From winter swimming in Lithuania to a striking sunset in Missouri – today's best pictures

Take a look at some of the best images from around the world in the past 24 hours

Swimmers compete in an annual winter competition in freezing water, with temperatures outside dropping to -2 degrees Celsius, in Vilnius, Lithuania. AFP

Pope Francis releases a white dove at a square near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), in the old city of Iraq's northern Mosul. The Pope visited Christian communities that endured the brutality of the Islamic State group until the jihadists' "caliphate" was defeated three years ago. AFP

A young boy holds grocery bags as he walks away from a supermarket which was burnt down and looted in the upmarket area of Almadies in Dakar, Senegal. Protests have been ongoing for three days in the country after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was arrested following rape charges. The Senegal government vowed to use "all means necessary" to return order after police fired tear gas in clashes with supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. AFP

A Hazara woman sits at the entrance of a cave where she lives with her family at Tak Darakht village on the outskirts of Bamiyan province, Afghanistan. AFP

France's Matthieu Bailet in action during the Men's Downhill during the FIS Ski World Cup. Reuters

A model presents a creation by "Nicolas Lecourt Mansion" during the filming of a AW21 Women's Fall-Winter 2020-2021 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show at Epinay-sur-Seine. AFP

A toddler plays near a laundry line filled with clothes at a farm on the outskirts of Harare, Zimbabwe. AP

Girls are silhouetted against the setting sun as they enjoy a spring-like day in Kansas City, Missouri. AP

Tourists walk in front of several Orthodox churches in the historical centre of the town of Rostov Velikiy, in the Yaroslavl' region of Russia. Rostov Velikiy (The Great) is part of the so-called Golden Ring of Russia, comprising several cities outside Moscow, which also played a significant role in the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Golden Ring towns feature unique monuments of Russian architecture from the 12th to the 18th centuries, including kremlins, monasteries, cathedrals and churches. AFP

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