A special “prison within a prison” is guarding the Christchurch mosque shooter and two other notoriously violent criminals at a huge cost to the taxpayer. The facility known as the Prisoners of Extreme Risk Unit was set up four…

New Zealand police are investigating online apps where Kiwis are buying and selling illicit products and services. Katie Harris looks into the dark side of messaging App Discord. The private groups are invite-only. Under the…

A rock climber plunged 15 metres down a cliff face at Beecroft Peninsula, on the northern headland of Jervis Bay in NSW yesterday afternoon.

The man, 25, landed on a ledge on the cliff face, injuring his spine and hip.

Friends who were with the victim at the time of the incident raised the alarm just before 4pm Saturday, with five ambulance crews, Police Rescue, RFS and the SES all attending.

The experienced climber was treated for spinal and hip injuries at the scene before being airlifted to St George Hospital in a stable condition.

Authorities praised the quick-thinking of the man's friends.

"He was very lucky he was climbing with friends at the time," Inspector Faye Stockman, NSW Ambulance said.

"One climbed up and raised the alarm, while the other stayed with him on the ledge until Special Operations Paramedics arrived."

Inspector Stockman said the rescue was in "an extremely difficult location" but was made possible by efforts across the multiple authorities.

"It was a great display of team work between NSW Ambulance, Police Rescue, RFS and the SES.

"Together we successfully executed a plan to extricate the patient from an extremely difficult location."

Authorities and organisers have praised the community for "peacefully celebrating" this year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Over 36,000 spectators packed into the Sydney Cricket Ground last night for the official parade — a ticketed and socially distanced event this year due to coronavirus restrictions.

Crowds cheered on 5,000 participants who marched on the field across 120 LGBTQI+ community groups as well as a live musical performances.

The colourful costumes and dazzling displays all incorporated this year's theme of 'Rise' — a "call to action that now is the time to rise again through love, compassion, respect and understanding. A poignant message following the challenge and hardship of 2020."

Closing out festivities for the evening's official celebrations was UK singer Rita Ora who performed a string of her biggest hits.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger described this year's Mardi Gras inside the iconic sports stadium as "a once in a lifetime experience".

"Among the colourful costumes and beating music, the spirit of protest was as strong as it ever has been," Kruger said.

Commander of Operation Mardi Gras, Assistant Commissioner Gelina Talbot, thanked the community for "celebrating peacefully" during the altered annual event.

"We knew Mardi Gras was going to look very different in 2021, so I'd like to thank the community for coming together today and celebrating peacefully and safely," Assistant Commissioner Talbot said.

"We are in a unique position in Australia to be able to host events of this scale during a global health pandemic, and I commend the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras team for planning such a well-organised, COVID-safe event."

The day was not incident-free though, with four people arrested within the SCG just before 8pm, after they entered the pitch during the parade.

In addition to being removed from the premises, they were each slapped with a $165 fine for climb/jump over fences/seats etc on lands without approval.

"The main issue for police was preventing anti-social behaviour and ensuring COVID-19 safety protocols were maintained," Assistant Commissioner Talbot said.

"While I'm pleased the majority of those who attended and enjoyed the festivities celebrated responsibly, it is very disappointing one group decided to attempt to disrupt the parade."

Earlier in the day close to 600 protesters made their way down Sydney's Oxford Street this afternoon, marching for LGBTQI+ rights ahead of tonight's event at Moore Park.

The peaceful gathering, organised by activist group Pride in Protest, was granted an exemption yesterday from NSW Health COVID-19 restrictions.

NSW Health granted the exemption to exceed the current cap of 500 people at protests after negotiations with event organisers to facilitate easier contact tracing at the event.

READ MORE: What you need to know for 2021 Sydney Mardi Gras

The group is marching for LGBTQI+ rights and is took the same route as protesters during the first 1978 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

While police withdrew an application to have the exemption denied, there is still a heavy presence of law enforcement ensuring things don't get out of hand at the protest.

https://twitter.com/prideinprotest/status/1368027112016211972?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

READ MORE: Anti-coronavirus vaccine protests held across the country

"Anyone found committing any social behaviour that is criminal, violence or offensive will be identified quickly and you will be removed," NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Gelina Talbot said.

"Our priority is the safety of the community coming out to celebrate Mardi Gras."

Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, this is the first year the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will not have floats making their way down Oxford Street.

https://twitter.com/AllisonM_H/status/1368046716155404295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

A Perth mother has been left devastated after a heartless thief stole oxygen bottles her sick baby boy needs to live.

TeKoa Timu was born premature, spending the first seven months of his life in a critical condition in intensive care.

The now 21-month-old requires daily oxygen from cannisters to keep him alive, but yesterday morning a man was caught on camera stealing his supply from out the front of their Kwinana home.

READ MORE: Brave mum chases alleged tinnie thief through backyard canals

"It's not a normal theft, it is lifesaving equipment – he needs it," TeKoa's mother Madison Dobels told 9News.

In security footage, a white sedan is seen stopping in the quiet cul de sac, where a man exits and runs towards the family's home before returning moments later with the six tanks.

TeKoa only goes without oxygen during fortnightly visits to Perth Children's Hospital.

When he was born, he could last just 45 seconds without it. Now – he can still only manage 15 minutes before he turns blue and starts to wheeze.

His mother orders oxygen twice a week so TeKoa has enough supply. The bottles are regularly swapped out and luckily the stolen cylinders hadn't yet been replaced.

READ MORE: Teen stabbed, bike stolen in daylight robbery

Ms Dobels wants the thief to come forward and return the cylinders they took.

"I don't think he'd be aware. I can't imagine someone knowing a kid's on oxygen and taking it," Ms Dobels said.

"You wouldn't be human and if he did know there are no words other than an oxygen thief."

Canada is getting a fourth vaccine to prevent COVID-19 as the country's health regulator has cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two, officials said Friday.

Health experts are eager for a one-and-done option to help speed vaccination.

Canada has also approved vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca and Health Canada is the first major regulator to approve four different vaccines, said Dr Supriya Sharma, Health Canada’s chief medical adviser.

Like many countries, Canada does not have domestic production and has struggled with an immediate shortage of vaccines. The US so far isn’t allowing locally made vaccines to be exported, so Canada — like the other US neighbour, Mexico — has been forced to get vaccines from Europe and Asia.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada has an agreement with Johnson & Johnson for 10 million doses before September. It was not immediately clear when Canada would get its first shipments of those.

But Trudeau announced Pfizer would deliver an additional 1.5 million doses to Canada in March and another 1 million doses ahead of schedule in both April and May.

“We have reasons to be optimistic. We’re going to be able to move things forward,” Trudeau said. “But at the same time, we also know that these are global supply chains that are being set up and there’s always possibility for disruptions.”

The US approved Johnson and Johnson last month. The US Food and Drug Administration said J&J’s vaccine offers strong protection against what matters most: serious illness, hospitalisations and death. One dose was 85 per cent protective against the most severe COVID-19 illness in a massive study that spanned three continents — protection that remained strong even in countries such as South Africa, where the variants of most concern are spreading.

J&J also is seeking authorisation for emergency use of its vaccine in Europe and from the World Health Organisation. The company aims to produce about 1 billion doses globally by the end of the year. Last month, the island nation of Bahrain became the first to clear its use.

The vaccine shortage is so acute in Canada that provincial governments are now saying they will extend the interval between the two doses of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines to four months rather than three to four weeks so they can quickly inoculate more people.

“It is a reasonable recommendation. If we can get earlier doses, we don't have to wait for four months to give second doses if the supply opens up,” Sharma said.

Retired General Randy Hillier, who leads the vaccine program in Canada's most populous province of Ontario, expects to get everyone eligible in the province a first shot by June 20. The Manitoba provincial government is now predicting it will be able to offer all eligible adults the first dose this spring — months ahead of its previous plan.

“It is possible that we have further good news and good predictions to share in the coming weeks," Mr Trudeau said.

Mr Trudeau said officials have been assured by the European Union that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines deliveries to Canada won't be disrupted.

A shipment of over a quarter million AstraZeneca vaccines destined for Australia has been blocked from leaving the European Union in the first use of a European export control system to make sure big pharma companies respect their local contracts.

Mr Trudeau noted that Canada is getting Pfizer and Moderna doses from Europe now and said those two companies are not likely to face export disruptions from Europe.

He said Canada won't get AstraZeneca vaccines doses from Europe for months. Canada received 500,000 AstraZeneca doses from India this month.

The provincial Ontario government, meanwhile, said it is lifting its stay-at-home order next week in Toronto, Canada's largest city. Ontario will allow retailers to reopen for in-person shopping, but only with a 25 per cent capacity limit. Many restrictions will remain in place. Indoor and outdoor diving service will continue to be prohibited. Hair salons also can't reopen.

Victims of crime have been left outraged after it was revealed convicted criminals spent lockdown knitting scarves and making dog toys as part of their community service.

Those impacted by crimes say it is an insult and fear lenient sentences are on the rise.

Noel McNamara was dealt a life sentence 29 years ago when his daughter Tracey was murdered.

READ MORE: Aussie volunteers knit coats to help keep shelter dogs warm

After his daughter's killer was released after serving 10 years, Mr McNamara was shocked to learn criminals sentenced to community corrections orders spent the COVID lockdown doing arts and crafts instead.

"I think it's disgusting. It's outrageous, it's an insult to all the victims suffering from these people – what they've done," Mr McNamara told 9News.

Between March and December last year, traditional tasks like rubbish collection, cleaning footpaths and building community gardens were replaced with activities including quilting, knitting scarves, braiding dog leads, assembling planter boxes, sewing bags and sorting donations for op-shops. All items were donated to charities, animal shelters and aged care facilities.

READ MORE: Elderly US man learns to knit for premature babies

Of the 700,000 community work hours ordered for last financial year, only 65 per cent were completed.

Now there are concerns lenient sentences will become more common as judges grapple with the massive court backlog sparked by the pandemic.

"I'd like to see them all reform but I know that's never going to happen," Mr McNamara said.

Experts were surprised and mildly troubled by a poll that found 35 per cent of Kiwis are unlikely to get a Covid-19 vaccine immediately – but they expect the rate will improve across 2021. In particular, scientists told the Herald…

The price of bananas is expected to jump temporarily after Tropical Cyclone Niran caused an estimated $180 million in damage to Far North Queensland's crops.

Queensland is responsible for approximately 94 per cent of Australia's banana production, the majority of which is grown in Far North Queensland.

Economists and fruit sellers are forecasting a rise in the price of of the popular fruit after the wild weather levelled almost a third of the country's crops.

READ MORE: Springfield Lakes community smashed by tropical cyclone

"Shoppers should expect to see maybe 50c to $1 a kilo going up in price in the next coming weeks or months," consumer expert Gary Mortimer told 9News.

The Australian Banana Growers Association says other growers will pick up the slack for those impacted by the cyclone and the small price hike is only temporary, with shoppers encouraged to continue supporting the industry.

"Remember, 50c to $1 isn't a big hit when you consider what these farmers are facing, continue to support them, and buy up big," Mr Mortimer said.

After Tropical Cyclone Larry and Tropical Cyclone Yasi did significant damage to crops in 2006 and 2011 respectively, the price per kilo jumped by $2.

While Tropical Cyclone Niran didn't actually touch down in Australia, remaining hundreds of kilometres off the Queensland coast, the weather system associated with it struck hard last week.

Communities along the coast between Cape Melville and Innisfail saw wind gusts of around 100km per hour with areas including Cooktown, Port Douglas, and Cairns feeling the full impact.

READ MORE: Aussie fruit and vegetable prices surge in wake of natural disasters

It is believed close to half of the 11,000 hectares of banana crops around North Queensland were damaged and the clean-up could take anywhere up to 12 months.

While prices at major supermarkets including Coles and Woolworths haven't yet been affected by the damage, this is expected to change in coming weeks.

France said it may follow Italy in blocking Covid-19 vaccine shipments as concerns about vaccine nationalism rise.

The comments by French Health Minister Olivier Véran came the day after Rome invoked European Union powers to block the export of 250,000 Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Australia, in a dramatic escalation of a dispute between the bloc and the drug giant.

"Of course, I understand what Italy did," Véran said during an interview with CNN affiliate BFM on Friday. "We could do the same thing."

READ MORE: Howard Springs quarantine facility expanded

A spokesperson for Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi told CNN that Italy and the European Commission had agreed on the action.

This is the first time that such EU measures have been used for vaccines. AstraZeneca's supply chain includes a manufacturing plant in Anagni, Italy.

"We are closely discussing with Italians, as well as with all our European partners to have a European approach on the issue." Véran said.

"Since the first day, France has believed in a shared European approach," he added.

In late January, a public and acrimonious fight erupted between the EU and AstraZeneca over vaccine delays, after the company advised the bloc that it would deliver tens of millions fewer doses than agreed by the end of March.

The European Commission later adopted new measures giving member states the power to restrict the export of vaccines outside the bloc, in certain situations. Italy justified invoking the powers by citing AstraZeneca's delays in supplying its vaccine to Italy and the EU, and noting that Australia is not considered a "vulnerable" nation to Covid-19 by the EU.

READ MORE: Doctor in regional SA becomes first Australian to receive AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

"The message is very clearly… that we expect companies with which the European Union has signed advanced purchasing agreements, to do their utmost to comply with the contracts with the delivery contracts that they have with the with the Member States," Eric Mamer, the European Union's chief spokesperson, said Friday.

He added: "The fact is that the European Union (EU) is a major exporter of vaccine doses."

"We have always said, that we were actually in intense discussions with the company in order to ensure the respect of the schedule of deliveries because EMA has authorized this vaccine, and we are urging member states to use it."

The European Commission's executive vice president for trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, discussed the matter with his Australian counterpart Dan Tehan in a call on Friday.

"While we understand the political pressures at play within Europe, blocking exports to meet domestic vaccination targets is a very dangerous card for policymakers to play," John Denton, the secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) warned in a statement on Thursday.

He added: "The challenge of getting vaccines to everyone, everywhere — without delay — will only be met through a collaborative global effort to scale manufacturing and speed distribution efforts. It's not too late for governments to change course and avert the huge economic and social risks of a prolonged pandemic."

Véran's remarks come a day after France announced plans to accelerate the country's coronavirus vaccine rollout program, with an increase in deliveries expected, according to French PM Jean Castex.

"The delivery of doses to France will increase in the coming weeks," Castex said during a press briefing on Thursday.

"We will also be able to use the AstraZeneca vaccine more widely. The High Authority for Health has indicated that people over 65 are now eligible for this vaccine," Castex added, noting that the government aims to vaccinate more than 20 million people by mid-May.

The EU's vaccine rollout has continued to falter, pushing some increasingly frustrated member states to turn to outside nations for assistance. Only 5.5 per cent of the EU population of 447 million has received a first vaccine dose, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Castex warned that only one in three health care workers in France have so far received a vaccine and said hospitals across the country are "still under strong pressure."

Véran was also present at Thursday's press briefing. "We have effective vaccines, starting with AstraZeneca. It is our responsibility to protect ourselves and those we care for," he said.