing the eco- nomic benefits, the multicul - turalism and the international connections’ for the centre and Bournemouth. Jan Borgen has worked as an English teacher at the Rich- ard Language College for over 25 years; she described the ‘devastating tragedy’ it would be to lose Erasmus+ funding for many of those learning at the college. But it is not only teacher training centres in Bournemouth that will be af- fected if the UK are no longer a part of Erasmus+. The YMCA at Townsend Youth Centre is part of the EU Solidarity Corps which relies on funding from their Erasmus+ membership. Angela Reece who manag- es 10 international and 4 local volunteers for the programme says: ‘Although it sounds like a cliché it really transforms lives. People are literally lining up to make a difference in our community.’ EFFECT ON BOURNEMOUTH WILL BE ‘DEVASTATING’ IF GOVERNMENT DO NOT RENEW ERASMUS+ MEMBERSHIP LIGHT UP POOLE RETURNS FOR THIRD YEAR ASK FOR ANGELA: DO SAFETY CAMPAIGNS KEEP US PROTECTED? P oole Town Centre was basked in light in the final weekend of February as Light Up Poole took place for its third consecutive year. The ‘Digital Art Light Festival’ illuminated the old town, the high street and the water- front after dark from the 20th to the 22nd. Students from Bourne- mouth University and Arts University Bournemouth created sound and lighting productions in response to the theme for the year which was Spectrum; all producing high quality works. Calum Kirkland, one of the students involved, described the work as ‘an experimental piece.’ Harry Kingston, 20, was the sound director for the piece and said he was very happy with the large number of mixed interpretations from onlookers on the night. He felt it was a ‘very successful night based on everyone’s feedback.’ Alongside the exhibition there were also a number of indoor events taking place throughout the daytime and into the evening. A sk for Angela is posted on bathroom walls in bars, pubs and other venues across Bournemouth in order to keep their customers free of harm by asking for a fake member of staff. The Oak Inn in Burton, Christchurch was taken over by Tracy and Rob Ford in 2017. Tracy decided to use the “Ask for Angela” campaign in their pub after reading about it on the news and social media. Chantelle Fisher, Sales and Events Coordinator for Revolution Bournemouth said that they do not use any safety campaigns in their establishment: “We have our bouncers go outside and they don’t leave until everyone has gone home or left. Councillor Mike Greene said: “Under the current admin- istration it had taken a too lenient approach to all forms of antisocial behavior.” B arclay’s Eagle Lab in West- bourne hosted an event in honour of international Wom- en’s day on Tuesday night. The event saw guest speak- ers from areas of STEM jobs, covering subjects such as women’s rights, troubles in the workplace and mental health. Attendees had the chance to engage in workshops about the history of women in STEM fields , with the opportu - nity to join discussion groups. Organiser of the event and engineer at Barclays Eagle Lab, Sharon Bole said: “Women 4.0 is all about celebrating and demystifying emerging technologies.” “For me, it’s about show- casing young women, people who are entering the pro- fession who have taken that brave new step and giving them an audience which you will see from tonight is a really diverse audience.” “it’s about helping them recognize that they are role models and they are going to help more women into these minority roles so that we get a more equal, diverse and inclu- sive workforce.” BOURNEMOUTH INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY LONDON T he annual Women’s March took place in London once again, with a fantastic turnout. Two organisations, Care In- ternational UK and Sisters Not Stangers, both came together to organise the event which involved lots of singing, chant- ing and of course, marching. #March4Women is a global movement for gender equali- ty, with a variety of celebrities and public figures taking part to endorse the campaign. Homemade signs and costumes brought technicol- our to the event, with exciting slogans and statistics, some of which are still surprising in the modern day. Politicians such as Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan made appearances at the event. Celebrated across the country BY GRACIE LEADER BY EMILY HAYCOCK BY GRACIE LEADER BY ELLIE ROXBURGH & JEAMY NAVARRO-SCHRANK & EMILY HAYCOCK W endy Paul of Maclaren Road, Moordown has recently started fostering cats to give them a loving home before adoption. Cats Protection works with fosterers to provide cats with a care and affection before they join their new family. Ms Paul started fostering cats earlier this year after many years of volunteering for Cats Protection. Her first foster cat, Daisy, was lovingly adopted last week by its new family from Romsey. C SE is child sexual abuse. Offenders usually groom their victimes to gain their trust. Children are often tricked into believing they are in a consensual relationship and many do not realise they are being sexually exploited. Eugenia Kamozinova from Safe and Sound Group char- ity said: “If there is a risk for a child to be sexually exploited there would be a social worker who would assess the risks and the child would be put on a child’s protection plan. “Parents have to monitor their child 24/7 and the school has to report if the child is not being present. “Sometimes children are being removed from fami- ly homes as in this way the sexual exploitation can be disrupted.” Mrs. Kamozinova added that to tackle child sexual exploitation there needs to be more groups for young people, activities and family workshops. The organisation tries to en- gage parents as much as they can. They need to be involved in their child’s life and provide physical and moral support. Sheila Taylor, CEO of NWG Network, a chritable organisa- tion, said that CSE can happen to any male or female that just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She added: Steve Baguley from NWG Network said that charities and organisations are trying to get the children to talk about this by creating free spaces for the victims and their parents or social workers. Dorset Police have con- fimred that the number of reports about CSE has double possibly due to an increase in the awareness and confidence in vicitms reporting such crimes. They will continue to edu- cate their officers more about the topic and help dedicated temas such as Child Abuse Investigation Team and Pae- dophile Online Investigation Team. NUMBER OF YOUTHS SUFFERING SEXUAL EXPLOITATION ACROSS DORSET DOUBLES LOVE LETTERS TO MOTHER EARTH MOORDOWN LOCAL DEDICATED TO SAVING LOST CATS “Society needs to develop a zero tolerance to the issue. It needs everybody to be able to spot the signs and it needs everybody to speak out when they see or think it might be happening.” Police reports of child sexual expolitation (CSE) have doubled in the past four years. In 2018/19 reports of children being sexually exploited was 768. In 2014/15 the figure was 387. L ove Letters to Mother Earth is an Extinction Rebellion Families campaign, encour- aging children all around the world to write letters to the Earth saying what they are thankful for. At Alexandra Place in Poole, letters and drawings are dis- played all around the Pavillion. The idea was created by Karen Herndon and her friend, Louisa, who thought it would be a perfect exhibition for Val- entines Day. Letters have come from not only the Dorset area, but from overseas as well. Ms Herndon said: “We’ve had them come in from Amer- ica, India, Italy, Australia and lots of other places. THIS WEEKS ROUND UP BY AADITYA VENKATESH A swarm of locusts in Africa and South Asia number- ing in the hundreds of billions are ravaging swathes of ag- ricultural land. Most conven- tional techniques combating such an event, mainly pesti- cides, have proven ineffective as they are not able to deliver the scale required for the locusts. The Syrian Civil War sees another continuation of conflict with a new theater of war opening up on the Turkish-Syrian border. Kurd- ish forces, government forces and Turkish forces continually clash as the almost decade long war seems to have no end in sight and no clear definition of victory. All of this in addition to the waves of migrants escaping conflict from their homes, only to find disease in their refuge. COVID-19 continues to terrorise various nations, with the UK hitting 1,543 cases. Mortality rates have increased from 1% to 3.6%. In addition, the economy has taken a beating, as retail, hospitality and leisure industries are ef- fectively closed for the dura- tion of the virus. This slow- down in industry is perhaps the most challenging part of the virus so far. BY ANYA BANEVA BY SOPHIE FENTON-HOBBS BY SOPHIE FENTON-HOBBS C herries fans have expressed their feelings towards the postponement of fixtures until April with a further delay likely to ensue. The news came on Friday morning that the weekend fix - tures would not take place after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hud- son-Odoi tested positive for the virus. The Premier League is due to meet on Thursday to discuss more contingency planning and the future of the 19/20 season. Bournemouth fan and season ticket holder Dylan Johnstone expressed his disappointment in the decision. “We’ve all paid our money for our season tickets and we are dis- appointed with quite a few games of the season left to play. We want to see our team fight out of rele - gation and enjoy our match day experience but I’m not surprised with everything else being put on hold.” The south coast club currently sit inside the relegation zone on goal difference with 9 games to play but Bournemouth fan Wil- liam Barton is concerned about the lack of communication being issued by the Premier League as he had this to say. “We’re all just left in the dark. We don’t know whether to be worried about them concluding the season here and relegating us or whether they will void the sea- son. We just don’t know. Obviously it’s terrible what is happening and we all love football but it would be nice to have more contact with the planning that’s being put in place by the Premier League about the issue.” The Premier League is set to return on April 4 subject to medical advice and ruling from the government and decisions made in the crisis meeting held on Thursday. AFC BOURNEMOUTH FANS “DISAPPOINTED” BUT “NOT SURPRISED” BY PREMIER LEAGUE ‘SOUTH COAST MAKERS MARKET’ HOSTS THEIR FIRST MARKET OF THE YEAR IN BOURNEMOUTH TOWN T he market, which happens on the first Saturday of each month, hosts over 40 stalls, sup- porting local independent artists, cosmetics and food and drink businesses. Stalls include local artwork, clothing, bakery, coffee, craft beer along with street food and drink companies. Attendees of the market were also entertained by a performance from the Funky Little Choir Co. in Bournemouth Triangle. Artist Samantha March of March Made Art creates hand- made exhibitions. Samantha said: “It is actually amazing how many people we have had through, because the venue is not on the beat of the track or in the pedes- train zone.” The market has had huge suc- cess since launching in 2018 and was awarded ‘Plastic Free Cham- pion’ Status by Surfers Against Sewage. BY ALEX DANIELS BY ELLIE ROXBURGH