As part of the global Covering Climate Now initiative, the Herald is dedicating a week of coverage to the issues surrounding the climate crisis. In the fourth of a series of in-depth interviews with leading experts on key policy areas,…

OPINION: Driving is convenient, or so we think, but that’s less true than you might think. The climate crisis offers a chance to recalibrate. 1. Google Maps makes driving better GPS tracking systems make it less likely you’ll…

As part of the global Covering Climate Now initiative, the Herald is dedicating a week of coverage to the issues surrounding the climate crisis. In the final of a series of in-depth interviews with leading experts on key policy areas,…

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In a stinging rebuke to pharma giant AstraZeneca, the European Union has announced plans to negotiate a massive contract extension for Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, insisting the 27-nation bloc had to go with companies that had shown their value in the pandemic.

"We need to focus on technologies that have proven their worth," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

She announced America's Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech would provide the EU with an extra 50 million doses in the second quarter of this year, making up for faltering deliveries of AstraZeneca.

In contrast to the oft-criticised Anglo-Swedish company, Ms von der Leyen said Pfizer-BioNTech had "proven to be a reliable partner. It has delivered on its commitments, and it is responsive to our needs. This is to the immediate benefit of EU citizens."

READ MORE: More likely to win lottery than suffer vaccine clotting, TGA boss says

Exacerbating the problems for AstraZeneca, Denmark decided on Wednesday not to resume use of its vaccine, after putting it on hold last month following reports of rare blood clots in some recipients.

The bulk of the shots given in the Scandinavian country so far have been the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Australia's already-delayed vaccine rollout took a major hit last week with new advice for Australians under the age of 50 to be offered an alternative to AstraZeneca.

Denmark fears 'real risk of severe side effects'

The UK and much of Europe took similar measures but Denmark is the first European nation to completely cease using the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker's jab.

Others had temporarily halted the use of AstraZeneca whilst the rare blood clots were investigated but numerous drug advisory groups reiterated the vaccine's benefits outweighed any risks.

"Based on the scientific findings, our overall assessment is there is a real risk of severe side effects associated with using the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca," Danish Health Authority director-general Søren Brostrøm said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We have, therefore, decided to remove the vaccine from our vaccination programme."

Dr Brostrøm said the DHA agreed with the European Medicines Agency's risk-benefit analysis for the AstraZeneca vaccine but highlighted the agency's advice to take the local virus situation into account.

"In the midst of an epidemic, it has been a difficult decision to continue our vaccination programme without an effective and readily available vaccine against COVID-19," he said.

"However, we have other vaccines at our disposal, and the epidemic is currently under control.

"Furthermore, we have come a long way towards vaccinating the older age groups where vaccination has a tremendous potential impact on preventing infection."

Crushing pressure on lagging EU

The Johnson & Johnson jab, which uses the same base technology as AstraZeneca, hit a snag this week when US regulators recommended a "pause" in administering shots. Deliveries in the EU have been suspended.

AstraZeneca was supposed to be the workhorse of the EU's vaccine drive this year — a cheap and easy-to-transport shot to break the pandemic's back.

Yet, the EU said out of 120 million doses promised for the first quarter, only 30 million were delivered, and, of the 180 million expected, now there are only 70 million set for delivery in the second quarter.

Because of that shortfall, the EU has come under crushing pressure as, even though it is a major producer and exporter of vaccines, it cannot immunise its citizens at even close to the levels of the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Our World in Data site said 47.5 per cent of people in the UK had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 36.6 per cent in the US and 16.4 per cent in the EU.

Now, Pfizer-BioNTech could well become the key to beating the pandemic on the continent.

With 200 million doses from the company already earmarked for the bloc this quarter, the 50 million additional deliveries will be especially welcomed by EU nations dealing with supply delays and concerns over rare blood clots potentially linked to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Von der Leyen said the EU will start negotiating to buy 1.8 billion doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine through 2023.

"It will entail that not only the production of the vaccines, but also all essential components, will be based in the EU," Ms von der Leyen said.

The European Commission currently has a portfolio of 2.3 billion doses from half a dozen companies and is negotiating more contracts.

Ms Von der Leyen expressed full confidence in the technology used for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is different from that behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

READ MORE: How a small Asian country vaccinated almost every adult in just 16 days

The active ingredient in the Pfizer-BioNTech shot is messenger RNA, or mRNA, which contains the instructions for human cells to construct a harmless piece of the coronavirus called the spike protein.

The human immune system recognises the spike protein as foreign, allowing it to mount a response against the virus upon infection.

AstraZeneca's is made with a cold virus that sneaks the spike protein gene into the body.

It's a very different, if more traditional, form of manufacturing: Living cells in giant bioreactors grow that cold virus, which is extracted and purified.

Ms Von der Leyen said Europe needs to have a technology that can boost immunity, tackle new variants and produce shots quickly and massively.

"mRNA vaccines are a clear case in point," she said.

The planned negotiations with Pfizer left in the middle what the EU would do about any new contracts with AstraZeneca. "Other contracts, with other companies, may follow," Ms von der Leyen said.

Police are investigating the death of a baby found on the grounds of a Perth private school.

The 11-month-old was found at Kingsway Christian College in Perth's north, police said, but would not reveal when the body was found or whether the death was being treated as suspicious.

"Major crime division are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of an 11-month-old infant located in Darch," police said in a statement released late on Wednesday evening (early Thursday morning AEST).

Police said more details would be available in the morning.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died in a federal prison early Wednesday, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

Madoff died at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, apparently from natural causes, the person said. The person was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

Last year, Madoff's lawyers filed court papers to try to get the 82-year-old released from prison in the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he had suffered from end-stage renal disease and other chronic medical conditions. The request was denied.

Madoff admitted swindling thousands of clients out of billions of dollars in investments over decades.

A court-appointed trustee has recovered more than $13 billion of an estimated $17.5 billion that investors put into Madoff's business. At the time of Madoff's arrest, fake account statements were telling clients they had holdings worth $60 billion.

For decades, Madoff enjoyed an image as a self-made financial guru whose Midas touch defied market fluctuations. A former chairman of the Nasdaq stock market, he attracted a devoted legion of investment clients — from Florida retirees to celebrities such as famed film director Steven Spielberg, actor Kevin Bacon and Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax.

But his investment advisory business was exposed in 2008 as a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that wiped out people's fortunes and ruined charities and foundations. He became so hated he had to wear a bulletproof vest to court.

Madoff pleaded guilty in March 2009 to securities fraud and other charges, saying he was "deeply sorry and ashamed."

After several months living under house arrest at his $7 million Manhattan penthouse apartment, he was led off to jail in handcuffs to scattered applause from angry investors in the courtroom.

"He stole from the rich. He stole from the poor. He stole from the in between. He had no values," former investor Tom Fitzmaurice told the judge at the sentencing. "He cheated his victims out of their money so he and his wife … could live a life of luxury beyond belief."

US District Judge Denny Chin showed no mercy, sentencing Madoff to the maximum 150 years in prison.

"Here, the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil and that this kind of irresponsible manipulation of the system is not merely a bloodless financial crime that takes place just on paper, but it is instead … one that takes a staggering human toll," Chin said.

The Madoffs also took a severe financial hit: A judge issued a $171 billion forfeiture order in June 2009 stripping Madoff of all his personal property, including real estate, investments, and $80 million in assets his wife, Ruth, had claimed were hers. The order left her with $2.5 million.

The scandal also exacted a personal toll on the family: One of his sons, Mark, killed himself on the second anniversary of his father's arrest in 2010. And Madoff's brother, Peter, who helped run the business, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2012, despite claims he was in the dark about his brother's misdeeds.

Madoff's other son, Andrew, died from cancer at age 48. Ruth is still living.

Madoff was sent to do what amounted to a life sentence at Butner Federal Correctional Complex, about 45 miles northwest of Raleigh, N.C. A federal prison website listed his probable release date as November 11, 2139.

Madoff was born in 1938 in a lower-middle-class Jewish neighbourhood in Queens. In the financial world, the story of his rise to prominence — how he left for Wall Street with Peter in 1960 with a few thousand dollars saved from working as a lifeguard and installing sprinklers — became legend.

"They were two struggling kids from Queens. They worked hard," said Thomas Morling, who worked closely with the Madoff brothers in the mid-1980s setting up and running computers that made their firm a trusted leader in off-floor trading.

"When Peter or Bernie said something that they were going to do, their word was their bond," Morling said in a 2008 interview.

In the 1980s, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities occupied three floors of a midtown Manhattan high-rise. There, with his brother and later two sons, he ran a legitimate business as middlemen between the buyers and sellers of stock.

Madoff raised his profile by using the expertise to help launch Nasdaq, the first electronic stock exchange, and became so respected that he advised the Securities and Exchange Commission on the system. But what the SEC never found out was that behind the scenes, in a separate office kept under lock and key, Madoff was secretly spinning a web of phantom wealth by using cash from new investors to pay returns to old ones.

Authorities say that over the years, at least $13 billion was invested with Madoff. An old IBM computer cranked out monthly statements showing steady double-digit returns, even during market downturns. As of late 2008, the statements claimed investor accounts totalled $65 billion.

The families of four Victoria Police officers killed on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway have spoken after the truck driver responsible was sentenced to 22 years in jail.

Mohinder Singh, 48, was sentenced in Victoria's Supreme Court this morning after pleading guilty to four counts of culpable driving causing death, three charges of trafficking a drug of dependence, and one charge of possession of a drug of dependence.

He must serve at least 18 years and six months behind bars before he is eligible for parole.

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The Cranbourne father was high on drugs and had earlier stopped on his route to do a drug deal when he veered into the emergency lane of the freeway in Kew and ploughed into the officers on April 22 last year.

Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King and constables Glen Humphris and Josh Prestney all died in what is the deadliest incident in Victoria Police history.

The officers had pulled over Porsche driver Richard Pusey for allegedly speeding in the moments before the crash.

Multiple CCTV cameras showed footage of Singh "repeatedly drifting" into the emergency lane of the freeway before the crash.

Singh's reckless driving was observed by other motorists, with one witness saying: "He's going to f—— kill someone."

READ MORE: Timeline of how the deadly Eastern Freeway tragedy unfolded

Justice Paul Coghlan described the footage of the horror crash as "chilling" during the sentencing.

"I have viewed the footage on a number of occasions – it is chilling," he said.

"The police officers had no hope.

"Their deaths are entirely unnecessary and should have been avoided. Their deaths were caused by you."

The court heard Singh was high on ice while behind the wheel of his prime mover and had just five hours of rest in the 70 hours before the deadly crash.

He was "actively psychotic" and claimed he had seen a witch before the crash.

The court heard he was preoccupied with "delusional beliefs" that he had been "cursed" by a witch, also claiming to see "stick figures" on the morning of the tragedy.

However, he drove to work out of fear he would lose his job if he did not turn up.

Justice Coghlan said Singh was "selfish" for getting behind the wheel when he was clearly "unfit" to drive.

"It has been put that the threat to you was that you might lose your job," he said.

"You were simply unfit to do the job and had little, if any, legitimate claim to keep your position as a truck driver.

"In the sense that you drove to keep your job – that decision was selfish."

Justice Coghlan told the court the truck driver had claimed to see ghosts and UFOs when he was younger.

The court heard Singh "did not react" to the crash until after it occurred, later pressing the brake pedal out of "panic".

The grieving families of the four fallen officers watched on in anguish as the driver's sentence was handed down.

Singh remained silent throughout the hearing and was led out of the courtroom directly in front of the victims' families.

Today will not mark the end of the court proceedings as in two weeks' time, Pusey is due to be sentenced in court for filming the dying officers.

Justice Coghlan said the "unnecessary loss of lives" of the police officers was a matter of "huge community sorrow and regret".

"There are events which shock the public consciousness," he said.

"This has been such an event."

Police Association Secretary Wayne Gatt said the four slain officers died looking after others.

"Our mates died protecting the community from the very things that ultimately took their lives," he said.

'No amount of punishment can replace our loss'

The heartbroken families of the four officers say "no amount of punishment" can ease the grief they feel over losing their loved ones.

Andrew Prestney, the father of Constable Josh Prestney, read out a statement outside court following the sentencing.

Mr Prestney said despite justice being served for the officers' deaths, it did not subside their pain.

"Even though justice has now been served in relation to the actual collision, no amount of punishment can replace the loss of our loved ones and the missing place at our tables that will be felt by us for the rest of our lives," he said.

"We would like to thank the people of Victoria, the people of Australia, and those from around the world for their outpouring of love and for embracing us with their hearts.

"We are consoled by the fact that our four will not be forgotten as we continue to carry them in our hearts."

READ MORE: Heartfelt tributes mourn fallen police officers

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Mr Prestney also thanked those who were first at the scene.

"On behalf of the families and loved ones of Lynette, Kevin, Josh and Glenn, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to those members of the public and first responders that were at the scene of the collision on the 22nd of April 2020, for the care and respect that was shown to our loved ones," he said.

"Even though we do not know them all, we share a history with them now and forever.

"We would like to thank the members of the Major Collision Investigation Unit, especially Detective Sergeant Roz Wilson and the Paragon Taskforce for their dedication to the investigation and the respect and care that they have shown to us and our loved ones.

"We also wish to thank all the emergency services and members of Victoria Police for their assistance through this time."

A supply ship that has been avoiding the global impact of coronavirus for the past 18 months has returned to Australia's west coast after a fire broke out in one of its engines.

The MPV Everest set sail for Antarctica in 2019 embarking on a 20,000km resupply mission to Australia's Davis and Mawson research stations – delivering food, fuel and essentials to the South Pole.

But during the mission, the coronavirus pandemic broke out – lengthening the trip for those onboard by a year and a half.

READ MORE: Australian Antarctic supply ship erupts in flames

"That's two Christmases, two New Year's Eves, two birthdays," Davis Station Leader David Knoff told 9News.

"We got 4G for the first time, had to download all the apps to sign into places."

While making its way to Hobart, a fire erupted in one of the engines last Monday forcing the Everest to detour to Fremantle instead.

None of the ship's 72 expeditioners or 37 crew members were injured and while those onboard were anticipating a two-week quarantine period before they can finally set foot back on Australian land, this has now been ruled out.

While this is good news for those onboard the Everest, there are fears tonight a second crew member on another ship anchored off WA's north-west coast has contracted COVID-19.

READ MORE: Cargo ship hit with positive COVID-19 case off WA coast

The AquaGenie crew member returned a positive result to an onboard rapid coronavirus test and is showing mild symptoms.

Health Minister Roger Cook said any potential infection still needs to be confirmed by a more accurate test and authorities are now waiting to hear if the man will be taken to Karratha.

If confirmed, it would be the second COVID-19 case from the AquaGenie – after a Filipino man was evacuated to Karratha and flown to Perth.

He has since been moved from Royal Perth Hospital to hotel quarantine – where he will stay until he recovers.

Tropical Cyclone Seroja has been declared an "insurance catastrophe" with the damage bill expected to top $25 million in coming days.

Western Power crews continue to restore electricity to an estimated 29,000 properties, while reinforcements have been called in to help with the clean-up.

At least seven properties have been destroyed in the tourist town of Kalbarri alone with damage to more than 150 other homes and businesses in surrounding areas.

READ MORE: Thousands still without power after Seroja

John Perry is one of dozens of Kalbarri residents who were getting help from the SES today as hundreds more reinforcements make their way into town in the coming days.

"The damage is unbelievable, it was so scary, wind was sideways with the rain," John told 9News.

Police, firefighters and volunteers have been joined by DFES and SES crews from over 600 kilometres away and members of the Army Reserve are making their way in to help with the recovery effort.

READ MORE: Seroja damage 'widespread, severe'

Kalbarri recorded wind gusts of 170 km/h at the weekend as Seroja hit the coast as a category three storm.

Authorities believe the structural damage to some properties could be so severe they may have to be knocked down, with recovery efforts predicted to last two years.