As Russia puts the finishing touches to the carefully manicured fields that will host the World Cup from next week, people around the globe are playing soccer on a surprising variety of makeshift pitches. Off the coast of an island in southern Thailand, they play on a floating platform; in the mountains of northern Italy, they kick about in the snow – images captured by Reuters photographers around the world. Here: Local residents play soccer on the top floor of a parking garage in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 4, 2018. (Photo by Darren Whiteside/Reuters)

A devotee of the Chinese shrine of Kathu Shrine, pierces his cheeks with umbrellas during a procession of Vegetarian Festival on October 4, 2011 in Phuket, Thailand. Ritual Vegetarianism in Phuket Island traces it roots back to the early 1800's. The festival begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts for nine days. Participants in the festival perform acts of body piercing as a means of shifting evil spirits from individuals onto themselves and bring the community good luck. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images)

Six month- old baby elephant “Clear Sky” is kept afloat with the help of a harness during a hydrotherapy session at a local veterinary clinic in Chonburi Province on January 5, 2017. After losing part of her left foot in a snare in Thailand, baby elephant 'Clear Sky' is now learning to walk again – in water. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/AFP Photo)

Horrified animal welfare groups fear baby sharks kept as a bizarre attraction in a brothel have been eaten – by the landlord. Shocking videos show the the fish crammed into an aquarium illuminated with red lights hanging above s*x works at a seedy “gentlemen's club” in, Bangkok Thailand. Five exotic black tip sharks – which can grow up to 8.5ft – float in the filthy water while holidaymakers take their pick of women in skimpy dresses. The deadly fish were just one form on entertainment employed by the establishment in the Thai capital Bangkok. (Photo by SWNS.com)

A woman wears a mask while carrying a dog in the street on January 22, 2020 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. A new infectious coronavirus known as “2019-nCoV” was discovered in Wuhan as the number of cases rose to over 400 in mainland China. Health officials stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts confirmed can be passed from human to human. The death toll has reached 17 people as the Wuhan government issued regulations today that residents must wear masks in public places. Cases have been reported in other countries including the United States, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. (Photo by Getty Images/China Stringer Network)

Soldiers evacuate a hostage from a mass shooting scene at the Terminal 21 shopping mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, 09 February 2020. According to media reports, at least 21 people were killed, and as many as 30 wounded after a Thai soldier, identified as 32-year-old Jakraphanth Thomma, went on a shooting rampage with a M60 machine gun in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat. Thomma held an unknown number of people hostage within the Terminal 21 shopping mall for around 17 hours before being shot and killed in a police operation. (Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA/EFE)

A monkey is being fed by a foreign tourist during the annual Monkey Banquet at Phra Prang Sam Yod ancient temple in Lopburi, some 180km from Bangkok, central Thailand, 24 November 2024. The annual gala has been organized since 1989 by Lopburi's entrepreneur Yongyuth Kitwatananusont, offering all-you-can-eat fruits, vegetables, and desserts for monkeys to honor the long-tailed macaques to attract tourists to visit the town to promote tourism. (Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA)

People release floating lanterns during the festival of Yee Peng in the northern capital of Chiang Mai, Thailand November 14, 2016. Yi Peng refers to the full moon day in the second month according to the Lanna lunar calendar (the twelfth month according to the Thai lunar calendar). Swarms of Lanna-style sky lanterns are launched into the air where they resemble large shoals of giant fluorescent jellyfish gracefully floating through the sky. The festival is meant as a time for tham bun, to make merit. Khom loi are made from a thin fabric, such as rice paper, stretched over a bamboo or wire frame, to which a candle or fuel cell is attached. When the fuel cell is lit, the resulting hot air is trapped inside the lantern and creates enough lift for the khom loi to float up into the sky. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)