The loophole that lets people pay for Ozempic (and other) prescriptions

In today’s Big Story Podcast, you’re not supposed to be paying to be prescribed drugs in Canada. You’re also not generally supposed to get those prescriptions without being examined and, you know, speaking to a real live human being. But a recent investigation found that it’s possible to be prescribed the country’s hottest drug, which is currently facing a shortage, by using an online portal and paying $99.

Morgan Bocknek, is an investigative reporter at The Toronto Star who


Germany’s last major department store chain files for insolvency protection for the third time

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s last remaining major department store chain filed for insolvency protection on Tuesday, its third filing in less than four years, after its owner ran into difficulties.

Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof, which currently runs 92 stores and employs more than 15,000 people, said it filed for insolvency at a court in Essen, German news agency dpa reported. The company is seeking a new owner and talks with potential investors are already underway.

The move follows insolvency filings by several companies


Tunisian group accuses authorities of mass expulsions of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Migration activists are sounding the alarm this week about mass expulsions and arbitrary arrests in Tunisia, where authorities are seeing more migrants arrive for attempted Mediterranean crossings from the North African nation to Europe.

The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights on Monday accused the government of waging a campaign of repression against migrants at the expense of humanitarian concerns, “to satisfy European blackmail and ensure a steady stream of financial and logistical support.”

It said in a statement that witness accounts indicated the situation around


Cannabis company Tilray Brands reports US$46.2M Q2 loss, revenue up 34% from year ago

The head of Tilray Brands Inc. says he’s aiming to make the pot company a top beverage firm, in part by pouring resources into revitalizing a number of alcohol brands his business recently bought from Anheuser-Busch Cos.

“These brands have not had innovation done with them in the last couple of years, so I feel good about the innovation,” Irwin Simon, chief executive of Leamington, Ont.-based Tilray, said on a Tuesday call with analysts.

Tilray bought eight of Anheuser-Busch’


Thierry Henry says he had depression during career and cried “almost every day” early in pandemic

PARIS (AP) — Thierry Henry, who won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship with France and is Arsenal’s all-time highest scorer, has opened up about the fact he “must have been in depression” during his soccer career.

The 46-year-old former forward says he had a spell early in the coronavirus pandemic when he was “crying almost every day”.

Henry, who now coaches France’s under-21 team,


Police to update Mississauga nightclub shooting that left 19-year-old woman dead

Police are asking for the public’s help locating a suspect vehicle in a fatal Mississauga nightclub shooting and confirm that the young woman killed was an innocent bystander.

In an update on Tuesday morning from Peel Region Police headquarters, officials say 19-year-old Raneilia Richards was waiting in line with friends at Jungle Event Space near Dixie Road and Eglinton Avenue when she was gunned down in the early morning hours of Dec. 31.

“There is nothing to suggest that she was the intended target,” says

Mississauga nightclub shooting

Russia puts exiled tycoon and opposition leader Khodorkovsky on wanted list for war comments

Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs put exiled Russian tycoon and opposition leader Mikhail Khodorkovsky on its wanted list Tuesday, accusing him of spreading false information about the Russian army, Russian state news agency Tass said. The charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, Tass said.

A criminal case was opened against Khodorkovsky in September regarding comments he made online about payments for Russian soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine, Tass said.

Khodorkovsky already spent a decade in prison in Russia on charges widely seen as political


Intensified Russian airstrikes are stretching Ukraine’s air defense resources, officials say

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s recent escalation of missile and drone attacks is stretching Ukraine’s air defense resources, a Ukrainian air force official said Tuesday, leaving the country vulnerable in the unless it can secure further weapons supplies.

“Intense Russian air attacks force us to use a corresponding amount of air defense means,” air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat told national television. “That’s why we need more of them, as Russia keeps increasing its (air) attack capabilities.”

As soldiers


Vatican’s doctrine chief is raising eyebrows over his 1998 book that graphically describes orgasms

ROME (AP) — The Vatican’s new doctrine chief who is already under fire from entire bishops conferences for his approval of , is now raising eyebrows over a book he wrote as a young priest describing orgasms in graphic terms.

The out-of-print, Spanish-language book penned by now-Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, entitled “The Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality,” is similar in tone to another Fernandez book that sparked scandal soon after he was appointed, “Heal Me With Your Mouth.


Stantec signs deal to buy engineering and management firm Morrison Hershfield

Stantec Inc. has snapped up engineering firm Morrison Hershfield, the latest in a string of acquisitions and broader growth that have boosted the company’s presence in Canada and across the globe — as well as its stock.

The design consulting company’s share price rose 1.82 per cent on Tuesday to $106.94, its highest-ever closing price. Over the past year, the stock has surged 62 per cent.

Stantec’s purchase of the 1,150