About a dozen Palestinian households in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra have been ordered to leave their homes during an Israeli military operation to remove Israeli settlers who had been besieging Palestinian families.

The settlers had surrounded three Palestinian homes since Sunday, cutting off residents’ electricity and water supplies.

The Israeli military said the operation was intended to “protect the residents”.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer described the settlers’ actions as “deplorable” and “unacceptable”, saying authorities would investigate, arrest and prosecute those responsible.

The confrontation began on Sunday when Israeli settlers blocked access roads leading to the families’ homes and cut off their water and electricity.

The first Israeli soldiers to arrive at the scene reportedly prayed alongside the settlers. The Israeli military later said the soldiers involved would face disciplinary action.

The affected families appealed for help on social media after their utilities were cut off.

On Wednesday, an attempt by Israeli security forces to remove the settlers resulted in confrontations involving a larger group.

The incident comes amid a wider increase in violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians and rights groups have accused settlers of using intimidation and attacks to force Palestinians from their land.

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this interpretation.

Four Canadian ice hockey players acquitted of sexual assault have been suspended from representing Canada internationally after an independent appeals board ruled they breached Hockey Canada’s code of conduct.

The board recommended that four of the five players involved — Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Carter Hart — remain suspended from Hockey Canada-sanctioned programmes.

The fifth player, Alex Formenton, was also found to have breached the organisation’s conduct rules but will be reinstated immediately.

The five former members of Canada’s under-20 junior hockey team were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel room in London, Ontario, in 2018. They were acquitted in July 2025.

The Hockey Canada ruling does not prevent any of the players from competing in the National Hockey League (NHL), which operates independently of Hockey Canada.

All five were permitted by the NHL to sign contracts with league teams late last year after the league conducted its own investigation into the incident.

While Formenton is eligible for immediate reinstatement by Hockey Canada, the other four players will have to wait varying periods before they can return to international competition.

Foote will become eligible on 10 November this year, while Hart and Dube will be eligible on 10 November 2027 and 10 November 2028 respectively. McLeod’s suspension runs until 10 November 2030.

Officials did not explain why the reinstatement dates differ between the players.

The five men had been accused of assaulting a woman, identified in court as EM, after meeting her at a bar while attending a gala in London in 2018.

The case centred on whether EM, who was 20 at the time, had consented to all of the sexual activity that took place in the hotel room.

The court heard that EM had consensual sex with McLeod before other players entered the room and engaged in further sexual acts with her.

The players’ lawyers argued that EM had asked the men to have sex with her and that they believed she had consented.

Justice Maria Carroccia acquitted all five players in July 2025, saying she did not find EM’s evidence “credible or reliable”.

The latest Hockey Canada ruling is separate from the criminal court decision and concerns the players’ eligibility under the organisation’s own code of conduct.

Rescue teams in Colombia are racing to free survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake killed at least 181 people.

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck at 07:34 local time (12:34 GMT) on Monday and was felt across a vast area of western Colombia. Aftershocks continued to be felt on Tuesday as emergency crews searched through damaged buildings and rubble.

The official death toll stands at 181, although figures compiled from local officials suggest the number of deaths could be higher, potentially exceeding 240.

President Abelardo de la Espriella has declared a state of emergency.

Speaking from Pereira, one of the worst-hit cities, President Espriella said almost 2,600 people had been injured and nearly 200 remained missing.

More than 1,100 homes were destroyed and another 8,000 were damaged, he added.

Many residents in Pereira and Cali spent Monday night outdoors after their homes were destroyed or because they feared further buildings could collapse.

Dozens of larger buildings across the country have also been destroyed or seriously damaged.

Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said on Tuesday that 239 people remained trapped in the city, while 949 had been injured. He said 45 buildings had either completely or partially collapsed.

Parts of a hospital in Cali, including several upper floors used for paediatric care, also collapsed, leaving some patients trapped inside.

In the Calima neighbourhood in northern Cali, four children were killed when part of the Gimnasio Calima school collapsed.

Municipal mayor Antonio Cadavid said other children suffered serious injuries, with 30 children taken to medical centres for treatment.

Rescue operations are continuing as emergency workers search damaged buildings for people who may still be trapped.