A street actor dressed as a devil frightens children in downtown Prague in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, December 5, 2016. On the eve of St. Nicholas, Czechs traditionally celebrate by dressing up as Devils, Angels and St. Nicholas, and visiting children in their homes handing out small presents, coal, potatoes or other gifts. (Photo by Petr David Josek/AP Photo)

Drinking from a helmet at a graduation ceremony held by the Military University of the Russian Defence Ministry at Moscow's Victory Park in Moscow, Russia on June 15, 2019. (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov/TASS)

Visitors take photos of a child dressed in a traditional costume before a folk performance in Panyu, Guangdong province, China on April 20, 2018. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Taliban soldiers ride bumper cars at an amusement park in Kabul, Afghanistan on September 13, 2021. (Photo by WANA via Reuters)

A man walks past a mural along a street in New Delhi on June 30, 2023. (Photo by Arun Sankar/AFP Photo)

Rajasthani Artist During Closing ceremony of annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, India on November 8, 2022. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A model presents a creation by Japanese designer Yoshikazu Yamagata for his label writtenafterwards during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Tokyo, Japan, 16 March 2016. The presentation of the Autumn/Winter 2016 collections runs from 14 to 19 March. (Photo by Kiyoshi Ota/EPA)

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)