2018 CE

An earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi kills 4,340; The 2018 FIFA World Cup was held in Russia and was won by France; Operation Olive Branch was a Turkish military incursion into the Afrin region of Syria; The Tham Luang cave rescue was a rescue of an association football team who got stuck in the cave situated in Thailand; 2 of the rescuers died as a result of flooding there; Protests occur following the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; The US-China trade war is an ongoing period of economic conflict initiated by the United States, primarily through the imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods; Elon Musk launched his personal Tesla Roadster into space as a dummy payload for the Falcon Heavy test flight.; Yellow vests protests occur in France due to the increasing price of crude oil; The 2018 Winter Olympics were held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

In the 2010s, the 21st century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

19 January – Paula-Mae Weekes is elected new presidentTrinidad and Tobago source
January 26–27 – The second round of voting of the 2018 Czech presidential election is held and incumbent president Miloš Zeman is reelected.source
February 4 – The second round of voting of the 2018 Cypriot presidential election is held and incumbent president Nicos Anastasiades is reelected.source
8 February - The Gambia rejoins the Commonwealth of Nations, after former President Yahya Jammeh withdrew from it five years ago calling it a "neocolonial institution", to rebuild the Gambia's image.Gambia source
February 14 – Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa after nine years in power.source
March 4 – The 2018 Italian general election is held to elect all 315 members of the Senate of the Republic and all 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies.source
March 9 – President of the United States Donald Trump accepts an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a meeting in May to discuss the denuclearisation of North Korea.source
March 18 – In the Russian presidential election, Vladimir Putin is elected for a fourth term.source
April 1 – 2018 Costa Rican general election: The second round of voting for the presidential election is held and Citizens' Action Party candidate Carlos Alvarado Quesada is elected president.source
15 April – Guatemalan territorial dispute referendum, 2018, on whether the Guatemalan government should request the International Court of Justice to finally resolve the Belizean–Guatemalan territorial dispute.Guatemala source
15 April – Milo Đukanović wins the presidential election with a majority of the votes.Montenegro source
May 8 – U.S. President Donald Trump announces his intention to withdraw the United States from the Iranian nuclear agreement.source
May 9 – The opposition-led Pakatan Harapan coalition, led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, secures a parliamentary majority in the Malaysian Parliament as the result of the 2018 Malaysian general election, ending the 61-year rule of the Barisan Nasional coalition since independence in 1957.source
29 May – The Bashar al-Assad government of Syria recognizes the independence of Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia retaliates by severing diplomatic relations with Syria and calls for international support. The Syrian opposition leader Nasr al-Hariri condemns the move by Syria's government. Two Syrian airlines are barred by Georgia from accessing its airspace, one of which used to transport private Russian military contractors to take part in the Syrian conflict.Georgia source
June 1 – Giuseppe Conte becomes the new Prime Minister of Italy, leading a cabinet described as the "first modern populist government in Western Europe".source
June 2 – Pedro Sánchez is appointed new Prime Minister of Spain, a day after a vote of no confidence against his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy.source
June 3 – Snap parliamentary elections are held in Slovenia, following the resignation of prime minister Miro Cerar, to elect all 90 members of the National Assembly of Slovenia, the lower house of the Slovenian Parliament.source
June 12 – Greece and the Republic of Macedonia reach a deal to end a 27-year naming dispute between both countries, which would result in Macedonia being officially renamed the Republic of North Macedonia.source
June 12 – The 2018 North Korea–United States summit is held in Singapore. It is the first summit between a sitting United States President and a North Korean leader.source
June 19 – The United States announces it will withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council.source
June 24 – Early general elections was held in Turkey to elect the president of Turkey and all 600 members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Turkey's unicameral legislature. Justice and Development Party candidate, incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is reelected and the Justice and Development Party, led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan comes out as the largest party winning 295 out of 600 seats.source
July 1 – The 2018 Mexican general election is held to elect the president of Mexico, all 128 members of the Senate of the Republic and all 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies.The presidential candidate of the Juntos Haremos Historia coalition, Andrés Manuel López Obrador is elected president and the Juntos Haremos Historia coalition wins a majority of 69 out of 128 out of seats in the Senate and 312 out of 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.source
July 9 – Eritrea and Ethiopia officially declare an end to their twenty-year conflict.source
July 20 – Prime Minister, Narendra Modi wins a no confidence motion in the Lok Sabha moved by the opposition.source
15 August – Mario Abdo Benítez took over as the new president of Paraguay.Paraguay source
August 24 – Scott Morrison succeeds Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister of Australia following a Liberal Party leadership ballot. Morrison is sworn in as Prime Minister later that evening.source
September 9 – The 2018 Swedish general election is held to elect all 349 members of the Riksdag, Sweden's unicameral legislature.source
October 28 – The right-wing Jair Bolsonaro is elected as the next President of Brazil, with 55% of the vote.source
November/December – The first round of the 2018 Malagasy presidential election was held on 7 November, and a second round involving the top two candidates, Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana, was held on 19 December. On 27 December Rajoelina was announced as the winner with 56% of the vote.Madagascar source
November or December – scheduled date for the Malian parliamentary election, 2018Mali source
December 9 – Parliamentary elections were held in Armenia on 9 December 2018.source
December 22 – The United States government enters a second government shutdown, arising over a dispute over funding for the U.S.–Mexico border wall. The shutdown, which lasted until January 25, 2019, is the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.source

Conflict & Security

January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of South Sudan.source
January 20 – Turkey, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announces the beginning of a military offensive to capture a portion of northern Syria from Kurdish forces, amidst the ongoing Kurdish–Turkish conflict.source
February 14 – A shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is one of the deadliest school massacres with 17 fatalities and 17 injuries.source
March 4 – Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, are poisoned by the Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England. UK counter-terrorism police investigate amid speculation the Kremlin was behind the incident.source
7 March – Sierra Leonean general election, 2018Sierra Leone source
March 9 – Princess Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, a UAE princess, escaped Dubai with a group of other people. She was arrested by Indian and UAE authorities, a few kilometers off the coast of India. She was then taken back to the UAE.source
March 14 – In response to gun violence in the United States, and particularly triggered by the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, thousands of high school students across the country participate in an organized protest they called the National School Walkout.source
18 March – De facto Abkhazia and South Ossetia take part in the 2018 Russian presidential election, showing record turnout in voting, with local authorities organizing vote and campaigning for Vladimir Putin. Tbilisi condemns the polls as illegal.Georgia source
March 23 – An Islamic terrorist attack in Carcassonne and Trèbes, France, kills five people, including the perpetrator.source
1 April - President Barrow accuses supporters of former President Jammeh of supporting rebels in Senegal's Casamance region.Gambia source
April 14 – Syrian Civil War: The United States, the United Kingdom and France order the bombing of Syrian military bases in response to the sarin attack allegedly by the Bashar al-Assad regime on civilians in Ghouta.source
20 April - The death toll for protests that began two days ago reaches 10 by government figures.Nicaragua source
May 3 – The separatist group ETA officially announces its final dissolution after 40 years of conflict and more than 800 deaths in Spain.source
May 20 – The 2018 Venezuelan presidential election was held with incumbent President Nicolás Maduro reelected with 67.8% of the vote and the lowest turnout in Venezuela's modern democratic history since the 1958 coup d'état. The elections were denounced as a "sham" by several Latin American countries, the United States, Canada, the Organization of American States and the European Union.source
May 24 – The Constitutional Court unanimously upheld the ban of all forms of ritual slaughter, stating that 'the Constitution did not allow easily preventable suffering to be inflicted on animals without a justified cause', and that this provision did 'not disproportionally interfere' with religious freedom.Slovenia source
May 26 – Real Madrid wins the 2017-18 Champions League held in Kyiv, Ukraine by beating Liverpool in the final 3–1.source
July 10 – Twelve boys and their football coach are successfully rescued from the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Thailand, following a 17-day ordeal that gained worldwide attention. One person, a law enforcement officer is killed.source
July 11–12 – The 2018 Brussels NATO summit is held in Belgium.source
29 July - Terrorist attack against cyclists in TajikistanTajikistan source
August 7 – The United States reimposes sanctions on Iran.source
August 10 – Protests against the government of Romania, prime-minister Viorica Dăncilă and PSD leader and corrupt businessman Liviu Dragnea take place in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and other major Romanian cities. In Bucharest, the protests take a violent shape and, in the course of a few hours, over 400 people are injured, including civilians not taking part in the protests and police units, and more than a thousand people suffer effects from tear gas and hand grenades thrown by the Romanian Jandarmerie units deployed and backed by the PSD-ruled government.source
August 18–September 2 – The 2018 Asian Games are held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.source
September 17 – Syrian Civil War: While the Israeli Air Force conduct missile strikes that hit targets in western Syria, a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane is shot down by a Syrian surface-to-air missile, killing all 15 Russian servicemen on board. Russia blamed Israel's military for the accident because the Israeli jets that conducted the strikes allegedly used the Russian plane as cover to allow them to approach their targets without being hit by Syrian fire.source
September 22 – An attack at a military parade kills 30 people (including 5 attackers) and injures 70 more in Ahvaz, Iran.source
October 17 – A school shooting and bomb attack in Kerch, Crimea, kills 20 people and injures 70 others.source
October 20 – 700,000 people march through central London demanding a second referendum on the final Brexit deal. The event is the second most attended protest of the 21st century in the United Kingdom after the "Stop the War" anti-Iraq War march in 2003.source
October 20 – President Trump announces that the US will "terminate" the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty over alleged Russian violations.source
November 11 – Many nations around the world, particularly ones in Europe and the Commonwealth, along with the United States, commemorate the centenary of the end of World War I with Armistice Day, Veterans Day, and Remembrance Day ceremonies, speeches, parades, and memorials.source
November 27 – Kerch Strait incident: Ukraine declares martial law after an armed incident in which the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) coast guard fired upon and captured three Ukrainian Navy vessels attempting to pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait.source
December 1–8 – France experiences its worst civil unrest since the protests of 1968 due to the yellow vests movement. Protests in Paris morph into riots, with hundreds of people injured and thousands arrested; over 100 cars are burned, the Arc de Triomphe is vandalized and numerous other tourist sites are closed, both in the capital and elsewhere in the country.source
Since 2017 – Ongoing conflict in the Cabo Delgado Province, between Islamist militant group Ansar al-Sunna and Mozambican security forcesMozambique source
Ongoing since June 2016 – armed clashes in Wau State between the Dinka-dominated Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and local opposition forces.South Sudan source

Exploration & Expansion

15 March – A summit of Central Asian leaders takes place in Astana.Kazakhstan source
March 25 – Qantas launches direct non-stop Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights between Perth Airport and Heathrow Airport, making it the first commercially non-stop service between Australia and the United Kingdom.source
21 April – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is the first foreign leader to meet with President Miguel Díaz-Canel.Cuba source
April 27 – 2018-19 Korean peace process: Kim Jong Un crosses into South Korea to meet with President Moon Jae-in, becoming the first North Korean leader to cross the Demilitarized Zone since its creation in 1953.source
18–19 April - The President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko became the first foreign leader to be received in Moldova by President Igor Dodon on a state visit.Moldova source
18 May – The Federal Customs Service of Russia signs a contract with the Geneva-based testing and inspection company, SGS, on carrying out cargo monitoring through three "trade corridors" between Georgia and Russia, two of which run through the breakaway entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the third one on the Zemo Larsi-Kazbegi border crossing point in the undisputed section of Georgia–Russia border. This comes as part of the Swiss-mediated agreement between the two neighboring countries signed on 9 November 2011.Georgia source
14 June – The Legislative Council passes the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link (Co-location) Bill by 40 to 20. This will allow for a juxtaposed border checkpoint at the West Kowloon station, operated jointly by Hong Kong and mainland border security departments and with mainland border security officers stationed.Hong Kong source
June 30 – Millions of people marched to protest the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy towards illegal migrants. This march was devoted to reuniting refugee and immigrant families that were separated at the US–Mexico border by the US government's policy introduced in the spring of 2018.source
July — Uruguay becomes the first country to legally produce and sell Marajuana for recreational use.Uruguay source
August 12 – NASA launches the uncrewed Parker Solar Probe to study the Sun at close range and the solar wind.source
17 September – The Red Sea Development forms a 12-member advisory board.Saudi Arabia source
October 1 – The International Court of Justice rules that Chile is not obliged to negotiate access to the Pacific Ocean with Bolivia.source
October 16 – Canada legalises the sale and use of cannabis, becoming the second country in the world to do so, after Uruguay in 2013.source
Todos somos marineros (We are all sailors) by Miguel Ángel Moulet.Peru source

Religion & Belief

January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.source
18 January – Philip Dykes is elected as the next chairperson of the Bar Council of the Hong Kong Bar Association, defeating incumbent Paul Lam.Hong Kong source
February 10 – Kay Goldsworthy becomes the first female archbishop in the Anglican Communion on her installation in the Anglican Diocese of Perth, Western Australia.source
March 30 – The mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia ends.Liberia source
April 20 – The 2018 Bhutanese National Council election is held to elect 20 out of 25 members of the National Council of Bhutan, the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Bhutan.source
June 8 – Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announces its closing seven mosques and could expel up to 40 imams from the country. the mosques were accused of preaching Salafi positions and they were funded by turkey.Austria source
July 1 – Austria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Bulgarian presidency.source
1 November – Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert is appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq; Thom de Graaf becomes Vice-President of the Council of StateNetherlands source
November 4–6: President of the Council of State of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel visits North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang.North Korea source
27 November – According to Matthew was released in Sri Lanka and Australia.Sri Lanka source
December 4 – A Spanish institutional crisis surrounding the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) begins.source
15 December – Egyptian archeologists discover a 4,400 year old tomb from the Pharaonic period, belonging to a high priest called Wahtye, decorated with statues and hieroglyphs.Egypt source
27 December – Appointment of the controversial judge Levan Murusidze to the Court of Appeals for lifetime tenure stirs up criticism and concerns over his independence voiced by two non-judge members of the High Council of Justice and civil society groups.Georgia source

Economy & Finance

1 January – Saudi Arabia introduces a 5% value-added tax (VAT) for the first time, with exemptions for basic necessities, medical, cultural, educational products, and financial services.Saudi Arabia source
16 March – Former Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was denied entry of U.S. visa under the Trump administration's travel ban.Somalia source
May 5 – In North Korea, clocks are adjusted to UTC+9 (GMT+09:00) to the same as South Koreasource
May 31 – The U.S. announces that it will extend its tariffs on imported steel (25%) and aluminium (10%) to include the EU, Mexico and Canada, starting at midnight.source
June 8–9 – The 44th G7 summit is held in Canada. President Trump pushes for the reinstatement of the G8 (to include Russia). He also proposes the elimination of tariffs.source
28 June – The governments of Georgia and Hong Kong, the special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, sign a free trade agreement aimed at expanding bilateral trade in goods and services.Georgia source
29 June – Chief executive Carrie Lam announces 6 new policies to tackle the housing crisis, including changing how the prices of subsidised flats are determined, and a fee on newly built flats left vacant for a year or more.Hong Kong source
July 6 – China–United States trade war: U.S. tariffs on US$34 billion of Chinese goods come into effect, as President Trump suggests the final total could reach $550bn. China accuses the U.S. of starting the "largest trade war in economic history" and announces immediate retaliatory tariffs.source
July 26 – The share price of Facebook drops by almost 20 percent after the company warns investors that user growth has slowed following the data leak scandal. Over $109 billion is wiped from its market value, the largest single day loss in corporate history at the time.source
July 26 – Minister of Finance and Development Planning Samuel Tweah serves as national Independence Day orator.Liberia source
August 2 – Apple Inc. becomes the world's first public company to achieve a market capitalization of $1 trillion.source
October 8 – The IPCC releases its Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C, warning that "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society" are needed to ensure that global warming is kept below 1.5 °C.source
20 November – Minister of Foreign Affairs Miroslav Lajčák announced that he would contemplate his resignation if the parliament rejected the Global Compact for Migration.Slovakia source
21 November – Kosovo puts a 100% trade tariff on all goods imported from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The European Union says this is a "clear violation" of the Central European Free Trade Agreement.Bosnia and Herzegovina source
December 21 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 22,445 after its worst week since 2008.source
December 26 – After weeks of losses the Dow Jones Industrial Average posts its largest ever one-day point gain: 1,086 points.source
1st January - Bulgaria adopts the euro as its official currency.Bulgaria source

Technology & Infrastructure

January 13 — At 8:08 AM HST, an inbound missile alert was accidentally issued via the Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alert System over television, radio, and cellular networks in the U.S. state of Hawaii. 38 minutes later, the alert was confirmed as false by state officials, and blamed a miscommunicated drill at the HI-EMA.source
27 January – season start of the 2018 Ligue 1 (Congo)Republic of the Congo source
3 February – Football: season start of the 2018 Sudan Premier LeagueSudan source
4 March – scheduled time for the Belgrade City Assembly election, 2018Serbia source
March 14 – Prime Minister Miro Cerar announces his resignation following complications with planning the upgrade of the Divača–Koper Railway, one of the key infrastructural projects of his government.Slovenia source
April 18 – Cinemas open in Saudi Arabia for the first time since 1983 with the American film Black Panther chosen as the first to be screened.source
18 April - Puerto Rico experiences an island-wide blackout after an excavator accidentally downs a transmission line.Puerto Rico source
30 April – VOX Cinemas opens Saudi Arabia's first multiplex cinema following the lifting of a 35-year cinema ban.Saudi Arabia source
May 24 – Foreign journalists report that tunnels in the Punggye-ri nuclear test site have been destroyed by the North Korean government in a move to reduce regional tensions.source
May 28–June 7 – The 2018 Stanley Cup Final are played between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights and won by the former.source
21 June – The official opening of Gegeen Solar Power Plant in Zamyn-Üüd, Dornogovi.Mongolia source
July 23 – The Saddle Dam D in Paksong, Laos collapses leaving up to 1,100 people missing.source
16 August – The Central Government announces residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan who work and live in mainland China can apply for identity cards beginning 1 September, which will enable them to access public services similar to mainland residents.Hong Kong source
September 16 – Hydrail train enters service on the Buxtehude-Bremervörde-Bremerhaven-Cuxhaven line in Lower Saxony, Germany.source
October 23 – The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, the world's longest sea crossing bridge, is opened by Chinese Paramount leader Xi Jinping.source
November 30 – The Kanden Tunnel Trolleybus, one of the last remaining Japanese trolleybus systems, closes.source
December 7 – The U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union reports that, by the end of 2018, more than half – a full 51.2 percent – of the world's population are now using the Internet.source

Science & Discovery

January 24 – Scientists in China report in the journal Cell the creation of the first monkey clones using somatic cell nuclear transfer, named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua.source
January 31 – A total lunar eclipse takes place, the 49th eclipse of Lunar Saros 124. This was referred to by the media as a 'super blue blood moon' as it was close to a supermoon, with perigee being on January 30, and a blue moon eclipse, the first since 1982.source
1 February – United States lawmakers nominate Joshua Wong, Nathan Law, Alex Chow and other contributors to the Umbrella Movement for the Nobel Peace Prize.Hong Kong source
February 6 – SpaceX successfully conducts its maiden flight of its most powerful rocket to date, the Falcon Heavy, from LC39A at John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.source
March 9-18: Belarus takes part in the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.Belarus source
March 12 – In line with international regulations, the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation issued an announcement to ban passengers from bringing battery charger into the cabin of an aircraft.Indonesia source
April 18 – NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is launched.source
May 5 – NASA's space probe InSight is launched. It landed on Mars on November 26 and uses a drill to conduct geological science.source
26 May – Sri Lankan marine biologist Asha de Vos was awarded the Golden Alumni Award in the Professional Achievement category at the first edition of the British Council Golden Alumni awards.Sri Lanka source
July 25 – Scientists report the presence of a subglacial lake on Mars, 1.5 km below the southern polar ice cap and extending sideways about 20 km, the first known body of water on the planet.source
July 27 – The longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century occurs, lasting 102 minutes and 57.3 seconds, but the longest total lunar eclipse of the 3rd millennium will occur on May 12, 2264, lasting 106 minutes and 13.2 seconds, over 3 minutes longer than this eclipse. It was the 38th eclipse of Lunar Saros 129, with an umbral eclipse magnitude of 1.60868. The total lunar eclipse with the greatest magnitude in the 21st century will occur on June 26, 2029, with an umbral eclipse magnitude of 1.84362.source
27 July - A total lunar eclipse takes place in Malta, along with other countriesMalta source
July 31 – Mars makes its closest approach to Earth since 2003, four days after reaching opposition.source
11 October – The flight of the Soyuz MS-10 rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station is aborted during launch following the failure of the booster rocket. The two-man crew lands safely near Jezkazgan.Kazakhstan source
October 19 – The uncrewed European-Japanese spacecraft BepiColombo is launched on a seven-year journey to Mercury.source
October 30 – NASA's Kepler space telescope mission ends after the spacecraft runs out of fuel.source
30 October – KhalifaSat, the first entirely Emirati-made satellite, is launched into orbit.United Arab Emirates source
November 5 – Two U.S. space probes simultaneously (and coincidentally) reach "opposite" milestones in relation to the solar heliosphere: Voyager 2 passed through the heliopause, the outer limit of the Sun's magnetic field, into interstellar space within hours of the Parker Solar Probe reaching its first perihelion, the closest point to the Sun on its initial orbit.source
November 26 – NASA's InSight probe successfully lands on the surface of Mars.source
December 3 – NASA reports the arrival of the OSIRIS-REx probe at Bennu, the agency's first sample-return mission to an asteroid.source
Ahmed Zawad Chowdhury won the first gold medal for Bangladesh in the International Mathematical Olympiad.Bangladesh source

Health & Medicine

January 5 – Maduro ordered the closure of the borders with the islands of Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire.Venezuela source
January 20–22 – The US government enters a federal government shutdown as a result of a dispute over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.source
24 January – Tsz-kei Lau, the president of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) Students' Union, and Andrew Lok-hang Chan, a fifth-year student at the HKBU School of Chinese Medicine, are suspended for violating the students' code of conduct, until a disciplinary investigation into their protest on 17 January is complete. Over 10 students, including Lau and Chan, protested at the Language Centre for 8 hours, and demanded more transparency in an exemption test for an otherwise mandatory Putonghua course. A video clip later showed Lau speaking profanity to staff members.Hong Kong source
January - Large protests over environmental and development issues, thousands of people protested in Sofia opposing plans to expand a ski resort in Pirin National Park.Bulgaria source
March 26 – More than 100 Russian diplomats are expelled by more than 20 countries in the wake of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.source
23 April - As the death toll reaches 24, President Ortega cancels his reforms.Nicaragua source
1 May – Georgia implements new smoking regulations, banning smoking in public places and imposing restrictions on selling and advertising of tobacco products.Georgia source
May 25 – The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into effect, imposing strict privacy controls for European citizens worldwide.source
June 19 – Canada becomes the first major industrialised country to legalise cannabis for recreational use. The Bill which legalises cannabis took effect on October 17.source
June 20 – After widespread criticism, US President Donald Trump signs an executive order suspending his zero-tolerance family separation policies, though thousands of undocumented children were never reunited with their families even after the policy was suspended.source
July 24 - Law Minister Sher Bahadur Tamang resigns after making controversial remarks regarding female medical students in Bangladesh.Nepal source
August 1 – The 2018 Kivu Ebola outbreak begins in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It becomes the second-deadliest outbreak of the Ebola virus on November 29, surpassed only by the 2013 West African Ebola virus epidemic.source
August 20 – 15 year old Swedish pupil Greta Thunberg starts to stay out of school in an attempt to give attention to the climate change issue.source
October 5 - János Volner expelled from Jobbik. Erik Fülöp and István Apáti also leaves.Hungary source
October 15 – Katie Meyler steps down as CEO of More Than Me; the Liberian charity and Liberian government announce investigations and pledge support for the sexual abuse victims.Liberia source
November 28 – Chinese scientist He Jiankui, at a public conference in Hong Kong, announces that he has altered the DNA of twin human girls born earlier in the month to try to make them resistant to infection with the HIV virus; he also reveals the possible second pregnancy of another gene-modified baby.source

Crime & Justice

5 January – The Tbilisi City Court sentences the former President Mikheil Saakashvili to three-year imprisonment in absentia for abusing power in pardoning the former Interior Ministry officials convicted in the 2006 Sandro Girgvliani murder case. Saakashvili, the opposition United National Movement party, and the incumbent President Giorgi Margvelashvili denounce the decision.Georgia source
January 10 – Hundreds of protesters are arrested as protests against economic conditions continue to spread across the country. 49 police officers are injured during clashes. A Jewish school is also firebombed on the island of Djerba.Tunisia source
13 February – Former President Alvaro Colom and his entire cabinet were arrested for alleged involved in corruption cases being investigated by the CICIG and detained at the Mariscal Zavala Military Center.Guatemala source
February 18 – Kizlyar church shooting: a man carrying a knife and a double-barreled shotgun opens fire on a crowd at an Orthodox church in Kizlyar, Dagestan, killing five women and injuring several other people; the perpetrator is shot and killed by police.source
21 February – Murder of Ján KuciakSlovakia source
April 18 – In Nicaragua, protests begin against announced reforms of Social Security which would decrease retirement pension benefits. An estimated number of 34 protesters are killed by police.source
21 April - A local journalist, Miguel Angel Gahona, was shot dead in the city of Bluefields, allegedly by a police sniper.Nicaragua source
April 23 – A vehicle-ramming attack kills 10 people and injures 16 others in Toronto, Canada. A 25-year-old suspect, Alek Minassian, is arrested.source
8 May – Bosnian prosecutors appeal the acquittal of Naser Orić, former commander of the Bosnian Army in Srebrenica, who was accused of killing Serb prisoners.Bosnia and Herzegovina source
8 June - NCGUB was officially delisted as a terrorist group and unlawful association, along with its members by Ministry of Home Affairs.Myanmar source
September 6 – The Supreme Court of India decriminalises homosexuality.; Brazilian congressman Jair Bolsonaro is stabbed in the stomach at Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, during a rally while running for the presidency.source
September 7 – Aljaž Tower, a symbol of Slovenia, is removed from the summit of Triglav for the first time in 123 years and transported to Ljubljana for repairs.Slovenia source
October 26 – Red Dead Redemption II is released on PS4 and Xbox One. It would become the 8th best selling video game of all-time with 50,000,000+ copies sold.source
December 1 – The Oulu Police informed the public about the first offence of the much larger child sexual exploitation in Oulu, Finland.source

Disasters & Accidents

18 January – A bus fire on the Samara–Shymkent road kills 52 passengers, with five people escaping.Kazakhstan source
21 February – a bomb exploded between two banks in Lashio, Shan State, killing two employees of Yoma Bank and injuring 22 others.Myanmar source
March 6 – 2018 Russian Air Force Antonov An-26 crash: An Antonov An-26 transport aircraft operated by the Russian Air Force crashes on approach to Khmeimim air base in Syria, killing all 39 people on board. All of them were servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces, including Major-General Vladimir Yeremeyev.source
March 12 – Flight BS211 crashes and bursts into flames at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal, killing 51 of the 71 people aboard. The 20 surviving passengers were seriously injured from the impact and the fire.source
March 28 – At least 78 people die in a fire in the police headquarters of Valencia, Venezuela.source
April 6 – A semi-truck collides with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos ice hockey junior team in Saskatchewan, Canada, killing 16 and injuring 13 people.source
April 7 – 2018 Münster attack: In a suicide attack, a man drives a van into people seated outside restaurants in a pedestrianised square in the old part of the German city of Münster, resulting in 5 other deaths.source
May 18 – Cubana de Aviación Flight 972 crashed shortly after take-off near José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cuba, killing 112 people and leaving only one survivor.source
18 May – Cubana de Aviación Flight 972 crashes shortly after takeoff from the José Martí International Airport, killing all but one of the 113 people on board.Cuba source
June 16 – Seventeen people die in Caracas, Venezuela following the El Paraíso stampede after a tear gas canister is detonated in a crowded club.source
July 31 – Aeroméxico Connect Flight 2431 crashed on takeoff from Durango International Airport. Shortly after becoming airborne, the plane encountered sudden wind shear caused by a microburst. The plane rapidly lost speed and altitude and impacted the runway, detaching the engines and skidding to a halt about 1,000 feet (300 m) beyond the runway. The plane caught fire and was destroyed. All 103 people on board survived, but 39 passengers and crew members were injured.source
9 August - A Saudi airstrike hit a bus in the Dahyan air strike, Sa'dah, reportedly killing dozens of children.Yemen source
August 14 – Part of the Morandi Bridge collapses after a violent storm in Genoa, Italy, causing 43 fatalities. Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio and transport minister Danilo Toninelli blame private company Autostrade per l'Italia.source
September 2 – A fire breaks out in the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, destroying more than 90 percent of its archive of 20 million items.source
9 September – Yirol Let L-410 Turbolet crashSouth Sudan source
September 20 – The MV Nyerere capsizes on Lake Victoria, killing at least 228 passengers.source
20 September – Sinking of MV Nyerere, 228 deathsTanzania source
16 October – 2018 Bouknadel train derailmentMorocco source
October 29 – Lion Air Flight 610 crashes off the coast of Java, killing all 189 people on board.source
November 8 – The Royal Norwegian Navy Frigate Helge Ingstad, part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, collides with an oil tanker, and sinks in shallow waters off the coast of Norway. The frigate is later scrapped due to the damages.source
9 November – An aircraft accident shortly after departure from Cheddi Jagan International AirportGuyana source
December 20 – In the Sea of Japan, the South Korean warship ROKS Gwanggaeto the Great targets a Japanese P-1 maritime patrol airplane with its fire control radar while it was responding to a North Korean fishing boat in distress, creating a cause célèbre between the two countries.source
December 31 – 2018 Magnitogorsk building collapse: An apartment block in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, partially collapses, killing 39 people and injuring 17 more. According to the official investigation the collapse was caused by a gas explosion.source

Climate & Environment

9 January – 2018 Swan Islands earthquake, off the coast of HondurasHonduras source
12 February – Tonga was hit by the Cyclone Gita, the strongest cyclone to strike Tonga in its recorded history, with winds of up to 195km/h.Tonga source
13 February – Fiji hit by the Cyclone GitaFiji source
26 February – an earthquake of 7.5 moment magnitude struck in Hela Province, resulting in at least 67 people killed and a further 500 injured.Papua New Guinea source
April 5 – Agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid a slaughterhouse in Tennessee, detaining nearly 100 undocumented Hispanic workers in one of the largest immigration raids in the history of the U.S., prompting protests and federal lawsuits.source
18 April - Unrest erupts in Nicaragua by mostly students after social security reforms.Nicaragua source
May 3 – The 2018 lower Puna eruption causes destruction of structures and forces thousands of residents of Hawaii to evacuate as lava floods the land.source
May 25 – A constitutional referendum on whether to repeal the ban on abortion in Ireland takes place, with a landslide win of 66.4% to 33.6% for the repeal side.source
July 5 – The 2018 North American heat wave takes place, killing 33 people in the Canadian province of Quebec.source
July 7 – 2018 Japan floods, a torrential heavy massive rain, flash flood, landslide hit in Hiroshima, Kurashiki and Ehime Prefecture, Japan. According to Japanese government official confirmed report, 232 people were killed and 459 injured.source
July 26 – Heavy wildfires in Greece leave 102 dead and more than a hundred buildings destroyed.source
August 5 – A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the island of Lombok, Indonesia, killing 563 people and injuring more than a thousand people.source
August 10–20 – Heavy rainfall causes severe floods in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the worst flood to hit the state in a century.source
18 August to 2 September - Tajikistan will participate at the 2018 Asian Games in IndonesiaTajikistan source
September 14 – Hurricane Florence makes landfall in North Carolina as a category 1 hurricane, causing record-breaking flooding, which would result in 54 fatalities and $24.2 billion (2018 USD) in damages.source
September 14–16 – Typhoon Mangkhut impacts the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, resulting in more than 60 fatalities.source
September 28 – A magnitude 7.5 earthquake hits Sulawesi, Indonesia, causing a tsunami that kills at least 4,340 people and injures more than 10,679 others.source
October 10 – Hurricane Michael makes landfall at Mexico Beach, Florida as a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 160 mph (260 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 919 mb. It is the most intense hurricane to hit the mainland United States since Camille in 1969.source
November 1 – NASA's Dawn mission concludes after it runs out of hydrazine fuel.source
November 8 – The Camp Fire ignites in Butte County, California. It becomes California's deadliest and most destructive wildfire, with 88 deaths and 18,804 buildings destroyed.source
December 19–21 – Gatwick Airport drone incident: Reports of drone sightings close to the runway at Gatwick Airport in England causes major disruption, affecting approximately 140,000 passengers and 1,000 flights, making it the largest disruption since ash from an Icelandic volcano shut the airport in 2010.source
December 22 – An eruption from Krakatoa causes a tsunami that hits the Sunda Strait, Indonesia, killing at least 430 people and injuring nearly 1,500.source
8 to 9 February – Samoa was struck by the Cyclone Gita, and a state of disaster was declared for the nation on 10 February.Samoa source
9 to 18 March – Uzbekistan participated at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang, South KoreaUzbekistan source

Culture & Society

February 9–25 – The 2018 Winter Olympics are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.source
March 9–18 – The 2018 Winter Paralympics are held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.source
March 24 – In over 900 cities internationally, people participate in demonstrations against gun violence and mass shootings, calling for stronger gun control in the "March for Our Lives".source
April 4–15 – The 2018 Commonwealth Games are held in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.source
8 April – 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix.Bahrain source
May 8–12 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 is held in Lisbon, Portugal, and is won by Israeli entrant Netta Barzilai with the song "Toy".source
May 19 – The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was held at St George's Chapel, Windsor, with an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion.source
24 May: 2018 Barbadian general electionBarbados source
26 May – Georgia celebrates the 100th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the First Republic of Georgia. More than 20 high level delegations arrive to attend the event, including the presidents of Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Finland, Armenia, and the European Commission.Georgia source
June 13 – FIFA awards hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup to a joint bid from Canada, Mexico and the United States.source
June 14–July 15 – The 2018 FIFA World Cup is held in Russia and is won by France.source
June 22–July 1 – The 2018 Mediterranean Games are held in Tarragona, Spain.source
June 24 – Saudi Arabia allows women to drive.source
July 15 – France national football team wins the 2018 FIFA World Cup final 4–2 against the Croatia national football teamsource
August 25 – The amateur boxing match between KSI and Logan Paul takes place at Manchester Arena, the fight is dubbed as the biggest amateur boxing match in history.source
25 October to 5 November – The 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Doha.Qatar source
21 December – The 2018 Bahamas BowlBahamas source
9 to 25 February – Bermuda participated at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, with 1 competitor in 1 sport (cross-country skiing).Bermuda source
9 to 25 February – Madagascar participated at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, with one competitor in alpine skiing.Madagascar source
9 to 25 February – Montenegro participated at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, with three competitors in two sports.Montenegro source

Births

18 June – Lena Elizabeth Tindall, daughter of Zara Phillips and Mike TindallEngland source
10 November – Asterix, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source

Deaths

4 January – Rafiatou Karimou, politician and teacher (born 1946).Benin source
January 5 – Asghar Khan, 96, Pakistani politician and military officer, Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force (1957–1965).source
January 15 – Dolores O'Riordan, 46, Irish singer and guitarist (The Cranberries, D.A.R.K.), drowning due to alcohol intoxication.source
February 21 – Billy Graham, 99, American evangelist and Southern Baptist minister.source
8 March – Wilson Harris, writer (born 1921).Guyana source
March 14 – Stephen Hawking, 76, English theoretical physicist, professor (University of Cambridge) and writer (A Brief History of Time), complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.source
April 8 – Syrian Civil War: At least 70 people are reported to have died and hundreds suffering injuries after a chlorine chemical attack in Douma, the last rebel-held town in Syria's Eastern Ghouta.source
9 April – Ira Philip, writer and politician (born 1925).Bermuda source
June 18 – XXXTentacion, 20, American rapper ("Look at Me", "Jocelyn Flores", "Sad!"), shot.source
July 6 – Former Aum Shinrikyo leader Shoko Asahara and six other main members of Aum Shinrikyo, who led the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, are executed by hanging.source
August 16 – Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 93, Indian politician, Prime Minister (1996, 1998–2004), Minister of External Affairs (1977–1979), multiple organ failure.source
August 18 – Kofi Annan, 80, Ghanaian diplomat, Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997–2006), Nobel Prize laureate (2001).source
August 25 – John McCain, 81, American politician and Navy officer, member of the U.S. Senate (since 1987) and House of Representatives (1983–1987), glioblastoma.source
October 2 – The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi is murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, triggering a diplomatic crisis for Saudi Arabia.source
October 27 – Eleven people are killed during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.source
November 4 – Amazonas ambush, three Venezuelan border guards were killed and ten were wounded in a suspected Colombian ELN guerrilla attack in the Venezuelan Amazonas state.source
December 17 – Scandinavian tourists Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland are murdered by Islamic terrorists in the foothills of Mount Toubkal near to the village of Imlil in Morocco. At least one victim is beheaded with the murders recorded on video and posted on social media. In a previous video the perpetrators pledge allegiance to ISIS.source
19 December – James Ramlall, or Bhai, poet (born 1935).Suriname source