1998 Progressive Conservative leadership election, Background
Under his leadership, the party won 20 seats in the 1997 federal election but still placed fifth. By 1998, Bouchard had become leader of the provincial Parti Québécois and had promised a further Quebec referendum on independence should there be "winning conditions". With the opposition Quebec Liberal Party seeking a new leader, Charest was under considerable public and political pressure, especially among business circles, to leave federal politics and become leader of the Quebec Liberal Party as he was considered the best hope among federalists to defeat the PQ. Charest announced on March 28, 1998 that he was resigning as federal Progressive Conservative leader in order to seek the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.


1998 Progressive Conservative leadership election, Background
The Progressive Conservatives, meanwhile, after two successive electoral defeats were under pressure from a Unite the Right movement for the Progressive Conservatives to co-operate with the Reform Party of Canada; Manitoba Tory cabinet minister Brian Pallister, Major-General Lewis MacKenzie, former Reform MP Stephen Harper, former Manitoba premier Gary Filmon, Alberta premier Ralph Klein, and former Alberta treasurer Jim Dinning were all encouraged to run as Unite the Right candidates for leader - with Pallister proceeding to do so. Conversely, the movement was resisted by Red Tories who sought a standard-bearer who would keep the party independent.


1998 Progressive Conservative leadership election, Results
Fortier was automatically eliminated; as Clark had only narrowly fallen short of a majority and had a wide lead over his closest opponent, Pallister and Segal withdrew and endorsed Clark for the sake of party unity and to forestall running up campaign debts needlessly. Orchard refused to do so and went on to the second ballot.


1998 Prokom Polish Open
The 1998 Prokom Polish Open was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Sopot, Poland that was part of the Tier IV category of the 1998 WTA Tour. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was held from 27 July until 2 August 1998. First-seeded Henrieta Nagyová won the singles title and earned $17,700 first-prize money.


1998 Prokom Polish Open, Finals, Doubles
Květa Hrdličková /  Helena Vildová defeated  Åsa Carlsson /  Seda Noorlander 6–3, 6–2


1998 Prokom Polish Open – Doubles
Květa Hrdličková and Helena Vildová won in the final 6–3, 6–2 against Åsa Carlsson and Seda Noorlander.


1998 Prokom Polish Open – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Prokom Polish Open – Singles
Henrieta Nagyová won in the final 6–3, 5–7, 6–1 against Elena Wagner.


1998 Prokom Polish Open – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1998 PruTour
The 1998 PruTour was the first edition of the Prudential Tour of Britain cycle race and was held from 23 May to 31 May 1998. The race started in Stirling and finished in London. The race was won by Stuart O'Grady of the GAN team.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike
The Puerto Rican general strike of 1998 began as a strike of Puerto Rico Telephone Company workers to protest a government privatization plan. Three weeks later, an estimated 500,000 people joined a two-day general strike, bringing commerce and travel in Puerto Rico to a standstill. Protests and pickets were mostly peaceful, but in the week before the general strike some infrastructure elements were sabotaged, and two bombs were detonated. The strike failed to stop the privatization plan, and in July a consortium led by GTE bought the PRTC for US$1.9 billion.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Background
At the start of the 20th century, brothers Hernan and Sosthenes Behn founded the Puerto Rico Telephone Company, before moving to New York and incorporating International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) in 1920. ITT ran the PRTC for many years, coordinating telephone service on the island with the government's Interior Department. In the 1940s, the Puerto Rican government enacted a series of laws designed to make telephone access more available in the eastern part of the island and allowed the state to play more of a role in providing service. By the end of 1959, the island had 76,000 phone lines.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Background
Service under the ITT/ID partnership expanded rapidly across the island, but tended to favor wealthier urban areas, while residents of outlying areas experienced long waiting periods and lack of access. ITT often imported outdated equipment from Latin America for use within the PRTC, and the company's salary practices produced criticism: some non-Puerto Ricans were paid almost four times as much as the highest-earning Puerto Rican executive. This was compounded by an October 1973 ruling by the Puerto Rico Public Service Commission, fining the PRTC US$219,000.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Background
In 1974, Governor Rafael Hernández Colón oversaw the government purchase of PRTC from ITT for a price of US$168 million. The newly nationalized phone company sought to improve service and expand networks, beginning with a US$500 million modernization fund. By 1980, the island had 12.9 lines per 100 people, up from 8.3 in 1974. By the 1990s, the PRTC was donating US$100 million each year to the government and gave free service to Puerto Rico's public schools.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Background, 1990 strike
In February 1990, Governor Hernández Colón – serving his third and final term – proposed the sale of the PRTC to Bell Atlantic (which merged with GTE in 2000 to create Verizon Communications). Hernández Colón suggested that proceeds from the sale would go toward public education and improved infrastructure. Labor unions in Puerto Rico opposed the sale, however, and on 28 March 3,800 telephone workers went on a one-day strike. On the same day, a march 150,000 Puerto Ricans proceeded to the capitol building in San Juan. This activity – in addition to a law requiring a $3 billion sale price and a ban on firings for 18 months – blocked the proposed sale.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Background, Deregulation
When the US Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Puerto Rico's telephone market – like many others in the US – was deregulated, causing an influx of competitors to what had previously been a PRTC monopoly. Once other companies began competing with the PRTC, its size and structure became a liability. Carmen Culpeper, the company's president, said it was "bound by too many government procedures and regulations that delayed decision-making in a competitive environment."


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Privatization proposal
When Pedro Rosselló became governor of Puerto Rico in 1993, he advocated a program of widespread privatization in a variety of fields. In 1995 the government sold its Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping company, and a number of local government-owned farms, hotels, and mills were also privatized in the early part of the decade. "The government should not be competing in areas where it is not effective", Rosselló said.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Privatization proposal
As plans for the sale of the PRTC began to crystallize, a twelve-hour general strike was held in October 1997. Over 100,000 people participated in the coalition action, one of the largest gatherings of Puerto Rican residents in history.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Privatization proposal
On 27 May 1998 Rosselló announced that the government had reached an agreement to sell a majority stake of the PRTC to the GTE consortium. Although the PRTC — which made a profit of US$130 million in 1996 – was providing "generally good" telephone service and using "modern equipment" (in the words of the conservative National Center for Policy Analysis), some considered it to be inefficient and ill-equipped for competition in the growing wireless market.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Privatization proposal
Others disagreed. Victor Garcia, minority leader of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, said the PRTC had "the most advanced telecommunications infrastructure in the Caribbean" and that "its markets are growing and its competitive position is good." Union leaders expressed concern about layoffs and undervaluing of the company. Jose Juan Hernandez, president of the Independent Telephone Workers Union, claimed that GTE was planning to fire several thousand workers, and that the government offered a "fire sale price, at least $3bn below its value".


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Privatization proposal
Some Puerto Ricans saw the proposal as an attempt to gain favor with mainland US business interests, to promote Rosselló's declared goal of statehood for the commonwealth. The PRTC was seen as an organizational focus of nationalistic pride among many on the island. Representing a militant extreme, the Boricua Popular Army said, "This sale is nothing more than a declaration of war. Now they will know what war is."


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, PRTC workers strike
On 19 June 1998, when the Senate of Puerto Rico approved the sale, 6,400 PRTC workers went on strike. The action was coordinated by the 2,000-member Independent Brotherhood of Telephone Workers and the 4,400-member Independent Telephone Workers Union. 1,400 management employees reported for work (some of them arriving by helicopter on the roof), and some employees crossed picket lines carrying food and pillows for an extended stay inside. Some small-scale confrontations were reported on the first day, with one arrest after a worker was accused of spraying police with a mace-like substance.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, PRTC workers strike, Violence and sabotage
Clashes between striking workers and police became more violent on 22 June when officers beat a group of strikers unconscious as members of the press watched. In the days after this incident, militant protesters carried out a wave of property destruction and  sabotage. In the southern town of Santa Isabel, a bomb concealed in a flashlight exploded in the hands of a police officer, severing a finger and wounding his leg. Another bomb was later detonated outside a branch office of Banco Popular, which participated in the GTE deal.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, PRTC workers strike, Violence and sabotage
Elsewhere at the end of June, telephone and optic fiber cables were cut, causing service losses to over 300,000 customers and half of the island's ATMs. A telephone switching box in Cayey and a telephone booth in Mayagüez were also set on fire.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, PRTC workers strike, Violence and sabotage
As the workers' strike dragged on with no response from the government, a coalition called the Greater Committee of Labor Organizations (Comite Amplio de Organizaciones Sindicales, or CAOS) was formed with the goal of launching a general strike.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, New York Health Care Workers Union
UIET representative Victor Rodriguez met on July 9 in New York with members of thehealth care workers union, Local 1199. The PRTC workers plan to take their objections to the privatization to the US FederalCommunications Commission (FCC), which still must approve the sale. 1199 head Dennis Rivera said his union would provide legalsupport and lobbying to pressure the FCC. [ ED-LP 7/10/98]


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, New York Health Care Workers Union
Many analysts feel that Rossello and the PNP are pushing for the PRTC privatization as part of their effort to have Puerto Ricojoin the US as a state. On June 29 Anibal Acevedo Vila—president of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), which supports maintainingPuerto Rico's current "commonwealth" status—introduced aproposal in the Chamber of Representatives for a referendum on the PRTC sale; the PNP majority defeated the motion. [ Article by Jose Fortuno for a-infos 7/2/98] The government has started a public relations campaign to counteract "negative images" in the US resulting from the general strike.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, New York Health Care Workers Union
The campaign, designed by the Hill & Knowlton agency, will run in July and August at a costof $500,000. [ ED-LP 7/12/98] "In Puerto Rico, It Is Business as Usual," announced a full-page advertisement in the July 12 New York Times, sponsored by nine Puerto Rican companies and business associations. The general strike "had very little island-wide support and did not materially affect the island's robust economy," the ad read. "Estimates offered by one of the island's largest dailies [unnamed]...calculated the turnout at about 13,000." [NYT 7/12/98]


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, General strike
On 7 and 8 July, over 500,000 people engaged in a general strike across the island. The strike – endorsed by over 50 unions – forced the closure of shopping malls, banks, hospitals, and government offices. 14,000 police officers – 95% of the force – was activated to maintain order. Commerce and tourist activity around Puerto Rico were halted as crowds of protesters marched in the streets.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, General strike
Strike organizers called for a referendum on the sale, pointing to polls indicating a 65% disapproval rate. Governor Rosselló refused to speak with union officials or activists, and reportedly went on vacation during the general strike.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, General strike, Travel disruptions
Traffic to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport was brought to a halt by the strike when activists erected barricades on the road leading to the terminal. This resulted in a tense five-hour standoff between 200 riot policemen and twice as many protesters, some of them armed with baseball bats and chains. The hours-long delay forced tourists to walk along the road for over a mile to reach the airport.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, General strike, Travel disruptions
An agreement was eventually reached between protesters and police which allowed for the opening of two lanes of traffic. Still, movement was limited due to striking bus and taxi drivers. Two cruise ships also canceled stops in Puerto Rico because of the strike.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, End of strike
On 28 July, union telephone workers voted to end their 41-day strike, after receiving assurances that there would be no reprisals for striking workers. Given the popular support of the strike and the island's history with PRTC, some were puzzled by leaders' willingness to call off the protest. Writing in the Green journal Synthesis/Regeneration, Carmelo Ruiz asks: "What happened? The speed with which the national struggle against the PRTC's sale and governor Rossello's privatization policy fell apart points to an inside job. According to many activists, some spineless union leaders got cold feet in the heat of the fight and decided to back off. Others were more blunt: 'We were sold out.'"


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Sale and aftermath
When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the sale in 1999, the GTE consortium named Jon E. Slater as the new PRTC president and CEO. GTE announced plans to invest US$1 billion in the nation's telecommunications infrastructure, focusing on upgrades to the network and wireline growth.


1998 Puerto Rican general strike, Sale and aftermath
While the strike-ending agreement forbade reprisals against workers, the president of the Government Development Bank, Marcos Rodriguez-Ema, admitted before the strike that the new PRTC owners would impose "voluntary layoffs, shifting of employees from subsidiaries to other companies, and early retirement".


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum
A referendum on the political status of Puerto Rico was held on December 13, 1998. Voters were given the choice between statehood, independence, free association, being a territorial commonwealth, or none of the given options. A majority voted for the latter, with a turnout of 71.3%.


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum
Five alternatives were listed on the ballot: "limited self-government"; "free association"; "statehood"; "sovereignty"; and "none of the above." Disputes arose as to the definition of each of the ballot alternatives; and commonwealth advocates, among others, reportedly urged a vote for "none of the above." They asserted that the commonwealth definition on the ballot "failed to recognize both the constitutional protections afforded to our U.S. citizenship and the fact that the relationship is based upon the mutual consent of Puerto Rico and the United States." In the end, a slim majority of voters in that plebiscite selected "none of the above" (50.3%).


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum, Definition of status options
The resulting political climate after the 1998 plebiscite reflected the need for proper definitions of status options.


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum, Definition of status options
In its June 2011, Political Status of Puerto Rico: Options for Congress report, the Congressional Research Service states that the "definitions or, more specifically, the lack of definitions of the political status options for Puerto Rico, compound the complexity of the debate." The report stated that constitutional implications of three status options ("new commonwealth," statehood, and independence) were reviewed by the Department of Justice in response to a congressional request. The history of debate, particularly the 1998 plebiscite, indicates that in the absence of constitutionally valid status options and definitions acceptable to Congress, the debate over status yields few or no conclusive results. The brief summaries of the options analysis on pages 26 and 27 of the report follow:


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum, Definition of status options, Commonwealth
The commonwealth option represents a continuation of the current status of Puerto Rico. The territorial clause of the United States Constitution empowers Congress with the authority to regulate territories. Commonwealth status for Puerto Rico is based on statutory provisions and the Constitution of Puerto Rico that established a republican form of self-government. (Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act, P.L. 81-600, 64 Stat. 319).


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum, Definition of status options, Commonwealth
Under current federal law, residents of Puerto Rico enjoy U.S. citizenship, but many contend that the Puerto Rican identity reflects a degree of autonomy that enables the island to remain somewhat separate from, but part of, the United States.


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum, Definition of status options, Commonwealth
On the 1992, "Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies" of President George H.W. Bush, it described the relationship of the Commonwealth to the United States with regard to the administration of federal programs, as follows: "Because Puerto Rico's degree of constitutional self-government, population, and size set it apart from other areas also subject to federal jurisdiction under Article IV, section 3, clause 2 of the Constitution, I hereby direct all federal departments, agencies, and officials, to the extent consistent with the Constitution and the laws of the United States, hence-forward to treat Puerto Rico administratively as if it were a state, except insofar as doing so with respect to an existing federal program or activity would increase or decrease federal receipts or expenditures, or would seriously disrupt the operation of such program or activity."


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum, Definition of status options, Commonwealth
Some support an enhanced or "new" commonwealth status and seek changes in the current relationship to increase the autonomy of Puerto Rico. Aspects of enhanced commonwealth considered but rejected by Congress in 1991 and 2001 included providing the government of Puerto Rico authority to certify that certain federal laws would not be applicable to the commonwealth, mandating that the President consult with the governor on appointments to federal offices in Puerto Rico that require Senate approval, recognizing a permanent relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States that cannot be unilaterally changed, and establishing economic relationships with other nations.


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum, Definition of status options, Commonwealth
Concepts associated with enhanced or new commonwealth have not been published in 2005, but the former governor has reportedly sought additional sovereign authority that would enable Puerto Rico's government officials to negotiate international agreements and establish new intergovernmental fiscal relations with the federal government. The Department of Justice (Raben Letter) found that certain aspects of a "New Commonwealth" proposal described in PDP platform documents could be, or are: "constitutionally unenforceable" or flawed (mutual consent provisions and delegation of powers), of uncertain legality (statutory citizenship, and international agreements), and possibly subject to constitutional limits (Resident Commissioner authority).


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum, Definition of status options, Free association
This option would establish Puerto Rico as a sovereign nation separate from, but legally bound (on a terminable basis) to, the United States. As a general practice, free association would be preceded by recognition that Puerto Rico is a self-governing sovereign nation not part of the United States, because compacts of free association are legal documents between sovereign nations. Free association could be accompanied by a transition period in which the United States would continue to administer certain services and provide assistance to the island for a period of time specified in the compact. Free association could be annulled at any time by either nation. Negotiations over free association would likely decide issues of trade, defense, currency, and economic aid.


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum, Definition of status options, Independence
Some advocates of independence contend that the cultural identity of Puerto Ricans, and other factors, justify independence. As residents of a sovereign independent nation, Puerto Ricans could develop closer ties to Caribbean nations, but would likely be forced to choose between citizenship in the United States or in Puerto Rico. The current unrestricted travel between the United States and the island might end, as would federal benefits (unless specified in the enabling legislation). Puerto Rico would, as a sovereign nation, develop its own economy, form of government, and complete national identity.


1998 Puerto Rican status referendum, Definition of status options, Statehood
Advocates of statehood contend that the full rights and responsibilities of citizenship should be granted to residents of Puerto Rico. Political stability, particularly as an economic development tool, is seen by some to be one significant advantage of statehood. As residents of a state, Puerto Ricans would be entitled to full representation in Congress, would be subject to income taxes, and would be eligible to receive federal assistance like that provided to all of the states. Opponents argue that statehood would result in a loss of national identity.


1998 Pulitzer Prize
A listing of the Pulitzer Prize award winners for 1998:


1998 Pulitzer Prize, Letters
Premiered on January 19, 1990, at Merkin Concert Hall, New York City, by The Lark Quartet.


1998 Purbeck District Council election
Elections to Purbeck District Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.


1998 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 1998 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana and were members of the Big Ten Conference.


1998 Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies season
The 1998 Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies season was the 11th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The team return to their former name Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs starting the Commissioners Cup.


1998 Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies season, Summary
Purefoods lost their first four games in the All-Filipino Cup before picking up their first win against Shell. The Carne Norte Beefies makes it to the semifinals with an 81-75 victory over Sta.Lucia on March 13. The Beefies could only finish with five wins and six losses in the eliminations and won just three of their 10 semifinal assignments and for a team that has played in 9 of the last 10 All-Filipino finals, the Purefoods franchise dropped to their lowest standing in the All-Filipino tournament at fifth place.


1998 Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies season, Summary
Former Purefoods import Kenny Redfield, whose last two seasons he played with were Shell and Sta.Lucia, is back for the Hotdogs in the Commissioner's Cup. Redfield was older and slower this time and was replaced after three games by Khari Jaxon, who lasted one game and scored only six points in a forgettable debut in Purefoods' 65-79 loss to Mobiline on June 5. Jaxon suffered a leg injury and the Hotdogs had to play their next game without an import.


1998 Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies season, Summary
Jaxon’s replacement was Roy Hairston, who led the Tender Juicy Hotdogs to victories in their last two games in the eliminations as they end up with five wins and six losses again after 11 games in the eliminations. Despite the twice-to-beat advantage against Formula Shell, the Hotdogs were beaten twice and were booted out from the final four semifinals.


1998 Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies season, Summary
Former imports Bob McCann and Rodney Monroe were the Hotdogs' reinforcement starting with the sideshow Centennial Cup, Monroe was replaced by Lance Miller after four games. Purefoods finishes with a 12-9 won-loss slate in the four-team, double round carryover semifinals, they lost a playoff game to Mobiline for one of the two finals berth. The Hotdogs won their third place series against San Miguel Beermen for their first-ever third-place finish in franchise history.


1998 Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies season, Notable dates
February 27: After the Beefies held the San Miguel Beermen to a record-low 49 points in a 70-49 victory three nights before, the Beefies won their third straight game from a 0-4 start, defeating unbeaten Alaska Milkmen, 83-68, and snapped Alaska's five-game winning streak and handed their first loss in the season.


1998 Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies season, Notable dates
March 8: Purefoods scored a 93-80 victory over Gordon's Gin as they spoil the birthday of Boars playing-coach Sonny Jaworski and climbed up to a tie with Pop Cola in the standings at four wins and five loss.


1998 Purefoods Carne Norte Beefies season, Occurrences
On March 21, Purefoods formally announced the resignation of head coach Eric Altamirano, who had a contract dispute with the management which did not want to give him a sizeable increase and a guaranteed contract until the end of the 1999 season, Altamirano moved over to Mobiline Phone Pals beginning the Commissioner's Cup, signing a four-year guaranteed contract that has doubled his money earning as that of his stint with Purefoods. Replacing Altamirano at the Purefoods' bench is their former assistant and Shell mentor Chito Narvasa.


1998 Pymatuning earthquake
The 1998 Pymatuning earthquake occurred in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania on September 25 at 19:52 UTC. With a magnitude of 5.2 mbLg, it was the largest recorded earthquake in Pennsylvania's history.


1998 Pymatuning earthquake, Earthquake
The earthquake's epicenter was in the Southern Great Lakes Seismic Zone, about 25 kilometers (16 mi) southwest of Meadville; its depth was 5 kilometers (3 mi). The earthquake caused minor damage in towns near its epicenter and was felt in the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Illinois and New Jersey, as well as Southern Ontario in Canada.


1998 Pymatuning earthquake, Hydrologic occurrences
After the earthquake many wells in the epicentral region began to dry up, while new springs and old wells began to flow. A three-month date range revealed 120 dry household-supply wells on the ridge of  Jamestown and Greenville. Declines of up to 100 feet (30 m) were observed on a ridge where at least 80 of these wells resided. The degree of the damage varied. Some of the wells lost all power or could barely hold their yields and some of the water in wells turned black or began to smell of sulfur.


1998 Pymatuning earthquake, Hydrologic occurrences
The most likely cause of the wells drying was because of the increase in hydraulic conductivity or "hydraulic islands" of shale rock under this area caused by the earthquake. The quake affected the existing faults and created new faults in the shale. This created more permeability for the water to leak down from the hilltops on the ridge down to the valleys following the contours of the Meadville shale down to the 14-18 square km area of the valley.


1998 Páginas Amarillas Open
The 1998 Páginas Amarillas Open was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Madrid in Spain that was part of Tier III of the 1998 WTA Tour. It was the third edition of the tournament and was held from May 18 through May 23, 1998.


1998 Páginas Amarillas Open, Winners, Women's Doubles
Florencia Labat /  Dominique Van Roost defeated  Rachel McQuillan /  Nicole Pratt 6–3, 6–1


1998 Páginas Amarillas Open – Doubles
Mary Joe Fernández and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario were the defending champions but did not compete that year.


1998 Páginas Amarillas Open – Doubles
Florencia Labat and Dominique Van Roost won in the final 6–3, 6–1 against Rachel McQuillan and Nicole Pratt.


1998 Páginas Amarillas Open – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Páginas Amarillas Open – Singles
Jana Novotná was the defending champion but did not compete that year.


1998 Páginas Amarillas Open – Singles
Patty Schnyder won in the final 3–6, 6–4, 6–0 against Dominique Van Roost.


1998 Páginas Amarillas Open – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. The top two seeds received a bye to the second round.


1998 Qatar Crown Prince Cup
The 1998 Qatar Crown Prince Cup was the 4th edition of this cup tournament in men's football (soccer). It was played by the top 4 teams of the Q-League.


1998 Qatar Crown Prince Cup, Results
This article about a Qatari football competition is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .


1998 Qatar Open
The 1998 Qatar Open, known as the 1998 Qatar Mobil Open, for sponsorship reasons,  was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Doha, Qatar that was part of the World Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. The tournament was held from 5 January through 12 January 1998. Third-seeded Petr Korda won the singles title.


1998 Qatar Open, Finals, Doubles
Mahesh Bhupathi /  Leander Paes defeated  Olivier Delaître /  Fabrice Santoro, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4.


1998 Qatar Open – Doubles
Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis were the defending champions, but did not participate together this year. Eltingh partnered Sjeng Schalken, losing in the quarterfinals. Haarhuis did not participate this year.


1998 Qatar Open – Doubles
Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes won in the final 6–4, 3–6, 6–4, against Olivier Delaître and Fabrice Santoro.


1998 Qatar Open – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Qatar Open – Singles
Petr Korda defeated Fabrice Santoro 6–0, 6–3 to win the 1998 Qatar ExxonMobil Open singles competition. Jim Courier was the defending champion but did not defend his title.


1998 Qatar Open – Singles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Quebec general election
The 1998 Quebec general election was held on November 30, 1998, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Premier Lucien Bouchard, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Jean Charest.


1998 Quebec general election
After the narrow defeat of the PQ's proposal for political independence for Quebec in an economic union with the rest of Canada in the 1995 Quebec referendum, PQ leader Jacques Parizeau resigned. Bouchard left federal politics, where he was leader of the Bloc Québécois in the House of Commons of Canada, to lead the Parti Québécois and become premier.


1998 Quebec general election
Jean Charest had also left federal politics, where he had been leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Charest was initially seen as a bad fit for the Quebec Liberal Party, and for provincial politics. He later overcame this perception.


1998 Quebec general election
In terms of the number of seats won by each of the two parties, the result was almost identical to the previous 1994 general election. However, this time the Liberals won a slightly larger percentage of the popular vote, but nonetheless far fewer seats.


1998 Quebec general election
Mario Dumont, leader of the Action démocratique du Québec, repeated his success in winning his own seat, as he had done in the 1994 general election. However, his party also repeated its failure to elect any other member apart from its leader.


1998 Quebec general election, Results
* Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.


1998 Quebec municipal elections
More than two hundred and forty municipalities in the Canadian province of Quebec held mayoral and council elections on November 1, 1998.


1998 Quebec municipal elections, Results, Magog
Newspaper coverage indicates that the contest was close, with Poulin winning by about one hundred votes.


1998 Quebec municipal elections, Results, Magog
Source for election results: "Quebec election results stay true to polls," Montreal Gazette, 3 November 1998, A8.


1998 Queen's Birthday Honours (Australia)
The 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours for Australia were announced on Monday 8 June 1998 by the office of the Governor-General.


1998 Queen's Birthday Honours (Australia)
The Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Official Birthday celebrations during the month of June.


1998 Queensland Cup
The 1998 Queensland Cup season was the 3rd season of Queensland's top-level statewide rugby league competition.


1998 Queensland Cup
The competition was contested by sixteen teams over a 27-week long season (including finals), with the Norths Devils defeating the Wests Panthers 35–16 in the Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium. Logan halfback Shane Perry was named the competition's Player of the Year.


1998 Queensland Cup, Teams
The competition returned to a 16-team format in 1998 with the Bundaberg Grizzlies returning to the competition after a year's absence and the admission of the Townsville Stingers and Gold Coast Vikings. The Port Moresby Vipers withdrew after two seasons in the competition after they were unable to continue to pay their travel and accommodation costs. Also in 1998, the Pine Rivers Brothers played as the Brisbane Brothers, while the Logan City Scorpions became the Logan Scorpions.


1998 Queensland Cup, Teams
In 1998, a number of NRL clubs partnered with Queensland Cup sides, sending players not selected in first grade to play in the competition. The Brisbane Broncos were affiliated with Brisbane Brothers, the Gold Coast Chargers with the Gold Coast Vikings, the Melbourne Storm with the Norths Devils, the North Queensland Cowboys with the Townsville Stingers and the Adelaide Rams with the Wests Panthers.


1998 Queensland Cup, Results
In 1998, the Queensland Cup became a full 22-round competition, unlike the previous two seasons which had 17 and 18 regular season rounds.


1998 Queensland Cup, Grand Final
Norths, who finished the season as minor premiers, qualified for their first Grand Final after defeating Brothers and Redcliffe in the finals series. Wests, who finished third, had a tougher road to their first Grand Final appearance, losing in Week 1 to Redcliffe. From there, the Panthers won three straight elimination games to qualify for the decider. When the two sides met in the regular season, Norths defeated the Panthers 42–22 in Round 5 at Purtell Park.


1998 Queensland Cup, Grand Final, First half
Wests halfback Jason Twist scored the first points of the game after four minutes with a try close the posts. 15 minutes later, Wests added four more points when winger Mark Maguire crossed in the corner. The Panthers added to their tally soon after when Twist crossed for his second, backing up Shaun Valentine who made a break down the field. Trailing 16-0, Norths finally got on the board when centre Matt Geyer scored the first of his three tries.


1998 Queensland Cup, Grand Final, Second half
The second half was all Norths, as they ran in 29 unanswered points to secure their maiden premiership. Devils' prop Anthony Bonus crashed over right next to the posts to cut the lead to four, before Geyer scored his second to level the scores. John Wilshire's sideline conversion put Norths in front by two, their first lead of the game coming in the 60th minute. Captain Kevin Carmichael was the next to score for Norths, with second-rower Andrew Hamilton kicking a field goal 10 minutes later to extend Norths' lead to seven. Norths finished with two late tries to Craig O'Dwyer and Geyer to cap a remarkable 19-point win. The 16-0 deficit they overcame is (as of 2019), the biggest comeback in a Queensland Cup Grand Final.


1998 Queensland Cup, Grand Final, Second half
Geyer and Matt Rua would go onto play in the Melbourne Storm's NRL Grand Final win over the St George Illawarra Dragons a year later, while Steven Bell would win an NRL premiership with the Manly Sea Eagles in 2008.


1998 Queensland state election
Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 13 June 1998 to elect the 89 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.


1998 Queensland state election
The result of the election was a second consecutive hung parliament, with the Labor Party forming minority government after receiving the support of independent Peter Wellington. This election was the first in which One Nation supporters were elected to state Parliament, with the controversial party winning 11 seats. With nearly 23% of the vote, One Nation gained a higher percentage of the vote than any other third party (i.e. not Labor or Coalition) at the state or territory level since Federation.


1998 Queensland state election
This was also the only election at which a third party gained more votes than both the Liberal Party and the National Party considered separately. Unlike in previous elections, no attempt was made to calculate the statewide two-party preferred vote (2PP), because the One Nation vote was so high that any 2PP result would have been meaningless.


1998 Queensland state election
A few months after the election, the One Nation member for Mulgrave, Charles Rappolt resigned. Labor won the ensuing by-election, allowing it to form government with a bare majority of 45 seats.


1998 Queensland state election
The fact that the Coalition Government came to office as a direct result of the 1996 Mundingburra by-election instead of the general election the previous year, as well as its failure to win in its own right at the 1998 election, meant that the 1998 election was the fourth consecutive election victory for the Queensland Branch of the ALP, which had won every election since 1989.


1998 Queensland state election, Background
The previous state election had resulted in one of the narrowest margins of any Australian election. The Coalition won a slim majority of the two-party vote. However, the Coalition's majority was wasted on massive landslides in its rural heartland, while Labor won 31 seats in Brisbane. Labor Premier Wayne Goss' government thus clung to life by a single seat. This was brought undone when the Court of Disputed Returns ordered a new election in the disputed seat of Mundingburra, which the Liberals won on a modest swing. The balance of power rested with newly elected Independent MLA Liz Cunningham, who announced her support for the Coalition. Goss resigned, and Nationals leader Rob Borbidge was appointed as Premier.


1998 Queensland state election, Background
The Borbidge government's popularity suffered in the later part of its term due to the federal Howard government's GST plans. Seeking to create a more definite majority, Borbidge called a new election on 19 May 1998. Although early polling showed the government to be strongly competitive with Labor, led by Peter Beattie, later polls saw Labor gain a substantial lead.


1998 Queensland state election, Background
However, the debate between the two parties was rapidly sidelined by One Nation's emerging support. Formed in 1997 by federal Independent MP for Oxley Pauline Hanson, One Nation gained significant support on a platform of economic nationalism, anti-immigration sentiments and opposition to native title. Its platform was particularly well received in the Nationals' heartland of rural Queensland; indeed, at the time the writs were dropped, there had been fears over the past two years that One Nation would sweep the Nationals out of existence. One Nation stood candidates in 79 seats, all largely political novices. The issue of preference allocations to One Nation, under Queensland's optional preferential voting (OPV) system, became a major campaign issue, with eventual poor results for the Liberals attributed to opposition from many of their traditional voters over their decision not to put One Nation last on preferences.


1998 Queensland state election, Background
Borbidge had been well aware of the threat from One Nation. He tried to have One Nation preferenced last on Coalition how-to-vote cards. However, the national Liberal and National organisations pressured their Queensland counterparts to preference One Nation ahead of Labor. They apparently thought that One Nation's populism would peel off enough Labor voters to allow the Coalition to win another term.


1998 Queensland state election, Results
One Nation won 11 seats and finished second (after preferences) in 23 seats. Seven of One Nation's seats would have gone to Labor had it not been for leakage of Coalition preferences; had Labor won those seats, it would have been able to form government in its own right.


1998 Queensland state election, Results
Queensland state election, 13 June 1998Legislative Assembly << 1995–2001 >>


1998 Queensland state election, Polling
Although the Coalition Government initially enjoyed strong levels of support subsequent to assuming office in 1996, support was quickly lost. From 1997, Labor opened a consistent, albeit narrow, lead in the polls and by 1998 Labor was enjoying a commanding lead. The Coalition was eventually disadvantaged by what was commonly deemed to be poor government performance and the rapid rise of One Nation support, which under the state's optional preferential voting, fractured the Conservative vote. The Coalition vote significantly plummeted, whilst Labor essentially withstood the swing to One Nation.


1998 RCA Championships
The 1998 RCA Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 11th edition of the event known that year as the RCA Championships, and was part of the Championship Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the 11th edition of the tournament and took place at the Indianapolis Tennis Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Alex Corretja won the singles event and Jiří Novák / David Rikl won the doubles title.


1998 RCA Championships, Finals, Doubles
Jiří Novák /  David Rikl defeated  Mark Knowles /  Daniel Nestor 6–2, 7–6


1998 RCA Championships – Doubles
The 1998 RCA Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 11th edition of the event known that year as the RCA Championships, and was part of the Championship Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the 11th edition of the tournament and took place at the Indianapolis Tennis Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States.


1998 RCA Championships – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 RCA Championships – Singles
Jonas Björkman was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Jason Stoltenberg.


1998 RCA Championships – Singles
Àlex Corretja won the title, defeating Andre Agassi in the final 2–6, 6–2, 6–3.


1998 RCA Championships – Singles, Seeds
The top eight seeds received a bye into the second round.


1998 RCSL season
The 1998 Rugby Canada Super League season was the first season for the RCSL.


1998 RCSL season, Standings
Note: A bonus point was awarded for a loss of 7 points or less


1998 RCSL season, MacTier Cup
The Vancouver Island Crimson Tide (Western Division champions) defeated the Nova Scotia Keiths (Eastern Division Champions) 28-8 to win the MacTier Cup, played in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 11 July 1998.


1998 RFL Division One
The 1998 Division One Championship season was the second tier of British rugby league during the 1998 season. The competition featured eleven teams, with Wakefield Trinity winning the league and the inaugural Grand Final.


1998 RFL Division One, Championship
The league was won by Wakefield Trinity. Wakefield also won the inaugural First Division Grand Final against Featherstone Rovers, and were awarded a place in the Super League. Despite being on the losing side, Richard Chapman won the Tom Bergin Trophy.


1998 RFL Division One, Championship
No teams were relegated, as the First and Second Divisions were merged to form a single division which would later become known as the Northern Ford Premiership.


1998 RFL Division Two
The 1998 Division Two Championship season was the third tier of British rugby league during the 1998 season.


1998 RFL Division Two, Championship
The league was won by Lancashire Lynx. No teams were promoted, as the First and Second Divisions were merged to form a single division which would later become known as the Northern Ford Premiership.


1998 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards
The 1998 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards (Chinese: 1998年度十大中文金曲得獎) was held in 1998 for the 1997 music season.


1998 RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards, Top 10 song awards
The top 10 songs (十大中文金曲) of 1998 are as follows.


1998 Race of Champions
The 1998 Race of Champions took place on December 6 at Gran Canaria. It was the 11th running of the event, and the 7th running at Gran Canaria. It was the final year that the event was exclusively for rally drivers. Colin McRae was the victor after beating brother Alister in the final.


1998 Radisson 200
The 1998 Radisson 200 (also referred to as the Colorado 200 on ABC's TV coverage) was the eighth round of the 1998 Indy Racing League. The race was held on August 16, 1998 at the 1.000 mi (1.609 km) Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colorado.


1998 Radisson 200, Report, Qualifying
Two laps qualifying. The worst lap from any of the drivers are unknown.


1998 Rado Open
The 1998 Rado Open was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor Clay in Gstaad, Switzerland that was part of the International Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the thirty-first edition of the tournament and was held from 6 July until 12 July 1998. Third-seeded Àlex Corretja won the singles title.


1998 Rado Open, Finals, Doubles
Gustavo Kuerten /  Fernando Meligeni defeated  Daniel Orsanic /  Cyril Suk, 6–4, 7–5


1998 Rado Open – Doubles
The 1998 Rado Open was a men's tennis tournament played on Clay in Gstaad, Switzerland that was part of the International Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the thirty-first edition of the tournament and was held from 6 July – 12 July 1998.


1998 Rado Open – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Rado Open – Singles
The 1998 Rado Open was a men's tennis tournament played on Clay in Gstaad, Switzerland that was part of the International Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the thirty-first edition of the tournament and was held from 6 July – 12 July 1998. This tournament is notable for being the first professional appearance of 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.


1998 Rado Open – Singles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
The 1998 Railway Cup Hurling Championship was the 70th staging of the Railway Cup since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1927. The cup began on 8 November 1998 and ended on 22 November 1998.


1998 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
Munster were the defending champions, however, they were beaten by Leinster in the semi-final.


1998 Railway Cup Hurling Championship
On 22 November 1998, Leinster won the cup after a 0-16 to 2–09 defeat of Connacht in the final at Nowlan Park. This was their 21st Railway Cup title overall and their first title since 1993.


1998 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election
Legislative Assembly elections were held in the Indian state of Rajasthan in 1998. The incumbent ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party lost to the Indian National Congress.


1998 Rally GB
The 1998 Wales Rally GB (formally the 54th Network Q Rally of Great Britain was held between 22–24 November 1998 as the final round of the 1998 World Rally Championship season.


1998 Rally GB
It was the second victory of the 1998 season for Richard Burns and his co-driver Robert Reid and saw Tommi Mäkinen score a hat-trick of Drivers' championships after his closest rival Carlos Sainz, just 300 metres from the finish and running in fourth with just the final special stage to go, suffered a huge upset, his Corolla struck by engine failure at Margam, thus surrendering his title to Mäkinen.


1998 Rally GB, Report
The first stages were won easily by Subaru's Colin McRae, winner in the last three Rally GB's on the WRC calendar. Despite dropping out of title contention at the last round in Australia, he attempted to regain his confidence by battling with Richard Burns for overall victory. On stage 6 at Millbrook, Burns's team-mate, defending champion Tommi Mäkinen, a contender for the title with Carlos Sainz, struck a concrete block, causing his right rear tyre to detach.


1998 Rally GB, Report
His Mitsubishi Carisma limped on three wheels for another few kilometres before the local police pulled him over, retiring him from the event and supposedly ending his title hopes. Sadly, it was also all over for the Scotsman on stage 20, Sweet Lamb. McRae's engine failed on him whilst leading, and caused him to retire. This put fellow Brit Burns in the running for his first Rally GB victory.


1998 Rally GB, Report
All Sainz had to do to clinch the title was finish fourth or better. The Spaniard, a previous twice World Champion, had been in reach of the title ever since Mäkinen's sudden retirement and looked set to clinch title number three.


1998 Rally GB, Report
Sainz's position on the final stages put Mäkinen's hopes in jeopardy. When Sainz's engine blew on the last special stage, he and co-driver Luis Moya were visibly frustrated, with Moya throwing his helmet through the car's rear windscreen, as hopes of a first title since 1992 went up in smoke, allowing Mäkinen, not Sainz, to win number three and thus, clinch a hat trick. Had Sainz reached the finish in his current position, the Spaniard would have been champion by a solitary point. Instead it was Belgian Grégoire De Mévius who finished fourth, succeeding where Sainz failed.


1998 Rally GB, Report
Burns, in the Carisma, dominated the last nine stages to win his second WRC rally ever, his first since the Safari Rally at the beginning of March. McRae managed to keep third overall in the championship regardless of his position. Just over half the field did not finish, with 82 cars making the finish at Margam. The PWRC title was taken by Gustavo Trelles, with the race won by Manfred Stohl. Fittingly, it was also Burns' final event in a Mitsubishi, he'd signed for Subaru for 1999 to partner Juha Kankkunen who replaced the Ford-bound McRae.


1998 Rally GB, Report
It was first time since 1976 with Roger Clark that an English driver had won the Rally GB, ending a 22-year wait for their next winner. It was at the same event three years later that Burns would take the title there, and become Britain's second World Rally Champion and England's first. Ford got two of its leading cars onto the podium with Juha Kankkunen and Bruno Thiry both in Escorts.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence
The 1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence was an incident of violence that took place in the town of Ramgiri-Udaygiri in Gajapati District, Odisha on December 8, 1999. Two prisoners who were arrested for dacoity were murdered by a mob of 5000 tribal people after breaking into the sub-jail. In a separate case, a mob of 500 people looted and burned down 92 to 111 Christian houses and 2 Churches on the same day. 27 people were arrested.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence
The rivalry between two trade unions, one known as Mozdur Sangha led by a Christian man and the other Utkal Sangha started by a local leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) started communal tensions between both the communities in the town. The leader of the Mozdur Sangha who had a criminal record was arrested for looting a bus which carried tribal people to their work. The agitated tribal people staged various demonstrations on December 6 and December 7 to get back their money and to take the arrested men to a people's court.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence
On December 8 they attacked the sub-jail as they found their demands were not taken seriously by the local administration. After this, a mob attacked the Christian settlement unexpectedly. All of the arrested were Sangh Parivar activists, members of the Utkal Sangh and members politically close to Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram and other Sangh-affiliates.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence
The investigation by the All India Federation of Organizations for Democratic Rights reported both were separated incidents. The investigation reported that the Sangh Parivar and the Utkal Sangh seized the opportunity of the agitation by the tribal people to attack the Christian settlement.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Background
Ramgiri-Udaygiri is a small town in the Gajapati District of Odisha. Ramgiri-Udaygiri and the district of Gajapati's population is dominated by tribal people with a population density of 151 per km2. The literacy rate of the district is 24 percent and its share of the rural population is almost 90 percentage. Of the 3016 km2 geographical area of the district, there is only 76,671 hectares of farmland. The area is full of forests and hills. Forests represent more than 70 per cent of the geographical area of the district. The major portion of the region is hilly terrain.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Background
Agriculture is the primary means of living. The tribal people participate in their traditional cultivation techniques and gathering natural products from the forest. A small portion of the population are involved in the few small scale and cottage industries, which have a huge effect on people's lives, in the absence of real industry.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Background
Very often, the tribal people are displaced from their lands and driven deep into the forest. This is the primary point of conflict between both the area's tribal people and non-tribal people.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Background, Trade unions
According to the report of the All India Federation of Organizations for Democratic Rights, a limited number of day-to-day wage workers are employed in "khalasi" (head load) jobs in and around Ramgiri-Udaygiri. These workers have a trade union named "Mozdur Sangha". Jaya Singh, a Christian, was the president of the union. In the starting, all the Khalasi workers had been part of this union. Jaya Singh, along with his gang, had a criminal record. For a long time, he had been involved in various lawless activities known to the local police. He was also active in the illegal liquor trading and competed with another illegal liquor trader, who was a renowned Sangh Parivar activist. This rivalry is reported to have caused tensions between the Christians and the Hindus in the region.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Background, Trade unions
In 1996, Laxmi Bhai, a local leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), succeeded in establishing a new union named as Utkal Sangh. All the Savarna Hindu workers joined him. But the Dalit workers had stayed in the old union. From then on, the competition between both the unions and fomenting hatred between the Savarna Hindus and the Christians began.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Background, Trade unions
The RSS leader, Laxmi Bhai forced Mozdur Sangha workers to leave their jobs due to a dispute between the two unions over contract work. There was a lot of tension in the area. The local administration interfered and mediated the problem. Several people in and around the town reported that Sangh Parivar was involved in various communal activities during this time.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Background, Bus robbing incident and tribal agitation
Some people robbed a private bus carrying some of the contract workers to Arunachal Pradesh, 2 km away from the Ramgiri-Udaygiri Police station. It has been claimed that around ₹ 63,000 was stolen. Next day the tribal people began their agitation under the leadership of Chasi Mulia Samiti's, an Adivasi organisation. They demanded that the Tahsildar arrest all the alleged perpetrators that they had identified and that their cash including the bus fare, be returned to them. Jaya Singh, the president of the Mozdur Sangha and another man who was a Hindu, were arrested and brought into custody, but with the aid of the local government, the owner of the bus managed to flee along with his bus, which angered the agitating tribal people.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Background, Bus robbing incident and tribal agitation
The Chasi Mulia Samiti demonstrated in different parts of the city from December 4 to December 6. At about 10.30 a.m. on December 7, the Chasi Mulia Samiti had a public rally in the town's weekly market premises where around 8,000 individuals from 150 villages took part. They then went the local police station and demanded that two men who had been arrested be produced to be prosecuted in a people's court. They encircled the station from 11 am to 2 pm and left with a warning that if there was no solution by 8 December, the people would take matters into their own hands. The local government sought to arm itself with reinforcements from outside the district.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Attack on sub-jail
On December 8 at about 10 am, the whole town was overwhelmed and under the stranglehold of the tribal people. Around 5000 people gathered in front of the police station, equipped with traditional weapons. They had already obstructed roadways at least in 10 to 12 locations the night before by blocking them with trees. A large number of local people also reportedly participated with the tribal people. According to the All India Federation of Democratic Rights Organizations, the tribal people had gathered without any representatives of the Chasi Mulia Samiti.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Attack on sub-jail
The mob reportedly reached the subjail at about 10.40 a.m. and encircled the building. They broke the prison walls in four locations. There were 35 male prisoners in the prison and all the prisoners were threatened to leave. They then murdered Jaya Singh, the president of Mozdur Sangha, and another man. Their corpses were dragged by wires from telephones and then brought on a trolley to the police station. The two bodies were taken inside the police station and they were burned there along with the police records. The station's entire staff were simply silent spectators. They also burned down a portion of the police station and burned down several government vehicles. 20 policemen were injured during the attack. After this the tribal agitation ended.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Attack on Christian settlement
The same day the Christian settlement was unexpectedly attacked by a mob of about 500 people. With the aid of petrol and kerosene, about 111 houses belonging to the Christians were looted first and were eventually burned down. Two churches were burned down as well. Other reports stated 92 houses were burnt down. The houses that were burned down were not related to Jaya Singh. Eight houses in the same area belonging to Hindu Dalit families were left intact. The entire attack had completed by afternoon.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Investigations
The local government, the police station and the Christians stated that it was not the tribal villagers, but some locals in the town who had organized and engaged in the attack. The Chasi Mulia Samiti's involvement in the attack was denied by the Christians, the local people and the local government. While, the Chasi Mulia Samiti blamed the local leaders of RSS and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of having seized the opportunity to terrorize the Christian community using the excuse of Jaya Singh.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Investigations
Local people said that the BJP leaders were instrumental in burning down the Christian settlement and the culprits were free even after they had reported to the civil administration and the police. People also reported that the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the RSS were active in the area and were inciting the people against the Christians.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Investigations
Chief Minister Giridhar Gomang told the State Assembly in March 1999 that a single-man commission, led by retired Judge from Orissa High Court Kishore Chandra Jagdeb Ray, will investigate the issue. Gomang also said the commission will now also be asked to investigate the 1999 Ranalai violence.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Investigations
The Orissa Chief Minister, told the state Assembly in March 1998 that five officials the circle Inspector of police, Additional District Magistrate, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, the officer-in-charge of the police station and the Assistant Sub-Inspector of police were suspended for negligence of duty.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Investigations, All India Federation of Organizations for Democratic Rights
According to the All India Federation of Organizations for Democratic Rights, the agitation of the tribal people was combined with this mob assault on Christians in the media coverage of the event.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Investigations, All India Federation of Organizations for Democratic Rights
The investigation by the All India Federation of Organizations for Democratic Rights concluded that the murder of the jail inmates was not communal in nature as Jaya Singh was a Christian and the other man was a Hindu. While the looting and burning down Christian houses was a separate incident associated with the Sangh Parivar and the Utkal Sangh. The communal forces took the opportunity to attack Christians. The investigation also reported that the government and the law and order machinery failed to take early actions against the Sangh Parivar, despite knowing the early indications of their motive.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Arrests
Twenty-seven people were arrested for murder and arson. 21 of the 27 are Savarna Hindus, who were also members of Utkal Sangha, the rival of Mozdur Sangha. Out of the remaining six people, three were known Sangh Parivar activists, and the remaining three were tribal people who were politically close to the Sangh Parivar and its Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Arrests
11 of the prisoners who had fled from the sub-jail were rearrested by police.


1998 Ramgiri-Udaygiri violence, Reactions
Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee said that the violence was a very serious incident and said it was a warning to the whole nation. He also said that he had asked the home ministry to investigate whether the VHP had a role in the attacks.


1998 Recopa Sudamericana
The 1998 Recopa Sudamericana was the tenth Recopa Sudamericana, an annual football match between the winners of the previous season's Copa Libertadores and Supercopa Sudamericana competitions. This will become the last Recopa Sudamericana on this format as the Supercopa Sudamericana was discontinued by CONMEBOL in 1998. With no existing secondary tournament, the Recopa Sudamericana became an impracticable competition until the introduction of the Copa Sudamericana in 2002.


1998 Recopa Sudamericana
The series was contested between Cruzeiro, winners of the 1997 Copa Libertadores, and River Plate, winners of the 1997 Supercopa Sudamericana, in a two-legged series. Due to schedule congestion, this edition was played as part of the 1999 Copa Mercosur (one of the two tournaments that replaced the Supercopa Sudamericana) two years after the participating clubs won their respective qualifying tournaments (instead of the regular 6–12 months). Further devaluing this year's Recopa, River Plate sent a reserved squad on the first leg losing 2-0. On the return leg, Cruzeiro thrashed River Plate 3–0 and won their first Recopa Sudamericana (after failing to do so in 1992 and 1993).


1998 Recopa Sudamericana
After the home defeat, the Argentines turned off the stadium lights, turned on the lawn irrigation system and only allowed the delivery of the trophy in the locker room, preventing a "victory lap". This disgraceful act prompted CONMEBOL into revising their awarding ceremonies.


1998 Redbridge London Borough Council election
The 1998 Redbridge Council election took place on 7 May 1998 to elect members of Redbridge London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the council stayed in no overall control.


1998 Redditch Borough Council election
Elections to Redditch Borough Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council.


1998 Redditch Borough Council election, Campaign
In total 11 seats were up for election, with two seats contested in Batchley ward after the resignation of a Labour councillor there. The only ward where there was no election this year was Church Hill.


1998 Redditch Borough Council election, Campaign
As only a third of the seats were being elected the Labour party was guaranteed to keep its majority on the council. However the Conservatives were hoping to gain at least two seats in the election and raised increases in council house rents and controversy over disability benefits as issues where they could benefit from.


1998 Redditch Borough Council election, Election results
The results saw only one seat change hands with the Liberal Democrats gaining a seat in Abbey ward from Labour. A low turnout of under 25% was raised as concerning development.


1998 Reigate and Banstead Borough Council election
Elections to Reigate and Banstead Council in Surrey, England were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.


1998 Rhein Fire season
The 1998 Rhein Fire season was the fourth season for the franchise in the NFL Europe League (NFLEL). The team was led by head coach Galen Hall in his fourth year, and played its home games at Rheinstadion in Düsseldorf, Germany. They finished the regular season in second place with a record of seven wins and three losses. Rhein won the first championship in team history by defeating the Frankfurt Galaxy 34–10 in World Bowl '98.


1998 Rhode Island Rams football team
The 1998 Rhode Island Rams football team was an American football team that represented the University of Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 Conference during the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their sixth season under head coach Floyd Keith, the Rams compiled a 3–8 record (2–6 against conference opponents) and finished last in the New England Division of the conference.


1998 Rhode Island gubernatorial election
The 1998 Rhode Island gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican Governor Lincoln Almond defeated Democratic nominee Myrth York in a rematch of the 1994 race.


1998 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships
The 14th Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships were held in Porto, Portugal from 28 May to 31 May 1998.


1998 Rhône-Alpes regional election
A regional election took place in Rhône-Alpes on March 15, 1998, along with all other regions.


1998 Rhône-Alpes regional election
In a controversial election, Charles Millon (UDF) was originally elected after accepting the votes of 35 FN councillors. However, his election was voided by the Constitutional Council, and Anne-Marie Comparini (UDF) won a new vote in January 1999 against a milloniste candidate.


1998 Rhône-Alpes regional election
This French elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .


1998 Rice Owls football team
The 1998 Rice Owls football team represented Rice University in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A college football season. The Owls, led by fifth-year head coach Ken Hatfield, played their home games at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas. The Owls finished the season 5–6, 5–3 in WAC play to finish in fourth place in the Mountain Division.


1998 Richmond Spiders football team
The 1998 Richmond Spiders football team represented the University of Richmond during the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season. It was the program's 115th season and they finished as Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) champions after posting a 7–1 record in conference play. The Spiders earned a berth as the #3 seed into the 16-team Division I-AA playoffs, but were upset in the first round to 14-seed Lehigh, 23–24. Richmond was led by fourth-year head coach Jim Reid.


1998 Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council election
The 1998 Richmond upon Thames Council election took place on 7 May 1998 to elect members of Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats stayed in overall control of the council.


1998 Riga bombing
The 1998 Riga bombings were a series of bombings that took place in Riga, Latvia and which received considerable coverage at the time, most notably for their connection with fascist groups and the perception of an increase of fascism in Latvia. The United States government offered to help to locate the suspects, calling the acts "cowardly," and then-Latvian Prime Minister Guntars Krasts condemned the bombings, calling them an attempt to destabilize the country.


1998 Riga bombing
At 1:50 am on April 2 a bomb exploded in Riga's old town outside the 92-year-old Peitav Synagogue, the only surviving working synagogue in the city, causing severe damage to the building and surrounding area. The bomb, which was supposedly planted by fascist extremists, was reportedly placed on the front steps of the synagogue building. The bomb caused extensive damage, including tearing out the 90 kg oak door, destroying all the windows and casings of the basement and first and second floors, and leaving deep gouges in the wall. There were no casualties.


1998 Riga bombing
Four days after the April 2 bombing, another explosion caused damage to the Russian Embassy in Riga. As with the April 2 explosion, there were no injuries. The cause of the blast was plastic explosives detonated in a trash bin. The attack was linked with a rise in nationalist and extremist actions that seriously unsettled relations among Latvians, Jews and Russians. Alexander Udaltsev, Russia's ambassador to Latvia, joined Latvian leaders in blaming the incident on those trying to drive a wedge between Russians and Latvians. The Russian Foreign Ministry controversially blamed the bombing outside its Riga embassy on "anti-Russian hysteria recently produced in Latvia and the encouragement of nationalism and extremism" and called for drastic measures to punish those who were guilty.


1998 Riga bombing
A few days after the Riga bombings, a monument to Latvian victims of the Holocaust was defaced in the port town of Liepāja.


1998 Riga bombing, May 1995 bombings
The April 2, 1998, attack was the second bomb attack on the synagogue. The synagogue was targeted on May 6, 1995, but far less damage was caused.


1998 Riga bombing, Moscow bombings
Similar explosions occurred on May 13, 1998, in Moscow, where a bomb ripped through the outer wall of the city's Maryina Roshcha synagogue, the center of Moscow's active Lubavitch community. The explosion caused significant damage to the ground floor sanctuary, destroyed cars parked nearby, and caused minor injuries to two people in an adjacent building. No one in the synagogue was hurt. The congregation's original wood synagogue was burned to the ground in 1993, in what was thought at the time to be an accidental fire. The new building, dedicated in 1996, suffered an earlier bomb attack a few months after reopening. The attack was linked with the synagogue attack in Riga less than a month earlier. However, the attacks were carried out in a far more professional way.


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
The bombings strained relations between the Latvian and Russian governments:


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
March 3: About 1000 mostly Russian demonstrators gather outside the Riga City Council building. Police drive them back with batons.


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
March 4: Russian leaders complain about violence shown towards protesters, condemning the actions of Latvian police. Latvian Prime minister Guntars Krasts speaks out in defense of the Latvian police force.


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
March 6: Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin openly criticises Guntars Krasts and states, "The news of what happened there sent shivers down Russia's spine."


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
March 16: In Riga, over 500 veterans of the Latvian Legion walk in commemoration through the center of the capital, prompting bitter condemnations from Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry reacted causing yet more controversy, saying: "This attention to fascist underlings is shameful for Europe."


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
March 28: Another demonstration is held at the Latvian Embassy in Moscow. Yury Luzhkov, a potential candidate for Russian president states that "Russians in Latvia have been turned into slaves." The EU stands by Russia.


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
April 1: The Latvian Ministry of Economics says that Russia is already applying low-level sanctions, including slowing down foodstuffs at the border and limiting Latvian fishing rights in Russian waters, which have already cost Latvia some $300,000,000.


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
April 2: The bombing of Peitav Synagogue in Riga takes place in the early hours of the morning. The explosion again draws unwanted attention to Latvia. No one steps forward to take responsibility for the attack, and Latvia asks the FBI for help in finding the perpetrators. The head of Latvia's police force is fired for not taking better safety precautions.


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
April 3: The Latvian Security Council, which includes the president and prime minister, calls for the dismissal of the county's military chief for taking part in the Latvian Legion Day march the month before.


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
April 4: President of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis expresses concern that bad press has damaged the country's prospects of joining the EU.


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
April 6: A small explosive goes off in a trash bin just across the street from the Russian embassy in central Riga. Moscow says the explosion is even further proof that extremism is rampant in Latvia. The Latvian press says the bombing at the embassy has all the hallmarks of the Russian secret service.


1998 Riga bombing, Latvian–Russian crisis
April 8: The largest party in the multi-party coalition, the center-left Saimnieks, announces that it is leaving the government. It criticizes the prime minister for contributing to the deterioration of relations with Russia.


1998 Rio 400
The 1998 Rio 400 was the fifth round of the 1998 CART World Series Season, held on May 10, 1998, on the Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.


1998 Rio 400, Qualifying
The Scottish driver Dario Franchitti, from Team Green set the pole.


1998 Rio 400, Race
At the start, the Italian driver Alex Zanardi, from Chip Ganassi Racing took the lead. At lap 19, fellow Italian driver Max Papis, from Arciero-Wells Racing retired due to a broken engine. After 21 laps, the top six was: Alex Zanardi, Gil de Ferran, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, Christian Fittipaldi and Michael Andretti. At lap 30, Kanaan, from Tasman Motorsports, retired due to an engine fire, bringing out the first caution of the race. The lead lap cars went to pit stop at the same lap.


1998 Rio 400, Race
Newman-Haas Racing driver Michael Andretti hit a tire in the pits, then he suffered a penalty. The restart came out at lap 37. A few laps later, Team Green driver Paul Tracy was hit by Gil de Ferran, from Walker Racing. 2nd caution. The restart was out at lap 47. Lap 54, the Mexican driver Michel Jourdain, Jr., from Payton/Coyne Racing hit the wall, bringing out the third caution. The restart came out at lap 60. Michael Andretti did an overtaking show. He was one lap down in 24th. After some laps, he was in sixth.


1998 Rio 400, Race
With 65 laps to go, Zanardi, Bryan Herta, Adrian Fernández and Greg Moore did their pit stops during green flag. At that time, Fittipaldi, André Ribeiro and Hélio Castroneves were out of the race. Only two Brazilian drivers were in the race at that moment: Maurício Gugelmin and Gualter Salles. At lap 91, Salles retired due to a crash at turn one, bringing out the fourth caution. At the same lap, polesitter Dario Franchitti retired due an engine issue. The restart happened at lap 98. After this lap, Scott Pruett, from Patrick Racing, retired.


1998 Rio 400, Race
Player's Forsythe Racing driver Patrick Carpentier, suffered a tire problem at lap 102, and retired. At lap 108, the top 10 was: Zanardi, Moore, Fernandez, Richie Hearn, Herta, Jimmy Vasser, Al Unser, Jr., Andretti, Bobby Rahal and Mark Blundell. From lap 116-onwards, the battle for the win was between the Italian Alex Zanardi and the Canadian Greg Moore. At lap 120, Moore almost lost the control of his car, after he went sideways at turn four. With five laps to go, Moore did an amazing overtake manoeuvre on Zanardi, and took the lead. The German driver Arnd Meier, was in front of both. Moore won the race, his first win of the season, the third win of his Champ Car career.


1998 Robert Morris Colonials football team
The 1998 Robert Morris Colonials football team represented Robert Morris College, now Robert Morris University, as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Colonials were led by 5th-year head coach Joe Walton and played their home games at Moon Stadium on the campus of Moon Area High School. The Colonials finished the 1998 season with their third consecutive NEC championship.


1998 Robocup 2D Soccer Simulation League
The 1998 Robocup 2D Soccer Simulation League was a simulated soccer competition contested in the 1st Annual RoboCup International Symposium, held in Paris, France.


1998 Robocup 2D Soccer Simulation League, Knockout stage, Stage 1
Initially all teams start here. All teams that lose a game here, enter knockout stage at the appropriate stage.


1998 Robocup 2D Soccer Simulation League, Knockout stage, Stage 2
All teams in this tournament have lost one game already and drop out of the competition if they lose another game in this tournament.


1998 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council election
Elections to Rochdale Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party kept overall control of the council where they defeated the Liberal Democrats in 1996.


1998 Rochford District Council election
Elections to Rochford Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrat party lost overall control of the council to no overall control.


1998 Romania rugby union tour of Argentina
The 1998 Romania rugby union tour of Argentina was a series of matches played in July and August 1998 by Romania national rugby union team.


1998 Romanian Open
The 1998 Romanian Open was a men's tennis tournament played on Clay in Bucharest, Romania that was part of the International Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and was held from 14 September – 21 September.


1998 Romanian Open, Finals, Doubles
Andrei Pavel /  Gabriel Trifu defeated  George Cosac /  Dinu Pescariu, 7–6, 7–6


1998 Romanian Open – Doubles
The 1998 Romanian Open was a men's tennis tournament played on Clay in Bucharest, Romania that was part of the International Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and was held from 14 September – 21 September.


1998 Romanian Open – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Romanian Open – Singles
The 1998 Romanian Open was a men's tennis tournament played on Clay in Bucharest, Romania that was part of the International Series of the 1998 ATP Tour. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and was held from 14 September – 21 September.


1998 Romanian Open – Singles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1998 Ronde van Nederland
These are the results for the 38th edition of the Ronde van Nederland cycling race, which was held from August 25 to August 29, 1998. The race started in Naaldwijk (South Holland) and finished in Landgraaf (Limburg).


1998 Rose Bowl
The 1998 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game, part of the 1997–98 college bowl season, played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The 84th Rose Bowl Game, it featured top-ranked Michigan beating Washington State 21–16, and Wolverine quarterback  Brian Griese was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game. The next Rose Bowl was part of the newly-formed Bowl Championship Series (BCS). This was also the final year that the game was not branded with corporate sponsorship.


1998 Rose Bowl, Pre-game activities
On Tuesday, October 21, 1997 - Tournament of Roses President Gareth A. Dorn chooses 17-year-old Purdy Tran, a senior at Westridge School & a resident of Arcadia, California, to become the 80th Rose Queen to reign over the 109th Rose Parade and the 84th Rose Bowl Game. Miss Tran is the 1st Vietnamese-American young woman to capture the title in royal court history.


1998 Rose Bowl, Pre-game activities
The game was presided over by the 1998 Tournament of Roses Royal Court and Rose Parade Grand Marshal Carol Burnett. Members of the royal court are: Princesses Grace Huang, San Marino, San Marino High School; Kristen Kneier, San Marino, San Marino High School; Leslie Marrero, Pasadena, John Muir High School; Lauren Poindexter, La Canada Flintridge, La Canada High School; Amber Ross, Pasadena, Blair High School; and Kate Sargeant, La Canada Flintridge, Blair High School.


1998 Rose Bowl, Teams, Michigan Wolverines
Michigan earned the right to play in the 84th Rose Bowl game by going through the entire regular season undefeated. With a dominating defense led by Heisman Trophy-winning cornerback Charles Woodson and All-American defensive end Glen Steele and a resourceful offense led by quarterback Brian Griese, the Wolverines went 11-0, yielding only 144 points. Lloyd Carr was in his third season as the head coach. They defeated preseason top 5 Colorado, 27-3 in the season opener on September 13. Michigan defeated Notre Dame, 21-14 on September 27. Two-time Big Ten champion Northwestern was a 23-6 victim on October 11.


1998 Rose Bowl, Teams, Michigan Wolverines
The Iowa game on October 18 was the closest call as the Wolverines trailed 21-7 at halftime before rallying to win 28-24. Michigan stormed into Spartan Stadium on October 25 and subdued the Michigan State Spartans 23-7. On November 22, it was #1 (Michigan) vs. #4 (Ohio State) for the right to represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. Thanks to an interception returned for a touchdown and a Charles Woodson 77-yard punt return for a touchdown, Michigan defeated Ohio State 20-14 to finish 11-0, 8-0.


1998 Rose Bowl, Teams, Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines entered the Rose Bowl ranked #1 in the AP and coaches' poll. With the 21-16 Rose Bowl win over Washington State, the Wolverines would claim the Associated Press (AP) national championship, as well as the Grantland Rice Award (Football Writers Association of America) and MacArthur Bowl (National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame trophy).


1998 Rose Bowl, Teams, Washington State Cougars
Washington State hadn't played in the Rose Bowl Game since it lost to Alabama in the 1931 edition—a 67-year absence. But the Cougars, led by high-profile quarterback Ryan Leaf, ended that streak mainly to their very first game of the 1997 season.


1998 Rose Bowl, Teams, Washington State Cougars
In the opener, the Cougars stormed out to a big lead over the UCLA Bruins and held them off with a goal-line stand in the closing minutes to win 37–34. WSU followed that with a 28–21 win over the USC Trojans, the Cougars' first win in the Los Angeles Coliseum in many years. The Cougars also survived an overtime thriller against the Arizona Wildcats, winning 35–34 when Arizona chose to go for a two-point conversion attempt and failed. WSU's perfect season was ruined in a 44–31 loss at Arizona State, but the Cougars cemented their Rose Bowl bid with a 41–35 victory over the rival Washington Huskies, their first Apple Cup win in Seattle in a dozen years.


1998 Rose Bowl, Teams, Washington State Cougars
On New Year's Eve, Cougar head coach Mike Price was bedridden with the flu. While Leaf was their best player (he'd declare himself for the 1998 NFL Draft on January 2), they also received important contributions from their wide receiving corps, better known as the Fab Five: Kevin McKenzie, Shawn McWashington, Shawn Tims, Chris Jackson and Nian Taylor. WSU also had a tremendous running back in Michael Black and a future NFL offensive lineman in Cory Withrow. On the defensive side, linemen Dorian Boose and Leon Bender both became NFL draftees in April, though Bender died in late May. Linebacker Steve Gleason and safety Lamont Thompson also went on to play in the NFL.


1998 Rose Bowl, Game summary
In the first quarter, Washington State downed a punt at the 1 and forced a punt without a first down. After regaining possession at the Wolverines 47, Leaf connected with McKenzie on a 15-yard play to take a 7–0 lead with 3:07 remaining. Michigan moved the ball to the Washington State 37 before punting. Leaf marched the Cougars to the Michigan 14, but Woodson intercepted him in the end zone. The teams traded punts before Griese found Streets in stride on the right sideline for a 53-yard touchdown pass to tie the game with 7:08 left in the first half.


1998 Rose Bowl, Game summary
Leaf opened the second half with a 99-yard drive for a go-ahead touchdown to take a 13–7 lead after the extra point was blocked. Key plays on the drive included a 19-yard pass Shawn McWashington and a 30-yard pass Kevin McKenzie to reach the Michigan 38. One play later, Leaf connected with McKenzie for 20 more yards. Then Shawn Tims took a reverse play 14 yards for the score with 8:33 remaining in the third quarter.


1998 Rose Bowl, Game summary
On the ensuing possession, Michigan mixed four runs by Howard with a pair of short passes to Shaw before Griese found Streets for a 58-yard play-action pass touchdown to take a 14–13 lead with 5:07 left. After a punt by Washington State, Griese led a 14-play 77-yard drive that ended with a Tuman 23-yard play-action touchdown pass with 11:21 to go for a 21–13 lead.


1998 Rose Bowl, Game summary
In the fourth quarter, Leaf converted a 3rd-and-18 play from his own 12 by connecting with McKenzie for 19 yards. Then a 42-yard pass to DeJuan Gilmore moved the ball to the Michigan 27. Washington State settled for a Rian Lindell 48-yard field goal with 7:25 to play to make the score 21–16. Michigan started a drive that included four consecutive third down conversions and consumed most of the clock.


1998 Rose Bowl, Game summary
The conversions were as follows: a 3rd-and-11 Griese scramble to the Michigan 29; a 3rd-and-7 lateral to Woodson who faked a pass before running eight yards to keep the drive alive; on 3rd-and-6 a 13-yard pass to Shaw; and a 3rd-and-7 pass to Woodson taking the ball to the Washington State 33. A pooch punt by Feely from field goal formation left Washington State on its own 7-yard-line with 29 seconds remaining. The game ended in confusion with Leaf being deemed too late in an attempt to spike the ball to stop the clock for a last play.


1998 Rose Bowl, Game summary
The drive began at the Cougar 7-yard-line with 16 seconds left to play. Leaf completed a 46-yard pass to Nian Taylor to move the ball to the Michigan 47. Washington State drew an illegal formation penalty with nine seconds remaining, but executed a hook and lateral play for 26 yards to the Michigan 26, with an 8-yard catch by Love Jefferson and an 18-yard run by Jason Clayton, who was tackled by Weathers and Jones. With two seconds to play, the clock was stopped to move the chains.


1998 Rose Bowl, Game summary
With no timeouts left, Leaf spiked the football, but although there appeared to be one second remaining on the clock, Dick Burleson, the referee from the Southeastern Conference crew, shook his head as Leaf contested the decision. Michigan's victory evened the series between the Pac-10 and Big Ten in the Rose Bowl at 26 wins apiece.


1998 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
The next year, the Rose Bowl game would become part of the Bowl Championship Series. This would give a greater chance of the number one and number two teams meeting. Michigan was named the college football national champion for the 1997 football season in the AP poll. In the coaches poll, undefeated Nebraska (which defeated #3 Tennessee 42–17 in the Orange Bowl) was voted #1; Michigan had entered the Rose Bowl first in both polls, and were favored to beat the Cougars by seven points.


1998 Rose Bowl, Aftermath
This was the last Rose Bowl game with an attendance of over 100,000. The stadium was modified following the game to widen the playing field for soccer in preparation for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and remove lower seats that were blocked by players on the sidelines.


1998 Rossendale Borough Council election
Elections to Rossendale Borough Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council. Overall turnout was 30%.


1998 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council election
Elections to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party kept overall control of the council.


1998 Round Australia Trial
The 1998 Round Australia Trial, officially the Playstation Rally Round Australia was the fourteenth and last running of the Round Australia Trial. The rally took place between 6 and 27 September 1998. The event covered 18,500 kilometres around Australia. It was won by Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki, driving a Holden Jackaroo..


1998 Royal Bank Cup
The 1998 Royal Bank Cup is the 28th Junior "A" 1998 ice hockey National Championship for the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.


1998 Royal Bank Cup
The Royal Bank Cup was competed for by the winners of the Doyle Cup, Anavet Cup, Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Fred Page Cup and a host city.


1998 Royal Bank Cup
The tournament was hosted by the Nanaimo Clippers and Nanaimo, British Columbia.


1998 Royal Bank Cup, The Playoffs, Round Robin
Note: x- denotes teams who have advanced to the semi-final.


1998 Rugby Borough Council election
Elections to Rugby Borough Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council seats were up for election. The council stayed under no overall control. The number of councillors for each party after the election were Labour 22, Conservative 12, Liberal Democrat 5, Residents 5 and Independent 4.


1998 Runnymede Borough Council election
Elections to Runnymede Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative party gained overall control of the council from no overall control.


1998 Rushmoor Borough Council election
The 1998 Rushmoor Council election took place on 7 May 1998 to elect members of Rushmoor Borough Council in Hampshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.


1998 Russian Figure Skating Championships
The 1998 Russian Figure Skating Championships (Russian: Чемпионат России по фигурному катанию на коньках 1998) were held in Moscow on 11–14 December 1997. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The results were one of the criteria used to pick the Russian teams to the 1998 World Championships and the 1998 European Championships.


1998 Russian First Division
The Russian First Division 1998 was the seventh edition of the Russian First Division. The competition was renamed from Russian First League to Russian First Division this year.


1998 Russian First Division, Promotion play-offs
FC Torpedo-ZIL Moscow promoted to the Russian First Division for 1999 on aggregate, FC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk relegated to the Russian Second Division.


1998 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships
The 1998 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships (Russian: Чемпионат России по лёгкой атлетике в помещении 1998) was the 7th edition of the national championship in indoor track and field for Russia. It was held on 13–15 February at the Alexander Gomelsky Universal Sports Hall CSKA in Moscow. A total of 26 events (13 for men and 13 for women) were contested over the three-day competition. It was used for selection of the Russian team for the 1998 European Athletics Indoor Championships.


1998 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships
The Russian Combined Events Indoor Championships was held separately on 13–15 February in Lipetsk at the Jubilee Sports Palace.


1998 Russian Indoor Athletics Championships, International team selection
Following the results of the championships, taking into account the qualifying standards, the Russian team for the 1998 European Athletics Indoor Championships included:


1998 Russian Second Division
The Russian Second Division 1998 was the seventh edition of the Russian Second Division. The competition was renamed from Russian Second League to Russian Second Division this year. Russian Third League was dissolved this season and Second Division became once again the lowest level of professional football in Russia. There were 6 zones with 119 teams starting the competition (5 were excluded before the end of the season).


1998 Russian Top Division
Spartak Moscow won their third consecutive Russian title, and sixth overall.


1998 Russian Top Division, Medal squads
Goalkeepers: Aleksandr Filimonov (29), Andrei Smetanin (2). Defenders: Dmytro Parfenov  (29 / 1), Dmitri Khlestov (23 / 1), Sergei Gorlukovich (21 / 1), Dmitri Ananko (19), Miroslav Romaschenko  (18 / 3), Yevgeni Bushmanov (14 / 1), Vadim Evseev (6), Konstantin Golovskoy (1). Midfielders: Andrey Tikhonov (30 / 4), Ilya Tsymbalar (29 / 10), Yegor Titov (29 / 6), Aleksei Melyoshin (16 / 1), Vasili Baranov  (14 / 3), Dmitri Alenichev (13 / 2), Leandro Samaroni  (10). Forwards: Anatoli Kanishchev (24 / 6), Luis Robson  (20 / 3), Nikolai Pisarev (17 / 7), Maksim Buznikin (14 / 3), Aleksandr Shirko (13 / 5). (league appearances and goals listed in brackets)


1998 Russian Top Division, Medal squads
One own goal scored by Aleksandr Yeshchenko (FC Zhemchuzhina Sochi).


1998 Russian Top Division, Medal squads
Transferred out during the season: Dmitri Alenichev (to  A.S. Roma), Vadim Evseev (to FC Torpedo Moscow), Konstantin Golovskoy (to FC Dynamo Moscow).


1998 Russian Top Division, Medal squads
Goalkeepers: Andrei Novosadov (20), Ihor Kutepov  (10). Defenders: Yevgeni Varlamov (29 / 1), Oleg Kornaukhov (28 / 3), Maksim Bokov (27 / 1), Valeri Minko (25 / 1), Aleksandr Shchyogolev (9), Dmitri Sennikov (7), Vladimir Isakov (1). Midfielders: Dmitri Khomukha  (30 / 8), Sergei Semak (29 / 9), Sergei Filippenkov (27 / 5), Aleksandr Grishin (27), Aleksandr Gerasimov (24 / 1), Aleksei Savelyev (20 / 2), Andrei Tsaplin (16 / 1), Aleksandr Borodkin (14 / 2), Dmitri Kuznetsov (12), Aleksei Babenko (11), Oleksandr Shutov  (9 / 1), Sergei Shustikov (6). Forwards: Vladimir Kulik (30 / 14), Sergey Korovushkin (4).


1998 Russian Top Division, Medal squads
One own goal scored by Vyacheslav Tsaryov (FC Uralan Elista).


1998 Russian Top Division, Medal squads
Transferred out during the season: Dmitri Kuznetsov (to FC Arsenal Tula), Aleksandr Shchyogolev (to FC Fakel Voronezh), Dmitri Sennikov (to FC Shinnik Yaroslavl), Sergei Shustikov (to  Racing Santander).


1998 Russian Top Division, Medal squads
Goalkeepers: Ruslan Nigmatullin (30), Khasanbi Bidzhiyev (1). Defenders: Igor Chugainov (30 / 4), Sergei Gurenko  (29), Andrei Lavrik  (24 / 1), Andrei Solomatin (23), Igor Cherevchenko  (21 / 1), Aleksei Arifullin (13), Sargis Hovhannisyan  (12 / 1), Oleg Pashinin  (10). Midfielders: Yevgeni Kharlachyov (27 / 1), Yuri Drozdov (26 / 1), Vladimir Maminov  (19 / 3), Dmitri Loskov (18 / 4), Aleksandr Borodyuk (15 / 8), Bakhva Tedeyev (15 / 1), Aleksei Kosolapov (10 / 2), Albert Sarkisyan  (9 / 3), Aleksandr Smirnov (3). Forwards: Zaza Janashia  (28 / 8), Oleh Haras  (16 / 2), Dmitri Bulykin (14 / 3), Mikalay Ryndzyuk  (8), Vitali Veselov (5 / 1), Oleg Sergeyev (1).


1998 Russian Top Division, Medal squads
Transferred out during the season: Alexei Kosolapov (to  Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. ).