Politics
Latest alleged Iranian regime official found in Canada wants his identity hidden TenX News
A suspected high-ranking Iranian official caught living in Canada appeared at his deportation hearing on Thursday as the regime he is accused of serving faced growing condemnation for killing protesters.
Before arriving in Canada, the Iranian citizen was a senior member of his government, according to the Canada Border Services Agency, which has asked the Immigration and Refugee Board to order his expulsion.
But as the deportation case was about to get underway, the alleged Iranian official asked the Refugee Board to ban news reporters from his hearing and to instead move the case behind closed doors.
Global News was not permitted to hear his lawyer argue for a secret hearing. The news outlet was only let into the hearing long enough to argue that the case should remain a matter of public record.
The IRB later banned reporters from publishing his name. No explanation for the decision was given. All “submissions, documents, or any other records in this proceeding” were also part of the ban.
The publicity-shy Iranian is the latest alleged top regime member to face a deportation hearing under a 2022 federal policy banning Tehran’s officials from the country.
Canadian officials say they have found more than two dozen others.
Iranian-Canadian activist Azam Jangravi said those who held “high-level” positions in the Islamic republic government “should be deported” and the cases should be open to the public.
The case is the first against an alleged Iranian official known to have come before the IRB since Iranians took to the streets in December in the country’s largest uprising since the 1979 revolution.
Forces loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reportedly killed thousands of demonstrators in an attempt to suppress the protests calling for the ouster of the Islamist government.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Iran’s violence against its own citizens “must end,” and that Ottawa was working on new sanctions. “Canada stands with the brave people of Iran, for as long as it takes.”
Those forced to flee Iran have long complained that high-ranking officials who helped keep Khamenei’s repressive government afloat have been turning up in Canada and treating it as a “safe haven.”
Videos that have made their way out of Iran show crowds chanting that members of the regime had sent their families to live here in safety. “Their child is in Canada, our child is in prison,” they shouted at one protest.
Canada barred “senior members” of the regime from the country more than three years ago, after a young woman, Mahsa Amini, was killed while in the custody of Iran’s religious police for publicly showing her hair.
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Since then, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has cancelled 236 visas of Iranian officials, and the CBSA has located 26 living in Canada who they allege merit deportation proceedings.
Just one deportation in more than three years of trying
But immigration enforcement officials have struggled to expel them, with only a single Iranian official sent back to his home country so far. In five cases, the IRB opted to let them remain in Canada.
Most of the hearings have been held in secrecy.
Only four of the officials have been publicly identified to date, including Seyed Salman Samani and Majid Iranmanesh, who were ordered out of Canada.
Elham Zandi left the country voluntarily, while Afshin Pirnoon, former director general of Iran’s roads ministry, was permitted to remain in Canada.
Global News has applied to open the remaining cases to public scrutiny, but the IRB has granted them confidentiality.
‘Tough talk and inaction’
Liberal MP Ali Ehsassi, who represents a Toronto riding with a large Iranian population, said “robust” government measures were deterring regime members from coming to Canada.
As for the government’s record of deporting just one regime member in more than three years of trying, he said officials were doing their best.
“These are difficult cases to pursue, as you can imagine. We do live in a country where there is a rule of law,” he said in an interview.
“There are various mechanisms in place. So it’s important that this is done responsibly.”
Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman said the government needed to do more.
“The Liberals talk tough, but their inaction has turned Canada into a safe harbour for senior officials of the Iranian regime with only one deportation in years to show for it,” she said.
“It’s pretty simple: expel regime agents so communities here in Canada can be safe.”
With the Iranian regime facing its most serious challenge since it came to power, Global News asked the CBSA whether it was taking additional precautions to prevent regime members from fleeing to Canada.
“Our strong response to suspected senior officials in the Iranian regime remains in place, and the CBSA continues to take action to stop them from seeking or finding safe haven in Canada,” a spokesperson said.
How Iran spreads terror, intimidates critics
A key source of instability in the Middle East, Iran trains, arms and finances Hamas, Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias and Yemen’s Houthis, and sells attack drones to Russia for the war on Ukraine.
In Canada, Iran has been accused of laundering money and evading sanctions, and the foreign interference inquiry revealed how the theocracy was targeting the diaspora in an attempt to stifle critics.
Activists and journalists in Canada have been targeted, prompting the RCMP to warn former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler, an outspoken critic of Tehran, that he was the target of an assassination plot.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Politics
Woman testifies son of Norway’s crown princess raped her while she slept – National TenX News
A second woman has testified at a court in Oslo, accusing the son of Norway’s crown princess of raping her while she slept.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and the stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon. Høiby has no royal title or official duties.
He is on trial for multiple alleged offences with 38 counts against him, including four charges of rape, sexual assault, abuse in a close relationship against one former partner and acts of violence against another, as well as transporting 3.5 kilograms of marijuana, breaking a restraining order and aggravated assault. Others include making death threats and traffic violations.
Høiby stood while prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø read out the 38 counts against him in the Oslo district court on Feb. 3, asking him if he pleaded guilty. He replied “no” to the most serious charges, including the four counts of rape.
Prosecutors have said that Høiby could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted in the trial, which is scheduled to last until March 19. Seven accusers are expected to testify.
Second woman testifies
On Tuesday, during the second week of the trial, the woman testified about an alleged rape that the prosecution said took place on Oct. 3, 2023, following an after-party in an apartment, Agence France-Presse reports.
After consensual sex, the woman said she woke up after Høiby had resumed sexual relations with her, which she said were not consensual.
“I remember waking up when he was already underway. I thought, ‘I don’t understand how someone can have sex with someone who’s sleeping,’” she told the court.
“Then, I mostly had the feeling I was dissociating, leaving my own body,” she said. “It was painful. My body wasn’t ready for it.”
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“That’s always been my worst nightmare,” she said, adding that she closed her eyes “so I wouldn’t have to take part in my own assault.”
The prosecution submitted video evidence that was filmed with Høiby’s phone to prove that the sex that took place happened when the woman was not in a state to say no.
Prosecutor Sturla Henriksbro said the five-second video, discovered on Høiby’s phone by police, showed the woman asleep at the time of the alleged assault. They also shared data from the woman’s fitness watch to show that she was asleep at the time.
The woman told the court that the footage captured by Høiby was taken without her knowledge.
Høiby told the court that the woman “was awake when I had sex with her,” before correcting himself and saying, “When we had sex together.”
“I don’t have sex with women who are asleep,” Høiby added.
“I don’t understand: if we had sex three or four times before, and I woke her up each time, why the hell would I have had sex with her without waking her the last time?”
A court sketch of Marius Borg Hoiby during the second day of the trial against him, which is taking place in room 250 of the Oslo District Court, Norway, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026.
Ane Hem/NTB Scanpix via AP, Pool
First woman’s testimony
Last week, the court heard testimony from another woman who claimed that Høiby raped her at an after-party in the basement of his parents’ estate outside Oslo in December 2018.
The woman told the court that she “100 per cent” believes that she had been drugged during the after-party, the BBC reports.
The woman said she felt “betrayal and shock” after police showed her videos of Høiby allegedly sexually assaulting her.
She said she had no memory of what happened and referred to her memory as a “black hole.”
When asked about the alleged rape in 2018, Høiby told the court that he did not remember taking videos and denied that he had raped the woman. He said they had consensual sex after other people at the after-party had gone to bed.
When asked by the prosecutor if the woman was awake when they had sex, Høiby said, “I don’t sleep with women who aren’t awake.”
Høiby has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 amid allegations of rape and on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage.
The royal palace said it was up to the courts to handle the case and reach a decision.
Royal problems
The royals are generally popular in Norway, but the Høiby case has been a problem for the family’s image.
The trial opened at a particularly sensitive moment. Mette-Marit faces renewed scrutiny over her past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019 in a New York jail cell as he faced sex trafficking charges, following the release of a new batch of documents from the Epstein files.
They contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess, who already said in 2019 that she regretted having had contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported. The documents, which include email exchanges, showed that Mette-Marit borrowed an Epstein-owned property in Palm Beach, Fla., for several days in 2013. Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported that the stay was arranged through a mutual friend, which was later confirmed by the royal household.
Mette-Marit said in a statement that she “must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was.” She added: “I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing.”
— With files from The Associated Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Politics
Canadians wait for flights out of Cuba, aid struggling to get in amid U.S. energy blockade TenX News
While Canadians in Cuba are waiting for flights home as an energy crisis worsens in the nation amid a U.S. oil blockade, those who send aid are struggling to do so.
Cuba warned international airlines on Feb. 9 that aviation fuel would no longer be available on the island, beginning Feb. 10, in the latest sign of fast-worsening conditions as the United States moves to cut off the communist-run nation’s oil supply.
Major Canadian airlines, including Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat, have already suspended service to Cuba. All three airlines have confirmed they plan to bring travellers back home to Canada.
Calgary-based WestJet says its decision to wind down winter operations will affect WestJet, Sunwing Vacations, WestJet Vacations, and Vacances WestJet Quebec.
Air Canada has said its decision to cancel service to Cuba comes after “following advisories issued by governments regarding the unreliability of the aviation fuel supply at Cuban airports.”
Jennifer Raymer, director of Together for Cuba, hugging a woman on the communist island nation.
Supplied by Jennifer Raymer
Venezuela has historically been a major supplier of oil to Cuba but in early 2026, ceased those oil exports as a result of recent geopolitical turmoil after it was taken over by the United States.
The Trump administration is cutting Cuba off from using its traditional fuel sources in an effort to put pressure on the island nation off the coast of Florida, which has been under strict economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. government for decades.
Amid the efforts to get Canadians out, those who provide charitable aid say they are now struggling to send that in.
“The Cuban people are devastated,” said Jennifer Raymer, the director of Together for Cuba. “They rely on tourists coming down there, obviously, for employment and taxi services and hotels and food and, you know, Canadians are known to bring aid.”
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The Ontario-based aid agency sends 600 large duffle bags, weighing about 14,000 kg, full of medicine, surgical supplies and other medical aid to Cuba each year.
Jennifer Raymer, director of Together for Cuba, with a volunteer delivering duffel bags of aid to the Caribbean nation.
Supplied by Jennifer Raymer
“I knew that as soon as this all came down — that all the airlines would stop — we would be stuck here in Canada without being able to get the aid in. I haven’t slept since yesterday.”
Halting shipments will make life even more difficult in the impoverished island nation.
“The Cuban people are going to have an even harder struggle. A lot of our medical bags include prescription medication for heart and diabetes and different things, and as well as surgical bags. These bags are life-saving,” Raymer said.
A sick woman grateful to be receiving aid from Canadian humanitarian group “Together for Cuba.”
Supplied by Jennifer Raymer
As the airlines wind down their operations to Cuba, Raymer was hoping one of them would agree to take the medical supplies on one of the empty flights being sent to Cuba to evacuate the more than 7,000 stranded Canadian tourists.
So far, none have stepped up.
“It means that people can’t have surgeries or get the medications that they need. There are surgical packs in there that people are waiting for, and now they’re sitting in London, Ont.,” Raymer said.
“We’re struggling to find a way to get them out.”
A sick man receiving aid from Canadian humanitarian group “Together for Cuba.”
Supplied by Jennifer Raymer
NDP interim leader Don Davies said Tuesday that Canada must provide immediate support to Cuba in the face of “escalating aggression” from the Trump administration.
“Recent U.S. actions are provoking a severe humanitarian crisis and disrupting travel across the region, leaving Canadians stranded as airlines suspend flights,” Davies said in a statement.
“By threatening tariffs on any third country that transports fuel to the island, the Trump administration is expanding U.S. economic coercion in dangerous new ways.”
Davies argued that Prime Minister Mark Carney has remained “silent” in the face of Trump’s aggression towards Cuba.
“Canada must stand with the Cuban people and resist the Trump administration’s aggression clearly and directly. This is a defining test of principle and we must not fail it,” he said.
Together for Cuba volunteers at a medical clinic on the Caribbean nation.
Supplied by Jennifer Raymer
–with files from The Canadian Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Politics
Olympic medallist wins bronze, confesses on live tv to cheating on girlfriend – National TenX News
Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid admitted live on television to cheating on his now ex-girlfriend, shortly after winning a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics, in the hopes of regaining her affection.
The 28-year-old said an affair he had three months ago was his “biggest mistake.”
He said it had been the worst week of his life since telling his ex-girlfriend, who he dated for six months about his infidelity, and that he hoped admitting to his mistake on television would show her how sorry he is.
“There’s someone I wanted to share it with who might not be watching,” he told Norway’s state broadcaster, NRK.
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“Six months ago, I met the love of my life — the most beautiful and kindest person in the world. Three months ago, I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her,” he said.
“I had the gold medal in life, and I am sure there are many people who will see things differently, but I only have eyes for her,” he continued.
“Sport has come second these last few days. Yes, I wish I could share this with her,” Laegreid added.
Sturla Holm Laegreid, of Norway, gets the bronze medal for the men’s 20-kilometer individual biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.
AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
In a later interview, he told Norwegian newspaper VG that the “only way to solve it is to tell everything and put everything on the table, and hope that she can still love me.”
“I’ve done that for her, and now for the whole world. I have nothing to lose,” he said. “I want to be a good role model, but I have to admit when I make mistakes.”
Laegreid is a seven-time world champion biathlete, a sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. His bronze medal win follows a gold in the relay at the 2022 Games.
During a press conference after his admission, he told reporters he hoped he hadn’t ruined fellow teammate and gold medallist Johan-Olav Botn’s day.
“I don’t know if it was the right choice or not, but it was the choice I made,” he said.
“I made the choice to tell the world what I did so maybe there’s a chance she will see what she really means to me — maybe not, but I don’t want to think I didn’t try everything to get her back,” he told reporters.
“I don’t want to steal the show. I hope this is just like a day-or-two thing. Then you are an Olympic gold medallist forever.”
Five-time Olympic champion Johannes Thingnes Bøe, a former teammate of Laegreid and now an expert correspondent at NRK, questioned the timing of Laegreid’s admission.
“It came as a complete surprise. His action was wrong — we saw a repentant lad standing there. Unfortunately, the time, place and timing are all wrong,” Boe said.
It’s unclear if Laegreid’s ex-girlfriend heard his on-screen mea culpa.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Woman testifies son of Norway’s crown princess raped her while she slept – National TenX News
Canadians wait for flights out of Cuba, aid struggling to get in amid U.S. energy blockade TenX News
Olympic medallist wins bronze, confesses on live tv to cheating on girlfriend – National TenX News
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