A worker harvests rice in the Sakon Nakhon province of Thailand in the last decade of January 2024. (Photo by Natnattcha Chaturapitamorn/Solent News)

Sebastien Bourdais, of Colombia, makes a corner during practice for the IndyCar auto race Saturday, June 13, 2015, in Toronto. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

An aerial view of Charyn Canyon located about 200 kilometers east of Almaty city in Kazakhstan on September 22, 2024. The canyon, visited by more than 50,000 people each year, was placed under protection in 1964 and became part of the Charyn National Park, established on February 23, 2004. (Photo by Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(L-R) Jesse Montana , Kyle Chan, James Kennedy and Anthony F. attend Kyle Chan's “Star Wars vs. s*xy Aliens” Birthday Party at Sofitel Hotel on February 19, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)

A period of relative stability has put the Iranian capital No1 on the list of world cities that have achieved biggest improvements in liveability over the past five years, as calculated by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The “most improved” top 10 contains some unexpected names. So, eg, the fourth place: Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Latest ranking: 128; Ranking five years ago: 131; Five-year index movement: 3.8%. Here: A supporter of Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouattara campaigns in a market in the city’s Koumassi quarter. (Photo by Sia Kambou/AFP Photo)

Ukrainian state emblem is seen on a gun's holster as soldiers guard naval base in the village of Novoozernoye, some 91 km west of Crimean capital Simferopol, Ukraine, on Monday, March 3, 2014. Ukraine says Russian forces controlling the strategic region of Crimea are demanding that the crew of two Ukrainian warships in Sevastopol's harbor must surrender. (Photo by Ivan Sekretarev/AP Photo)

Sepak Takraw – ISTAF Super Series Korea 2014-15 – Gunsan City, South Korea April 26, 2015: Thailand's Fueangfa (L) in action during the final. (Photo by Jeremy Lee/Reuters)

A boy walks with toy guns as people ride an APC during a military show at the Finnish Gulf coast in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, September 5, 2015. (Photo by Dmitry Lovetsky/AP Photo)