Year of living dangerously: 8 ways the world became more dangerous in 2017

The UN panicked as Kim Jong-un declared North Korea to be a nuclear power, while cyber attackers hit the NHS and fringe parties grew in Europe.

Here we look at some of the ways the world became a scarier and more dangerous place in 2017.

1. North Korea becomes a nuclear power

Kim Jong-un’s aggressive nuclear testing programme put the world on the brink of nuclear war in 2017.

The secretive dictator tested so many missiles in 2017 that his mountain nuclear test site collapsed.

As he hit out at “dotard” Donald Trump, the North Korean leader presented himself as a danger to his enemies and threatened strikes against the west.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has vowed Britain will not “hesitate to deal with aggression and threats” from North Korea.

And US president Donald Trump announced he would take “all necessary steps” to force Kim to give up the bomb in his December national security strategy.

Experts told Express.co.uk Kim was desperate to be recognised by the US, and that it would likely take negotiation to solve the crisis – but this appears an unlikely prospect, meaning the nuclear provocations could continue into 2018.

2. Tensions soar in the Middle East

December 20 marked 1,000 days since a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia began bombing Houthi-Saleh rebel forces who seized the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

Though the conflict is long-running, a series of aggressive moves in recent months have seen it hit headlines – and threaten to spill out further into the rest of the region.

In November, the Houthi-Saleh rebels attempted to bomb Saudi capital Riyadh, leading to a blockade of the main ports into Yemen.

Another attempted attack on December 19 saw the rebels target a meeting of Saudi leaders at a royal palace.

Aid convoys have now been allowed back into the country but an ongoing fuel blockade has caused water pumps to be switched off, and hospital generators to stop running.

22.2 million Yemenis now depend on humanitarian aid to survive with humanitarian groups warning of “full-blown famine” and a cholera epidemic.

While the crisis has threatened to engulf more countries as the Saudis accused Iran of arming the rebels and claimed it had committed an “act of war” against Saudi Arabia.

3. Fury as Donald Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel capital

Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, as the capital of Israel marked an abrupt reversal of decades of US foreign policy.

The move sparked outrage from Palestinians and the Arab world and concern among Washington’s Western allies.

While Israeli forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in the occupied West Bank, after Palestinians vowed a “day of rage” to show their anger at President Trump’s decision.

On December 21, the UN ignored threats of slashed foreign aid as it passed a resolution rejecting his unilateral recognition of Jerusalem.

The longstanding international consensus had always been that the issue of Jerusalem could only be settled in a final peace deal between Israel and Palestine.

However President Trump’s upset could be a blow to hopes for a peaceful settlement and may only make things worse in the region.

4. Terror attacks in the UK

The terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena, targeting young children enjoying an Ariana Grande concert, shocked Britain.

After the attack, on May 23 the terror threat level was raised to “critical”, meaning an attack is expected imminently, before being reduced to “severe”, making an attack highly likely, four days later.

Further attacks at London Bridge and Westminster kept the UK on high alert.

The threat level was again raised to critical following the Parsons Green tube bombing in September, and reduced two days later.

The likelihood of a terrorist attack in the UK remains “severe”.

5. Rise of the far-right in Europe

The increase in European populism over the course of the 2010s culminated in the accession of the far-right FPÖ to government in Austria.

The FPÖ have been in government before, in 2000, and came close to winning the presidency in 2016. But in other countries, the rise of right-wing populists was much more singular.

In Germany, AfD’s ascent into the Bundestag marked the first time a far-right party has been in parliament since the Second World War.

While Marine Le Pen’s progression to the second round of France’s presidential elections worried many onlookers – although she stresses her Front National is not a far-right party.

More ominously, 60,000 marchers called for a “white Europe” on Poland’s independence day, chanting “pure Poland, white Poland!” and “refugees get out!”

And further afield, white nationalists held enormous rallies in the US, many of them holding swastika flags and performing Hitler salutes.

6. Cyber attackers hit the NHS

As Kim Jong-un flexed his nuclear muscles, Governments across the world were hit with a different kind of attack.

Hackers used secret cyber weapons stolen from the US National Security Agency to target companies around the world – including the NHS.

The WannaCry virus encrypted data on infected computers and demanded a ransom payment to allow users access to their own files.

More than one in three NHS trusts and close to 600 GP practices were affected by the attack on May 13. 19,000 appointments were cancelled, including 100 which were cancer related.

The US has officially blamed North Korea for the cyber attack, which also hit companies and organisations in China, Portugal, Germany, Russia and Vietnam.

Many companies hit by the attack – including Britain’s health service – will have to make huge changes to avoid being caught out by future cyber attackers.

7. Donald Trump pulls out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement

In a huge blow to efforts to save the planet, the US announced it would pull out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement on June 1.

The US’ support for the agreement was one of the major factors leading to its quick success at the 2015 Paris conference.

However new President Donald Trump said the changes Barack Obama had committed to in the agreement would undermine the US economy.

The US will now pull out of the agreement by 2020.

It is the second biggest producer of global emissions, responsible for 14.3 per cent of emissions worldwide.

Climate activists are concerned that even if other countries continue to abide by the agreement, the US could continue to heat up the planet all by itself.

8. Deadly hurricane season

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the worst on record, with triple the usual amount of major hurricanes.

In a typical year there are two major hurricanes – this year there were six.

Hurricane Irma was the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane in history, with ferocious 185 mph winds that completely destroyed the Caribbean island of Barbuda.

Hurricane Maria’s 175 mph winds made it the strongest to hit Puerto Rico since 1928.

Harvey produced the biggest rainfall total from a single storm in the U.S. on record: 51.88 inches.

And Hurricane Ophelia made 2017 the joint worst for consecutive Atlantic hurricanes, after 10 named storms in a row intensified and gained hurricane status.

A consecutive streak of that length had not occurred since 1893.