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)

Starting in September, Indonesia's Mount Sinabung began erupting yet again. In the days that followed, ash and smoke were shot into the air multiple times. As a result, nearby towns turned gray from repeated blows by the volcano. Photo: A man uses his mobile phone as Mount Sinabung continues to erupt, with hot smoke spewing from the volcano, in the Karo district on the north of Indonesia's Sumatra island on November 18, 2013. Officials said a week ago at more than 5,000 people had fled their homes since the volcano erupted early this month. (Photo by Sutanta Aditya/AFP Photo)

“Jallikattu is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day. Annually, jallikattu is held from January to July, played first in world-famous Palamedu, near Madurai on January 15 followed by “Alanganallur-jallikattu” in Alanganallur, near Madurai on 16 January. There is a specific breed of cattle bred for this purpose known as Jellicut and from the place of a big breeder Pulikulam”. – Wikipedia. Photo: Bull tamers try to control a bull during the bull-taming sport called Jallikattu, in Palamedu, about 575 kilometers (359 miles) south of Chennai, India, Tuesday, January 15, 2013. (Photo by Arun Sankar K./AP Photo)

“Natacha Pisarenko was born in Buenos Aires and studied photography at that city’s School of Photographic Arts. Pisarenko currently works out of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She started her career in 1988 as a photographer for La Nación, one of Argentina’s largest newspapers, then joined the AP in Buenos Aires in 2002”. – Associated Press. Photo: A fan wearing leggings marked with the stripes of Great Britain's flag rests on the grass at the rowing venue in Eton Dorney, near Windsor, England, at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 30, 2012. (Photo by Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo)

Israeli soldiers detain a protester during a demonstration by Palestinians protesting against the Israeli-built West Bank separation barrier and calling for the right of return for Palestinian refugees, in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, on May 31, 2014. (AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)

A woman takes a selfie in front of a Lunar New Year display featuring sheep at a shopping mall in Hong Kong, February 13, 2015. (Photo by Bobby Yip/Reuters)

A giant river otter, the world's largest otter species, looks out of its enclosure at the newly completed River Safari in Singapore, on March 25, 2013. (Photo by Wong Maye-E/Associated Press)

A Felix the Cat balloon and other parade floats and balloons are led down Broadway during the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; ca. 1900s, Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York State, USA. (Photo by Underwood & Underwood/Corbis)