Australia news LIVE: Israeli president Herzog to arrive in Canberra today; Angus Taylor allies plotting to quit Ley’s frontbench ahead of leadership challenge

Israeli president Isaac Herzog is set to arrive in Canberra today, with his arrival expected to be met with further protests.

ACT Policing have deployed additional officers in preparation for demonstrations in and around the Parliamentary Triangle near Parliament House today.

It follows eruptions of violent clashes between police and protesters at a Sydney demonstration at Town Hall on Monday night.

The prime minister invited Herzog to the country after 15 people were killed in a terrorist attack at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah event on 14 December.

This decision has sparked mass protests in major cities around the country.

Allies of Liberal MP Angus Taylor are plotting to resign as a group from Sussan Ley’s frontbench, as backers of the besieged opposition leader demand conservatives put their names to the revolt.

Taylor is expected to begin the process of a leadership spill today by quitting the shadow cabinet.

MPs yesterday were calling on Taylor to declare his hand. Influential right-wing Liberal MP Jonno Duniam said that Taylor must “make clear” his position.

After Taylor’s resignation, two of his supporters are expected to request a special party room meeting for Friday. He would be freed from shadow cabinet discipline to call colleagues and explicitly ask for their support.

Good morning and welcome to our national news live blog for Wednesday, February 11. My name is Emily Kaine, and I’ll be helming our coverage this morning. Here’s what is making headlines today.

• Pro-Palestine demonstrators returned to Sydney streets last night to protest against police conduct during Monday night’s Town Hall demonstration. The protesters gathered in Harmony Park next to Sydney Police Centre in Surry Hills, and dispersed peacefully at around 8pm.
• Israeli president Isaac Herzog is set to arrive in Canberra today and is expected to be met with further protests, as ACT Policing prepare for demonstrations in and around the Parliamentary Triangle near Parliament House.

• Allies of Liberal MP Angus Taylor are plotting to resign as a group from Sussan Ley’s frontbench, as backers of the besieged opposition leader demand conservatives put their names to the revolt. Taylor is expected to begin the process of a leadership spill today by quitting the shadow cabinet.

• The FBI has released video and images of a masked intruder appearing to tamper with a surveillance camera at Nancy Guthrie’s home early on the morning of her disappearance, providing significant new evidence in a mystery that has gripped the nation and the world. Guthrie is the mother of US Today show host Savannah Guthrie, who was born in Melbourne. Nancy Guthrie was last seen on January 31.

• US President Donald Trump told Palm Beach police in 2006 that “everyone” knew about Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors, and called Epstein’s close friend Ghislaine Maxwell “evil”, according to investigation records made public in the so-called Epstein files. The revelations stem from a report that documents a 2019 FBI interview with former Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter, who recounted his recollection of a conversation with Trump in 2006 when charges against Epstein became public.

Follow along as we bring you the latest live news updates from Australia and beyond throughout the day.