Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, is locked under the rule of extremists from the Islamic State group trying to purge it of everything they see as contradicting their stark vision of Islam. A trove of photographs now housed at the Library of Congress offers a glimpse of a different Mosul – before wars, insurgency, sectarian strife and now radicals' rule. The scenes were taken in the autumn of 1932 by staff from the American Colony Photo Department during a visit to Iraq at the end of the British mandate. (Photo by AP Photo)

Mini-pigs perform during the presentation in Balashikha, Russia on December 19, 2018. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Performers of Everland Amusement Park present the part of Christmas Fantasy in downtown of Myundong in Seoul, South Korea on December 3, 2019. (Photo by Seokyong Lee/Penta Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

An otter reaches for a snack from a customer at an otter cafe in Tokyo. Asian small-clawed otters are increasingly popular as novelty pets, particularly in Japan. Now international trade in the species may be banned. (Photo by Noriko Hayashi/The New York Times)

In this picture taken on October 27, 2019 lightening strikes on a building during a thunderstorm in Bangkok. (Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP Photo)

Medical personnel jump in the COVID-19 unit at the CHR Centre Hospitalier Regional de la Citadelle Hospital, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Liege, Belgium, April 22, 2020. (Photo by Yves Herman/Reuters)

A thirty-year-old Dutch demonstrator displays a sign that reads: “Glad to be Gay” during a gay people march in Frankfurt, Germany on Saturday, July 28, 1979 which ended a week long homosexual meeting. Hundreds of homosexual converged for a week of movies, theater, rock concerts and workshops on gay rights. (Photo by Rolf Boehm/AP Photo)

A member of the 324 Squadron during the Anzac Day dawn service at Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia on 23 April 2019. Anzac Day, held annually on 25 April, is a national day of remembrance across Australia and New Zealand, which commemorates the people who lost their lives or served in wars and conflicts. The day coincides with the first landing of the Anzacs at Gallipoli, Turkey, in World War One. (Photo by Steven Saphore/Australian Associated Press)