Your Monday briefing

The former leader of Scotland is arrested

Nicola Sturgeon, the former First Minister of Scotland, was arrested yesterday by police officers investigating the finances of the powerful Scottish National Party, which she led to her unexpected resignation in February. The news deepens the party’s crises and delivers another blow to its campaign for Scottish independence.

Scottish police said Sturgeon had been “released without charge pending further investigation”. (Police officers around the country can arrest people for questioning and then release them while investigations are ongoing.) Sturgeon quickly proclaimed her innocence: “I know beyond any doubt that I am, in fact, innocent of any wrongdoing.”

As part of the investigation, police had also arrested and released her husband, Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the party. Colin Beatty, the former treasurer. The investigation began in 2021 and examined the handling of approximately $750,000 in donations raised to campaign for a second independence vote.

It is now believed that Scottish authorities are investigating whether money has been diverted for another purpose, and why Sturgeon’s husband made a loan to the party.

Background: Sturgeon had led Scotland for over eight years before announcing she was stepping down. When she stepped down, she said she was exhausted and had become too polarizing to convince people to support independence.

Related: Boris Johnson, Britain’s former prime minister, abruptly resigned from parliament on Friday after learning of the findings of an investigation into parties he held during the Covid lockdown. Analysts say he now has almost no plausible path back to power — or voter favour.

Ukraine indicates that the counter-offensive has begun

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “counter-offensive and defensive actions are being taken in Ukraine”. It is the strongest confirmation yet that the long-awaited campaign has begun, after Ukraine launched several attacks last week.

Fighting raged in at least three parts of the frontline in Ukraine yesterday. The Ukrainian army claimed its first territorial gain: three small settlements in the eastern region of Donetsk. The claims could not immediately be independently verified and it was unclear whether Ukraine had succeeded in breaking through Russian lines.

Experts warn that Ukraine will suffer heavy losses in the fighting. Ukraine and Russia have both already claimed casualties, two US officials said. At least three German-made Leopard 2 tanks and eight US-made Bradley fighting vehicles were recently abandoned by Ukrainian forces or destroyed, according to videos and photos verified by The Times.

Context: The military operation, expected to be one of the largest in Europe since World War II, is in a phase of investigative attacks and feints.

Dam Collapse: Flooding has killed at least 14 people. Yesterday, Russian troops fired on a boat rescuing civilians from a flood, killing three people, local authorities said. Upstream, villagers face a slowly advancing disaster as the water level drops. “Everything dies,” said a 64-year-old woman in her garden.

Tensions following the impeachment of Trump

A flurry of violent rhetoric followed the federal indictment of Donald Trump last week. His allies have portrayed the charge as an act of war and have called for an uprising to defend him.

Other Republicans running for president are in a tough spot. They must now choose between delaying a system of law and order that their party has long upheld — or supporting Trump. Trump himself is on the defensive, throwing out both his indictments and his bid for the White House as part of a “final battle” with “corrupt” troops.

Many around the world saw the indictment as another sign of the country’s political mess. Some opted for silence in public and eye-rolling in private. Allies expressed concern that the episode hurt not only Trump, but the US itself, by showing that security secrets were not safe in their hands — and that the disorienting, partisan fever had yet to break.

Context: It is the first time a former US president has been charged by the federal government. The indictment accuses Trump of mishandling classified documents he kept upon leaving office and then obstructing efforts to recover them. But it is silent on one subject: Trump’s motive. We have annotated the documents for you.

Four children survived 40 days in the Colombian jungle after their plane crashed, killing their mother and two other adults. The country erupted in revelry when they were found in good health and in good spirits, officials said.

A top official praised the eldest, Lesly Mucutuy, who is 13: “It was thanks to her that the three little siblings were able to survive by her side, with her care, with her knowledge of the jungle.”

SPORTS NEWS FROM ATHLETICS

Analysis of Manchester City’s Champions League win: Rodri’s goal, the role of Phil Foden and how three months of perfection ended with one victory over Inter Milan.

The battle of the Champions League broadcasters: Rating from CBS, BT and beIN Sports coverage of Europe’s flagship football final.

How to watch football: Track runs and rotations. Meet the press. Set up a tape loop. Look up one row. See space and time. Think within the box. Don’t look at the ball.

ART AND IDEAS

Quiz: AI or Nuclear?

Many AI experts are warning about the technology or calling for regulation, just as others once did with the atomic bomb. But some argue that we should see AI as a resource, just as nuclear power can provide an alternative to fossil fuels.

To take stock of the deluge of comparisons, my colleagues Ian Prasad Philbrick and Tom Wright-Piersanti have created a quiz: Are these quotes about AI or about nuclear technology?

1. “We are drifting towards a catastrophe unlike any other.”

2. “The rise of _______ will be the best or worst thing that has ever happened to mankind. We don’t know which one yet.”

3. “If a major military power continues _______ development, a global arms race is virtually inevitable.”

A customizable, no-fry variety chorizo ​​taquitos.

What to watch

Aloners, a portrait of a South Korean call center worker, explores sadness and modern boredom.