Exclusive: DNA expert whose work led to Andrew Malkinson case breakthrough says job should be given to forensic scientists

Interns have been given the job of weeding out potential wrongful convictions for rape and murder in a major case review prompted by Andrew Malkinson’s exoneration, the Guardian can reveal.

The miscarriage of justice body the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) said last month that it would be re-examining cases it had refused to refer to the court of appeal to check for new DNA testing opportunities.

Party predicted to lose about half of the 1,000 seats it is defending in contest that could shape Rishi Sunak’s future

Voting has begun in local elections in England, where the Conservatives are braced for heavy losses that could destabilise Rishi Sunak’s premiership.

The elections, which cover more than 2,600 seats across 107 English councils, are seen as a key test of whether the Conservative party is as unpopular with voters as the polls suggest.

Police in California prepare to clear out more than 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters amid crackdown on student demonstrations across the US

• Full report: UCLA students in standoff with police
• Columbia faculty ‘horrified’ by mass arrests of protesters
• Explainer: Where are the US college campus protests and what is happening?

NYPD Deputy Commissioner, Kaz Daughtry, has confirmed that Fordham University was among a number of educational institutions which requested police assistance on campus to disperse protests.

He said that individuals who refused to disperse has been arrested without incident.

Your @NYPDnews officers continue to protect the right to peacefully protest, but lawlessness will not be tolerated. I commend the professionalism consistently displayed by our officers.

In light of the activities that are currently happening, we further request that you retain a presence on campus through at least May 22, 2024 (when commencement and diploma ceremonies are completed) to maintain order and ensure encampments are not reestablished.”

Ex-chancellor and Truss were close political allies and friends before he was sacked over a crisis stoked by the mini-budget

Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor of the exchequer for 43 of Liz Truss’s 49 days as British prime minister, has said Truss “essentially” sacked him “on Twitter”, a dismissal he called “kind of Trumpian” in its swiftness and brutality as Britain fell into crisis.

Kwarteng said: “One of the things that I feel bad about, among other things, was that she capitulated very quickly [to pressure to sack him]. So I came back and I was sacked, essentially on Twitter. So, kind of Trumpian.”

A senior Hamas official told AFP the group was looking to end the war but had reservations about the ceasefire plan

A senior Hamas official overnight has told the AFP news agency that at the moment the group’s response to the proposed truce deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar was “negative”, but that discussions were still under way.

The group’s aim remains an “end to this war”, Suhail al-Hindi told AFP. The group is understood to be seeking a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the ground in Gaza, with the proposal that there would then be a lengthy rebuilding programme for the territory during which it undertook not to rebuild any military facilities.

Israel’s leaders were under renewed pressure to allow more aid into Gaza on Wednesday after the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, told Benjamin Netanyahu to “accelerate and sustain improvements” seen during recent days in the amount of humanitarian assistance reaching the territory.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has met leaders in Israel and also the families of some of those held hostage in Gaza. He told the families to “keep the faith”, and said after meeting president Isaac Herzog “Even in these very difficult times we are determined to get a ceasefire that brings the hostages home – and to get it now. And the only reason that that wouldn’t be achieved is because of Hamas.”

Hamas has asked Egyptian and Qatari mediators to provide clarity on the terms of the latest ceasefire proposal being discussed as part of negotiations with Israel, an Egyptian official told Associated Press on Wednesday. The official said Hamas wants clear terms for the unconditional return of displaced people to the north of Gaza and to ensure that the second stage of the deal will include discussing the gradual and complete withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the entire Gaza Strip.

Jordan said some Israeli settlers attacked two of its aid convoys that were on the way to Gaza on Wednesday. It said the attack resulted in the dumping of some of their cargo, which included food, flour, and other necessities, in the streets. Honenu, an Israeli legal aid agency, reported that four men who had “blocked aid trucks going to Gaza” as they were passing near the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim were arrested by Israeli police.

The Hamas-led health ministry has issued updated casualty figures, claiming that at least 34,568 Palestinians have been killed and 77,765 wounded in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.

The University of California in Los Angeles was reeling on Wednesday following a late-night violent attack by counter-demonstrators on a pro-Palestinian protest encampment, as the state’s governor condemned a slow response from law enforcement to some of the worst violence seen since students across the US intensified their protests in support of Gaza.

Crackdowns on pro-Palestinian protests at US colleges spread on Wednesday after campus hotspots intensified overnight, leading to some violence and hundreds more arrests amid widespread controversy over universities calling in police and claims about “outside agitators” driving escalation.

Colombia’s president has announced that his government will sever diplomatic relations with Israel, in the latest escalation of a furious row between the countries over the war in Gaza. Addressing a May Day rally in Bogotá on Wednesday, Gustavo Petro again described Israel’s siege of Gaza as “genocide”. “Tomorrow [Thursday] diplomatic relations with the state of Israel will be severed … for having a government, for having a president that is genocidal,” Petro said.

Teenage boy died in attack by man armed with sword, while two police officers and two others were injured

A man has been charged with murder after a series of stabbings in Hainault on Tuesday that left a teenage boy dead.

Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, 36, was charged with the murder of Daniel Anjorin, 14. He will appear at Barkingside magistrates court on Thursday.

Exclusive: 2003 study was cited as evidence that risks of hepatitis C could not have been foreseen at the time

A study cited at the infected blood inquiry, as evidence that the devastating consequences of blood products contaminated with hepatitis could not have been foreseen, misrepresented the results of a trial in making its case, the Guardian can reveal.

Up to 6,520 people are believed to have been infected with hepatitis C through imported factor VIII blood products in the 1970s and 80s, while a further 26,800 are estimated to have been infected with the virus though blood transfusions. About 2,000 people are estimated to have died as a result.

Electric Light Orchestra leader Jeff Lynne announces death of ‘remarkable musician and friend’ who played everything from the Minimoog to the Clavinet

Richard Tandy, the keyboardist in Electric Light Orchestra who shaped much of the British rock band’s sound, has died aged 76.

His death was announced by the ELO leader Jeff Lynne, who wrote on social media: “He was a remarkable musician and friend and I’ll cherish the lifetime of memories we had together.” A cause of death was not given.

Exclusive: Revised proposals will allow employees to choose a zero-hour option, prompting fears of undue pressure from employers

Labour is facing criticism over plans for a loophole that would allow employees to work under zero-hours contracts, despite the party having pledged to ban them entirely.

Keir Starmer’s party is preparing to announce details of its promise to overhaul workers’ rights if it gets into power – a centrepiece of its early plans for government, but subject to fierce lobbying from businesses.

Postponements come hours after queueing fans were turned away from A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie gig on Wednesday evening

The troubled Co-op Live arena has postponed Olivia Rodrigo’s concerts as part of her Guts world tour because of a “technical issue”, hours after the last-minute cancellation of its opening concert for the third time.

Two hours after announcing that A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie would no longer be performing, the venue confirmed that Rodrigo’s concerts on 3 and 4 May had also been cancelled.