Pictures of the day: February 21, 2017

We look at 13 pictures from events around the world

A Pa Then dancer performs a fire dance at a spring festival. The ritual, to exorcise spiritual demons and pray for a healthy harvest, was formerly banned by communist authorities. The Pa Then ethnic minority now perform the fire dance publicly after decades of celebrating in the woods in secret, Lam Binh, Vietnam. PHOTO: AFP

Aircrafts perform during a military show at the opening ceremony of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. PHOTO: REUTERS

Members of the Iraqi rapid response forces fire a missile toward Islamic State militants during a battle in the south of Mosul, Iraq. PHOTO: REUTERS

Servicemen of the Belarussian Interior Ministry's special forces unit perform during Maslenitsa celebrations, a pagan holiday marking the end of winter celebrated with pancake eating and shows of strength, at their base in Minsk, Belarus. PHOTO: REUTERS

Officials survey the scene where a small plane crash landed on a residential street in Bayonne, New Jersey, US. PHOTO: REUTERS

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on a supply mission to the International Space Station from historic launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US. PHOTO: REUTERS

A boy moves away as a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) helicopter lands in Rubkuai village, Unity State, northern South Sudan. PHOTO: REUTERS

A man hangs fish to dry on bamboo poles at a fishing village in Mumbai, India. PHOTO: REUTERS

A Palestinian boy plays under a donkey cart outside his house in an impoverished area in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis. PHOTO: AFP

Worshippers wait for the priest to throw the sacred batons during the annual Naked Man Festival or 'Hadaka Matsuri' at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, western Japan. PHOTO: AFP

Clement Lheureux on his horse Cominols (L) and Milan Zatloukal on his horse Arche Pink take part in the 1800 metres flat race at the White Turf horse racing event in St Moritz. PHOTO: AFP

Birds fly over a garbage dump in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza strip. PHOTO: AFP

The sun begins to rise on Country Road B002 outside Columbus, New Mexico, near the US/Mexico border. PHOTO: AFP