Different kind of identify crisis faced in secretly shot film

The latest film from Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi (The White Balloon, Offside, This Is Not a Film) is both morally serious — its political message made even more urgent by the arrest last weekend of the project’s co-screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian — and darkly, unexpectedly funny.

Judge grants Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss a preliminary injunction for extra eligibility

PITTSBORO, Miss. (AP) — In saying “the NCAA ignored its own rules,” a Mississippi judge granted Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss a preliminary injunction Thursday against college athletics' governing body, allowing him to receive an extra year of eligibility so he can play next season.

The NCAA denied Chambliss' waiver request Jan. 9, and after Chambliss appealed, the organization's Athletics Eligibility Subcommittee upheld the denial on Feb. 4.

Judge Robert Whitwell took about 90 minutes to explain his decision that he agreed with Chambliss' argument that the player's medical history was not properly considered by the NCAA. The 23-year-old Chambliss has been in college for five years, but was healthy enough to play just three years.

Chambliss began his college career at Ferris State in 2021, redshirted his first season and did not play in 2022 because of medical reasons.

Minnesota revises Fleck’s contract with new $700K annual bonus, ranking him 10th in Big Ten at $7.9M

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota revised coach P.J. Fleck's contract to include an annual raise and additional incentives, a move approved by the university's board of regents on Thursday.

Fleck, who is entering his 10th season with the Gophers, will get a $700,000 management bonus on top of his existing $6 million salary and $1.2 million retention bonus to bring his total compensation for 2026 to $7.9 million. That ranks 10th among head coaches in the 18-team Big Ten, according to the university.

The annual retention bonus increases by $100,000 annually over his current deal, which was extended last year through the 2030 season.

The contract adjustment also gives Fleck more favorable incentives, with $150,000 for winning five conference games, $300,000 for winning six, and $750,000 for winning seven or more. Those amounts are not cumulative. Previously, he would have earned $100,000 for winning eight Big Ten games and $100,000 for winning nine.

Alberta’s Smith says she hasn’t signed separatist petition, or any other

CALGARY - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she has not signed a petition currently gathering signatures for a referendum to pull the province out of Confederation.

Smith says she hasn't signed any petitions because the process is meant to be driven by citizens.

The push for a vote on Alberta becoming its own country is now in its second month of collecting signatures, and the group behind it, Stay Free Alberta, has until May to get nearly 178,000 signatures.

Smith has long said she supports a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, but that she believes in direct democracy.

Police in B.C. investigate four pedestrians struck in separate crashes

Police in three B.C. communities are investigating four vehicle crashes involving pedestrians in the last week.

Two women were killed in separate accidents in Surrey, about 13 hours apart.

An 81-year-old woman died Wednesday night, while a 45-year-old woman was killed in a crash at around 7:30 Thursday morning. 

Police in Surrey say both drivers remained at the scene, but in North Vancouver Mounties are looking for the driver in a hit and run collision involving a person in wheelchair on Feb. 5

Alberta’s premier announces $143M for extra staff to tackle complex classrooms

CALGARY - Alberta’s government is spending $143 million to dispatch about 1,400 extra teachers and educational assistants to support students in strained elementary school classrooms across the province.

The bulk of new staff is meant for schools in Edmonton and Calgary to provide in-class help, where Premier Danielle Smith's government says the latest data indicates the greatest need.

The move is part of a broader pledge and is made to hire 3,000 new teachers and 1,500 educational assistants over the next three years. 

In October, the government invoked the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to end a provincewide teachers strike and imposed a pay deal teachers previously rejected.

No. 11 Tar Heels lose freshman star Caleb Wilson to hand fracture; timetable for return unclear

Caleb Wilson has powered No. 11 North Carolina all year. The Tar Heels will now have to figure out how to play without their freshman star.

The team said Thursday that the high-end NBA prospect had suffered a fracture in his left hand, an announcement coming two days after the 11th-ranked Tar Heels' loss at Miami. It's unclear exactly how long he'll be out, but it's potentially a huge blow for UNC coming roughly a month from Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament.

“I am grateful for whatever God is trying to tell me through this injury!!!” Wilson wrote in a social media post on Thursday attached to the injury announcement. “I will be back Tarheel Nation... I LOVE THIS TEAM AND PROGRAM #StayTuned”

The lean 6-foot-10 forward leading the team in scoring (19.8) and rebounding (9.4) was injured in the first half at Miami. Team spokesman Steve Kirschner said the injury happened as Wilson closed out on Noam Dovrat's 3-pointer from the top, with Dovrat hitting the shot while being fouled at the 5:34 mark and both players falling to the court.

Fact File: No evidence of trans shooter ‘epidemic’ in Canada, U.S.

Social media posts claiming a "pattern" or "epidemic" of transgender mass shooters spread online after a fatal shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., this week. Transgender people do not disproportionately commit mass shootings, and in fact represent one per cent or less of all shootings, according to two U.S. databases. Statistics Canada does not track the gender identity of people accused or charged in gun-related crime, but there is no indication any of Canada's previous mass shooters identified as transgender or non-binary.

THE CLAIM

A mass shooting that devastated the small British Columbia community of Tumbler Ridge sparked a false online narrative about an "epidemic" of transgender mass shooters and their supposed overrepresentation as perpetrators of violent crime. 

During a press conference Wednesday, B.C. RCMP said the shooter, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, was assigned male at birth but began transitioning about six years ago and identified as female "both socially and publicly." 

Officer cleared in fatal northern Ontario court shooting, but SIU questions response

Ontario's police watchdog says no criminal charges will be laid against a provincial police officer who fatally shot a man inside a courtroom in a remote part of northern Ontario last year.

But the director of the Special Investigations Unit says there is evidence to suggest the officer "unnecessarily delayed in rendering first aid" to the man, and the matter will be referred to the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency.

The SIU says the police officer shot the 23-year-old man inside a makeshift courtroom at a youth centre in Wapekeka First Nation on July 31, 2025.

The watchdog says the man advanced toward the officer with a knife when the officer fired his gun to defend himself from a "reasonably apprehended" attack.

Former Winnipeg mayor questioned about money received from contractor

WINNIPEG - Former Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz faced questions at a public inquiry Thursday about money he received from a contractor leading a major construction project that ran over budget.

The inquiry is examining the city's development of the headquarters for the Winnipeg Police Service, which ran more than $70 million over its $135-million budget by the time it was completed in 2016.

Caspian Construction had been awarded the project in 2011, and at around the same time, companies owned by Katz and the city's chief administrative officer, Phil Sheegl, received $327,000 from a Caspian executive.

Sheegl and Katz have said the money was for an unrelated land transaction in Arizona, where they sold their interests in a property to the executive.

Man arrested after hucking jerky, shouting Bible verses in front of school: police

EDSON - Mounties in Alberta say charges have been laid against a man who they say showed up at a school and started hucking jerky and slinging bible verses.

RCMP say officers from Edson, west of Edmonton, were called about a man reportedly acting strangely.

They say the man was seen throwing beef jerky and yelling bible verses at students.

Investigators allege when the principal approached, the man pulled out a cap gun and fired three shots in their direction before leaving in a car.

Scotland faces England in Six Nations with no Edinburgh starter for the first time since 1998

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Scotland's lineup against England in the Six Nations this weekend does not feature a starter from the Edinburgh club for the first time in 28 years.

At least one Edinburgh player started in Scotland's last 303 tests since 1998, according to Scottish stats provider Kevin Millar on Thursday.

Scotland has only two professional clubs: Glasgow, which leads the United Rugby Championship, and Edinburgh, which is 13th in the 16-team standings.

There are 10 Glasgow starters (plus four in the reserves) for the game at Murrayfield on Saturday. The others are based in England and France. Edinburgh has two on the bench.

Ontario lifting post-secondary tuition freeze, boosting funding

TORONTO - Ontario is giving colleges and universities a multi-billion-dollar funding boost, while also lifting a seven-year tuition fee freeze in order to address severe financial strain critics say is at least partly of the provincial government's own making.

Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn also announced Thursday that the government will cut back on the amount of financial assistance grants for students, leaning more heavily on loans, which students called a double whammy when combined with higher tuition.

Quinn's announcement of an additional $6.4 billion for the post-secondary sector over four years comes after a funding formula review and a strong push from colleges and universities. 

"If we want Ontario to have a competitive workforce tomorrow, we need to strengthen our post-secondary institutions today, and that's exactly what our government is doing," Quinn said. 

New face for France as center Brau-Boirie set for test debut vs. Wales in Six Nations

PARIS (AP) — Fabien Brau-Boirie will make his test debut at center for defending champion France against struggling Wales in the Six Nations on Sunday.

The 20-year-old lines up in midfield with his Pau clubmate Émilien Gailleton. They have helped Pau into second place in the French Top 14.

“Brau-Boirie has been with us for over a year. He performed well with the under-20s, trained with the French national team last year, and was also supposed to travel with us to New Zealand (last July) but injured his ankle,” France coach Fabien Galthié said. “He’s a very young player but he’s a regular for his club every weekend and has earned a place.”

Gailleton wins his 12th cap and their selection together comes after Nicolas Depoortère (calf), Kalvin Gourgues (ankle) and Yoram Moefana (knee) were injured in the 36-14 win against Ireland last Thursday. Uncapped Stade Francais center Noah Nene, 21, was in the reserves.

Roch Cholowsky embraces his status as projected No. 1 MLB draft pick and undisputed leader of UCLA

He's been called the best shortstop to come through college baseball in at least two decades. He's the centerpiece of a loaded UCLA team that has all the makings of a team capable of winning the national championship. He's long been projected to be the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball amateur draft in July.

Roch Cholowsky embraces all of it.

“I enjoy expectations. I enjoy trying to go after something,” Cholowsky said in an interview with The Associated Press. “The main goal obviously is what we’re doing with the guys here at school.”

Cholowsky, named 2025 national player of the year by multiple outlets, begins his third season with the Bruins on Friday when they open at home against UC San Diego. He'll be the most-watched college player in the country the next four months as he tries to lead the Bruins back to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.