NUCLEAR ARMS BANNING : TREATY

UNITED NATIONS : Treaty banning nuclear arms ready to take effect : 

An international treaty banning nuclear weapons has been ratified by a 50th country, the UN said  allowing the ''historic'' to enter into force after 90 days.

While nuclear powers have not signed up to the treaty, activists who have pushed for its enactment hold out hope that it will nonetheless prove to be more than symbolic and have a gradual deterrent effect.

Honduras became the 50th country to ratify.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called it ''the culmination of a worldwide movement to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons,'' according to a statement from his spokesman on Saturday. [AFP]