With a presence in nearly every city and town across Iran, the paramilitary Basij volunteer corps has an ever-increasing influence on life in the Islamic Republic. Authorities created the Basij, which means mobilization in Persian, just after the country's 1979 Islamic Republic. It is part of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard. Photo: In this Thursday, August 22, 2013 photo, a female member of the Basij paramilitary militia aims a rifle as a trainer looks over her shoulder in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

People board a passenger bus during rush hour at a bus terminal, amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Mumbai, India, September 9, 2020. (Photo by Niharika Kulkarni/Reuters)

Barny, the Harveys Brewery dog has a sniff of a pint of beer at the Great British Beer Festival, at Olympia in London, Tuesday, August 11, 2015. The five day event is organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), with over 900 real ales, ciders, perries and international beers on offer. (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo)

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dances during the reception in honour of heads of the delegations at the Russia-ASEAN summit in Sochi, Russia, May 19, 2016. (Photo by Host photo agency via Reuters)

Honorable Mention: “The Storm”. During I was taking photo with my nephew, the storm came and I caught this beautiful moment. Photo location: Kocaeli, Turkey. (Photo and caption by Aytül Akbaş/National Geographic Photo Contest)

A man plays in front of a wave crashing into Beirut's Corniche, a seaside promenade, as high winds sweep through Lebanon ahead of an impending storm January 6, 2015. (Photo by Jamal Saidi/Reuters)