More than 60 countries sign arms trade treaty

UNITED NATIONS: More than 60 countries on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) signed a landmark conventional arms trade treaty, but the United States held back from joining the first wave of signatories while Russia and China are expected to stay out of the accord.

The UN-brokered treaty is the first covering weapons of any kind for more than a decade and aims to bring transparency and protection of human rights into the often dubious $85 billion a year global trade.