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Facebook is facing backlash in the UK and in Europe after it suddenly banned Australian news sites from using its platform.

Politicians in both the UK and Europe are currently considering new laws similar to those being introduced by Australia that sparked the social media giant's shock move on Thursday.

Henry Faure Walker, the deputy chairman of the UK News Media Association which advocates media companies, said Facebook's ban in Australia showed why new laws were needed.

READ MORE: Morrison labels Facebook 'arrogant', refuses to back down on media code

He said a blanket ban on news during a global pandemic was "a classic example of a monopoly power being the schoolyard bully, trying to protect its dominant position with scant regard for the citizens and customers it supposedly serves".

"The recent deals struck between Google in Australia and news publishers are a welcome acknowledgement of the principle that independent journalism has to be paid for," Mr Faure Walker said.

"However, Facebook's actions in Australia demonstrate precisely why we need jurisdictions across the globe, including the UK, to coordinate to deliver robust regulation to create a truly level playing between the tech giants and news publishers."

Facebook recently struck a financial deal with publishers and news outlets in the UK by creating a Facebook News tab on its mobile app.

The licensing agreement allows Facebook to use headlines and article previews from the news outlets it penned deals with.

READ MORE: Emergency Facebook pages returning after 'inadvertent' bans

The move came after widespread concern tech giants were draining revenue from news sites and running them out of business.

The UK government commissioned an independent review into the future of journalism in 2019 which found tech companies like Google and Facebook should have a "news quality obligation".

British MP Julian Knight backed the Australian Government's move to tighten laws on tech giants.

"Australia's democratically elected government is democratically elected. And they have the right to make laws and legislation. And it's, it's really disrespecting democracy to act in this fashion," Mr Knight, who chairs a media committee, told Sky News UK.

"It is one of the most idiotic but also deeply disturbing corporate moves of our lifetimes."

EU and UK eyeing similar new laws

The EU's executive Commission has proposed new rules aimed at taming the biggest digital "gatekeepers". Proposals working their way through negotiations among lawmakers from the 27-member bloc's parliament could be amended to include elements of Australia's model.

Britain, which recently left the EU, is planning similar digital reforms that include shaking up the relationship between online platforms and news publishers.

"There's definitely an influence" from Australia, said Angela Mills Wade, executive director of the European Publishers Council, a lobbying group for media companies. "It is being closely monitored by all who have a stake in the outcome."

READ MORE: How to follow 9News on digital and social media platforms

The EU has already laid out a way for publishers and news companies to strike licensing deals with online platforms under revamped copyright rules. France was the first country to adopt those rules into national legislation but Google initially balked at payments. However, a court ordered it into talks with a publishing group that resulted in a framework for negotiating individual deals.

One part of the Australian model that has caught attention in Europe is the requirement for binding arbitration if payment talks don't lead to an agreement, which Google has resisted because it would give the company less control.

Mills Wade said several leading EU lawmakers want to add an arbitration mechanism to the digital regulations.

"Given that Google and Facebook have been undermining the scope of the publishers' right it is clear that regulatory measures are needed, especially the final arbitration mechanism," said Mills Wade. "Otherwise the majority of publishers won't have the negotiating power to reach agreements."

Google has reached pay deals with more than 450 publications globally since it launched News Showcase in October.

Google has been striking other news payment deals, including a multi-year agreement with tycoon Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

Mills Wade welcomed that deal, saying it shows Google puts "enormous value" on news content.

"However, regulators in Australia, but also in Europe, should not be misled into thinking that single deals, especially just before comprehensive laws come into effect, are the answer to ensuring the fair remuneration due to all publishers large and small, whose content is used by Google," she said.

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A single unregistered ticket bought in Queensland has won the entire $50 million Powerball jackpot tonight.

The mystery entry was the only division one winner.

Officials at the Lott are not yet revealing where in the state the ticket was purchased but urging all Queenslanders "to check their ticket and make contact to claim their prize".

The winning numbers of Thursday night's draw were 13, 25, 30, 3, 19, 16 and 22. The Powerball was 10.

READ MORE: Queensland tradie will keep on working after winning $10 million Powerball

There were 1,770,963 additional wins across divisions two to nine in tonight's draw who collectively took home more than $32.19 million, the Lott said.

The Lott spokesperson Matt Hart said officials were eagerly waiting to speak to Australia's newest multi-millionaire.

"Someone has become an overnight multi-millionaire but possibly doesn't know it yet. We can't wait for them to discover this incredible news," he said.

READ MORE: South Australian man makes a quick million from idle Lotto ticket

"Just imagine how $50 million might change your life and the lives of your nearest and dearest."

Winners can contact officials on 131 868 to begin the prize claim process.

Last year, 14 Powerball division one winners across Australia pocketed more than $470.1 million in prize money.

In 2020, Powerball twice offered an $80 million jackpot – the biggest prize offered by any Australian lottery game during the year.

Of the 14 Powerball division one winning entries in 2020, six were in Queensland, five in New South Wales and three in Victoria.

READ MORE: A nurse who works with COVID-19 patients just won a $1 million lottery jackpot

A Gold Coast mum has been involved in a terrifying road rage encounter while on the school run with her two young children.

The woman, from Kirra, was driving on the M1 yesterday morning when she claims another woman in a black Mazda became enraged she was driving too slowly.

Her child filmed the Mazda swerving across lanes of traffic to cut them off, hurling abuse and throwing things at the car.

READ MORE: Man charged after driver crushed in alleged road rage incident

The woman said she was almost run off the road and was forced to come to a complete stop on the busy motorway.

She said the incident unfolded over a 15 kilometre stretch.

A western Sydney father-of-seven has become the first person in the country to receive a donor kidney that was "revived" before implant.

This time last year Folio Emilio was on dialysis, taking over the job of his failing kidneys to keep him alive. It's a process the 64-year-old endured for seven years.

"The suffering that I've been through… in those seven years," Mr Emilio told 9News.

Then the Auburn grandfather's wait for a kidney transplant came through. But it was no ordinary procedure.

The transplant involved the use of this perfusion machine, tasked with reviving donated kidneys.

"For me, this is the first major change in 25 years," Westmead Hospital Senior Transplant Surgeon Dr Henry Pleass told 9News.

"You can take a kidney that looks damaged, purpled and mottled and you put it on the machine and within minutes it looks like a perfect, healthy pink kidney."

The machine pumps blood and oxygen through the kidney at body temperature one hour before it's transplanted in the operating theatre.

Two patients have so far benefited from the technology.

"Both kidneys have worked straight away, which we're excited about," Dr Pleass said.

Westmead researchers spent three to four years investigating its use.

"We are still conducting a number of studies that allows us to understand some of the mechanisms as to why it's improving the function of the organ," Westmead Institute of Medical Research Dr Natasha Rogers told 9News.

More than 800 Australians each year receive a transplant due to kidney failure often caused by disease such as diabetes. It's hoped this new approach can improve patient outcomes.

"We hope it improves the long-term function of the kidney as well as possibly increase the number of kidney transplants," Dr Pleass said.

The editors of Australia's most popular satirical news site, The Betoota Advocate, say they are "back to earning peanuts" after their page momentarily became one of today's casualties in Facebook's shock ban on Australian news.

When Facebook began to block all Australian news sites, it also blocked a number of state health pages, the Bureau of Meteorology, domestic violence services, and satirical news pages like Betoota and The Chaser.

After the Betoota Advocate Facebook page was blocked to its audience of some 800,000 people, editors Clancy Overell and Errol Parker told nine.com.au they found themselves in a tricky situation.

READ MORE: How to follow 9News on digital and social media platforms

What was your reaction to the shut down?

"We got turned off and then turned back on again so it did get scary there for a moment," Mr Overell told nine.com.au.

"We thought we'd really have to lean our other social channels, but thankfully, by the grace of God, Facebook decided to let us get through the gates."

Despite the shock announcement, the editors of the Betoota Advocate had no trouble maintaining a sense of humour.

https://twitter.com/BetootaAdvocate/status/1362175409945604096

"When we did get turned back on, we thought that the late Kerry Packer was right in saying that social media and the internet is indeed just a passing fad," Mr Parker said.

"We were looking forward to going back to the old days of journalism, big days, company card, big lunches, long lunch breaks … But by a twist of cruel fate we've gone back to bloody writing online earning peanuts."

Did today's shutdown blur the lines of what is considered news?

"When the Bureau of Meterology got shut down that definitely blurs some lines about what is and isn't news," Mr Overell said.

"I thought when the BoM had their Facebook page closed down it was because of all the fake weather reports they've been doing.

READ MORE: Emergency Facebook pages returning after 'inadvertent' bans

https://twitter.com/BetootaAdvocate/status/1362279752103391233

"I hopped off my jet plane here in Sydney and they'd said no rain and it's bloody pissing down."

"Not to mention all this alarmist climate change nonsense, maybe the Bureau deserves to be closed down."

How important is social media in public interest journalism?

Mr Overell said while social media is an important part of their platform, they are confident news sites don't rely solely on Facebook to share their news.

"Social media does help because for whatever weird thing a journalist pulls out, it could be a kitten water skiing, social media is where you will find people who are interested in that. You're not going to get them through the traditional channels."

"As for the election results and the footy results, we have tried and true media (like) nightly news and papers, which people go to."

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has broken down in the Senate and was unable to continue as questions continue to swirl over the Federal Government's response to Brittany Higgins' alleged rape.

Ms Higgins, a former Liberal staffer, alleged she was raped by a male staffer in Ms Reynolds' ministerial office in the early hours of March 23, 2019.

Ms Reynolds was Defence Industry Minister at the time of the alleged sexual assault.

During Question Time in the Senate today, the Western Australian Senator became emotional as she said she was deeply sorry Ms Higgins didn't feel supported.

At one point she became so overcome with emotion she was unable to respond to questions unrelated to the alleged incident.

"If I… could ask, Mr President," she said before taking a moment.

"If I could have indulgence to answer this on Monday? I think I'd be in a better position to answer this one Monday.

"If… can you just give me a minute. Or can I take it on notice?"

It was revealed yesterday a steam-cleaning of Ms Reynolds' office was ordered by the Department of Finance in the hours after Ms Higgins' alleged rape.

The incident, first reported by news.com.au, has been confirmed by 9News but conflicting statements have been given by two departments.

Today, the Australian Federal Police released a statement confirming a senior member of the AFP met with Ms Reynolds and her chief-of-staff on 4 April 2019 in relation to Ms Higgins' allegations.

"The AFP has engaged with the Department of Parliamentary Services and Presiding Officers a number of times," the statement said.

"The matter is an open investigation and further commentary could be prejudicial. The AFP will not be making further comment on this matter."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison today used Question Time to respond to comments made by Ms Higgins yesterday in which she accused him of victim blaming.

"I'm very sorry she feels that way Mr Speaker. She must be under tremendous stress," Mr Morrison said.

"She has shown great bravery. I have been listening to what she has been saying and Mr Speaker, I am seeking to put in place arrangements whether it is the support of staff who are here in this building here and now, and will be feeling, I think, increasingly fragile or vulnerable because of the nature of these events that have arisen this week."