It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times. As 2017 draws to a close, one could be forgiven for remembering the past 12 months as an unrelenting parade of grimness. There was the inauguration of Donald Trump, the governance of Donald Trump, the tweets of Donald Trump…and that’s before one considers the terrorists attacks in Manchester and London, the disintegration of Venezuela’s economy and democracy, and the Las Vegas spree shooting. There’s no sugaring it: 2017 was sent to test us. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Here are 17 positives to come out of 2017.
1. Islamic State was routed
The Iraqis seized Mosul from the caliphate-seeking Islamists in July, and by November prime minister Iraqi Haider al-Abadi declared total victory with the recapture of the remaining territory under Islamic State control. In all, the terror group retains just two per cent of land captured since its 2014 campaign.
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