Trending news live: ‘Delete Facebook’ movement gains traction in Australia amid backlash at news ban

Welcome to the indy100’s live coverage of today’s events, where we’ll take a look at how the internet is reacting to the politics and pop culture news of the day. First off, Facebook has unleashed a backlash by “unfriending” Australia.

The social media giant has blocked its users in Australia from reading or sharing all global and local news in response to a proposed Media Bargaining law, which would force technology companies to negotiate with news outlets to feature their content. This prompted #DeleteFacebook to trend on Twitter – a message also notably pushed by former Facebook Australia CEO Stephen Scheeler, who accused Mark Zuckerberg’s firm of using “bullying or intimidation tactics”.

Meanwhile Boris Johnson’s government is facing ridicule after the appointment of Lord Frost – an unelected House of Lords bureaucrat – as its effective Brexit minister. And in other news leading to shock suggestions the prime minister may have not yet delivered on his 2019 pledge to “Get Brexit Done”, a group of Tories called the Conservative European Forum has urged Johnson to restart Brexit talks with the EU because the UK is “less safe and less secure”.