Best photos of February 1: From Hindu pilgrims in Prayagraj to a cotton farm in Soclogbo

A Hindu devotee offers prayer as she takes a holy dip in the sacred waters of the Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj on February 1, 2025. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP)
The sun sets behind Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
A lion dancer performs during Chinese New Year in Beijing. EPA
A former Palestinian prisoner released by Israel is hugged by members of his family as he disembarks a Red Cross bus after arriving in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. AFP
The Great Omari Mosque, damaged during the Israeli-Hamas conflict, amid a ceasefire in Gaza. EPA
Dressed in white robes to symbolise purity and equality before God, followers from the Layene brotherhood gather at a sacred grotto where they believe their prophet received divine inspiration, in Dakar, Senegal. AP
An American Eagle plane leaves Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as rescue teams search the Potomac River following the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter. Reuters
Workers collect cotton in a farm in Soclogbo. AFP