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RETURNING TD Cathal Crowe admitted he was "emotional" as he dedicated his Dail win to his late mother-in-law. The Fianna Fail TD was elected at the 15th count in the Clare constituency yesterday. And the family man fought back tears amid the celebrations as he remembered his "mighty" mother-in-law. Mary Fehilly was buying a local GAA lottery ticket outside a supermarket in Cork when she was struck by a car earlier this month. Her tragic passing occurred just days before Friday's General Election was called. In an video interview recorded at the count centre by Ellen Gough of Clare Live Deputy Crowe said: "I'm a bit emotional. "I just want to dedicate the win to my mother-in-law Mary Fehilly, a mighty woman, a Fianna Fail woman." The TD took a step back from canvassing for the general election to be with his wife Maeve and the rest of their family after the tragic passing. Speaking at the time of her tragic passing the TD described her as the "fabulous lynchpin" of the family. He said: "I struck gold when I married into Maeve’s amazing family. The fabulous lynchpin of that family was Mary Fehilly. "We are absolutely heartbroken to have tragically lost Mary this weekend. "She was the most wonderful mother to Maeve and her siblings and an adoring wife to George." He added: "As we try to get to terms with Mary’s loss I will be temporarily standing-down my canvassing for the upcoming General Election. "My office team will continue to handle queries and representations that come our way but I ask for the forbearance of the public as I take a few days out of the political ‘fast lane’ to prioritise, over all else, Maeve, Sam, Charlie, Eve and the Fehilly family. "Family must come first!" Cathal served as councilor in Clare County Council before eventually taking on the role of Cathaoirleach. In February 2020 he was elected to the Dail for the first time and served as Fianna Fail’s Tourism and Aviation Spokesperson. Reflecting on his last general election success the TD joked he has less hair on his head this time around thanks to debating with the Sinn Fein Leader. Referencing his children Sam, Charlie and Eve being just babies when he first had success on the ballots he said: "I had a big head of hair last time. "They had no hair, they were babies, I was a grown up but a few years of debating with Mary Lou has reversed the fortunes for me." Timmy Dooley of Fianna Fail took back the seat he lost in 2020. Sinn Fein's Donna McGettigan also had success in the Clare constituency as did Fine Gael's Joe Cooney. The three join Cathal Crowe in filling the four seats in the constituency.NEW YORK , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) announced today that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share on the Company's Class A and Common Stock for the third quarter of fiscal 2025. The dividend is payable on March 14, 2025 , to all shareholders of record as of the close of business on January 31, 2025 . About Scholastic For more than 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) has been meeting children where they are – at school, at home and in their communities – by creating quality content and experiences, all beginning with literacy. Scholastic delivers stories, characters, and learning moments that empower all kids to become lifelong readers and learners through bestselling children's books, literacy- and knowledge-building resources for schools including classroom magazines, and award-winning, entertaining children's media. As the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online, and with a global reach into more than 135 countries, Scholastic encourages the personal and intellectual growth of all children, while nurturing a lifelong relationship with reading, themselves, and the world around them. Learn more at www.scholastic.com . SCHL: Financial View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scholastic-corporation-announces-third-quarter-dividend-302329290.html SOURCE Scholastic Corporation

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Wyludda, who ended her sports career in 2017, won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. She also won European Championship titles in 1990 and 1994. German discus thrower Ilke Wyludda has passed away in the eastern German city of Halle, President of the Saxony-Anhalt State Sports Association Silke Renk announced Monday. Wyludda was 55 years old. 'The whole German throwing community is in mourning' "The news is terribly hard and leaves me stunned. Ilke struggled with health problems straight after her career. The whole German throwing community is in mourning. She was always a fighter, but unfortunately lost her last fight far too early," Renk, who used to train with Wyludda, told German news agency dpa. Wyludda won 41 successive times between 1989 and 1991. She won European Championship titles in 1990 and 1994, and was awarded a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Wyludda also represented Germany at the World Championships in Tokyo in 1991 and Gothenburg, Sweden in 1995, where she took home silver medals. She was born in Leipzig in 1969, and represented East Germany , known as the German Democratic Republic, in discus throw events until German reunification in 1990. Paralympics: How athletes earn a living To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Wyludda took part in Paralympic Games after leg amputation "With Ilke Wyludda, a figurehead of German athletics has unfortunately left us far too early at the age of 55," German Athletics Federation Chairman Idriss Gonchinska said, while adding that "the athletics family mourns the loss of a truly great athlete who fought against injuries and illnesses throughout her life and yet remained committed to her sport for decades." Wyludda had to have her leg amputated in 2010 due to a bacterial infection and then began to take part in Paralympics events. She competed in the London 2012 Paralympic Games and later in two IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France and Doha, Qatar. wd/kb (dpa, SID)

Future Days Beer Co. opens Thursday in a renovated carriage house in Northern Liberties, but its original home was much more modest. The brewery was born in an off-campus apartment near Fordham University in the Bronx, where two college juniors decided to give beer-making a spin. "We had a huge pot that we were using on the stove," Sean McGuire, one of those home brewers, remembered. "And then in order to cool everything down to ferment, we had to soak it in a bathtub full of ice cubes. It was insanely rudimentary, but we were young and dumb and excited to try to make beer." McGuire and Nick Mata have learned a lot since then, and are ready to show off their skill at their first (official) storefront. The pair is set to launch Future Days at 433 Fairmount Ave. with four – possibly five – beers on tap and many more to come. The brewery's future wasn't always guaranteed. After brewing and rooming together at Fordham, the duo split to pursue careers in finance and accounting. They picked up the project again about five years after graduation, making batches in Mata's Long Island garage. It became a weekend ritual, even as McGuire followed his wife, a Bucks County native, to Connecticut and then Philadelphia. "It was not fun," McGuire admitted. "I would wake up at like 3:00 a.m. just so that I could get out there by like six or seven and avoid all of the traffic." But the buzz grew as they hosted tastings and won home-brewing awards for a couple of their early creations. McGuire picked up some commercial experience at Half Full Brewery in Stamford, Connecticut. Then, once he'd settled in Philly, he convinced Mata to join him and go all in on Future Days. The partners plunged into the project headfirst, quitting their day jobs to focus on fixing up the Fairmount Avenue property. "It was a total shell, and had been vacant actually for 15 years prior, which was both good and bad," McGuire said. "Good in that we could do whatever we wanted to make it the exact brewery and the exact tasting room that we wanted. But bad in that it was gonna take us quite a bit of time. I think we underestimated how long it would actually take." Now, a full decade after their bathtub beer, McGuire and Mata are ready to launch Future Days. The brewery will be open Thursdays through Sundays and initially offer two hazy pale ales, a West Coast pale ale and the flagship Future Days Kölsh to start. (McGuire teased a possible fifth beer by the weekend.) And while its owners hope the place will become a fun place to hang – they'll have a pool table and Eagles games on the TV – they mainly hope to cultivate a reputation among beer drinkers. "We're not gonna stop at solid, decent, you know, that beer's okay," McGuire said. "We got into this because we wanted to make really, really good beer. We've drank really good beer. We know what it tastes like. So our overarching mission is to brew great beer that Philadelphia could be proud of, that we could be proud of. We want it to be some of the best beer in Philly when all is said and done." Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt | @thePhillyVoice Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Have a news tip ? Let us know.Healthcare workers protest Israel’s targeting of healthcare infrastructure, workersBy Maayan Lubell TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is set to take the stand on Tuesday for the first time in his long-running corruption trial under a court order that is likely to force him to juggle between the courtroom and war room for weeks. Israel has been waging war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza for more than a year, during which Netanyahu had been granted a delay for the start of his court appearances. But on Thursday, the judges ruled that he must start testifying. Charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, Netanyahu will testify three times a week, the court said, despite the Gaza war and possible new threats posed by wider turmoil in the Middle East, including in neighbouring Syria. Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favours for media tycoons in return for favourable coverage. He denies any wrongdoing. In the run-up to his court date, Netanyahu revived familiar pre-war rhetoric against law enforcement, describing investigations against him as a witch hunt. He denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty. "The real threat to democracy in Israel is not posed by the public's elected representatives, but by some among the law enforcement authorities who refuse to accept the voters' choice and are trying to carry out a coup with rabid political investigations that are unacceptable in any democracy," he said in a statement on Thursday. At a Monday night press conference Netanyahu said he had waited eight years to be able to tell his story and expressed outrage at the way witnesses had been treated during investigations. Before the war, Netanyahu's legal troubles bitterly divided Israelis and shook Israeli politics through five rounds of elections. His government's bid last year to curb the powers of the judiciary further polarised Israelis. The shock Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing Gaza war swept Netanyahu's trial off the public agenda as Israelis came together in grief and trauma. But as the war dragged on, political unity crumbled. In recent weeks, while fighting abated on one front after Israel reached a ceasefire with Hamas' Lebanese ally Hezbollah, members of Netanyahu's cabinet, including his justice and police ministers, have clashed with the judiciary. In power almost consecutively since 2009, Netanyahu, 75, is Israel's longest serving leader and its first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime. His domestic legal woes were compounded last month when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant along with a Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Additional reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Howard Goller)

McKinsey helps banks and financial institutions with their generative AI efforts. It outlined the dos and don'ts of seeing a return on AI investments in a report. Business Insider spoke with McKinsey's Larry Lerner about what will separate winners and losers. Advertisement The bill is coming due for Wall Street banks' AI investments. It's been two years since generative AI captured the attention and dollars of bank leaders. They amassed teams of technologists to experiment with generative AI and run proofs of concepts. Some of those have since scaled to enterprise-wide initiatives used by thousands of employees. Now, leaders are beginning to question when these investments will pay off. Advertisement "That is the $20 billion question," according to Larry Lerner, a partner in McKinsey's banking practice. For a handful of firms, Lerner said tangible returns are starting to emerge in the form of current cost savings, future cost avoidance, and incremental revenue. But for many, the reality is "POC purgatory," Lerner said, referring to proofs-of-concept pitfalls where firms get stuck in the experimentation phase and "become very tepid about really leaning in." In those cases, the "institution has spent the last two years investing and investing and not seeing anything at all," Lerner said. According to an October report from Evident AI, which tracks AI adoption in financial services, only six out of 50 banks disclosed dollar-level cost savings or revenue lifts as a result of their AI investments. Advertisement So, what separates the frontrunners from the laggards? According to fresh research from McKinsey, it can come down to a few key decisions around concentrating efforts on a couple of uses, having CEO buy-in, and using generative AI in conjunction with other technologies. Most of all, it'll involve a mindset shift where AI is viewed and treated as a business opportunity rather than a technological problem, Lerner said. Lerner outlined what will separate the winners from the losers. He declined to comment on specific companies. Related stories Viewing AI as a business problem, not a tech one Leadership teams have to recognize that generative AI is a business opportunity, not just a technology play, Lerner said. Because of that, he said business leaders should bear the brunt of the accountability, rather than that responsibility falling solely on tech leaders' shoulders. Advertisement "The institutions that make business leaders accountable for delivering their results will over time tend to do better because there's a much stronger partnership," Lerner said. Concentrating firepower Generative AI has lead to more value when there are only a handful of use cases, instead of every business unit doing a little bit here and there and seeing what sticks, Lerner said. "Instead of having 60 use cases across 15 different business lines and functions, narrow down to three areas where you want to go deep," where you're reimagining the entire domain or workflow has led to a faster path to value, Lerner said. Advertisement Choose areas where ROI can actually be tracked It's becoming increasingly clear that generative AI's main strength in saving workers time can't always be traced back to bottom-line impact, which is leading to some frustration in the boardroom. "The value of what you're doing depends on how you're going to repurpose your time, and that's really hard to do," Lerner said. "Because it's an indirect sort of lever, it's very difficult to actually measure and get people to agree that there's value." On the other hand, AI tools like call-center copilots and AI-powered marketing campaigns that improve the customer experience can generate incremental value that is measurable, Lerner said. One large bank referenced in the McKinsey report is projecting a 10% revenue increase thanks to a new analytics platform to target new customers and cross-sell products to existing ones. Advertisement For buy now, pay later fintech Klarna, leveraging an OpenAI-powered call center agent is estimated to bring some $40 million in profit this year, the company said in a blog post earlier this year. At the time, the AI was doing the work of 700 full-time agents, according to Klarna. Lerner said he's starting to see some banks modify forward-looking hiring plans, especially in the contact center, thanks to the increase in self-service and faster resolution times. "That cost avoidance is absolutely measurable," he said. Reusability is key Build something once and redeploy it a hundred times, Lerner said. Doing so can accelerate development times and let companies scale faster because the tool has already gone through the required risk, security, and compliance approvals, he said. Advertisement Execution will come down to adoption Getting workers and customers to adopt a new way of doing something or a new technology is one of the most important parts of the value equation. It's an old challenge that banks have had with previous technology cycles. When it comes to AI, "most companies have done a pretty bad job of getting adoption to the level that's going to yield the results that they want to yield," Lerner said.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — After struggling to run the ball consistently all season, the Los Angeles Rams finally made some progress on the ground in New Orleans. Kyren Williams and rookie Blake Corum carried the Rams (6-6) to a 21-14 win that kept them squarely in the playoff race for another week. Los Angeles racked up a season-high 156 yards rushing against the Saints, with Williams going for 104 yards and a touchdown while Corum added 42 yards on a season high-tying eight carries. The game was the inverse of most afternoons this season for the Rams, who came into the week averaging fewer than 100 yards rushing per game. The running game was sturdy and productive, while Matthew Stafford and his receivers struggled to get into a rhythm at the Superdome. Coach Sean McVay always prefers to use his run game to set up the pass, and it finally worked for once this season. “I thought Kyren ran really well," McVay said. “I thought Corum ran really well. I thought our offensive line set the line of scrimmage in the run game. We really started slow in the pass game, but I thought Matthew was excellent in the second half. We were able to get some different things off of those run actions going, and that ended up being the difference in the game.” Not coincidentally, the Rams' running game worked well on the Sunday when the offensive line finally had a starting five uncompromised by injuries or suspension for the first time all season. Right tackle Rob Havenstein returned from an ankle injury, making the group whole around rookie center Beaux Limmer, who has beaten out high-priced free agent Jonah Jackson for a starting job. The Rams still had yet another slow start in a season full of them. They ran only three plays in the entire first quarter, and they were held scoreless in the first half when their other two drives resulted in a turnover on downs and a punt. But Los Angeles rebounded with an 11-play scoring drive to open the second half featuring seven runs by Williams. He eventually moved up to fifth in the NFL with 926 yards rushing despite averaging just 4.2 yards per carry — nearly a yard less than he had last season, and the lowest average among the league's top 10 rushers this season. The Rams have thrived without a strong rushing attack before: They averaged just 99.0 yards per game on the ground, ranking 25th in the NFL, during their Super Bowl championship season in 2021-22. But McVay prefers his first option to be a strong running attack, which he had during his first three seasons in charge with Todd Gurley in the backfield and Andrew Whitworth at left tackle. “Anytime the guys up front are moving them, and (Williams) is making great reads and moves on the second level, then that is a fun feeling for the offense," Stafford said. “It’s great when you can hand the ball off and get big creases. We converted when we needed to in short-yardage stuff. I thought our guys did a really great job up front, and Kyren ran it great.” The Rams have struggled in the red zone all season, but they scored touchdowns on all three trips in New Orleans. They did it by committing to the run game up the middle, setting up TD passes on the outside to Demarcus Robinson and Puka Nacua. Alvin Kamara racked up 112 yards rushing in the latest strong game by an opposing running back. Los Angeles is 28th in the league against the run, allowing 144.2 yards rushing per game — including 194 per game over the past three weeks. Rookie edge rusher Jared Verse had another outstanding game, racking up five tackles, three quarterback hits and numerous big plays that don't show up on stat sheets. He capped the performance by hitting Derek Carr from behind and forcing an incompletion from the Los Angeles 9 on New Orleans' final play. Cornerback Darious Williams gave up a touchdown pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and the ensuing 2-point conversion pass to Dante Pettis early in the fourth quarter, capping a second straight rough week for the free-agent signee. Williams is the Rams' best cornerback, but they haven't had an above-average shutdown pass defender since trading Jalen Ramsey. Los Angeles added cornerback depth Monday, claiming 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes off waivers from Washington. Robinson injured his hand during the game, and Stafford incurred a lateral ankle sprain. McVay said he doesn't expect either injury to affect the veterans' preparations this week. 17 — Cooper Kupp's yards receiving. That's his lowest total in a game in which he didn't get injured since Oct. 18, 2020. Kupp had only six targets, few downfield routes and curiously scant chances to make big plays. The Rams are home underdogs this week against powerhouse Buffalo, followed by a Thursday night game at San Francisco. Getting even one win out of these two matchups will be difficult, but probably necessary to keep pace with Seattle and Arizona in the NFC West. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFLRevolutionary Single-Layer Film Eliminates Helmet Changes, Enhancing Driver Safety and Performance LAS VEGAS , Dec. 11, 2024 /CNW/ -- Racing Optics®, the global leader in high-performance tearoff visor film technology, proudly unveils its latest innovation: the Twilight Tearoff . This groundbreaking single-layer tearoff is engineered to elevate driver visibility during late-afternoon and early-evening races, providing superior glare reduction and contrast enhancement. The Twilight Tearoff redefines race-day performance by allowing drivers to maintain focus and adapt seamlessly to changing light conditions, eliminating the need for disruptive helmet changes. This innovation represents a significant leap forward in racing vision technology, delivering immediate and measurable benefits to professional drivers and teams alike. "The Twilight Tearoff solves one of racing's most persistent challenges—ensuring optimal visibility as lighting transitions rapidly during twilight races," said Chris Colton , Chief Applications Engineer at Racing Optics . "Our dedication to driver safety and performance drives every innovation, and the Twilight Tearoff is no exception." Transforming Racing at Twilight Racing teams are already embracing the Twilight Tearoff as a game-changing solution for twilight and low-light racing conditions. One racing team manager shared their experience: "In a recent twilight race, the Twilight Tearoff gave our drivers unmatched visual clarity. Transitioning from glaring sunlight to artificial lighting without pausing to change helmets was a decisive advantage that kept us competitive." By streamlining the driver experience, the Twilight Tearoff enhances safety and helps maintain uninterrupted race momentum—a critical edge in the high-stakes world of motorsports. Exclusive Debut at PRI Show 2024 The Twilight Tearoff will make its debut at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show , held December 12–14, 2024, in Indianapolis, Indiana . This highly anticipated event marks Racing Optics' 25th anniversary , celebrating a legacy of trailblazing innovations in motorsports safety and performance. Availability The Twilight Tearoff is now available for purchase at RacingOptics.com and through authorized dealers. Teams and drivers looking to gain a competitive edge are encouraged to explore this latest advancement. About Racing Optics For 25 years, Racing Optics has led the field in racing vision technology, delivering innovative solutions that enhance safety and performance. With a commitment to collaboration and innovation, the company continues to push the boundaries of motorsports protective equipment. For additional information, please visit RacingOptics.com . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/racing-optics-introduces-game-changing-twilight-tearoff-to-enhance-visibility-in-low-light-racing-conditions-302329546.html SOURCE Racing Optics, Inc.

Oil prices climbed about 1% to a two-week high on Friday as the intensifying war in Ukraine this week boosted the market’s geopolitical risk premium. Brent futures rose $1.05, or 1.4%, to $75.28 a barrel by 1:15 p.m. EST (1815 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $1.22, or 1.7%, to $71.32. That put both crude benchmarks up about 6% for the week and on track for their highest closes since Nov. 7 as Moscow steps up its Ukraine offensive after Britain and the U.S. allowed Kyiv to strike deeper into Russia with their missiles. “The Russia-Ukraine escalation has raised geopolitical tensions beyond levels seen during the year-long conflict between Israel,” said Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen. President Vladimir Putin said Russia would keep testing its new Oreshnik hypersonic missile in combat and had a stock ready for use. Russia fired the missile into Ukraine, prompted by Ukraine’s use of U.S. ballistic missiles and British cruise missiles to hit Russia. “What the market fears is accidental destruction in any part of oil, gas and refining that not only causes long-term damage but accelerates a war spiral,” said PVM analyst John Evans. Oil prices firm The U.S., meanwhile, imposed new sanctions on Russia’s Gazprombank as President Joe Biden steps up actions to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine before he leaves office on Jan. 20. The Kremlin said the new U.S. sanctions were an attempt by Washington to hinder the export of Russian gas, but noted that asolution would be found. The U.S. also banned food, metals and other imports from about 30 more Chinese companies over alleged forced labor involving the Uyghurs. China, the world’s biggest oil importer, announced policy measures this week to boost trade, including support for energy product imports, amid worries over U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs. China’s crude oil imports were set to rebound in November, according to analysts, traders and ship tracking data. Oil imports also increased in India, the world’s third biggest oil importer, as domestic consumption increased, according to government data. Capping price gains Pressuring prices on Friday, euro zone business activity took a surprisingly sharp turn for the worse this month as the bloc’s dominant services industry contracted and manufacturing sank deeper into recession. In contrast, S&P Global said its flash U.S. Composite PMI Output Index, which tracks the manufacturing and services sectors, increased to the highest level since April 2022, with the services sector providing the bulk of the increase. But with those business activity gauges moving in opposite directions in the U.S. and Europe, the U.S. dollar jumped to a two-year high versus a basket of other currencies. A stronger greenback makes oil more expensive in other countries, which can reduce demand. In Germany, the biggest economy in Europe, the economy grew less than previously estimated in the third quarter, the statistics office reported on Friday.About a month ago, about where to invest $10,000 into ASX stocks in today's bullish share market. One of my ideas was an such as the ( ). While I still believe that buying a conventional stock market index fund is a great long-term investment, the VAS ETF is no longer my top choice in today's market. As most investors would be aware, the (ASX: XJO) continued to push into even higher record territory over November, driven mostly by the big four . ( ), for example, continued to hit new record highs last month, crossing $160 a share for the first time ever. As these big banks have continued to rise in value, their presence in ASX index funds like VAS has also swelled. Today, the big four make up a whopping 23.7% of the ASX 200's weighting, and CBA alone accounts for more than 10.5%. This is the primary reason behind my view that the best investment in the current market is no longer an ASX index fund like VAS but an alternative called the ( ). One ASX stock to buy right now VSO is an index fund that tracks the Australian share markets. However, as its name implies, it forgoes exposure to the largest stocks on the ASX, instead offering investors a broad portfolio consisting of around 170 of the market's mid and small-cap shares. This portfolio's larger holdings include names like ( ) and ( ), but go all the way down to smaller companies like ( ) and ( ). Crucially, the largest stocks in this portfolio account for no more than 3% each in weighting terms. That means that, unlike an ASX 200 fund, you won't be potentially overexposed to a single company. This index fund has proven to be a solid investment over long periods of time. As , the Vanguard Small Companies Index ETF has delivered an average return of 8.75% per annum over the past ten years. Although past performance is no guarantee of future returns, that healthy figure gives me confidence that this index fund will continue to be a great long-term investment. In today's expensive market, the VSO ETF offers investors many potential positives. As such, if I could only buy and hold a single ASX stock right now, this would be it.

The suspect charged in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was carrying a so-called ghost gun when he was arrested in Pennsylvania this week. The firearms are legal to make in the U.S., with some caveats, raising questions about their potential for criminal use. Luigi Mangione, the shooting suspect, was carrying a “ghost gun” that had the capability of firing a 9 millimeter round and may have been made on a 3-D printer, according to investigators. The term ghost gun is used because they don’t have serial numbers, unlike those manufactured by licensed companies. Guns made by licensed businesses must have serial numbers, according to federal law, that allow them to be traced back to the maker, dealer and purchaser. But if you want to just make your own gun at home, it is legal and relatively easy to do so. A quick internet search, credit card payment, and everything needed to make a firearm can be delivered to the front door. The homemade weapons are deadly like any store-bought firearm, and they have sometimes found their way into the wrong hands. That has prompted more regulation in recent years as the so-called ghost guns have been used in various crimes across the country, including in metro Atlanta. Until about two years ago, ghost gun kits available online didn’t require background checks or age verification. The Biden administration added age requirements and background checks in 2022. The law makes it harder for those with felony records, who are forbidden from having firearms, to make their own ghost guns. Still, crimes committed with homemade weapons are continuing, law enforcement groups say. Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group, has called ghost guns “the fastest growing gun safety problem in the country.” “Buy-build-shoot” kits are essentially pre-manufactured, dissembled, complete firearms,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice . A spokesman for the ATF previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the agency doesn’t use the term “ghost guns” but instead calls them privately manufactured weapons , or PMFs. The agency says those wanting to make their own weapons for themselves can do so legally, and technology such as 3-D printing makes it even easier now. If a gun is made with the intention of selling it, though, that’s illegal. “PMFs are commonly referred to as ‘ghost guns’ because it can be difficult to track them,” the ATF’s website states. “Investigating crimes involving unserialized PMFs can create difficulty in tracing the origins of the firearm and linking them to related crimes.” From January 2016 to December 2021, the ATF received approximately 45,000 reports of suspected ghost guns or PMFs recovered by law enforcement in criminal investigations, the agency reported. Of those, 692 cases were homicides or attempted homicides. In metro Atlanta, law enforcement agencies have also investigated cases involving ghost guns. In 2021, a 13-year-old boy was arrested in Douglas County after shooting and killing his older sister, The AJC previously reported. The boy, later identified as Wilson Scott, was making guns and selling them, the sheriff’s office said at the time. When a potential buyer tried to take a gun without paying for it, the teenager fired a shot with one of his homemade weapons. The shot killed 14-year-old Kyra Scott. Both Wilson Scott and the robbery suspect, Yusef McArthur El, were both arrested after the girl’s death. Both later received probation, court records showed. “A 13-year-old kid, doesn’t weigh but about 80 pounds, was able to make a weapon from start to finish,” Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds said following the arrests. “At 13 years old.”By Maayan Lubell TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is set to take the stand on Tuesday for the first time in his long-running corruption trial under a court order that is likely to force him to juggle between the courtroom and war room for weeks. Israel has been waging war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza for more than a year, during which Netanyahu had been granted a delay for the start of his court appearances. But on Thursday, the judges ruled that he must start testifying. Charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, Netanyahu will testify three times a week, the court said, despite the Gaza war and possible new threats posed by wider turmoil in the Middle East, including in neighbouring Syria. Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases involving gifts from millionaire friends and for allegedly seeking regulatory favours for media tycoons in return for favourable coverage. He denies any wrongdoing. In the run-up to his court date, Netanyahu revived familiar pre-war rhetoric against law enforcement, describing investigations against him as a witch hunt. He denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty. "The real threat to democracy in Israel is not posed by the public's elected representatives, but by some among the law enforcement authorities who refuse to accept the voters' choice and are trying to carry out a coup with rabid political investigations that are unacceptable in any democracy," he said in a statement on Thursday. At a Monday night press conference Netanyahu said he had waited eight years to be able to tell his story and expressed outrage at the way witnesses had been treated during investigations. Before the war, Netanyahu's legal troubles bitterly divided Israelis and shook Israeli politics through five rounds of elections. His government's bid last year to curb the powers of the judiciary further polarised Israelis. The shock Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing Gaza war swept Netanyahu's trial off the public agenda as Israelis came together in grief and trauma. But as the war dragged on, political unity crumbled. In recent weeks, while fighting abated on one front after Israel reached a ceasefire with Hamas' Lebanese ally Hezbollah, members of Netanyahu's cabinet, including his justice and police ministers, have clashed with the judiciary. In power almost consecutively since 2009, Netanyahu, 75, is Israel's longest serving leader and its first sitting prime minister to be charged with a crime. His domestic legal woes were compounded last month when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant along with a Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Additional reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Howard Goller)