Ivory Coast convincingly beat North Korea 3-0 on Friday, but the comprehensive win was not enough to prevent the Africans from going out of the World Cup.
North Korea are banking on team spirit, surprise and sheer determination to upset expectations and get them through to the knockout stages at the World Cup finals in South Africa. Aware his team are being written off as the weakest at the June 11-July 11 tournament, coach Kim Jong-hun is nevertheless backing them to spring a surprise.
Russia's unprecedented rapprochement with North Korea has raised concerns about the re-emergence of a Russia-China-North Korea alliance which could increase the probability of conflict on the Korean Peninsula, explains Dr Rajaram Panda.
US President Barack Obama imposed fresh financial sanctions on North Korea and its senior officials in America's first public retaliation against the "provocative" cyber-attack on Sony Pictures.
