Hello, it's Tamara Baluja.

Today, we're following the latest developments in a lawsuit involving alleged poison seller Kenneth Law who is facing charges of murder and abetting suicide in multiple cases in Canada. 

Plus, we take an in-depth look at the potential acquisition of a Japanese parent company of 7-Eleven by a Quebec firm that has sparked questions both at home and abroad.

Let's dive in.

Alleged poison seller linked to 131 deaths sued by Ontario teen's parents

Jeshennia Bedoya Lopez's parents told CBC News their daughter had recently turned 18 years old when she died. (Submitted by Leonardo Bedoya)

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

The latest: The death of Jeshennia Bedoya Lopez, a recent high school graduate from Aurora, Ont., is at the centre of a $2-million lawsuit filed by her parents. It's the first such civil case known to have been launched against Kenneth Law, a Toronto-area man facing criminal charges of murder and abetting suicide in connection with 14 deaths across Ontario, including Jeshennia's.

The parents allege Law, 59, used an internet-based storefront to sell Jeshennia a "suicide kit," which included a "poisonous" chemical she later ingested during a mental health crisis. "Law operated this online store with the primary intent of assisting, luring and/or enabling suicide to vulnerable individuals such as Jeshennia," the lawsuit states. 

Jeshennia's parents also claim a family physician and several specialists failed to provide reasonable care "to prevent [her] loss of life" after she reported poor mental health and thoughts of suicide in 2020 and again in 2022.

The international context: Official statements, public records and interviews with families suggest Law's products may be linked to at least 131 deaths around the world, including in Italy, New Zealand and the U.S. The vast majority of those cases have been reported in Britain, where the National Crime Agency said it's probing 97 deaths.

And there could be more, elsewhere. Ontario's York Regional Police said Law mailed 1,200 packages to some 40 countries, and 160 to Canadian addresses.

NDP targeted by misinformation attacks, foreign interference inquiry hears

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to the media on Sept. 6, 2024 in Montreal (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

The latest from the inquiry into foreign interference: 

• NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and his party are being targeted by social media misinformation attacks that appear to be coming from outside Canada, the party's national director Lucy Watson said yesterday. 
• Watson said there has been a spike in recent weeks in the number of online misinformation posts, such as fake news stories purporting to be from the Toronto Star claiming Singh has been held on charges of corruption. 
• She added she's concerned about the impact of misinformation on the next election if nothing is done.
• Watson wouldn't say which country the party suspects is behind the posts. And she conceded she couldn't rule out the posts were made from within Canada.

• Watson said she fears online attacks will lead to real-life violence. Earlier this week, Singh confronted a protester on Parliament Hill after someone yelled 'corrupted bastard' at him. 
• The harassment members of Parliament experience from the public has jumped almost 800 per cent in the last five years, according to the person in charge of security in the House of Commons.

Quebec's Couche-Tard is gunning to buy 7-Eleven. Here's how it got there

Couche-Tard is making a bid to take over convenience store giant 7-Eleven. (CBC)

The story in a nutshell: Quebec's Alimentation Couche-Tard started with one store in 1980. Now, it owns 16,000 stores across North America and Europe, and the retailer stands a serious chance of taking over the largest operator of convenience stores in the world: 7-Eleven. 

The business deal: Currently, 7-Eleven's more than 84,000 locations across the globe are owned by Japanese retailer giant, Seven & i Holdings, which rejected an offer worth $38.5 billion from Couche-Tard earlier this month. Couche-Tard is reportedly considering raising its offer price.

If the acquisition goes through, this Canadian company will become one of the biggest retailers in the world.

The bigger picture: The potential takeover is being watched carefully by many — from Japanese customers nervous that a Canadian owner could change what has become a cultural institution, to U.S. customers worried a takeover could interrupt plans to expand Japanese-style offerings in American stores, to Canadians curious about an upgrade to our local 7-Elevens.

In case you missed it

• The University of Ottawa's special adviser on antisemitism has resigned after fewer than three months in the role, saying his social media posts about the deadly device explosions across Lebanon had hurt people and affected his ability to do that job. His resignation comes as Israeli warplanes carried out their most intense strikes on south Lebanon in nearly a year of war.

• Up to 2,600 new housing units of a new development in Vancouver will be sold at 60 per cent of market value. The Heather Lands development is being touted as an "attainable housing initiative," in which the province will kick in 40 per cent of the financing on the purchase price of the units. The units will be sold under a 99-year strata leasehold from the First Nations.

• There are three Canadians among the women who say they were sexually abused by Mohamed Al-Fayed, the late owner of Harrods, while serving as employees at the luxury department store in London. Born in Egypt, Al-Fayed came to prominence in British society in 1985 when he took over Harrods. He gained further notoriety when his son, Dodi Fayed, began dating Diana, Princess of Wales, shortly before they both died after a car crash in Paris in 1997.

And, here's some good news to send you off into the weekend...

Jay Leno has a statue of himself — made out of car parts — ready to be picked up in Windsor, Ont.

Peter Solly, owner of an auto repair shop in Windsor, Ont., has made a hobby out of building life-size figures out of old car parts. Now, he's trying to get this one to its real-life inspiration. (Jennifer La Grassa/CBC)

An auto shop owner in southwestern Ontario is using old mufflers, wheel nuts and rear-end bearings as his art supplies. 

His works of art? Life-sized statues of both real people, like Taylor Swift, and fictional characters, like SpongeBob SquarePants. Peter Solly builds the bodies and local artist Glen Hawkes will paint them to look like the desired person or character. 

Solly estimates he's made between 400 to 500 since he got started about 20 years ago. One of his works of art is even featured in a local gallery. The photos are worth checking out.

So, what's Jay Leno got to do with this? 

Solly says he's met the American television host and comedian twice before. 

"I met him 30 years ago and I met him three months ago," said Solly. "We're trying to get [the figure] shipped out to him. It's a really good one."