Dunya TV

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• Court seizes property to help Bangladesh victims
• Most Asian markets closed for Labour Day, Nikkei opens
• Venezuela lawmakers brawl amid election tensions
• South Korea's inflation slows to 1.2 percent in April
• Boston bombing suspect's widow wants body released
• Obama wants more certainty on Syrian chemical arms
• MQM chief welcomes COAS statement
• Establishment tries to hijack elections: PPP, ANP, MQM
• Eight more killed in Karachi violence
• Elections will be held on time: Kayani
• Man loses life savings on carnival game
• Man turns tables on attacker
• Thousands gather in Amsterdam to see new King and Queen
• POL prices reduced to Rs 8.46 per liter
• American women join gun-toting culture

Court seizes property to help Bangladesh victims Posted: SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) - A top Bangladesh court on Tuesday ordered the government to immediately confiscate the property of a collapsed buildings owner, as thousands of protesters demanding the death penalty for the man clashed with police, leaving 100 people injured.A two-judge panel of the High Court also asked the central bank to freeze the assets of the owners of the five garment factories in the building, and use the money to pay the salaries and other benefits of their workers.The order came after police produced the building owner, Mohammed Sohel Rana, and the factory owners in court. The order did not elaborate but it was implied that the salaries of the dead victims would be paid to their relatives.At least 386 people were killed and 2,500 people escaped with injuries when the illegally constructed eight-story Rana Plaza collapsed on April 24. According to one estimate, about 1,000 people are missing, indicating that the death toll could end up in the neighborhood of 1,400.The collapse is the deadliest disaster to hit Bangladeshs garment industry, which is worth $20 billion annually and supplies global retailers.Rescue efforts have now been suspended and authorities are using heavy machinery to clear the broken and crushed concrete slabs to get to the bottom floor, where emergency workers expect to find many more dead bodies.On Tuesday, clashes broke out again between thousands of garment workers and police in Savar, leaving at least 100 people injured, the United News of Bangladesh news agency reported.It said police attacked with sticks when the workers, who were demanding the death penalty for Rana and news of the missing people, tried to break the security cordon around the collapsed building. At least 22 of the injured were hospitalized, it said. The protesters also smashed at least 20 vehicles in the area, the agency said.Earlier, people had waited patiently at the site for news of missing relatives, holding their pictures and identity cards as they watched cranes lifting sections of ceilings and floors from the rubble. Emergency workers in hard hats used drilling and cutting machines to break up the slabs into manageable pieces.Ratna Akhtar, looking for her husband at a nearby school ground, wailed: Give me my husband back. At least I want to see his dead body if not alive.Most of the bodies have been handed to families except 49 that have been kept at the morgue of state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital for identification. Mahmud Ali of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society said many more bodies are believed trapped under the rubble of the building, judging by stench of decomposing flesh still emanating.Zillur Rahman Chowdhury, a Dhaka district administrator, put the number of missing at 100, based on the information received from the families of the missing.But volunteers from the Social Welfare Club based at the Jahangirnagar University say the official tally is incomplete because people have little faith in the government and dont bother reporting their losses.Ahsan Imu, a volunteer at the club, said that based on information gathered from families at the site, at least 1,000 people may be missing. However, he cautioned that there may be some duplication in the list.On Monday, a magistrate gave police 15 days to interrogate Rana, the building owner. He was arrested on Sunday in a border town as he tried to flee to India. He is being questioned on charges of negligence, illegal construction and forcing workers to join work. The crimes he is accused of carry a maximum punishment of seven years. More charges could be added later. Rana had permission to build a five-story building but added three more floors illegally.The death toll has surpassed the one in a garment-factory fire five months ago that killed 112 people and brought widespread pledges to improve worker-safety standards in Bangladesh. But since then, very little has changed.I think it is a wakeup call for the nation, a wakeup call for the industry and for the trade unions, said Shirin Akter, founding president of Karmojibi Nari, a Dhaka-based Bangladeshi group that lobbies for the rights of women in the workplace.Bangladeshs garment industry was the third-largest in the world in 2011, after China and Italy, having grown rapidly in the past decade.Among the garment makers in the building were Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms. Altogether, they produced several million shirts, pants and other garments a year.The New Wave companies, according to their website, make clothing for several major North American and European retailers. Britains Primark has acknowledged it was using a factory in Rana Plaza. It said in a statement Monday that it is providing emergency aid and will pay compensation to victims who worked for its supplier.Primark notes the fact that its supplier shared the building with those of other retailers. We are fully aware of our responsibility. We urge these other retailers to come forward and offer assistance, it said.Canadian company Loblaw Inc., which also got its Joe Fresh clothing line made in Rana Plaza, said Monday it will ensure that victims and their families receive benefits now and in the future.Spokeswoman Julija Hunter said the company is still working out the details, but plans to deliver support in the best and most meaningful way possible.Many workers had complained after the factory fire in November that they did not receive compensation in time.Wal-Mart said none of its clothing had been authorized to be made in the facility, but it is investigating whether there was any unauthorized production.

Most Asian markets closed for Labour Day, Nikkei opens Posted: TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar was pressured on Wednesday ahead of the outcome of the U.S. Federal Reserves two-day policy meeting later, while the euro drifted on expectations for a rate cut when the European Central Bank meets later in the week.Investors were cautious ahead of some big monetary policy decisions due this week, and lacked incentives to trade actively with many Asian markets closed for the Labour Day holiday.One highlight during the Asian session is the release of official Chinese Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) due at 0100 GMT, which is expected to hit a 12-month high.MSCIs broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was nearly flat after climbing to a seven-week high on Tuesday.The Australian benchmark share index was down 0.1 percent after reaching its highest in nearly five years in the previous session.Japans Nikkei stock average opened down 0.2 percent. The index posted its best April in 20 years, reflecting a sharp improvement in investor sentiment as the government promotes aggressive policies to end the countrys stubborn deflation and bolster growth.The dollar was down 0.2 percent against the yen at 97.26 yen and inched down 0.1 percent against a basket of six major currencies. The dollar index hit its lowest since the end of February at 81.598 on Tuesday.No one should be expecting either a change in the (Feds) $85 billion monthly quantitative easing (QE) pace or a hint that the case for tapering QE has grown, Sean Callow, a senior currency strategist at Westpac in Sydney, said in a note to clients.Despite what should be low expectations for firm hints in the statement, USD may well be whippy after the release, with a bias to the weak side, he said, referring to the statement that accompanies the monetary decision.The euro held steady around $1.3168 against the dollar but fell 0.2 percent against the yen at 128.02 yen.The euro is catching attention this week ahead of the ECB meeting and a key non-farm payroll release...instead, we think meaningful EUR moves will be driven by three fairly unrelated factors, none of which relates to monetary policy in the eurozone, Barclays Capital said in a research note.The three factors are the effect of a weak yen on Germanys growth, impact from Italys new coalition governments austerity policies, and a recovery in the U.S. economy.European shares slipped on Tuesday but still ended the month in positive territory for the longest monthly winning streak since 1997. April was the 11th straight monthly gain for the broad STOXX Europe 600 index.Inflation in the euro zone has fallen to a three-year low and unemployment has hit a new record, cementing expectations of a 25-basis-point interest rate cut by the ECB on Thursday.In the U.S., the Standard & Poors 500 Index settled at an all-time high on Tuesday, despite a mixed bag of economic reports. The Institute for Supply Management-Chicago business barometer unexpectedly contracted in April to its lowest level since September 2009 as a gauge of employment pulled back.But other reports were more upbeat, including the S&P/Case-Shiller index of 20 metropolitan areas showing single-family home prices rose 9.3 percent in February from a year earlier at the fastest pace since May 2006, and a separate data showing consumer confidence rebounded in April.These data precede the key U.S. non-farm payrolls report for April due on Friday. Marchs number came in well below expectations, at 88,000, triggering a sell-off in risk assets.

Venezuela lawmakers brawl amid election tensions Posted: CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Members of Venezuela's National Assembly say postelection tensions set off a brawl between lawmakers that left one opposition assembly member badly bruised and bleeding.Opposition assembly member Ismael Garcia tells The Associated Press that pro-government legislators threw punches Tuesday night after members of his coalition tried to protest a proposal barring them from legislative activities.Assembly member Julio Borges appeared on an independent television station soon after with blood running down one side of his swollen face. Pro-government legislators appeared on state TV accusing opposition members of attacking them.The opposition has refused to accept President Nicolas Maduro's narrow April 14 victory, prompting the pro-government side to try to bar them from the assembly. Tuesday's fight was the second in which opposition legislators said the other side attacked them.

South Korea's inflation slows to 1.2 percent in April Posted: SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea's inflation slowed to 1.2 percent on-year in April, reflecting falling oil and vegetable prices, government data showed Wednesday.The inflation rate was 0.1 percentage point down from a 1.3 percent on-year gain in the previous month, Statistics Korea said.It remained at the subdued 1 percent level for a sixth consecutive month, well below the central bank's target band.Core inflation, which excludes volatile oil and food prices, rose 1.4 percent on-year in April, down from a 1.5 percent rise in the previous month. The finance ministry said falling prices of oil and vegetables helped stabilise the consumer price index.Inflation in April stayed comfortably below the central Bank of Korea's target range of 2.5-3.5 percent, leaving room for further monetary easing to spur growth.Minutes released on Tuesday showed the BOK's monetary policy board had cast a 4-3 vote to keep the benchmark interest rate steady at 2.75 percent in April for a sixth straight month, with three members calling for a rate cut. In a separate Dow Jones survey, six of eight analysts expected the BOK to stand pat on rates through 2013.

Boston bombing suspect's widow wants body released Posted: PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) - The widow of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects will ask the Massachusetts medical examiner to release his body to his family, her attorney said Tuesday.Attorney Amato DeLuca said in a statement that Katherine Russell wants Tamerlan Tsarnaevs remains released to the Tsarnaev family.Tsarnaev, 26, died after a gunfight with authorities. Police said he ran out of ammunition before his brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, dragged his body under a vehicle while fleeing the scene.Authorities say the medical examiner has determined the cause of Tamerlan Tsarnaevs death but it will remain private until his remains are released and a death certificate is filed. His parents are still in Russia, but he has other relatives on his side of the family in the U.S.Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is charged with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill, a crime that carries a potential death sentence.He lies in a prison hospital after being wounded in the shootout with police as he and his brother made their getaway attempt.DeLuca said Tamerlan Tsarnaevs widow met with law enforcement for many hours over the past week and will continue cooperating. FBI agents on Monday visited her parents North Kingstown, Rhode Island, home, where she has been staying, and carried away several bags.Katherine and her family continue to be deeply saddened by the harm that has been caused, DeLuca said Tuesday.Terrel Harris, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said Tuesday evening that the state had not yet received Russells request to release her husbands body.He said arrangements must be made to release the body and once that happens a death certificate will be filed and the cause of death made public. He said it is too soon to speculate on when that might happen.

Obama wants more certainty on Syrian chemical arms Posted: WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama said he wants more information about chemical weapons use in the Syrian civil war before he decides on escalating U.S. military or diplomatic responses, despite earlier assertions that use of such weapons would be a game-changer.With the U.S. disengaging from the unpopular war in Afghanistan and still smarting from the difficult conflict in Iraq, Obama has been reluctant to unleash American military power in the Syrian fighting, a civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people.The president said at a Tuesday news conference that the conflict is a blemish on the international community generally.Obama said the evidence available does not yet merit the quick use of American military power. He has called for the United Nations to investigate.What we now have is evidence that chemical weapons have been used inside of Syria, but we dont know how they were used, when they were used, who used them. We dont have a chain of custody that establishes what exactly happened. And when I am making decisions about Americas national security and the potential for taking additional action in response to chemical weapon use, Ive got to make sure Ive got the facts. Thats what the American people would expect.The president said, however, that if it is determined that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons we would have to rethink the range of options that are available to us.In the White House news conference marking the 100th day of his second term, the president said he had a full range of such options on the shelf.Beyond providing weapons and ammunition to the rebels, several government agencies are also drafting plans for establishing a protective no-fly zone over Syria and for targeted missile strikes, according to officials familiar with the planning. However, the officials, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the internal deliberations, stressed that Obama had not yet decided to proceed on any of the plans.The problem facing the U.S. is that Syrian air defenses are far stronger than NATO allies faced when they intervened with air power in Libya, and many of the rebel forces are now identified as Islamic radicals, many of them associated with al-Qaida and determined to establish a government based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.Noting American humanitarian aid that has flowed into victims of the conflict, Obama said the civil war has been a slowly unfolding disaster for the Syrian people. And this is not a situation in which weve been simply bystanders to whats been happening. Obama has resisted calls to expand U.S. assistance beyond the nonlethal aid the government is providing the rebels. That has frustrated some allies as well as some U.S. lawmakers, who say the deaths of 70,000 Syrians should warrant a more robust American response.Polling suggests war-weary Americans are reluctant to see the U.S. get involved in another conflict in the Middle East. A CBS News/New York Times poll out Tuesday shows 62 percent of Americans say the country does not have a responsibility to intervene in the fighting in Syria, while 24 percent say the government does have that responsibility.Obama also said he would re-engage with Congress on the future of the prison for detainees at Guantanamo in Cuba. As a candidate for the White House in 2007 and 2008, Obama called for closing the base, which was set up as part of President George W. Bushs response to the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Lawmakers objected and the facility remains open.Questioned about a hunger strike by some detainees, he said, I dont want these individuals to die, and he said the Pentagon was doing what it could to manage the situation.Obama also noted that several suspected terrorists have been tried and found guilty in U.S. federal courts, an answer to his congressional critics who maintain that detainees must be tried in special courts if the United States is to maximize its ability to prevent future attacks.

MQM chief welcomes COAS statement Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) - Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain has welcomed Chief of Army Staff General (COAS) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s statement, given on the occasion of Yaum-e-Shuhada.In a statement issued from London, Altaf Hussain said General Kayani with his courageous stance, proved himself to be a valiant solider who is all the time geared up for the defence of his homeland.Altaf said non-state actors were targeting moderate and enlightened parties, adding state seemed helpless before them. He

Establishment tries to hijack elections: PPP, ANP, MQM Posted: KARACHI (Dunya News) - The ANP and PPP leaders arrived at the MQM headquarter to express solidarity with each other against common rivals.Addressing a joint press conference, MQM leader Farooq Sattar, Senator Rehman Malik and Senator Shahi Syed reiterated their stance to carry on with their respective electoral campaigns despite the terrorist threats.The three main parties of the outgoing coalition government had earlier in the day also rejected the call to bring in the Army in Sindh.All three leaders vowed to foil the conspiracy of bringing an extremist, pro-Taliban and right-wing government in the country.The MQM leader urged the interim government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to fulfil their constitutional responsibility of ensuring free, fair and transparent elections.

Eight more killed in Karachi violence Posted: KARACHI (Online) – At least eight people were shot dead in Karcahi in various firing incidents.According to details, some unknown armed attackers opened indiscriminate firing in Malis’ Memon Goth and killed one person while another 45-year old person, Abdul Qadir was shot dead in Nanakwara area of old city.A 25-year old youth, Rashid Jan, was killed in terrorists’ firing in Orangi Town Number-15. Two youths’ tortured dead bodies were found in Mewa Shah Graveyard. They both were killed after torture, said the police.Two more persons were killed and two injured amid indiscriminate firing in Lyari’s Agra Taj; one woman turned victim of indiscriminate firing in Pakhtunabad area of Manghopir.

Elections will be held on time: Kayani Posted: RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has held out categorical assurance that the armed forces would extend full assistance within the ambit of the Constitution to ensure holding of free‚ fair and transparent elections in peaceful atmosphere.He was addressing a ceremony held in connection with Yaum-e-Shuhada in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.The Army Chief assured that the Pakistan Army would extend cooperation for strengthening of the democratic system on sustainable basis.General Kayani said the army contributed its share in strengthening of the democratic system during the last five years.He said we are near our destination; we should fulfill our electoral responsibility and realize that a system can succeed only if it is reflective of the aspirations of the people and takes them to the path of prosperity.The Army Chief said elections provide a golden opportunity to enter into a new era of democracy. He hoped if we made our choice during elections without linguistic or sectarian basis and voted purely on the basis of ability and sincerity then there would be neither fear of dictatorship or complaint about drawbacks of democratic system.He said elections themselves are not solution of the issues but important step towards that direction.The Army Chief said the menace of extremism and terrorism has taken lives of thousands of Pakistanis and the challenge can be addressed through collective efforts. He said external enemies are trying to inflame the problem further.He said the war on terror is not the war of army alone and those who believe in this wrong notion are pushing us to chaos which Pakistan cannot afford.General Kayani said we want armed elements to come to the national mainstream but this is possible when they announce their subservience to the state and constitutional unconditionally.

Man loses life savings on carnival game Posted: NEW HAMPSHIRE (Web Desk) - Henry Gribbohm told WBZ-TV that he was attempting to win an Xbox Kinect at the Manchester carnival when things went awry.The 30-year-old from Epsom, N.H., was playing a game called Tubs of Fun in which contestants toss balls into a tub, but the balls kept popping out.“It’s not possible that it wasn’t rigged,” Gribbohm said. “You just get caught up in the whole ‘I’ve got to win my money back.’”Gribbohm lost $300, WBZ-TV reports, went home to get $2,300 more and soon lost all of that as well.Manchester police are investigating the incident, and New Hampshire-based Fiesta Shows, which produces the traveling carnival, is pulling Tubs of Fun for the time being.Gribbohm, who managed to win a stuffed banana with dreadlocks before dropping $2,600, says hes considering a lawsuit.“For once in my life I happened to become that sucker,” Gribbohm said.

Man turns tables on attacker Posted: NEW ORLEANS (Web Desk) - The confrontation was captured by surveillance footage from a nearby security camera. According to WWL.com, the victim-turned-vigilante wasnt done yet.According to police, the victim was approached moments later by two black males in a black four door sedan. The victim told police that the driver of the car said, give me my gun back and I’ll give you your phone that you dropped.An NOPD spokesman says the intended victim declined to return the shotgun back to the robber, but instead used the weapon to strike and knock out the rear windshied (sic) of the vehicle. Police say the two suspects fled on Frenchmen to St. Claude and then to parts unknown.The clips YouTube description, which was written by NOPD, mentions a similar incident that occurred the previous day. In that case, a victim was attacked by two males, who demanded his money. The victim was able to flee the scene without relinquishing his property.Anyone with information about the attackers is urged to contact New Orleans CrimeStoppers at 504-822-1111.

Thousands gather in Amsterdam to see new King and Queen Posted: AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Willem-Alexander became the first king of the Netherlands since 1890 on Tuesday, ascending a throne largely stripped of political power but still invested with enormous symbolic significance for the Dutch people.At his investiture in Amsterdams 600-year-old Nieuwe Kerk, or New Church, the 46-year-old monarch swore an oath to uphold the Dutch constitution and stressed the need for unity at a time of economic crisis.I take office in a period when many in the kingdom feel vulnerable or uncertain. Vulnerable in their job or in their health, uncertain about their income or their immediate environment, Willem-Alexander said at his inauguration, attended by crown princes and princesses and other dignitaries.We can no longer take it for granted that children will be better off than their parents, Our strength is therefore not in isolation but by cooperating.Willem-Alexander - who is a water management specialist, a useful expertise in a country where much of the land is below sea level - and his wife Maxima, a former investment banker from Argentina, are expected to bring a less formal touch to the monarchy at a time of national austerity and budget cuts.April 30, or Queens Day, has always been an occasion for partying in the Netherlands, and Amsterdam has been awash with orange, the colour of the House of Orange - for days.Houses were covered in bunting and flags and shop windows were stuffed with orange cakes, sweets, clothes and flowers.Many people took Monday off work and started celebrating in earnest from Monday evening. Nearly a million people were expected at street parties in the capital where there was dancing to bands and DJs in a carnival atmosphere.An estimated 25,000 people, many dressed in orange or wearing orange wigs, hats, feather boas and crowns, massed in Dam Square next to the Royal Palace to watch the abdication and inauguration being broadcast live.Blinking back tears, former Queen Beatrix stepped out onto the balcony of the Royal Palace and presented her son to the crowds of cheering well-wishers.Some moments ago I abdicated from the throne. I am happy and thankful to present to you your new king, said Beatrix, 75, who retired after 33 years in the role, following in the tradition of her mother and grandmother. She now takes the title of princess.The ceremonies provided a welcome excuse to celebrate at a time when plummeting house prices, rising unemployment and slumping consumer confidence have pushed the country into recession.Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at the weekend the celebrations would lift the mood of the nation and might even have a positive economic impact.The government had promised to keep the cost of the pageantry down - the ceremonies will cost about 12 million euros, excluding the bill for the extensive security measures.Ive been pleasantly surprised by the new king, he seems to say exactly what you want him to say, said Alexander van Merchem, a student, craning his neck outside the church in the hope of seeing a passing dignitary.He seems like a really nice, pleasant guy.Shop owner Marcel Beurst enthused about Queen Maxima. Im really happy were going to have a very nice new queen.Maxima has a great appearance, and shes a power woman. Shell manage things in the background. I think shell be the real king.

POL prices reduced to Rs 8.46 per liter Posted: ISLAMABAD (Web Desk): The caretaker government has provided a major relief to the price-stricken masses of the country ahead of elections as price of petroleum products have reduced by Rs 8.46 per liter that will be effective from May 01.According to a notification issued here on Tuesday, the price of Motor Spirit (MS) used in transportation has been reduced by Rs 4.71 per liter from Rs 102.30 and new price of petrol will be Rs 97.59 per liter.Since petrol is an alternate to ‘scarce’ compress natural gas (CNG), consumers in some parts of the country, especially Punjab, have become dependent on petrol. The reduction in petrol prices will provide relief to motorists who are suffering due to CNG suspensions.Price of High Speed Diesel (HSD) used in agriculture sector, transport and electricity generators witnessed nominal decrease of Rs 2.53 per liter and new price will be Rs 106.06 against oil price of Rs 108.59 per liter.The reduction may provide a relief to the agriculture sector and reduction in inflation across the country.Notification regarding new prices revealed that price of High Octane blended Component (HOBC) has been reduced by Rs 8.46 per liter. New price of HOBC will be Rs 123.57 as against of Rs 132.03 per liter.The price of Light Diesel Oil (LDO), which is mainly used by industries, may witness a cut of Rs 4.22 per litre, bringing the price down to Rs 89.06 per litre against the current rate of Rs93.28 per liter.The price of kerosene oil had has been dropped to Rs 4.09 per liter to 94.17 per litre against Rs 98.26 per liter presently. Kerosene is used for cooking in remote areas where liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is not available.Prices of jet fuels, JP-1 reduced by Rs5.21 per litre from Rs88.65 per liter to Rs 83.44 per litre and JP-8 slashed by Rs 5.21 and new price will be Rs 83.11 per liter as against 88.32.

American women join gun-toting culture Posted: FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia (AFP) - Proudly brandishing a target she had riddled with bullets, 62-year-old Sharon Schaefer could not hide her delight at joining Americas growing number of gun-toting women.It was fun she exclaimed breathlessly, much to the approval of her instructor Teresa Ovalle. You did a good job, Sharon, said the former Marine, who had just given the senior citizen a crash course in pistols at the Fredericksburg Range, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of the US capital.On Thursday evenings the range has a pink theme -- the color of T-shirts and logos worn by the members of the Pistol Packing Ladies.Gun ownership laws are once again at the heart of political debate in the United States after the horrific shooting in December in Newtown, Connecticut which left 20 young children and six educators dead.But efforts in the wake of the massacre to impose tougher controls on firearm ownership have been blcoked in Congress.Earlier this month, a limited proposal -- condemned by the gun lobby as an infringement on Americans constitutional right to keep and bear arms -- failed to muster the votes needed to clear the US Senate.Even though polls show most Americans would support tougher licensing requirements, gun ownership is a passion in the United States, which at around 300 million has almost as many firearms as people.And in a growing trend, many of the pro-gun groups -- like the ladies at The Fredericksburg Range -- are all women, aiming, as Ovalle explains, to teach a lady how to handle a gun safely.The Shooting Divas group trains just a few miles away in Virginia, while Gun Powder Gals is based in North Carolina and A Girl and A Gun organizes some 40 groups around the country. And websites, magazines, merchandise -- pink pistols and bra holsters -- abound in the growing market.According to polling firm Gallup, 13 percent of women in the US owned a gun in 2005 compared to 23 percent in 2011 -- a significant jump, though women still trail American men, 46 percent of whom owned a gun in 2011.The number of women shooting targets has also risen, by 51.5 percent between 2001 and 2011, as has the number of female hunters, by 41.8 percent, according to the National Sporting Goods Association.Womens interest in firearms has been a steadily growing trend over the past decade, said Mary Zaiss Stange of Skidmore College, who has written books on women and weapons.National Shooting Sports Foundation spokesman Bill Brassard explained it as women placing a premium on personal and home security. But Pistol Packing Ladies founder Ovalle says its not about women breaking down barriers as about them claiming their birthright.Guns are part of the American fabric, she said, and thanks to the second amendment right, we have that option to buy a gun and to take care of ourselves.Zeiss Stange said it is important not to fall into gender stereotypes when thinking about women and guns. The idea that women are more passive, perhaps more emotional, and that a gun would be more dangerous in a womans hand than in a mans hands, the idea that women need to be protected, that guns and femininity dont go together, all those ideas are very well relegated to the past.For a woman to become actively involved with firearm is a kind of self assertion, she said. Thats the case for Elizabeth Timms, who said she always enjoyed shooting. Now divorced and in her fifties, she lives alone and carries a gun legally in Virginia.If I thought there was an absolute imminent danger and Im gonna lose my life, yes I would pull it out, she said. But Dedra Brown, a real estate agent in her 30s dressed in fluorescent pink, didnt start out as a gun aficionado.She said she had always hated everything that looked like a gun -- at least until the day she had to flee after being threatened in the street.I felt helpless, she said, explaining why she now carries a gun all the time. I definitely dont have the fear that I once had. And like any number of armed men, Sharon Schaefer is wary of efforts to restrict access to weapons.I dont want anyone -- such as President Barack Obama or reform-minded lawmakers -- telling me that I cant have something that Im really entitled to have.

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