Notorious British child killer dies aged 79

LONDON • Ian Brady, the British serial killer notorious for the "Moors Murders", has died at the age of 79 in a high-security psychiatric hospital.

Known as the Moors murderers, Brady and his partner, Myra Hindley - who died in prison in 2002 - tortured and murdered five children between July 1963 and October 1965 near Manchester, in northern England.

Both were jailed in 1966 for three murders before later confessing to another two.

Lawyers representing Brady had announced in February that he had been bedridden for years and it was "fair to say" that he was terminally ill.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

New US trade rep to attend Apec meeting

WASHINGTON • New United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will attend a meeting of Asia-Pacific trade ministers next weekend in Vietnam.

Mr Lighthizer, who was sworn in on Monday, will be the principal US negotiator in talks expected later this year to revamp the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico - an election promise of President Donald Trump.

At the May 20-21 meeting of trade ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) countries, Mr Lighthizer will face many counterparts who were signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-country free trade agreement abandoned by Mr Trump.

REUTERS

Retired teacher, 98, finally gets degree

LONDON • A retired teacher unable to afford to complete her degree four decades ago has finally received it at the age of 98.

Ms Freda Smith from Ipswich, who worked for 44 years as a teacher, was given an honorary degree by the University of Roehampton in London on Monday.

She left college two years into her course in 1938 because her parents could not afford to keep her at college.

XINHUA