This is a quite well-done story profiling the man accused in the killing of businessman Don Frigos last weekened.  National Post

John Tory is right when he says there is something wrong with the way the City of Toronto funds public events. As mayor he said he would stop funding the Toronto Pride Parade if it continued to allow a float from Queers Against Israeli Apartheid. Every year, the Toronto arbiters of what is acceptable at funded events concludes that this abusive behaviour does not offend the City’s standards. Why not? Would our standards be offended by a group called Queers Against Palestinian Suicide Bombers? Would the City fund the Santa Claus Parade if there was a contingent from Queers Against Homophobic Saint Nick?  None of this language is about free speech. All these statements are  brazenly-calculated insults which no one would listen to if they had not been inserted into otherwise decent public occasions.  The Israeli Apartheid crowd are babblers who can’t make a coherent argument. It’s a sad commentary on the administration of the City that its rigid notion of what’s offensive doesn’t recognize such obvious abuse. 

Alibaba shares opened at $92.70, handing the Chinese ecommerce giant a valuation of more than $228bn when it finally started trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. The company had priced its initial public offering at $68 a share on Thursday, valuing the business at $170bn and making it the biggest technology flotation the world has ever seen. However, it opened more than 36pc higher, making the company more valuable than other technology giants such as Facebook and Amazon.  Telegraph 

Having bounced American Express as it’s exclusive credit card, Costco Wholesale has said it will replace AmEx with Capital One MasterCard. Note however that Reuters today is also saying  that MasterCard Canada has entered into an agreement with Costco Canada to open credit card acceptance to MasterCard cardholders. That seems to say MasterCard cardholders of any MasterCard. Reuters 

Police in Australia have arrested about 15 people, many teenagers, who were taking orders from a witless “top terrorist recruiter” named Mohammad Baryalei. He is said to be somewhere in the middle east plotting what police called “demonstration killings” of ordinary Australians. The police had apparently hoped to see if there were more people involved but Baryalei was on the phone to one of the accused in recent hours and authorities feared someone might get hurt. This was all planned by the Islamists to go down on video with much terrorizing talk.  Once again the sensible person says put away fear and do what we must do to restore civilized behaviour among us.