WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Kaba murder trial, Ireland's election, and how Russian oil bosses keep dying

 
today's uk news story

Court finds Met officer not guilty of murdering Kaba

What happened
Metropolitan Police Sergeant Martyn Blake has been cleared of murdering an unarmed suspect that he shot in the head in south London two years ago. Blake fired a single shot from his semi-automatic gun in September 2022 when he feared Chris Kaba was going to ram his way out of a police vehicle stop on a residential street in Streatham.

During the trial Blake said he never wanted to kill Kaba, but that he had intended to incapacitate him in line with his training.

Reacting to yesterday's verdict, more than 100 people gathered outside the Old Bailey last night chanting "Say his name – Chris Kaba" and "No justice – no peace".

Who said what
The jury's unanimous decision has "fuelled police anger that Blake was ever put on trial", said The Guardian. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley called the system "broken" as his officer, who had never fired a shot before, walked free from the Old Bailey yesterday.

"With the benefit of dollops of hindsight and multiple camera angles" it's possible to "craft a view that Blake may have misjudged the situation", said Danny Shaw in The Spectator. But given that Blake didn't have either of those, the case "should not have cleared the bar for a prosecution".

Following the verdict, Kaba’s family released a statement saying it had been left with a "deep pain of injustice adding to the unbearable sorrow" and vowed that it "won't be silenced".

What next?
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it was imperative that the jury's decision in a "very difficult case" was respected. She said the government was committed to ensuring both that the police have the "confidence of the communities they serve" and officers "have the support and confidence they need to do the difficult job of keeping us safe".

 
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today's international story

Irish general election to be held this year

What happened
Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris has confirmed that Ireland's next general election will be called before Christmas, ending months of speculation about the timing of the poll, which technically does not have to take place until March next year.

Who said what
"There's going to be a general election this year," said Harris, who replaced Leo Varadkar as Fine Gael leader and taoiseach in April. 

Harris is likely to dissolve the Dáil, the Irish parliament, in the next two to three weeks "as he hopes to capitalise on a recent giveaway budget" as well as a "string of damaging controversies" that have lowered support for Sinn Féin, the main opposition party, said The Times.

What next?
According to a recent poll conducted by The Sunday Times and Opinions, Harris is on course to lead his Fine Gael party to a historic fourth term in government.

 
 
Today's sport story

Footballers petition Fifa to dump Saudi sponsorship

What happened
More than 100 professional women's footballers from 24 countries have signed an open letter urging Fifa to end a deal with Aramco that gives the Saudi Arabian state-owned oil giant the sponsorship rights for the 2026 Men's World Cup and the 2027 Women's World Cup.

Who said what
Manchester City striker Vivianne Miedema (pictured above) and Canada's captain Jessie Fleming are among the signatories to the letter, which calls the partnership a "punch in the stomach" to football.

Miedema told BBC Sport: "I think as footballers, and especially as women's footballers, we carry the responsibility to show the world and the next generation what is right."

What next?
Saudi Arabia's growing involvement in global sports, including football, golf and Formula One, has led to accusations that the country is "sportswashing" its poor human rights record.

Miedema warned that if Aramco remained a sponsor for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, players could consider further action.

 
 

It's not all bad

Egypt has been certified as malaria-free by the World Health Organization, marking the end of a century-long battle against the disease. Malaria, which has plagued the country since as far back as 4,000 BC, has been eradicated after three consecutive years of interrupted transmission. Egypt is now the second country in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region to have achieved this status. Health officials emphasise that maintaining rigorous surveillance and treatment will be crucial to ensuring that malaria does not return to Egypt.

 
 
under the radar

Why do Russian oil bosses keep dying?

Another prominent Russian businessman has died under mysterious circumstances after apparently falling out of a window, the latest in a string of similar unexpected deaths among Russian energy executives.

Mikhail Rogachev, the former vice-president of Yukos – once one of Russia's foremost oil and gas companies – was found dead at the entrance to his home in Moscow over the weekend. He was reportedly discovered by an employee of Russia's foreign intelligence agency, the SVR, with injuries characteristic of a fall.

There have been "numerous" unexplained deaths of prominent Russians since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, said Newsweek. Unusually for a Russian company, Lukoil (Russia's second-largest oil producer) publicly criticised the invasion. The company's board of directors expressed "its deepest concerns about the tragic events in Ukraine" in a statement.

In May 2022, former top Lukoil manager Alexander Subbotin died under "mysterious circumstances". Then in September of that year Ravil Maganov, the chairman of Lukoil, was found dead after falling from a hospital window in Moscow. "It's a rough year to be a high-profile Russian," said Vox back in 2022.

There have also been multiple mysterious deaths beyond Russia's oil and gas industry. Political assassinations "aren't exactly unusual in Russia", added Vox. "Assassination by purported suicide is virtually a category to itself."

"There's an old saying that anyone can commit a murder, but it takes brains to commit a suicide," said David Satter, a long-time Moscow correspondent and author of several books about Putin's Russia. "The version of suicide is for the irrelevant people who will simply accept it and move on without raising questions."

 
 
on this day

22 October 1962

In an address to the nation, US President John F. Kennedy declared the imposition of a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent the further development of Soviet nuclear missile bases on the island. This summer Russia sent four military vessels to its former Cold War ally, sparking fears of a Cuban Missile Crisis 2.0.

 
 
Today's newspapers

Several papers lead this morning on police officer Martyn Blake being cleared of the murder of Chris Kaba. The Mirror quotes Kaba's family as saying the verdict has left them suffering the "deep pain of injustice". The Telegraph hears from Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick, who says the decision to prosecute Blake was wrong and describes him as a "hero". The Daily Mail, meanwhile, says that a government assessment found planned workplace reforms could lead to more strikes and workplace disputes.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Play centre makes grave error

A children's soft play centre in Cirencester has apologised for its Halloween decorations after parents questioned a decision to hang up "body bags" resembling human corpses. Rugrats and Halfpints describes itself online as providing a "safe, clean and stimulating environment, with the emphasis on fun". But one mother told Sky News she did a "double take" when she spotted the decorations resembling bodies wrapped in black plastic, some with tape marked "caution" and "danger".

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden, Sorcha Bradley and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Peter Nicholls / Getty Images; Paul Faith / AFP / Getty Images; Robbie Jay Barratt / AMA / Getty Images.