• Most Popular
  • Most Shared
A martial arts enthusiast pulls a vehicle with a rope connected to his eye sockets during a performance in Hefei, Anhui province November 30, 2009. Picture taken November 30, 2009. REUTERS/China Daily

Pictures of the year: Oddly

A look at the year's best strange and unusual photos.   Slideshow 

    Coke, Pepsi slug it out at Thai boxer's home

    BANGKOK
    Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:38pm EDT
    A boxer is seen outside Pier 84 in New York July 17, 2008. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

    BANGKOK (Reuters) - Soft drinks giants Coke and Pepsi are slugging it out for supremacy outside the home of Thai Olympic boxing hopeful Worapoj Phetkum, who faces his first fight of the Beijing Games Friday, the Bangkok Post said.

    Oddly Enough

    PepsiCo's local distributor made the first move, erecting promotional tents at the police sergeant's home in the southern province of Surat Thani, where hundreds of people are expected to gather for his bout against Italy's Vittorio Parrinello.

    Coca-Cola's Thai agents quickly countered, offering the boxer's father, Thaweep, a deal -- on condition the Pepsi tents were removed.

    In a typically Thai compromise, both companies have been allowed to stay, providing they behave themselves.

    "If they make problems, both will have to leave," Thaweep said.

    Worapoj is one of Thailand's strongest Olympic medal hopes, having won silver in the bantamweight category in Athens four years ago.

    (Reporting by Ed Cropley; Editing by Alan Raybould)



    More from Reuters

    Photo

    Exclusive: U.S. business investment showing life

    CHICAGO (Reuters) - A trade group for the lenders that finance half the capital equipment investment in the United States said on Tuesday the sharp pullback in business borrowing that marked the recent downturn moderated markedly in November -- an encouraging sign companies may be growing more confident in the sustainability of the recovery.

    Malaysians participate in computer attack and defence hacking competition during The 3rd Annual Hack-In-The-Box Security Conference 2004 in Kuala Lumpur on October 6, 2004. REUTERS/Bazuki Muhammad
    Commentary:

    Year of the breach

    Data security breaches are nasty business and should be avoided at all costs, writes Kevin Prince, a chief technology officer at Perimeter e-Security. Here's a look at the biggest breaches and blunders of 2009.  Commentary 

    Soldiers look on as U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks to soldiers at F.O.B. Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq December 11, 2009.  REUTERS/Justin Sullivan/Pool

    Are you pregnant? Sir! No, Sir!

    There are some 115,000 U.S. troops in Iraq -- and one commander wants to make sure his soldiers don't multiply.  Full Article