By Jody Godoy NEW YORK (Reuters) – Facebook owner Meta Platforms will face trial in April over the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s allegations that the social media platform bought Instagram and WhatsApp to crush emerging competition, a judge in Washington said on Monday. The FTC sued in 2020, during the Trump administration, alleging the company acted illegally to maintain a monopoly on personal social networks. Meta, then known as Facebook, overpaid for Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 to eliminate nascent threats instead of competing on its own in the mobile ecosystem, the FTC claims. Judge James Boasberg set trial in the case for April 14. Boasberg earlier this month rejected Meta’s argument that the case should be dismissed as it depends on an overly narrow view of social media markets. The lawsuit does not account for competition from ByteDance’s TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube, X, and Microsoft’s LinkedIn, Meta had argued. Boasberg said that while the case should go forward to trial, “time and technological change pose serious challenges” to the FTC’s market definition. “The Commission faces hard questions about whether its claims can hold up in the crucible of trial. Indeed, its positions at times strain this country’s creaking antitrust precedents to their limits,” the judge said in the Nov. 13 ruling. (Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );
NEW YORK -- A person of interest is in custody following the targeted attack of Brian Thompson, the CEO of major insurance group UnitedHealthcare who was fatally shot outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel ahead of an investor conference, police said Monday. VIDEO: Latest in arrest of person of interest in CEO shooting A "strong person of interest" has been located in Pennsylvania, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a press briefing on Monday. The individual -- identified as 26-year-old Luigi Mangione -- was brought in for questioning after an employee at a McDonald's in Altoona recognized him from the wildly circulated images of the suspect in the shooting and called police, authorities said. Mangione was eating at the establishment, police said. He matches the description of the suspect being sought in the shooting, Adams said. He was carrying a firearm and suppressor "both consistent with the weapon used in the murder," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during the press briefing. He also had "multiple fraudulent IDs," including a fake New Jersey ID matching the ID the suspect used to check into his New York City hostel before the shooting incident, Tisch said. Police also recovered clothing, including a mask consistent with those worn by the wanted individual, as well as a "handwritten document that speaks to both his motivation and mindset," she said. Mangione was arrested on unrelated charges Monday, police said. He was in possession of a ghost gun capable of firing a 9mm round and will face gun charges in Altoona, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters during the briefing. The NYPD is sending detectives to Altoona to interview him and are going through the recovered writings and his social media, police said. VIDEO: UnitedHealthcare CEO killing timeline: What we know so far "It does seem that he had some ill will toward corporate America," Kenny said. Mangione was born and raised in Maryland and has ties to San Francisco and Honolulu, Kenny said. He has no prior arrest history in New York, Kenny said. Police have said the suspect appeared to be lying in wait outside the Hilton hotel on Wednesday in what they said was a "premeditated" attack. The shooter arrived at the scene about five minutes before Thompson before shooting the victim in the chest around 6:40 a.m., police said. The suspect is believed to have left New York City following the shooting, police said. Mangione is graduate of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, a university spokesperson told WPVI-TV. He majored in computer science and graduated in May 2020. NYPD officials released new images this weekend of the suspect being sought in the shooting in the back of a taxi, where he could be seen peering through the open slider in the partition between the seats. Police found a backpack believed to belong to the suspected shooter in Central Park on Friday evening, police sources told ABC News. The backpack contained fake money from the game Monopoly and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, sources said. The backpack was found after NYPD deployed an army of officers and drones to conduct a grid search, police sources said earlier. As of Saturday, three days after the shooting, sources close to the investigation told ABC News the New York Police Department is making progress toward identifying the gunman but, as of now, still has not done so. On Friday, police said they believed the gunman left New York City following the shooting -- ditching his bike on the Upper West Side and taking a taxi to a Port Authority bus facility at 178th Street. Police said they believe he boarded a bus there because they did not see him on video leaving the facility. The NYPD released on Thursday new photos of the suspect, seen without a mask, while asking for the public's help in identifying him. The images were taken from a surveillance camera at the HI New York City Hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Police had obtained a warrant to search after coming to believe the suspect stayed there, sources told ABC News. Police were able to find an image of the suspect without his face mask because he was flirting with the woman who checked him into the hostel, police sources told ABC News. As he stood at the check-in desk, the sources said the woman asked to see his smile. The suspected shooter obliged, pulling down his mask long enough for the surveillance camera to capture his face. It appears the suspect shared a room with two other men, according to police sources. The suspect likely checked into the hostel on Nov. 24, checked out and then checked back in again on Nov. 30, according to sources. It's not clear when the surveillance image was captured. The suspected shooter checked into the hostel using a New Jersey license that wasn't his own, according to police sources. Detectives ran the name and found it did not resemble any known photos of the suspect or other evidence amassed so far, the sources said. The suspect came to New York City on Nov. 24 on a Greyhound bus, when a surveillance camera at Port Authority Bus Terminal caught his arrival at 9 p.m., law enforcement sources told ABC News. The inbound bus originated in Atlanta but it was not immediately clear where the suspect boarded. The sources said he was spotted on board in Washington, D.C., so he boarded there or somewhere between D.C. and Atlanta. Both Greyhound and the parent company of the hostel, Hostelling International USA, said in a statement that they are "fully cooperating with the NYPD" but cannot comment further due to the active investigation. The 10-day period has been the focus of investigative efforts. Police have collected a lot of video of the suspect all over the city -- in the subway, in cabs, in a McDonald's, according to sources. Each place he paid with cash and he made sure to keep his mask on, according to sources. Police have released photos of the suspect in a mask, captured at a Starbucks near the hotel before the shooting, according to New York ABC station WABC. He was described by police as wearing a light brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a "very distinctive" gray backpack. Sources told ABC News the suspected shooter was also seen on video much earlier, at 5 a.m. the day of the shooting, near the hostel carrying what appears to be an e-bike battery. New cleared CCTV video shows a man who appears to be the suspect walking west on 55th Street at 6:19 a.m. The video shows him stoop down as he appears to momentarily drop an object on the garbage before continuing to walk. Detectives later discovered writing on the shell casings found at the scene where Thompson was gunned down, police sources told ABC News. Detectives were working to determine whether the words were meant as a message from the shooter and a hint at his motive. Written on the shell casings were the words "deny," "defend" and "depose," according to sources. After the shooting, the suspect fled on foot into an alley, where a phone was recovered, according to Kenny. He then fled on an e-bike and he was last seen riding into Central Park at 6:48 a.m., police said. Police released photos of the suspect holding a firearm and on a bike. Detectives have also retrieved a water bottle and candy wrapper from the area where he was apparently waiting, law enforcement sources said. After analysis, NYPD investigators believe the cellphone, candy wrapper and water bottle are linked to the shooter, police sources said. Investigators believe they were able to score DNA samples from several pieces of the evidence, law enforcement sources told ABC News on Friday. The samples are currently at the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to be run through databases for a possible match, the sources said. That process could take a couple days. At the same time, NYPD detectives are working with the U.S. Marshals Service to try and track down the shooter along with the FBI, which has the most sophisticated technology for retrieving usable data from cellphones, sources said. The victim's hotel room has already been accessed by investigators, whose top priority is determining Thompson's most recent conversations and movements, sources said. The working theory among detectives right now is that the shooting was carried out by someone who is not a professional killer because too many "mistakes" were made, sources said. Hitmen typically don't carry cell phones to their hits and the shots were fired from a distance that would be considered "too far" away from the victim, the sources said. Another photo appeared to show the man walking by the window of a cab. At this point, detectives are trying to determine whether Thompson was targeted because of some type of personal conflict or as a result of his work as an insurance executive, sources said. The killer apparently had some knowledge of Thompson's schedule on Wednesday and the fact that he would be arriving at the Hilton well before the company meeting was to begin, the sources said. Police are interviewing Thompson's colleagues and family about any potential specific threats, Kenny said. Thompson, 50, was in New York City for the UnitedHealthcare investors conference, which was scheduled to start at 8 a.m. The conference was being held at the Hilton outside of which he was shot, but he was not staying there, police said. UnitedHealthcare's parent company, UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer in the world, said in a statement, "We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson." "Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him," the company said. "We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian's family and all who were close to him." Police and the FBI urge the public to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS or 1-800-CALL-FBI with any information. A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.Taylor Swift was not present at the Kansas City Chiefs game on Christmas, and that's not her in the pictures which you might have seen circulating on the internet. In a rare claim, a woman who seems to be the pop sensation's dopplelganger named Olivia has quashed all rumours stating that it was actually her! ALSO READ: The 'Era' Of Taylor Swift: Pop-Star's 2024 Wins Include Grammys, World Tour And Becoming Most Streamed Artist Taylor Swift's look-alike Confusion started when many photos suggested that Swift recently attendded the gaming event. Fans noticed a blonde woman wearing Swift's signature red lipstick in the stands which many thought was the global icon who came for Kelce. Swift has been regularly present to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his team play the Chiefs' NFL games since past year. But, the 35-year-old's absence from the past two away games was due to Swift's commitments over rehearsals ahead of her Eras Tour on October 18 in Miami. It was also a security follow-up after her show in Vienna got canceled due to terror attack threats being issued. ALSO READ: Taylor Swift Sends Her Outfit As Christmas Present To Young Fan And Internet Is Divided Olivia claims it was her! Refute the recent claims, Olivia posted a TikTok video clearing the confusion. According to her, that was not Swift but her attending the sport with her best friend. She revealed that she was sitting in a suite watching the game when fans mistook her and started taking pictures of her, even waving at her. She said, "I waved back because I didn’t want to be rude." "I never expected this kind of reaction," she added in the video. While her reply was a clarification, it started trending Olivia for her striking resemblance with Swift. 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Police arrested a “strong person of interest” Monday in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO after a quick-thinking McDonald’s employee in Pennsylvania alerted authorities to a customer who was found with a weapon and writings linking him to the ambush. The 26-year-old man had a gun believed to be the one used in the killing and writings suggesting his anger with corporate America, police officials said. He was taken into custody after police got a tip that he was eating at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. Police identified the suspect as Luigi Mangione. Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco, and his last known address is in Honolulu, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing. Here's the latest: Asked if he needed a public defender, he asked if he could “answer that at a future date.” According to court documents, Mangione was sitting at a table in the rear of the McDonald's wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a silver laptop computer and had a backpack on the floor. When he pulled down his mask, Altoona police officers “immediately recognized him as the suspect” in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the documents say. Asked for identification, Mangione provided officers with a fake ID — a New Jersey driver’s license bearing another name and the incorrect date of birth. When an officer asked Mangione if he’d been to New York recently, he “became quiet and started to shake,” the court documents say A police criminal complaint charged him with forgery, carrying firearms without a license, tampering with records or identification, possessing an instrument of crime and providing false identification to law enforcement. Video posted on the social platform X shows a handcuffed Mangione arriving at the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. For example, it took about 10 months to extradite a man charged with stabbing two workers at the Museum of Modern Art in 2022. The suspect, Gary Cabana, was also arrested in Pennsylvania, where he was charged with setting his Philadelphia hotel room on fire. Cabana was sent back to New York after he pleaded guilty to an arson charge in Pennsylvania. Manhattan prosecutors could seek to expedite the process by indicting Mangione for Thompson’s killing while he’s still in custody of Pennsylvania authorities. They could then obtain what’s known as a supreme court warrant or fugitive warrant to get him back to New York. Freddie Leatherbury hasn’t spoken to Mangione since they graduated in 2016 from Gilman School in Maryland. He said Mangione was a smart, friendly and athletic student who came from a wealthy family, even by the private school’s standards. “Quite honestly, he had everything going for him,” Leatherbury said. Leatherbury said he was stunned when a friend shared the news of their former classmate’s arrest. “He does not seem like the kind of guy to do this based on everything I’d known about him in high school,” Leatherbury said. One of his cousins is Republican Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione, a spokesperson for the delegate’s office confirmed Monday. Luigi Mangione is one of 37 grandchildren of Nick Mangione Sr., according to a 2008 obituary. Mangione Sr. grew up poor in Baltimore’s Little Italy and rose after his World War II naval service to become a millionaire real estate developer and philanthropist, according to a 1995 profile by the Baltimore Sun. He and his wife Mary Cuba Mangione, who died in 2023, directed their philanthropy through the Mangione Family Foundation, according to a statement from Loyola University commemorating her death. They donated to a variety of causes, ranging from Catholic organizations to higher education to the arts. A man who answered the door to the office of the Mangione Family Foundation declined to comment Monday evening. Mangione Sr. was known for Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. The father of 10 children, Nick Mangione Sr. prepared his five sons — including Luigi Mangione’s father, Louis Mangione — to help manage the family business, according to a 2003 Washington Post report. The Mangione family also purchased Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore in 1986. On Monday afternoon, Baltimore County police officers had blocked off an entrance to the property, which public records link to Luigi Mangione’s parents. A swarm of reporters and photographers gathered outside the entrance. “Our hope is that today’s apprehension brings some relief to Brian’s family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected by this unspeakable tragedy,” a spokesperson for UnitedHealth Group said Monday. “We thank law enforcement and will continue to work with them on this investigation. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn.” In an email to parents and alumni, Gilman headmaster Henry P.A. Smyth said it “recently” learned that Mangione, a 2016 graduate, was arrested in the CEO’s killing. “We do not have any information other than what is being reported in the news,” Smyth wrote. “This is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.” Mangione, a high school valedictorian from a Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday. He had learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication. His posts also suggest that he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, the New Jersey shore and other destinations. Police said the suspect arrested Monday had a ghost gun , a type of weapon that can be assembled at home from parts without a serial number, making them difficult to trace. The critical component in building an untraceable gun is what’s known as the lower receiver. Some are sold in do-it-yourself kits and the receivers are typically made from metal or polymer. Altoona police say officers were dispatched to a McDonald’s on Monday morning in response to reports of a male matching the description of the man wanted in connection with the United Healthcare CEO’s killing in New York City. In a news release, police say officers made contact with the man, who was then arrested on unrelated charges. The Altoona Police Department says it’s cooperating with local, state, and federal agencies. “This just happened this morning. We’ll be working, backtracking his steps from New York to Altoona, Pennsylvania,” Kenny said. “And at some point we’ll work out through extradition to bring him back to New York to face charges here, working with the Manhattan district attorney’s office,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. “As of right now, the information we’re getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3D printer, capable of firing a 9 mm round,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing. The document suggested the suspect had “ill will toward corporate America,” police added. Mangione, 26, was born and raised in Maryland, has ties to San Francisco, and his last known address in Honolulu, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at a news briefing. Police have arrested a 26-year-old with a weapon “consistent with” the gun used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , New York City’s police commissioner says. Thompson , 50, died in a dawn ambush Wednesday as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference at Manhattan hotel. Thompson had traveled from Minnesota for the event. A man being questioned Monday in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had writings that appeared to be critical of the health insurance industry, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The man also had a gun thought to be similar to the one used in the killing, the official said. Police apprehended the man after receiving a tip that he had been spotted at a McDonald’s near Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City, said the official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. Along with the gun, police found a silencer and fake IDs, according to the official. — Michael R. Sisak That’s also according to the law enforcement official. — Michael R. Sisak That’s according to a law enforcement official. — Michael R. Sisak New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to address this development at a previously scheduled afternoon news briefing in Manhattan. While still looking to identify the suspect, the FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. That’s on top of a $10,000 reward offered by the NYPD. That included footage of the attack, as well as images of someone at a Starbucks beforehand. Photos taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side showed the person grinning after removing his mask, police said. NYPD dogs and divers returned to New York’s Central Park today while the dragnet for Thompson’s killer stretched into a sixth day. Investigators have been combing the park since the Wednesday shooting and searching at least one of its ponds for three days, looking for evidence that may have been thrown into it. Police say the shooter used a 9 mm pistol that resembled the guns farmers use to put down animals without causing a loud noise. Police said they had not yet found the gun itself. Ammunition found near Thompson’s body bore the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” mimicking a phrase used by insurance industry critics . A man with a gun thought to be similar to the one used in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was taken into police custody Monday for questioning in Pennsylvania, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The man is being held in the area of Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The development came as dogs and divers returned Monday to New York’s Central Park while the dragnet for Thompson’s killer stretched into a sixth day. — Michael R. 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Trump sides with Musk in right-wing row over worker visasDALLAS — Juan Soto was half of MLB’s top 1-2 offensive punch last season with the Yankees. Aaron Judge won the American League MVP award after hitting 58 homers and posting a ridiculous 1.159 OPS. Soto was third in the voting following a season in which he hit a career-high 41 homers and produced a .989 OPS. Soto reached an agreement with the Mets on Sunday — the deal is still pending a physical — on a record contract worth $765 million over 15 years. It left the Mets with not only a superstar player who, at 26 years old, is still in the middle of his prime, but with a chance to form their own dynamic duo. The other component is Francisco Lindor , who finished second to Shohei Ohtani in the National League MVP vote after a season in which he posted an .844 OPS and stole 29 bases (just missing a second straight year in the 30-30 club). Here’s a look at Soto/Lindor’s competition for top current MLB tandems, and within the context of Mets history. Current tandems The Dodgers are so loaded that you could easily substitute Freddie Freeman for Betts and still have the top 1-2 combo in MLB . Ohtani, in his first season with the Dodgers, won a second straight MVP award by becoming the first 50-50 player (homers and stolen bases) in MLB history. Betts finished with an .863 OPS and 16 stolen bases in an injury-shortened season in which he played only 116 games. If you substitute Freeman for Betts, you get the World Series MVP, who posted an .854 OPS during the regular season. The Phillies tandem has been terrorizing opponents for the last three seasons. Harper has averaged an .890 OPS during the stretch with his low homers total (he’s averaged 23) a product of missed games due to injuries. But Harper played 145 games last season and hit 30 homers. Schwarber has averaged 44 homers since arriving to the Phillies while maintaining an OPS that hasn’t fallen below .817 in any season. Acuña won the MVP in 2023, but never got a chance to follow it up last season, after a torn anterior cruciate ligament ended his season in May. There’s no reason to believe the 27-year-old Acuña won’t return strong for the Braves and resume as a threat (he won the MVP a season after tearing the ACL in his other knee). Ozuna finished fourth in the MVP voting last season after producing a .925 OPS with 39 homers. The 34-year-old Ozuna has two straight seasons with an OPS above .900. In Mets history The best lineup in Mets history was the group assembled from 2006-08 that included Beltran, Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado. But Beltran (a likely Hall of Famer based on his vote trajectory) and Wright (whose career was on a Hall of Fame course before injuries curtailed it) were the ringleaders of the group . Beltran averaged 36 homers in his first four seasons with the club and peaked with a .982 OPS in 2006. Wright had three straight top-10 finishes in the MVP voting following Beltran’s arrival. Wright also had four straight seasons with an OPS above .900. The Mets traded for Piazza during the 1998 season, reshaping a lineup in need of a power surge. Piazza didn’t disappoint, averaging 37 homers in his first four full seasons with the club. Piazza had five straight seasons with an OPS above .900 to begin his Mets career. Alfonzo was a steady threat for the Mets throughout his eight seasons with the team, but peaked during the team’s consecutive playoff appearances in 1999 and 2000, when he averaged 26 homers and an OPS above .900. Lindor, after a subpar first season in Queens (at least by his standards) has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting the last three years. He’s averaged 30 homers over this stretch. Alonso had seasons in which he hit at least 40 homers in 2022-23. Last season he dipped to 34 — his lowest total in a full season since arriving to the major leagues — and finished with an OPS below .800 for the first time in his career. It’s a dynamic tandem that was short-lived, as Carter’s offense dropped precipitously following strong 1985-86 seasons (his first two years with the club) in which he averaged 28 homers and finished sixth and third, respectively, in the MVP voting. Strawberry, the franchise’s all-time home run leader with 252, posted a .947 OPS (the second-highest in his career) in his first season following Carter’s arrival. Strawberry averaged 28 homers in the two seasons Carter was at his peak with the Mets.By Hyunsu Yim SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a key policy-setting meeting of the country's ruling party last week ahead of the new year, state media KCNA reported on Sunday. The meeting of party and government officials decided that North Korea would launch the "toughest" strategy to counteract the United States for its security and national interests, the report said, without elaborating. The alliance between South Korea, the U.S. and Japan has expanded to a "nuclear military bloc" and South Korea has become an "anti-communist outpost" for the U.S., the KCNA report added. "This reality clearly shows to which direction we should advance and what we should do and how." The Dec. 23-27 meeting also reviewed the handling of floods earlier this year, including the plan that brought those affected to Pyongyang, the capital, according to the report. The reclusive state also vowed to promote relations with "friendly" countries during the meeting. Kim also called for progress in defence science and technology to bolster the country's war deterrence. Such meetings often last a few days and have been used in recent years to make key policy announcements. In a reshuffle, Pyongyang named Pak Thae Song, a party secretary, as a new premier to replace Kim Tok Hun. Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui was named a member of the powerful Politburo of the party's Central Committee. The 11th plenary session of the eighth central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea wraps up a year in which Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit with Kim and signed a deal that included a mutual defence pledge. Washington and Seoul have criticized the two countries' military cooperation, including what they say is a dispatch of North Korean troops to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine. (Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Leslie Adler and Richard Chang)