Here's a look at what's happened on Columbia University's campus overnight.

After some students were suspended from the New York university, pro-Palestine protesters smashed their way into Hamilton Hall and barricaded themselves inside.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University took over a campus building at the New York university early Tuesday.

The school administration has urged students and staff to stay away from campus for the day.

Image source, Getty Images

Pro-Palestinian campus protests have continued throughout the evening across leading US universities.

At Columbia University in New York, the protests escalated after demonstrators occupied an academic building called Hamilton Hall, barricading themselves inside.

They said they did so in honour of Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl found dead in Gaza earlier this year.

Columbia has urged students and staff to stay away from campus on Tuesday. It began suspending student protestors who defied a deadline of 14:00 EST on Monday to leave their two-week encampment, though dozens of students remain at the site.

Elsewhere in the country, dozens of protestors at the University of Texas at Austin were arrested.

At Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, students said police used tear gas and pepper spray against their gathering on Monday.

And a rare deal was struck with protestors and officials at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, north of Chicago, who had been camped out for days.

Under the deal, the university said it would permit "peaceful demonstrations", provided the encampment was limited to a single tent.

We're resuming our live coverage of the widespread protests taking place at college campuses across the US.

The demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war this month have sparked student arrests and suspensions.

Some students are demanding that their schools, many with massive endowments, financially divest from Israel, which essentially means severing financial ties with the country.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest developments.

We're pausing our live coverage of what has been another tumultuous day across several US college campuses.

Let's take a quick look at what happened:

• Protesters at Columbia University in New York were given a 14:00 EST (1800 BST) deadline to clear their encampment
• When that passed, the school began suspending students
• Student leaders at Columbia, however, have remained defiant and vowed to remain in place
• The school's president, Dr Minouche Shafik, is facing growing calls to step down over her handling of the protests

• At the University of Texas - Austin, police equipped with riot gear moved to clear the encampment and began to make arrests
• Police have not said how many people were taken into custody
• Other arrests were reportedly made at the University of Georgia, bringing the total to hundreds over the last several days across the US.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter

A Texas-based photojournalist has been charged with assault for an altercation which took place at the University of Texas - Austin during protests there last week.

Carlos Sanchez, 43, is now facing charges of assault on a peace officer - a felony.

According to Texas authorities, Sanchez lunged towards a police officer and struck him with his camera.

Video of the incident shared online shows Sanchez appearing to run into the officer before being taken to the ground by another police officer at the scene.

"They said that I hit an officer. I didn't hit an officer," he says in one video. "They were pushing me."

"I was just covering things," he added. "I told them I was press."

More than 50 people were arrested at UT - Austin during protests there last week.

More arrests have followed today, although the number of people taken into detention remains unclear.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

At Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, school administrators have offered to hear "arguments from divestment" in May in exchange for an end to the campuses' protest encampment "within the next few days".

Like students at many other US universities, protesters at Brown are calling for the institution to cut any financial ties with entities they see as linked to Israel's war effort in Gaza.

In a letter to protesting students sent on Monday, Brown president Christina Paxton said she is offering "a path forward to resolve the unauthorised activity that continues to disrupt the university community".

If the encampment is ended and "not replaced with any other encampments or unauthorised protest activity", Paxton vowed that five students would be invited to hold talks with members of the Corporation of Brown University in which they would be able to make their arguments for divestment.

Brown's "Divest Coalition" told CNN that the offer is being taken "seriously" by the encampment's organisers.

Nomia Iqbal
Reporting from Columbia University

Mahmoud Khalil, one of the students negotiating on behalf of the protest encampment, believes it is "highly probable" that police will again be called in.

"The students are here," he said. "They are holding their ground."

Khalil, a Palestinian refugee who grew up in Syria, said talks with Columbia failed because the school "is refusing to acknowledge" the protest movement.

While Khalil says that demonstrators have "compromised" and shifted their demands to only include divestment from "weapons manufacturers" and entities directly tied to the war in Gaza, he faulted Columbia for failing to provide "any assurances".

He added that the students are prepared to remain in the encampment for a long time.

"My family lived in tents for over 20 years," he said. "This is nothing compared to what the people of Gaza are now facing."

When asked about potential disruptions to graduation ceremonies in May, Khalil said that "it's in the university's hands" to determine what happens.

Regan Morris
Reporting from UCLA

A screen has been set up at UCLA in Los Angeles, which shows video from the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

An anonymous group raised money to pay for the screen and erect it, according to a volunteer who helped set it up.

The screams and cries and gun shots from October 7 videos are quite intense and loud.

Nathan, one of the volunteers who helped set up the screen, tells me it was made to show students what October 7 was like for Israelis.

It's approximately 100 feet away from the pro-Palestinian encampment at the university.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining our live coverage, here's what's happened so far today:

• Students protesting at Columbia University in New York were given a 14:00 EST (1800 BST) deadline to leave the protest on campus or face interim suspensions
• As the deadline came and passed, students remained on campus
• Columbia officials confirmed they started to suspend students who defied the order
• Striking images started appearing from the University of Texas at Austin where, for the second time in the past week, police entered the campus to arrest student protesters
• It's unclear exactly how many students in Austin have been arrested, but videos from the scene show tense physical altercations

Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter

Ben Chang, Columbia's vice president of public affairs, has confirmed that Columbia has begun suspending students.

The number of suspensions is unclear.

The university had set a 14:00 deadline for protesters to leave the encampment.

Students who are suspended will have access restricted to university buildings, including dormitories and academic buildings, Chang added.

The move, Chang said, is being conducted partly to avoid any disruption to upcoming graduation and commencement ceremonies.

Stay with us for more updates.

We are now hearing from Columbia University official Ben Chang, the vice president of public affairs.

Chang is addressing media about the campus protests.

He starts by saying it will be a "robust breifing".

We are about to hear from Columbia University officials, after they set a 14:00 (local time) deadline for protesters to leave the encampment.

You will be able to watch the briefing live by pressing the play button at the top of this page.

On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has warned that "no encampments will be allowed".

"Instead, arrests are being made," he added.

His tweet came along with a video local reporter Toby Plohetski showing police clad in riot gear entering the area.

It is unclear how many people have been taken into custody.

The BBC has contacted the University of Texas Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety for comment.

The University of Texas at Austin (UT) says it has dismantled an encampment and several protesters have been arrested.

In a statement, UT says protesters “ignored” directions to remove tents and “physically engaged with and verbally assaulted Dean of Students staff who attempted to confiscate them”.

The statement added that “baseball size rocks” were found within the encampment and the “majority of protesters are believed to be unaffiliated with the university”.

The university says it received “extensive online threats” from a group organising today’s protests on Saturday, which have been reported to “local, state and federal law-enforcement”.

Civil rights groups have criticised police violence at campuses including the University of Texas at Austin, where police in riot gear and on horseback moved against the protesters last week, taking dozens into custody before charges against them were dropped for lacking probable cause.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
US Reporter

New York Republican Elise Stefanik has criticised Columbia University's handling of today's deadline, accusing it of "weak leadership" for not clamping down on the demonstrations.

In a statement posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Stefanik - the fourth-ranking House Republican - said the university's 14:00 deadline has "come and gone".

"The world is watching as you continue to fail your Jewish students," she said.

Columbia's administration has come under withering criticism from both sides of the political spectrum for their handling of the protests.

On Monday, 21 Democratic members of Congress signed a letter urging Columbia's trustees to "disband the encampment" and do more to protect Jewish students.

Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Columbia President Minouche Shafik to step down over her handling of the protests.

A large presence of police officers in riot gear are currently at the University of Texas at Austin.

At one point, a person says "let them go" as officers appear to remove umbrellas from some seated protesters.

Another part of the video shows protesters call out, "There's no riot here, why are you in riot gear?".

Elsewhere, arrests were made today at the University of Georgia.

The school said in a statement that approximately 25 protesters began erecting tents and a barricade this morning.

The encampment "crossed a line", it said, adding: "After multiple warnings that they would be arrested for trespass if they did not comply with our policies, at 8:30 am, UGA Police were left with no choice but to arrest those who refused to comply.

"Any students, faculty or staff members arrested could also face further disciplinary action by the University."

Alexander Lederman
Reporting from Columbia University

Image source, Getty Images

Some staff members from Barnard College, an affiliate of Columbia University, have joined the protesters as a “precautionary measure”.

Saima Akhtar, a staff member at Barnard College, told me that staff heard about the deadline and understood the administration had not been able to reach “final negotiations” with the students.

“We’re just trying to be here as a precautionary measure,” she said, adding that “we’re waiting to see what happens”.

She said the students want “to be heard” and "they have a right to protest”.

“They have a right to stand up for what they believe is an important issue. And we’ll see how the higher ups respond to their right to free expression.”

"It’s been impressive to see this kind of student mobilisation."