New York  - The first nuclear weapon free-zone in the northern hemisphere will enter into force Saturday, which calls on the five Central Asian states to forswear nuclear weapons and abandon all nuclear activities.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the event, saying it is of particular significance because it encompasses a region where nuclear weapons previously existed.

New York - Financier Bernard Madoff will have to sit in jail while waiting for his sentencing after pleading guilty to a massive scam that bilked billions of dollars from thousands of investors, US media reported.

An appellate court in New York upheld a judge's previous ruling that Madoff should not be released pending his June 16 sentencing because he has the financial means to flee, MSNBC reported.

New York - The two-month-old Somali government has taken steps to meet benchmarks that would allow the deployment of a UN peacekeeping operation in the troubled land known more for piracy than development, a Somali official said Friday.

Foreign Minister Mohamad Abdullahi Omaar told the UN Security Council in an open session that President Shiekh Shariff Shiekh Ahmed, elected on January 30, has taken security measures and steps to mobilize support for the peace process.

New York, Mar 20 : Actor Mel Gibson once ordered an X-rated sushi at eatery Nobu, as he wanted to send it to actress Rene Russo.

The revelation was made by Dalia Jurgensen, the executive pastry chef of Brooklyn''s Dressler, in her upcoming memoir, `Spiced'.

She has revealed that when she cooked at Nobu, Gibson, 53, wanted to send Russo an "obscene" dessert as a joke.

New York, Mar 20 : Broadway paid tribute to Hollywood actress

New York, Mar 20 (ANI): California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has showered praise on President Barack Obama while introducing him during a town hall meeting at the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex 2009 in Los Angeles.

Schwarzenegger, 61, was very impressed with the Democratic commander in chief, and his feelings were revealed on March 18 on the Politico Web site.

"I think he''s so smart," the New York Daily News quoted the Republican as saying.