2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Council composition
For the first time since the creation of the council, the Greens became the official opposition with five councillors, including Jonathan Bartley, who is the co-leader of the Green Party.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Council composition
The Conservatives were reduced down to a single seat in Clapham Common, after Labour gained two of the seats they had previously held, despite the Conservative vote share in the ward increasing. The Conservatives failed to gain their target wards of Thurlow Park, Clapham Town and Larkhall.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Council composition
The Liberal Democrats failed to make any gains at the election. However, they did comes second to Labour in their target wards.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Council composition
Rachel Heywood, a former Labour councillor in Coldharbour sought re-election as an independent candidate. Heywood failed to win the seat and finished in 6th place, behind both Green Party candidates but ahead of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Council composition
The Women's Equality Party received 8% of the vote in the Brixton Hill ward, finishing in 5th place, ahead of two of the Green Party candidates, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. The party also stood candidates in the wards of Prince's and Ferndale.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Council composition
UKIP saw their vote share largely decrease in the wards they stood in.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Council composition
The Federalist Party polled 0.2% of the vote in the Prince's ward with the Pirate Party polling 0.2% in the ward of Vassall.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Council composition, Proportionality
The disproportionality of the 2018 election was 31.00 using the Gallagher Index.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Results by ward
Candidates shown below are confirmed candidates. An asterisk * indicates an incumbent Councillor seeking re-election.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, Results by ward, Coldharbour
On 29 July 2018, Cllr Parr died; this subsequently triggered a by-election on 13 September 2018.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, By-elections 2018-2022
The by-election was caused by the death of Matthew Parr.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, By-elections 2018-2022
The by-election was caused by the resignation of Jane Edbrooke.


2018 Lambeth London Borough Council election, By-elections 2018-2022
The by-election was caused by Lib Peck who resigned as Leader of Lambeth Council and as a councillor.


2018 Lambton County municipal elections
Elections were held in Lambton County, Ontario on October 22, 2018 in conjunction with municipal elections across the province.


2018 Lambton County municipal elections, Lambton County Council
County council includes the mayors of each constituent municipality, the deputy mayors of Lambton Shores and St. Clair plus four city councillors from Sarnia.


2018 Lamitan bombing
On July 31, 2018, a bomb exploded in the town of Lamitan in Basilan, Philippines.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Incident
A white van carrying explosives was asked to stop at the Magkawit detachment, a security checkpoint situated at the converging boundaries of barangays Bulanting, Colonia, and Maganda in Lamitan, Basilan mainly manned by the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU).


2018 Lamitan bombing, Incident
The flagged down van which was to travel to Lamitan city proper exploded at around 5:50 am when soldiers requested the driver to disembark. The vehicle was left obliterated and left a crater and the blast could be heard as far as 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) away.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Casualties
Ten people died from the explosions with five of them being member of the CAFGU. Four victims, all family relatives of CAFGU members, and a non-CAFGU soldier were also among the dead. Two CAFGU members and five Scout Rangers from the Philippine Army were also left wounded by the explosion. Three goats grazing nearby were also killed.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Bomb
An initial investigation concluded that the bombing was a result of an improvised explosive bomb made of ammonium nitrate mixed with fuel oil. The bomb was found to be similar to the one used in the 2013 Cotabato City bombing.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Investigation, Possible perpetrators, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
The militant group, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the incident which it claimed as a suicide bombing. The ISIS-affiliated Amaq News Agency, dubbed the bombing "a martyrdom operation". It said that the supposed suicide attack was made by Abu Khatir Al-Maghribi, a Moroccan national. Rommel Banlaoi of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research initially believed that the bombing could be an ISIS-directed attack.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Investigation, Possible perpetrators, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
Local authorities are leaning on the idea that the attack was not a suicide attack contrary to ISIS' claim. According to their initial investigation. The driver of the van stopped 60 meters (200 ft) from the checkpoint and asked for the people in the checkpoint to help push the vehicle. Investigators reasoned if the driver intended a suicide attack, they could have rammed the vehicle towards the checkpoint. The 20 minute gap between the stoppage of the van and the explosion was also noted by investigators. A burnt cover of a mobile phone was retrieved from the blast site. Banlaoi used this evidence to discount ISIS' claim that the attack was a suicide attack.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Investigation, Possible perpetrators, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
The Armed Forces of the Philippines are skeptical of ISIS' claims and points out that the identity of the driver whose corpse was left in a bad state is yet to be identified. The military says that ground sources points to the identity of the driver being non-foreign. However, the military is not ruling out ISIS responsibility for the attack.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Investigation, Possible perpetrators, Abu Sayyaf
The Philippine military considers the Abu Sayyaf as its primary suspects for the bombing incident saying it has received "persistent reports" that the group was responsible for the attack. The militant group has three "hardcore" commanders in Basilan namely Furudji Indama, Radzmil Janatul, and Jobel Abdullah.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Investigation, Possible perpetrators, Abu Sayyaf
Since August 1, 2018, text messages began to circulate alleging Abu Sayaff militant, Fathy "Mike" Lijal, an ethnic Yakan to be behind the bombing. The Western Mindanao Command of the military and the Philippine National Police are looking into the faction Lijal is part of and is confident that he has support from sources abroad. On July 30, 2018, prior to the incident the military received information that eight Abu Sayyaf militants lead by Lijal were sighted in Barangay Languyan in the town of Mohammad Ajul. 11 Abu Sayyaf gunmen from Sulu were also sighted in the town within the same day.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Investigation, Possible perpetrators, Abu Sayyaf
Another report alleged that a Moroccan militant Abu Kathir al-Maghribi was behind the bombing who left his two sons under the custody of Abu Sayaff commander Hajan Sawadjaan before he detonated himself.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Possible motive
City officials suspects that the driver of the van planned to bomb a parade of at least 2,000 school children and teachers commemorating the national nutrition month. The event was deemed a success even as news of the bombing spread in the city causing tension among the event's participants.


2018 Lamitan bombing, Possible motive
Julkipli Wadi, chair of the University of the Philippines-Institute of Islamic Studies has connected the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) integration process with the government as part of the peace process following the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the signing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law to the attack. He said as the MILF integrate with the government, other radical militant groups may take advantage of the resulting power vacuum in the areas the MILF formerly controlled and points to the Basilan attack as an example. Rommel Banlaoi of Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research said the attack was an effort by extremist to sabotage the peace process.


2018 Lampung gubernatorial election
The 2018 Lampung gubernatorial election took place on 27 June 2018 as part of the simultaneous local elections in Indonesia. It was held to elect the governor of Lampung alongside with their deputy, whilst members of the provincial council (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah) will be re-elected in 2019.


2018 Lampung gubernatorial election
Candidates included incumbent governor Muhammad Ridho Ficardo who ran for his second term, Bandar Lampung mayor Herman Hasanusi, Central Lampung regent Mustafa and provincial secretary Arinal Djunaidi.


2018 Lampung gubernatorial election, Timeline
Registration for party-backed candidates were opened between 8 and 10 January 2018, while independent candidates were required to register between 22 and 26 November 2017. The numerical order of the candidates were determined on 13 February through a lottery. The campaigning period would commence between 15 February and 24 June, with a three-day election silence before voting on 27 June.


2018 Lampung gubernatorial election, Timeline
No independent candidates registered to contest the election. The first debate between the candidates were held on 7 April, although it was not covered by national media except for Radio Republik Indonesia. Three debates were planned to be held between the candidates. On 20 April 2018, the Lampung branch of KPU declared that the province would have 5,768,061 valid voters.


2018 Lampung gubernatorial election, Candidates
Under regulations, candidates are required to secure the support of a political party or a coalition thereof comprising at least 20 percent of the seats  (i.e. 17 of 85) in the regional house. Alternatively, independent candidates may run provided they are capable of securing support in form of at least 456,594 photocopied ID cards subject to verification by the local committee although no candidates expressing interest managed to do this.


2018 Lampung gubernatorial election, Candidates
Incumbent Muhammad Ridho Ficardo, who is also the head of Demokrat's Lampung office received the endorsement of his party to run for his second term on 7 December 2017. While initially planning to run with Bengkulu mayor Helmi Hasan, he switched to running with his current deputy Bachtiar Basri, who is part of PAN, after the registration opened. PPP and Gerindra also declared their support for the ticket.


2018 Lampung gubernatorial election, Candidates
Bandar Lampung mayor Herman Hasanusi (often referred to as Herman HN) was announced by party chairman Megawati Soekarnoputri as PDI-P's candidate on 4 January 2018, with the provincial secretary Sutono as his running mate. Since PDI-P controls enough seats in the provincial assembly by itself, it was not required to form a coalition with other parties.


2018 Lampung gubernatorial election, Candidates
Golkar decided to endorse its cadre Arinal Djunaidi, who is also the head of its Lampung office on 21 December 2017. In the declaration, they selected East Lampung regent and PKB member Chusnunia Chalim as his running mate. While he received the formal endorsement of PAN, a significant number of PAN's party members went against party lines to support their own cadre Bachtiar Basri.


2018 Lampung gubernatorial election, Candidates
Mustafa, the regent of Central Lampung, was endorsed by his party to run in April 2017. He was later supported by PKS, who put forth their cadre and Regional Representative Council member Ahmad Jajuli as his running mate. Hanura also endorsed the ticket. Later on, the Corruption Eradication Commission arrested Mustafa for a bribery case, and he resigned from Nasdem.


2018 Lanark County municipal elections
Elections were held in Lanark County, Ontario on October 22, 2018 in conjunction with municipal elections across the province.


2018 Lanark County municipal elections, Lanark County Council
Lanark County Council consists of two members from each constituent municipality.


2018 Lancashire Thunder season
The 2018 season was Lancashire Thunder's third season, in which they competed in the Women's Cricket Super League, a Twenty20 competition. The side finished fourth in the group stage, their best ever finish, winning five of their ten matches.


2018 Lancashire Thunder season
The side was captained by Danielle Hazell and coached by Alex Blackwell. They played two home matches at Old Trafford, and one apiece at Stanley Park, Aigburth Cricket Ground and the Trafalgar Road Ground.


2018 Lancashire Thunder season, Squad
Lancashire Thunder's 15-player squad is listed below. Age given is at the start of Lancashire Thunder's first match of the season (22 July 2018).


2018 Lanzhou toll accident
A Truck driver lost control of his vehicle and drove into a line of waiting cars in Lanzhou, China on November 3, 2018. According to local sources, 15 people were killed and another 44 injured in the 31 vehicle accident. The accident came about a week after the Chongqing bus crash.


2018 Lanzhou toll accident, Incident
At 7:21 pm local time (11:20 GMT) on November 3, the 45-year-old truck driver from the Liaoning province crashed a tower-crane truck into a line of 31 vehicles about 50 meters from the Lanzhou South Toll Station on the Lanzhou-Haikou expressway. The section of the highway connects Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu and Haikou, the capital of Hainan. The truck driver was slightly injured in the crash, and was detained by police in order to begin the investigation into the accident. Local media has reported that the driver has claimed that the brakes of the vehicle had failed, and the lack of control had caused the accident. CCTV of the area, documented the crash and its aftermath, along with the heavy snow that the area was experiencing.


2018 Lanzhou toll accident, Victims
Ten of the forty-four injured sustained serious injuries, and fifteen people were reportedly killed.


2018 Lao Premier League
The 2018 Lao Premier League is the 29th season of the Lao Premier League. The season started on 24 February 2018.


2018 Lao Premier League, Teams
A total of 8 teams participated in the 2018 Lao League season, 1 promoted from the previous season of Lao Division 1 League. 6 teams withdrew from the league, including defending champions.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship
The 2018 Laois Senior Football Championship was the 128th edition of the Laois GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for senior graded teams in County Laois, Ireland. The tournament consisted of 16 teams with the winner going on to represent Laois in the Leinster Senior Club Football Championship. The championship had a back-door format for the first two rounds before proceeding to a knock-out format. Generally, any team to lose two matches will be knocked out of the championship.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship
Portlaoise were the defending champions after they defeated Ballylinan in the previous years final. They successfully defended their title to claim a "2-in-a-row" of victories when they defeated O'Dempsey's in this years final.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship
Emo made a straight return to the senior grade after just one year outside the top flight.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship
This was the second season running in which Clonaslee St. Manman's amalgamated with Annanough for their championship matches as Clonaslee Gaels (however unlike 2017, Annanough didn't field a side in the 2018 I.F.C.). Both clubs fielded separate reserve sides in the Laois J.F.C. 'C'. The amalgamation suffered relegation at the end of the 2018 campaign and so will ply their trade in the 2019 I.F.C.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship, Team changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2017 championship season.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship, Round 1
All 16 teams enter the competition in this round. The 8 winners progress to Round 2A, while the 8 losers progress to Round 2B.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship, Round 2, Round 2A
The 8 winners from Round 1 enter this round. The 4 winners from this round will enter the draw for the Quarter-Finals, while the 4 losers will play in Round 3.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship, Round 2, Round 2B
The 8 losers from Round 1 enter this round. The 4 winners from this round will go into Round 3, while the 4 losers will enter the Relegation Playoffs.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship, Round 3
The 4 losers from Round 2A enter this round and play the 4 winners from Round 2B. The 4 winners from this round will go into the draw for the Quarter-Finals.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship, Quarter-Finals
The Quarter-Finals will eliminate four teams, leaving 4 teams. These teams will face off against each other in the Semi-Finals.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship, Semi-Finals
In the Semi-Finals, two further teams will be eliminated, leaving the best from each set to play each other in the Final.


2018 Laois Senior Football Championship, Final
The remaining two teams play against each other to determine the champion.


2018 Laos dam collapse
The 2018 Laos dam collapse was the collapse of Saddle Dam D, part of a larger hydroelectric dam system under construction in southeast Laos's Champasak Province, on 23 July 2018. The dam collapse lead to widespread destruction and homelessness among the local population in neighbouring Attapeu Province. As of 25 September, 40 people were confirmed dead, at least 98 more were missing (maybe as many as 1,100 more people), and 6,600 others were displaced.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Background
Construction of the earth-filled Saddle Dam D near Paksong, part of the $1.2bn (£915m) hydroelectric project by Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Power Company (PNPC), was begun in 2013. The hydroelectric project was a build-operate-transfer project. PNPC is a joint investment venture formed in March 2012 by SK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C), Korea Western Power (KOWEPO), Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding (RATCH), and Lao Holding State Enterprise (LHSE). SK E&C holds a 26% stake in PNPC, LHSE 24%, and RATCH and KOWEPO equally own the remaining shares. Part of an overall project to build two main dams and five auxiliaries, by the time of the collapse, it was near to completion and was intended to open for business in 2019.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Background
Although landlocked, Laos is traversed by many intertwining rivers, which has encouraged their damming. The dam's construction was part of what has been described as an "ambitious ... scheme to become the 'battery' of Asia", due to the country's location on the Mekong river and "abundant natural resources". The dam was intended to form a chain with other dams in the adjacent province of Champasak, across the Houay Makchanh, Xe Namnoy and Xe Pian rivers.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Background
The dam, close to the Cambodian border, was intended to operate to a capacity of 410 megawatts, and earn revenue for the government by exporting 90% of the electricity produced to Thailand, which is more economically prosperous and developed compared to Laos.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Background
Environmental pressure groups have long been critical of the Laotian government's ambitions regarding hydroelectric power, which have involved building multiple dams on the Mekong as well as on its tributaries. Concern has focused on potential damage to the flora and fauna and the animal societies dependent on the river to survive. Neighboring countries, like Cambodia and Vietnam that are downstream from the dams and rely heavily on the Mekong for fishing, food, agricultural irrigation, transport, tourism and cultural traditions, have expressed concern that Laos' hydroelectric ambitions could "disrupt vital ecosystems and their own river systems". The dam building program has regularly required the displacement and transplanting of inhabitants of villages that are found to obstruct dam construction, the benefits of which "are mainly enjoyed outside of the country", said environmental activists.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Background
The company denied that the dam had collapsed, blaming recent heavy weather for the flooding, which had resulted in torrential rain filling the dam beyond capacity and overflowing, it said, which exacerbated the flooding which had already taken place downstream. A spokesperson for SK E&C said, "we believe that parts of the upper area of the dam were lost due to heavy rains and [then] the water overflowed".


2018 Laos dam collapse, Background
The International Rivers organization—whom the Washington Post described as "a nongovernmental group generally critical of such projects"—suggested that the collapse illustrates the "major risks" involved if construction is "unable to cope with extreme weather conditions", as, particularly in Laos, "unpredictable and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent". Indeed, an evacuation order had been in place for the area at the bottom of the dam due to cracks having been discovered in it. This damage had been reported to the company by South Korean contractors "at least a day before" the flooding, reported news outlets.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Background
Engineers from SK E&C apparently informed the PNPC that the top of the dam's structure had been washed away by 9 p.m. the previous night. Repair work was delayed because of the heavy rain. Furthermore, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that it had obtained documents showing that "11 centimetres of subsidence was found at the centre of the dam" as early as the previous Friday. This subsidence was severe enough to prevent the use of emergency repair equipment.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Background
On 11 September 2017, the reservoir for a dam under construction on the Nam Ao River in Phaxay district, Xiangkhouang Province collapsed after heavy rains in the area. In December 2016, the Xekaman 3 dam in Dak Cheung District, Sekong Province, had to be shut down after six years of usage due to damage in water tunnels.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse
The dam collapse occurred around 8 p.m. on Monday 23 July, and caused immediate flash flooding through the villages of Yai Thae, Hinlad, Ban Mai, Thasengchan, Tha Hin, and Samong, all in Sanamxay district. Homes, roads and bridges were swept away. The portion of the dam that collapsed was reported to be a saddle dam, known as "Saddle D", or "an auxiliary structure used to hold water beyond what is held by the main dam". The CEO of one of the companies involved stated that "[it] was fractured and the water had leaked to the downstream area and down to the Xe-Pian River which is about five kilometres from the dam".


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse
Earlier in the day on 23 July, Lee Kang Yeol, Head of Resettlement Office of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Power Company Resettlement Office sent a warning letter to the provincial resettlement offices in Champasak and Attapeu Provinces indicating that water levels in the dam were high and that dam failure was imminent. The letter further urged that all residents in the Xe Pian river valley be evacuated to higher ground immediately.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse
Lao News Agency reported that "several human lives" had been lost, and that around 6,000 people may have been made homeless as a result. There were no precise figures regarding casualties within the first 24 hours, although The Guardian reported "hundreds missing" and "several" confirmed dead early the following morning. At least six villages were severely affected—around 1,300 households—with many survivors stranded on their rooftops and in trees. By 25 July, nearly 3,000 people had been rescued. The village of Ban Mai alone had 50 inhabitants known to be missing.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse
Rescue efforts were complicated by the fact that the area is densely forested with no mobile-phone coverage, which may also have contributed to the uncertainty as to casualty rates. What roads previously existed were washed away in the floods, and the affected villages were only approachable by either helicopter or flat-bottomed boats.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse
As of 23 September, 40 people were confirmed dead, at least 98 more were missing and 6,600 others were displaced.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse, Response and aid
Government agencies and the power company jointly commenced a rescue and evacuation of villages still in danger, amid rising water levels. They were joined by a South Korean company, SK Engineering and Construction, which was a stakeholder in the dam's construction. The Prime Minister of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith, suspended his immediate meetings and travelled in person to the site, as did the President and board of SK E&C. Sisoulith also called in both the police and the army, and declared the area a disaster zone on Tuesday. Local government requested emergency aid from central government as well as neighbouring communities.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse, Response and aid
One of the largest banks in Laos, Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao, set up a relief donation fund seeking to raise 2 billion kip (US$238,000) for victims of the disaster. The neighbouring Asian countries of China, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam have also expressed readiness to provide any assistance needed by Laos. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Chinese companies and businesses in Laos that were involved in the construction of China-Laos railway immediately joined the rescue work efforts.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse, Response and aid
Thai rescue workers reportedly complained that Laos had shown lethargy in allowing them entry, meaning that they had been kept waiting at the border. The International Red Cross organized water purification devices for the area as each village lost its food supplies, while the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) relief items were dispatched from its warehouse in Malaysia to Vientiane by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse, Response and aid
On 26 July, South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered a relief team to be sent into the country, a rare order from their President for any accident in foreign country since a South Korean firm was involved in the incident. Singapore announced that they will be sending their Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers and US$100,000 to aid relief efforts, with the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) also announced S$50,000 in humanitarian aid. Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) delivered S$280,000 in flood relief supplies on Thursday evening while officers from SCDF will arrive on Friday.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse, Response and aid
The Vietnamese government has provided a total of US$200,000 relief aid, with another US$50,000 coming from their Defence Ministry and another VND300 million (US$13,000) from Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry. Vietnam Electricity (EVN) have contributed around VND1 billion (US$43,000) while the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) Central Committee handed over US$50,000 to the Laos embassy in Vietnam. The Vietnamese People's Army (VPA) sent a contingent team of 100 officers, including medics and rescue vehicles to assist in relief efforts.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse, Response and aid
A 32-strong team People's Liberation Army (PLA) medical contingent was also dispatched, together with the arrival of relief supplies from Thailand. Mercy Malaysia has sent a rapid assessment team to assist in both severe flooding caused by the dam collapse and tropical storm Son-Tinh, with the Malaysian government also conveyed to their Laotian counterpart that they will donating RM400,000 (US$100,000) to assist Laos to facilitate its relief efforts. On 30 July, the Cambodian government donated $100,000 relief aid. The following day, Chinese relief aid began to arrived into the Laotian capital.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Collapse, Response and aid
South Korean government also deciding to send more aid along with the offer of US$1 million aid shortly after the arrival of medicine and relief supplies from the country. Another relief team consisting of 19 medical personnel was sent by South Korea on 7 August. Apart from the aid of South Korean government, SK Group has offered to donate $10 million relief aid, Korean Air has sent 36,000 litres of mineral water with 2,000 blankets and Lotte Group has donated US$100,000. Foreign individuals living in Laos also helping to deliver aid by raising money from their food businesses. Government compensation for lives lost amounted to 1.5 million Lao kip (U.S. $176) for each person.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Aftermath
Within days of the disaster, survivors were questioning why they had received so little warning before it happened, "with some of the displaced saying they were warned to evacuate homes only hours before disaster struck". It was unclear how the damage affect the overall plan for Laos' hydroelectric ambitions. Meanwhile, shares in the various companies connected to the project, particularly SK E&C plunged immediately following the disaster.


2018 Laos dam collapse, Dam Re-built
Looking on Sentinel 2, the reservoir started to be filled around 2019-06-19, and appeared filled by 2019-10-22.


2018 Laredo mayoral election
The 2018 Laredo mayoral election was held on November 6, 2018 to elect the mayor of Laredo, Texas. It saw the reelection of Pete Saenz.


2018 Las Vegas Aces season
The 2018 WNBA season was the 22nd season for the Las Vegas Aces franchise of the WNBA. This was the franchise's inaugural season in Las Vegas, after moving from San Antonio during the off season. The season tips off on May 20.


2018 Las Vegas Aces season
The team started the season slowly in May, posting an 0–4 record. June was a month of improvement, as the Aces went 6–7, including a win over Seattle away. July was the team's best month of the year. The Aces posted a 6–2 record, with their only 2 losses being to Los Angeles. The team's playoff push fell short in August, when the team posted a 2–7 record including the league's first forfeited game. Ultimately the forfeit proved costly, as the team missed out on the playoffs by 1 game and finished 9th in the league overall.


2018 Las Vegas Bowl
The 2018 Las Vegas Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 15, 2018, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST (12:30 p.m. local PST). It was the 27th edition of the Las Vegas Bowl, and one of the 2018–19 bowl games concluding the 2018 FBS football season. Sponsored by automotive manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors, the game was officially known as the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl.


2018 Las Vegas Bowl, Teams
The game was played between Arizona State of the Pac-12 Conference and Fresno State of the Mountain West Conference. This was the fourth all-time meeting against the Sun Devils and the Bulldogs, with Arizona State leading the series, 3–0; this was their first meeting in a bowl game.


2018 Las Vegas Bowl, Teams, Arizona State
Arizona State received and accepted a bid to the Las Vegas Bowl on December 2. The Sun Devils entered the bowl with a 7–5 record (5–4 in conference). The Sun Devils' last Las Vegas Bowl appearance came in 2011.


2018 Las Vegas Bowl, Teams, Fresno State
Fresno State defeated Boise State on December 1 in the 2018 Mountain West Conference Football Championship Game. As the Mountain West champion, they received and accepted a bid to the Las Vegas Bowl on December 2. The Bulldogs entered the bowl with a 11–2 record (7–1 in conference). The Bulldogs' last Las Vegas Bowl appearance came in 2013.


2018 Las Vegas Challenger
The 2018 Las Vegas Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the fourth edition of the revamped tournament which was the part of the 2018 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Las Vegas, United States between 22 and 28 October 2018.


2018 Las Vegas Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Las Vegas Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following player received entry into the singles main draw as a special exempt:


2018 Las Vegas Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following player received entry into the singles main draw as an alternate:


2018 Las Vegas Challenger – Doubles
Brydan Klein and Joe Salisbury were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2018 Las Vegas Challenger – Doubles
Marcelo Arévalo and Roberto Maytín won the title after defeating Robert Galloway and Nathan Pasha 6–3, 6–3 in the final.


2018 Las Vegas Challenger – Singles
Stefan Kozlov was the defending champion but lost in the first round to Kamil Majchrzak.


2018 Las Vegas Challenger – Singles
Thanasi Kokkinakis won the title after defeating Blaž Rola 6–4, 6–4 in the final.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season
The 2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season was the club's inaugural season, and their first season in the United Soccer League, the second division of American soccer. The Lights played their home matches at Cashman Field, north of Downtown Las Vegas.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season
The Lights' first season began on March 17 against fellow expansion side Fresno FC at Chukchansi Park with a 3–2 victory.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Background
In April 2017, Brett Lashbrook, former COO of Orlando City SC, received preliminary approval for a USL expansion franchise in Las Vegas  and thus began negotiations with Las Vegas city officials over a lease agreement to allow his franchise to play their home games at Cashman Field north of Downtown Las Vegas. After three months of negotiations, the Las Vegas City Council unanimously approved a 15-year lease between Lashbrook and the city to play their home games at Cashman Field that was to begin on January 1, 2018.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Background
As part of the lease, the Las Vegas 51s minor league baseball club would remain the venue's primary tenant and would receive priority on scheduling, however, if the 51s were to move from Cashman Field, the city and Lashbrook would look to convert Cashman Field into a modern soccer specific stadium as part of a redevelopment of the area.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Background
In August 2017, Lashbrook, alongside Nevada governor Brian Sandoval, Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman, and USL officials, officially announced Las Vegas as the 33rd member of the USL at a fan festival at Zappos headquarters in downtown Las Vegas. During the presentation, Lashbrook announced six potential names (Viva Vegas, Las Vegas Silver, Las Vegas FC, Las Vegas Lights, Las Vegas Action, and Club Vegas) for the franchise, with the official name for the club being chosen through a fan vote.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Background
Shortly after midnight on August 29, 2017, Las Vegas Lights FC, a combination of the two most popular names during the fan vote (Las Vegas Lights and Las Vegas FC), was announced as the team's official name during a presentation at the Fremont Street Experience. Following the announcement, Lights officials asked the public to submit designs, ideas, and colors to help the team create its inaugural logo.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Background
On October 30, 2017, the Lights released their inaugural crest which resembled the outline of the famous Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign – rotated 90 degrees and included the official team colors of blue, yellow, and pink. The colors, which were originally used on the placeholder logo presented when the team was first announced, were adopted officially after many of the fan submissions for logos incorporated the three colors.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Background
On November 13, 2017, Fútbol Picante analyst José Luis Sánchez Solá was announced as the club's first head coach. El Chelís, as he was commonly referred, had managed numerous clubs in the first and second divisions of Mexico and the United States, including stints with Puebla F.C., Estudiantes Tecos, and Chivas USA, prior to taking over the position with Lights FC. In December 2017, the club expanded its partnership with Zappos.com by announcing a three-year deal for the online retailer to be the club's jersey sponsor and announced BLK as the club's jersey supplier in a multi-year deal in January 2018.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, Preseason
On November 27, 2017, Lights FC announced three preseason friendlies against MLS sides at Cashman Field, as part of their preparations for their first campaign in the USL. The matches were to be on February 10 against the Montreal Impact, February 17 against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and February 24 against D.C. United.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, Preseason
In their first preseason friendly, Lights FC fell to Montreal 2–0 in front of a sell-out crowd of 10,387, after a goal from Impact forward Michael Salazar and an own goal by Lights FC defender Joel Huiqui in a matter of three minutes in the second half. Lights FC would fare better in their second preseason game, although they would still lose to Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3–2, with Lights FC scoring their first goals of the year through a brace from midfielder Juan José Calderón.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, Preseason
Seven days later, in their last home fixture of the preseason, Lights FC would see another good offensive effort with a goal from defender Miguel Garduño and another goal from Calderón, his third of the postseason; however, Lights FC would fall for the third time during the preseason, losing 4–2 to DC United. Lights FC would get their first result in their final preseason game, after the club drew 1–1 away to Orange County FC through a 77th-minute goal from forward Anuar Kanan.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, March–May
Just prior to Lights FC's season opener, the club announced that head coach Chelís had been promoted to Technical Director for the club, with his son Isidro Sánchez Macip, who had been an assistant for Lights FC under his father, promoted to head coach. Lights FC began the 2018 USL season on March 17 with an away fixture against Fresno FC, which Lights FC won 3–2. Las Vegas native Matt Thomas opened the scoring within two minutes of the kick-off, while midfielder Alex Mendoza and defender Joel Huiqui added goals within seven minutes of each other in the second half.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, March–May
Despite late goals by Fresno forwards Jemal Johnson and Renato Bustamante, Lights FC was able to hold on for the first victory in club history. Thomas' performance against Fresno FC would lead him to being named to the USL Team of the Week for the first week of the season. The following week, Lights FC would host in-state rival Reno 1868 FC in the first match of the Silver State Cup, ending in a 1–1 draw.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, March–May
Mendoza would open the scoring in the 27th minute with a shot from outside of the box following a failed clearance, but was answered within a minute by Reno forward and UNLV alum Danny Musovski, who slotted home a rebound. Reno would be down to 10-men, following a second yellow card to Musovski lead to his dismissal in the 72nd minute, despite mounting pressure by Lights FC, including a fingertip save by goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski from a header from midfielder Juan Carlos García in the 95th minute, to preserve the draw.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, March–May
On March 31, Lights FC completed their first come from behind victory with a 2–1 home victory against defending Western Conference champions Swope Park Rangers. Swope Park would open the scoring with an 18th-minute goal from midfielder Rodrigo Saravia. Lights FC midfielder Carlos Alvarez would tie the match with a strike in the 53rd minute and a misplaced headed back pass from Swope Park defender Colton Storm helped Lights FC secure their first home victory of the season.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, March–May
Lights FC defender Joel Huqui's performance against Swope Park, which included three interceptions and seven clearances, led to his selection to the USL Team of the Week and the club's performance in the month of March led to head coach Isidro Sánchez Macip, led to his selection as the USL's Coach of the Month for March. Following a bye week, Lights FC returned to action on April 14, drawing 1–1 with Sacramento Republic FC at Cashman Field. Defender Joel Huiqui would open the scoring two minutes into the match, but Sacramento forward Christian Eissele equalized before the hour mark and Lights FC extended their undefeated streak to four matches.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, March–May
Following another bye week, Lights FC suffered their first loss of the season, dropping a 3–1 decision at home to San Antonio FC. San Antonio received first half goals from forward Éver Guzmán and midfielder José Escalante in the 17th and 33rd minute respectively. San Antonio would add a third when midfielder Rafael Castillo converted a penalty in the 51st minute and, despite Carlos Alvarez' 75th-minute goal, a red card to defender Christian Torres limited Lights FC's chances of closing the gap with San Antonio.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, March–May
Three days later, Lights FC would participate in their first road game since the season opener when they traveled to play Western Conference leader Real Monarchs SLC. Despite playing with 10 men for over 70 minutes, after defender Marcelo Alatorre was sent off for a dangerous foul in the 18th minute, Lights FC was able to produce numerous scoring chances, including an 84th-minute strike by midfielder Daigo Kobayashi that crashed off of the post. Lights FC were able to hold of the Conference leaders and ended with a 0–0 draw, the first shutout for Lights FC goalkeeper Ricardo Ferriño.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Lights FC entered the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in the second round, defeating Premier Development League side FC Tucson, 4–2 on May 16. The match, which was played at Peter Johann Memorial Soccer Field on UNLV's campus, was the first that Lights FC hosted away from Cashman Field, as the baseball field would not be converted to a soccer pitch in time following a Las Vegas 51s home stand. Lights FC would jump out to an early lead as midfielder Carlos Alvarez and defender Alatorre scored within the first ten minutes of the match.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Forward Jason Romero would put FC Tucson on the board with a goal in the 38th minute and three minutes after the restart, midfielder Adrian Valenzuela tied the score at 2–2. Lights forward Sammy Ochoa would net his first two goals of the year with goals in the 56th and 65th minute to help Lights FC advance to the third round.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
In the third round of the tournament, Lights FC were knocked out by PDL side FC Golden State Force in an away fixture, 2–1, on May 23. After a stalemate in the first half, FC Golden State Force's Allisson Faramilio opened the scoring a quarter of an hour from full time with a shot from outside of the box. Although defender Joel Huiqui would net the equalizer with a header off of a corner kick in the 81st minute, Faramilio would secure the victory and advancement in the competition for FC Golden State after converting a penalty shot in stoppage time.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, June–August
On June 2, Lights FC won their first regular season game since March 31, defeating Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 4–1. Carlos Alvarez opened the scoring with a strike in the 24th minute, while midfielder Freddy Adu and forward Sammy Ochoa scored their first league goals of the season with strikes in the 47th and 58th minute, respectively. Colorado Springs defender Josh Suggs would pull a goal back for Switchbacks FC, but midfielder Matt Thomas would secure the 3 points for Lights FC with a goal in stoppage time to snap the club's seven match winless streak.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, June–August
After an 11-day layoff, Lights FC made their first visit to regional rival Phoenix Rising FC, losing 4–0 to the hosts. Phoenix would receive goals from defender Joe Farrell and forward Solomon Asante, as well as a brace from forward Jason Johnson to send Lights FC to their fourth league loss in five matches. Following the match against Phoenix, an altercation took place between a fan and Technical Director Chelís. The altercation began when the fan yelled something profane at Chelís and he responded by going up to the fan, placing a hand on the fan, and asking him to repeat what he said. Two days after the incident, the USL suspended Chelís for eight games.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, June–August
Lights FC would return to action three days later hosting Seattle Sounders FC 2, seeing several changes in the lineup including goalkeeper and Las Vegas native Angel Alvarez' debut for the club. Lights FC would ride an offensive outburst in the first half with a brace from Sammy Ochoa and a third goal from Joel Huiqui to take a 3–1 lead into halftime and would add a fourth with a goal from newly acquired midfielder Zach Mathers, as Lights FC won their second straight home match 4–1.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, June–August
Lights FC's next match would be away to Swope Park Rangers, losing to the hosts 3–2. Lights FC would receive goals from midfielder Daigo Kobayashi and forward Sammy Ochoa and had a chance to get an equalizer from a penalty late into stoppage time, but failed to convert when midfielder Carlos Alvarez passed the spot kick to a charging Ochoa in a designed trick play instead of shooting the penalty. Ochoa's shot would ring off the post with Rangers able to clear the ball for the final whistle.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, June–August
Lights FC would continue their Midwestern swing with a match away to Tulsa Roughnecks FC, drawing 2–2 to extend their road winless streak to six matches. Tulsa would score first after midfielder Joaquin Rivas converted a penalty minutes into the match, while Lights FC would receive goals from midfielders Raúl Mendiola and Daigo Kobayashi. Lights FC had a chance to extend the lead, but forward Sammy Ochoa launched a penalty kick over the crossbar in the 62nd minute and defender Josh Morton would score the equalizer for the hosts a minute after Ochoa's miss.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, June–August
Lights FC would open their first match of the month of July at home against Saint Louis FC. Lights FC were able to extend their home winning streak to three matches through a goal from midfielder Raúl Mendiola shortly into the second half, his second consecutive match with a goal, and goalkeeper Ricardo Ferriño recorded his second shutout of the season, as Lights FC won 1–0. After a one assist, four tackle, and two interception performance against Saint Louis FC, on loan defender Nico Samayoa would be named to the USL Team of the Week for Week 17.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, June–August
Lights FC would begin a four match road trip with a match against OKC Energy FC on July 11. Despite the first hat trick in club history coming from Mendiola and another goal from midfielder Carlos Alvarez, Lights FC would extend their road winless streak to seven matches, as the fell to Energy FC 6–4. Lights FC's struggles would continue on the road, dropping a 2–0 result away to Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. Goals from Toros' defender Conor Donovan and forward Jesús Enríquez extended Lights FC's road winless streak to eight matches.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, June–August
Eight days later, Lights FC would travel to Portland to take on Timbers 2. After a goalless first half, forward Sammy Ochoa netted his fifth goal of the season in 53rd minute. Timbers 2 midfielder Jack Barmby was able to level the match with a goal in 63rd minute, however, forward Omar Salgado would score his first goal of the season in the 74th minute, securing Lights FC's first road victory since March 17, ending an eight match road winless streak. Lights FC would end their longest road trip on July 26 against Seattle Sounders FC 2.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, June–August
The Lights would fall behind early to Sounders 2 after midfielder Antonee Burke-Gilroy scored in the second minute of the game and were hampered more so after defender Marcelo Alatorre received his second yellow of the match in the 45th minute and midfielder Carlos Alvarez received a straight red card two minutes later, leaving Lights FC down to 9 men with a full half to play. Sounders 2 would capitalize on their two-man advantage, getting a penalty kick goal from forward David Estrada and a goal from former UNLV forward Lamar Neagle to lead to a 3–0 loss for Lights FC.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Summary, June–August
Lights FC would return home to Cashman Field on August 4 against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros on August 4. Lights FC were led by goalkeeper Ricardo Ferriño has he stopped all seven shots from RGV FC on way to his third shutout of the season. Defender Joel Huiqui netted the winner for Lights FC in the 82nd minute, as Lights FC extended their home winning streak to four matches with a 1–0 victory. Ferriño's seven saves led to him being named to the USL Team of the Week for Week 21.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Statistics, Top scorers
The list is sorted by shirt number when total goals are equal.


2018 Las Vegas Lights FC season, Statistics, Clean sheets
The list is sorted by shirt number when total appearances are equal.


2018 Lashio bombing
The 2018 Lashio bombing was a bomb blast in the town of Lashio, in northern Shan State, Myanmar, that killed two employees of Yoma Bank and injured 22 others.


2018 Lashio bombing, Background
Bombings are not uncommon in Shan State, where there is an ongoing conflict between the government of Myanmar and various insurgent groups. However, bombings tend to be small-scale and civilian casualties are rare.


2018 Lashio bombing, Bombing
At around 4:30 pm (MMT) on 21 February 2018, a bomb exploded between two banks, Yoma Bank and Aya Bank, immediately killing two employees of the former. Twenty-two others were injured in the blast.


2018 Lashio bombing, Aftermath
On 23 February 2018, the government of Shan State announced it would compensate victims of the bombing, offering 500,000 kyats ($375 USD) to the families of the two deceased and 200,000 to 300,000 kyats to those injured.


2018 Latin American Series
The 2018 Latin American Series was the sixth edition of the Latin American Series, a baseball sporting event played by the champions of the professional winter leagues that make up the Latin American Professional Baseball Association (ALBP) and the first series containing representatives from outside the ALBP's founding nations.


2018 Latin American Series
The competition took place at the Dennis Martínez National Stadium in Managua, Nicaragua from January 26 to January 31, 2018.


2018 Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger
The 2018 Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard court. It was the seventh edition of the tournament which was part of the 2018 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Traralgon, Australia between 22–28 October 2018.


2018 Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other Entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger – Doubles
Alex Bolt and Bradley Mousley were the defending champions but only Mousley chose to defend his title, partnering Akira Santillan. Mousley lost in the first round to Adam and Jason Taylor.


2018 Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger – Doubles
Jeremy Beale and Marc Polmans won the title after defeating Max Purcell and Luke Saville 6–2, 6–4 in the final.


2018 Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger – Singles
Jason Kubler was the defending champion but lost in the second round to Brydan Klein.


2018 Latrobe City Traralgon ATP Challenger – Singles
Jordan Thompson won the title after defeating Yoshihito Nishioka 6–3, 6–4 in the final.


2018 Latvian First League
The 2018 Latvian First League (referred to as the komanda.lv Pirmā līga for sponsorship reasons) started on 21 April 2018 and ended on 21 October 2018.


2018 Latvian Football Cup
The 2018 Latvian Football Cup was the 24th edition of the football tournament. This edition of the competition began on 26 May 2018 and ended on 24 October 2018. Liepāja were the defending champions, having won the final 2–0 over Riga FC.


2018 Latvian Football Cup, Format
This season, the Latvian Football Cup was a single elimination tournament between 49 teams. Matches which were level at the end of regulation proceeded to extra time and afterwards to penalties, when needed, to determine the winning club.


2018 Latvian Football Cup, First round
Nine first round matches were played from 26 May to 2 June 2018. The draw for the first round was held 15 May 2018.


2018 Latvian Football Cup, Second round
Sixteen second round matches were played on 15–18 June 2018. The draw for the second round was held on 5 June 2018.


2018 Latvian Football Cup, Third round
Eight third round matches were played from 30 June to 2 July 2018.


2018 Latvian Football Cup, Fourth round
Eight fourth round matches were played on 6–7 July 2018. The draw for the fourth round was held on 2 July 2018.


2018 Latvian Football Cup, Quarter–finals
Four quarter–final matches were played on 4–6 August 2018. The draw for the quarter–finals was held on 11 July 2018.


2018 Latvian Football Cup, Semi–finals
The two semi–final matches were played on 19 September 2018. The draw for the semi–finals was held on 9 August 2018.


2018 Latvian Higher League
The 2018 Latvian Higher League was the 27th season of top-tier football in Latvia. Spartaks Jūrmala were the defending champions, having won their second title in the previous season.


2018 Latvian Higher League, Teams
At the end of the 2017 season, Babīte were excluded from the league due to match-fixing. This resulted in METTA/LU ending up as the bottom-placed team. They were sent to the relegation playoffs against FK Progress/AFA Olaine. METTA/LU won, keeping them in the Latvian Higher League.


2018 Latvian Higher League, Teams
Babīte were replaced by the champions of the 2017 Latvian First League, Valmieras FK.


2018 Latvian Higher League, Results
Each team played the other seven teams home-and-away twice, for a total of 28 games each.


2018 Latvian Higher League, Relegation play-offs
The seventh-placed team from the 2018 Higher League faced the runners-up of the 2018 Latvian First League in a two-legged play-off. The winner, METTA/LU, earned the right to participate in the 2019 Higher League.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 6 October 2018. Following the elections, a coalition government was formed by Who owns the state?, the New Conservative Party, Development/For!, the National Alliance and New Unity. Despite being from the smallest elected party, Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš of New Unity was chosen as Prime Minister.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Background
The 2014 elections saw Social Democratic Party "Harmony" emerge as the largest party. Although the largest party, Harmony has not participated in the government. A coalition was formed by Unity, the Union of Greens and Farmers and the National Alliance with Laimdota Straujuma as Prime Minister. On 7 December 2015 she resigned after increasing tensions within the ruling coalition. Following her resignation and several scandals around the Unity leader Solvita Āboltiņa, opinion polls showed a rapid decrease of support for Unity. On 13 January 2016 Māris Kučinskis of the Union of Greens and Farmers was nominated to be the next Prime Minister by President Raimonds Vējonis. His government was approved by the Saeima on 11 February.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Electoral system
The 100 members of the Saeima are elected by open list proportional representation from five multi-member constituencies (Kurzeme, Latgale, Riga (in which overseas votes are counted), Vidzeme and Zemgale) between 13 and 32 seats in size. Seats are allocated using the Sainte-Laguë method with a national electoral threshold of 5%.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Electoral alliances
The Movement For!, Latvian Development and Growth parties contested the election as the Development/For! alliance, formed on 20 April 2018.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Electoral alliances
The Social Democratic Workers' Party, the Christian Democratic Union and Proud to Serve Our Latvia contested the election as the SKG Alliance electoral list, the memorandum of which was signed by the leaders of the parties on 28 March 2018.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Electoral alliances
The long-standing alliance of the Latvian Farmers' Union and the Green Party (in cooperation with the regional For Latvia and Ventspils and Liepāja Party) continued.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Electoral alliances
Unity formed an association in April 2018 with several regional parties under the New Unity alliance. The involved parties are the Kuldīga County Party, For Valmiera and Vidzeme and For Tukums City and County parties, joined by the Jēkabpils Regional Party. The Latgale Party, after a period of consideration, joined the alliance in July, although its Daugavpils chapter allied itself with The Progressives. The Progressives and Movement For! declined invitations to join the list.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Disqualifications
The Central Election Commission of Latvia used its powers to remove eight candidates from submitted lists. It did so after receiving notification from the Interior Ministry that the individuals in question were disqualified from election to the Saeima under the country's election law. The eight candidates were Aivars Zablockis and Nikolajs Žeļezņakovs (Eurosceptic Action Party), Zigfrīds Laicāns and Valdis Taupmanis (For Alternative), Edgars Krūmiņš (Latvian Association of Regions), Katrīna Brandala (The Progressives), Aivars Silinieks (Latvian Centrist Party) and Tatjana Ždanoka (Latvian Russian Union). Ždanoka has been barred in the past as Latvian courts have found that she was a member of the Communist Party of Latvia after 31 January 1991, making her ineligible. The Election Commission additionally sought information from the Security Police and the Constitution Protection Bureau to confirm her ineligibility.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Aftermath
Political leaders met on 18 October with the president Raimonds Vējonis. Although they failed to agree on a name for a Prime Minister, they reiterated their intention to form a coalition government and to exclude Harmony from any coalition, even if it required forming a coalition of five or six parties.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Aftermath
On 7 November 2018, Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis asked Bordāns to form a new coalition government and serve as the next Prime Minister of Latvia. Bordāns intended to form a five-party majority coalition, and he announced that his coalition will not include ZZS, a political alliance led by a Latvian oligarch Aivars Lembergs. However, other political parties wished to cooperate also with ZZS. Consequently, Bordāns did not reach an agreement with the coalition partners, and informed the President that he is unable to form the cabinet.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Aftermath
On 14 November 2018, Development/For!, National Alliance and New Unity pulled out of coalition talks with the New Conservative Party and KPV LV, making a five-way centre-right coalition government infeasible.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Aftermath
After Jānis Bordāns was unsuccessful in negotiating a governing coalition, President Raimonds Vējonis nominated Gobzems as Prime Minister of Latvia on November 26, 2018 and gave him two weeks to form a government. A week later, he proposed a coalition that would consist of his Who Owns the State? party along with the New Conservative Party, the National Alliance, the Union of Greens and Farmers, and New Unity, despite the conservatives' objection to the Greens and Farmers' inclusion in government. Fellow Who Owns the State?


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Aftermath
party leader Artuss Kaimiņš also opposed the inclusion of the Greens and Farmers, leading to a breakdown in talks later in the week. Gobzems then retracted his proposal for the coalition and instead called for a non-partisan cabinet of unnamed "best of the best" industry professionals, a proposal that was nearly immediately rejected by the conservatives, the nationalists, and New Unity on the grounds that it could increase the influence of the Harmony party. Although he had initially called on the president to hold early elections if his proposal were to be rejected, Gobzems instead offered a new four-party coalition that would not include the Union of Greens and Farmers. The president revoked Gobzems' nomination on December 10, 2018.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Aftermath
In December it was announced that coalition talks would continue into January.


2018 Latvian parliamentary election, Aftermath
On 7 January 2019, Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš was tasked by Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis with forming the next government, following the failures of previous nominees Bordans and Gobzems in a contentious negotiation process. Kariņš took office as prime minister on 23 January 2019, leading a broad centre-right coalition of five conservative and liberal parties that includes KPV LV, New Conservative Party, Development/For!, National Alliance and New Unity.


2018 Launceston Tennis International
The 2018 Smart Fibre Launceston International is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts as part of the 2018 ATP Challenger Tour and the 2018 ITF Women's Circuit, offering a total of $75,000 in prize money for men and $25,000 for women. It was the fourth (for men) and seventh (for women) edition of the tournament.


2018 Launceston Tennis International, Men's Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Launceston Tennis International, Women's Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2018 Launceston Tennis International – Men's Doubles
Bradley Mousley and Luke Saville were the defending champions but chose to defend their title with different partners. Mousley partnered Alex Bolt and successfully defended his title. Saville partnered Matt Reid but lost in the quarterfinals to Max Purcell and Andrew Whittington.


2018 Launceston Tennis International – Men's Doubles
Bolt and Mousley won the title after defeating Sekou Bangoura and Nathan Pasha 7–6(8–6), 6–0 in the final.


2018 Launceston Tennis International – Men's Singles
Noah Rubin was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2018 Launceston Tennis International – Men's Singles
Marc Polmans won the title after defeating Bradley Mousley 6–2, 6–2 in the final.


2018 Laurence Olivier Awards
The 2018 Laurence Olivier Awards was held on 8 April 2018 at the Royal Albert Hall, London. The ceremony was hosted by comedian and actress Catherine Tate.


2018 Laurence Olivier Awards
Hamilton was nominated for a record 13 awards, ultimately claiming seven awards.


2018 Laurence Olivier Awards, Eligibility
Any new production that opened between 22 February 2017 and 21 February 2018 in a theatre represented in the membership of the Society of London Theatre is eligible for consideration, provided it has performed at least 30 performances.


2018 Laurence Olivier Awards, Winners and nominees
The nominations were announced on 6 March 2018 in 25 categories.


2018 Laurence Olivier Awards, Productions with multiple wins and nominations, Multiple wins
Hamilton matched the record set by Matilda the Musical in the 2012 ceremony by winning 7 Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical.


2018 Laurence Olivier Awards, Productions with multiple wins and nominations, Multiple nominations
Hamilton broke the record for most nominations by a single production with 13 nominations. This title was previously held by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the 2017 ceremony and Hairspray at the 2008 ceremony; both received 11 nominations.


2018 Laver Cup
The 2018 Laver Cup was the second edition of the Laver Cup, a men's tennis tournament between teams from Europe and the rest of the world. It was held on indoor hard courts at the United Center in Chicago, United States from 21 until 23 September.


2018 Laver Cup
Team Europe successfully defended their title, winning the tournament 13–8. The attendance was 93,584 over the three days.


2018 Laver Cup, Player selection
On 19 March 2018, Roger Federer for Team Europe and Nick Kyrgios for Team World were the first players to confirm their participation. On 28 June 2018, Novak Djokovic and Juan Martín del Potro committed to this event, as well as Kevin Anderson, John Isner and Diego Schwartzman on 26 July 2018. On 13 August 2018, Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin announced their participation for Team Europe. As their final picks, the team captains Björn Borg and John McEnroe chose Kyle Edmund and Jack Sock, respectively. As in 2017, del Potro withdrew shortly before the tournament started and was replaced by Frances Tiafoe.


2018 Laver Cup, Matches
Each match win on day 1 was worth one point, on day 2 two points, and on day 3 three points. The first team to 13 points won. Since four matches were played each day, there were a total of 24 points available. However, since 12 of the total points are earned on day 3, neither team could win prior to the final day of play.


2018 Lazio regional election
The Lazio regional election of 2018 took place in Lazio, Italy, on 4 March 2018, concurrently with the Italian general election and the Lombard regional election.


2018 Lazio regional election
The election was won by centre-left incumbent President Nicola Zingaretti, with just under a third of the vote, over the centre-right one Stefano Parisi, who gain 31%, and the Five Star Movement's candidate Roberta Lombardi with 27%.


2018 Lazio regional election, Electoral system
The Regional Council is elected with a mixed system: 39 MPs are chosen with a form of proportional representation using a largest remainder method with open lists and a 5% threshold, while 11 MPs are elected with a block voting system with closed lists. One seat is for the elected president.


2018 Lazio regional election, Aftermath, 2018 motion of no confidence
On 1 December 2018, a motion of no confidence in the government of Nicola Zingaretti tabled by Centre-right coalition was defeated 22 to 26, with one no-vote of Forza Italia and a few absent.


2018 Le Castellet Formula 2 round
The 2018 Paul Ricard FIA Formula 2 round was a pair of motor races for Formula 2 cars that took place on 23 and 24 June 2018 at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France as part of the FIA Formula 2 Championship. It was the fifth round of the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship and ran in support of the 2018 French Grand Prix.


2018 Le Castellet GP3 Series round
The 2018 Le Castellet GP3 Series round was a motor racing event held on 23 and 24 June 2018 at the Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France. It was the opening round of the 2018 GP3 Series, and ran in support of the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix.


2018 Le Samyn
The 2018 Le Samyn was the 49th edition of Le Samyn road cycling one day race. It was part of UCI Europe Tour in category 1.1.


2018 Le Samyn, Teams
Twenty-one teams were invited to take part in the race. These included three UCI World Tour teams, eleven UCI Professional Continental teams and seven UCI Continental teams.


2018 League of Ireland Cup
The 2018 League of Ireland Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2018 EA Sports Cup, was the 45th season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup features teams from the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams. Derry City won the cup for a record 11th time.


2018 League of Ireland Cup, Teams
Clubs denoted with * received a bye into Second Round


2018 League of Ireland Cup, First Round
All teams were divided into four pools based on geographical location. Two random teams per pool received a bye into the second round. The draw for the First Round took place on 9 February 2018. Ties were scheduled to begin on 5 March 2018 but were subsequently postponed due to the aftermath of extreme weather from a cold wave known as the Beast from the East combined with Storm Emma. Rescheduled ties were set for various dates across March and April 2018.


2018 League of Ireland Cup, Second Round
The draw for the Second Round took place on 22 March 2018 and was made on a regional pool basis. Ties were scheduled for Easter Monday 2 April 2018. Four second round fixtures were postponed due to heavy rainfall causing unplayable pitches. Rearranged fixtures were set for 9 April, 23 April and 24 April.


2018 League of Ireland Cup, Quarter Finals
The draw for the quarter finals took place on 10 April 2018 and was an open draw, unlike previous rounds which were drawn on a geographic pooled basis. Ties are due to be played on 7/8 May 2018.


2018 League of Ireland Cup, Semi Finals
The draw for the semi finals of the 2018 EA Sports Cup was made on 13 May 2018. Both ties were played on 6 August 2018.


2018 League of Ireland Cup, Final
The final of the League of Ireland Cup took place on 16 September 2018. Home advantage was decided by a coin toss, which Derry City won.


2018 League of Ireland Cup Final
The 2018 League of Ireland Cup Final was the final match of the 2018 League of Ireland Cup, played between Derry City and Cobh Ramblers. The match was played on 16 September 2018. The match was won by Derry City, who claimed their record 11th League Cup trophy. The final was shown live on Eir Sportand was Cobh Ramblers first ever national cup final appearance.


2018 League of Ireland First Division
The 2018 League of Ireland First Division season is the 34th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The league began on 23 February 2018 and will conclude in October 2018. Contrary to the previous editions, this tournament will have 10 teams, which is the largest number since 2011 season, and will return the promotion/relegation playoffs.


2018 League of Ireland First Division, Overview
The First Division has 10 teams. Each team plays each other three times for a total of 27 matches in the season.


2018 League of Ireland First Division, Overview
On 22 December 2016, the FAI announced that the league would be restructured into two 10-team divisions from the 2018 season onwards, one of the recommendations made in the 2015 Conroy Report.


2018 League of Ireland First Division, Teams, Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 League of Ireland First Division, Results, Matches 1–18
Teams played each other twice (once at home, once away).


2018 League of Ireland First Division, Promotion/relegation playoffs
The second, third and fourth placed First Division teams played off to decide who would play Limerick, the ninth placed team from the Premier Division. The winner of this play off would play in the 2019 Premier Division.


2018 League of Ireland First Division, Promotion/relegation playoffs
Finn Harps won 3–0 on aggregate and were promoted to 2019 Premier Division. Limerick were relegated to the 2019 First Division.


2018 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 34th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began on 16 February 2018 and concluded in 26 October 2018.


2018 League of Ireland Premier Division
On 5 October, Dundalk won the title after a 1-1 draw with St Patrick's Athletic.


2018 League of Ireland Premier Division, Overview
The Premier Division consists of 10 teams. Each team plays each other four times for a total of 36 matches in the season.


2018 League of Ireland Premier Division, Overview
Waterford, the 2017 First Division champion, were promoted to the league for the first time since 2007.


2018 League of Ireland Premier Division, Overview
On 22 December 2016, the Football Association of Ireland announced that the league would be restructured into two 10-team divisions from the 2018 season onwards, one of the recommendations made in the 2015 Conroy Report.


2018 League of Ireland Premier Division, Teams, Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 League of Ireland Premier Division, Results, Matches 1–18
Teams played each other twice (once at home, once away).


2018 League of Ireland Premier Division, Results, Matches 19–36
Teams will play each other twice (once home, once away).


2018 League of Ireland Premier Division, Results, Promotion/relegation playoff
Limerick, the ninth-placed team from the Premier Division took part in a two-legged play-off against Finn Harps, the winners of the 2018 First Division play-off, to decide who will play in the 2019 Premier Division.


2018 League of Ireland Premier Division, Results, Promotion/relegation playoff
Finn Harps won 3–0 on aggregate and were promoted to 2019 Premier Division. Limerick were relegated to the 2019 First Division.


2018 League of Legends World Championship
The 2018 League of Legends World Championship was an esports tournament for the multiplayer online battle arena video game League of Legends. It was the eighth iteration of the League of Legends World Championship, an annual international tournament organized by the game's developer, Riot Games. It was held from October 1 to November 3, 2018, in cities across South Korea. Twenty four teams qualified for the tournament based on their placement in regional circuits such as those in China, South Korea, Europe, and North America, with twelve of those teams having to reach the group stage via a play-in round.


2018 League of Legends World Championship
The tournament became known for its very surprising results, numerous upsets, and has often been considered the most unpredictable worlds in League of Legends' history. The tournament also became the most watched esports event in history, reaching a peak of over 200 million concurrent viewers during the finals. It surpassed the viewership of the 2017 League of Legends World Championship, as well as the peak viewership of numerous worldwide sporting events including the Super Bowl.


2018 League of Legends World Championship
The tournament's opening ceremony received significant attention, with over 90 million concurrent viewers tuning in for the performance. An augmented reality K-pop group, K/DA was unveiled by Riot Games during the ceremony, with Soyeon and Miyeon from (G)I-dle, Madison Beer and Jaira Burns representing the group as its human counterpart and in the live performance of the finals. K/DA topped global music charts after the initial release of their debut song "Pop/Stars", receiving considerable attention online and raking in one of the fastest viewership records for its music video on YouTube.


2018 League of Legends World Championship
A dance practice video of "Pop/Stars", as popular in the K-pop scene, was also released. "RISE" is the tournament's theme song, put together by The Glitch Mob, Mako and The Word Alive. A remix version of "RISE" featuring Bobby from IKON was also released shortly after, with the song being performed on the tournament's finals by all the involved music groups and artists.


2018 League of Legends World Championship
The victory of China's Invictus Gaming over Europe's Fnatic in the tournament's finals marked the first time in League of Legends history that the LPL (China) as a region won the world championship, as well as the first time a non-LCK (Korean) team has won after five consecutive years of prior Korean winners. The final series is also the fastest world championship finals in history at 85 minutes total game time. Gao “Ning” Zhenning was awarded the MVP of the finals due to his outstanding performance and contributions during the series, marking the first time a jungle position player has won a world championship MVP.


2018 League of Legends World Championship, Qualified teams
Although the South Korea (LCK) representative, Kingzone DragonX, lost to China's (LPL) representative Royal Never Give Up (LPL) in 2018 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) Finals, all three teams from South Korea (LCK) started in the Main Group Stage, having won the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational and the previous two World Championships.


2018 League of Legends World Championship, Qualified teams
With the results of 2018 MSI and following their separation from the rest of the Southeast Asian (SEA) region, Vietnam (VCS) had a direct seed into the Main Group Stage for the summer split victor in their region, but unlike the previous year, Vietnam had no additional slots in the Play-In Stage for their summer runner-up team, because of the 24 team limit. The North American (NA LCS) summer split champion team was seeded to Pool 2 due to their performance at the 2018 Mid-Season Invitational.


2018 League of Legends World Championship, Venues
Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Incheon were the four cities chosen to host the competition.


2018 League1 Ontario season
The 2018 Men's League1 Ontario season was the fifth season of play for League1 Ontario, a Division 3 men's soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid and the highest level of soccer based in the Canadian province of Ontario.


2018 League1 Ontario season
Vaughan Azzurri won the league championship and earned entry into the 2019 Canadian Championship; the top national tournament for men's soccer teams. Vaughan captured the league double for a second time by also winning the L1 Cup, a feat they first achieved in 2016. FC London finished the season with the best regular season record, earning 38 points in 16 games.


2018 League1 Ontario season, Changes from 2017
The men's division grew slightly to 17 teams for this season, with the addition of Darby FC, Unionville Milliken SC, and Alliance United FC (a joint partnership between Markham SC and Wexford SC). Durham United FA and North Toronto Nitros did not return for this season.


2018 League1 Ontario season, Changes from 2017
During the off-season, Jim Brennan stepped down as head of Aurora FC to accept a position with York 9 FC in the Canadian Premier League. FC London also announced the affiliation of its youth academy with professional side Toronto FC.


2018 League1 Ontario season, Changes from 2017
This season saw expanded playoffs and a return to single-table competition for the men's division. The top eight teams overall from the men's division entered the playoffs, which consisted of a group stage and a final championship match between the winner of each group. The women's side saw a shorter season which ended in August, followed by a four-team elimination playoff for the league title.


2018 League1 Ontario season, Regular season
Each team played 16 matches as part of the season; one match against all other teams. The top eight teams competed in the league playoffs at the end of the season, the winner of which earned entry into the 2019 Canadian Championship.


2018 League1 Ontario season, Playoffs
The top eight teams from the regular season were divided into two groups of four for the playoffs. Each team played three matches; one match against all other teams in their group. The top team from each group advanced to the league championship, the winner of which earned entry into the 2019 Canadian Championship.


2018 League1 Ontario season, Playoffs, League Championship
The league champion was determined by a single match between the two group winners in the first round of the playoffs. The winner qualified for the 2019 Canadian Championship.


2018 League1 Ontario season, Cup
The cup tournament is a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all 17 teams from the men's division took part. It is not a form of playoffs at the end of the season (as is typically seen in North American sports), but is more like the EFL Cup, albeit only for League1 Ontario teams. All matches are separate from the regular season, and are not reflected in the season standings.


2018 League1 Ontario season, Cup
The cup tournament for the men's division is a single-match knockout tournament with a total of four rounds culminating in a final match in the start of August, with initial matches determined by random draw. Each match in the tournament must return a result; any match drawn after 90 minutes advanced directly to kicks from the penalty mark instead of extra time.


2018 League1 Ontario season, Statistics, Top goalkeepers
Updated to matches played on August 18, 2018. Minimum 270 minutes played. Source:


2018 League1 Ontario season, All-Star Game
The league announced that an All-Star Game between League1 Ontario and the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ) would once again take place this season. The game was hosted by the PLSQ and was played on June 30.


2018 Lebanese Elite Cup
The 2018 Lebanese Elite Cup is the 21st edition of this football tournament in Lebanon. The competition started on 28 July through to the final. This tournament includes the six best teams from the 2017–18 Lebanese Premier League season.


2018 Lebanese general election
General elections were held in Lebanon on 6 May 2018. Although originally scheduled for 2013, the election was postponed three times in 2013, 2014 and 2017 under various pretexts, including the security situation, the failure of the Parliament to elect a new President, and the technical requirements of holding an election. A new electoral law adopted in 2017 provides a proportional representation system for the first time.


2018 Lebanese general election, Background
Following the last parliamentary election of 2009, it took several months to form a new government. Saad Hariri eventually became prime minister in a March 14 Alliance government formed in November 2009. About a year later, Walid Jumblatt's PSP broke away from the 14 March alliance and withdrew its ministers. Jumblatt then traveled to Syria for the first time in decades and met President Bashar al-Assad. After the government fell over the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a new government was formed by Najib Mikati that consisted of March 8 Alliance parties, as well as the PSP.


2018 Lebanese general election, Background
Over the course of the Syrian civil war, fissures started to grow in Lebanon as 14 March parties supported the opposition in Syria while 8 March parties were ostensibly supportive of the Syrian government, particularly in the early stages. The 8 March parties therefore faced accusation from the opposition and its affiliated media of kowtowing to the Syrian government. As the conflict started to spill over into Lebanon, both via refugees and Lebanon's own diverse demographics that are broadly reflective of Syria's own diversity, tensions started to grow. A spate of sectarian kidnappings and threats followed, some of which turned fatal.


2018 Lebanese general election, Background
On 22 March 2013, Mikati resigned citing a negative climate over the appointment of a committee to oversee the election and the extension of Internal Security Forces (ISF) head Ashraf Rifi, who was expected to retire in April. On 5 April, a new 14 March-backed consensus candidate for prime minister was announced, Tammam Salam.


2018 Lebanese general election, Postponement
A new president should have been elected by Parliament before the legislative elections took place. However, there was a deadlock which resulted in fourteen fruitless attempts to choose a head of state. Therefore, Parliament decided on 5 November 2014 to extend its term by 2 years and 7 months. The deadlock was perceived to arise from failure to reach quorum due to the voluntary absence of members from the ex- 8 March alliance.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electoral system
In June 2017 a new electoral law was passed. The previous system (under which the 128 members of parliament were elected from 26 multi-member constituencies under multiple non-transferable vote, and the candidates with the highest number of votes within each religious community were elected) with a new electoral law instituting proportional representation in 15 multi-member constituencies while still maintaining the confessional distribution. However, the 7 out of the 15 of the electoral districts are divided into 2 or more 'minor districts' (largely corresponding to the smaller electoral districts from the old electoral law). Where applicable, preference vote is counted on the 'minor district' level.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electoral system
Individuals could submit their candidacy for parliament until midnight of 6 March 2018. 976 candidates were registered, including 111 women. Candidates were obliged to join lists, which had to be finalized by 26 March 2018.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
The Shia electorate constituted the majority of registered voters in Bekaa III, South II and South III, together accounting for 79% of the total Shia electorate.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
The Sunni electorate constituted the majority of registered voters in three electoral districts (Beirut I, North I and North II); these three districts represent around two-thirds of the total Sunni electorate.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
63% of all Druze voters were registered in the Mount Lebanon IV electoral district, which elected four out of the eight Druze parliamentarians. 97% of the Druze voters were registered in districts from which Druze parliamentarians were elected.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
96% of Alawite voters were registered in either the North I or North II electoral districts, which elected one Alawite parliamentarian each.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
Maronite Christians constituted the majority of voters in Mount Lebanon I and North III; these two districts represented 42% of the Maronite electorate.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
North III also hosted the largest concentration of Greek Orthodox Christian voters (20.7%), representing around a fifth of all Greek Orthodox voters throughout the country. According to 2017 data, the Greek Orthodox constituted 58% of the voters in the Koura minor district of North III.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
Bekaa I hosted the largest concentration of Greek Catholic voters, about a fifth of the nationwide Greek Catholic vote.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
Beirut I hosted the largest concentrations of Armenians, both Armenian Orthodox and Armenian Catholic voters, who elected 4 out of the 6 Armenian parliamentarians.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
The Minorities (Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholic, Latin Catholic, Chaldeans, Assyrian Church and Copts) seat was now in Beirut I, which had the largest gathering of Minorities voters.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
Jewish voters were mainly found in Beirut II, where they constituted 1.31% of the electorate. However, in the 2009 election only five Jews cast their votes in the Beirut III electoral district.


2018 Lebanese general election, Electorate
Below is a summary of the demographics of the Lebanese electorate with data from 2017, divided by the qada administrative districts (or in the case of Beirut, the old 2008 vote law electoral districts).


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Amal
Amal leader and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri held a press conference at his Ain al-Tineh residence on 19 February 2018, to present the electoral platform and the 16 candidates of the Amal Movement. Berri highlighted the ongoing oil exploration project, calling for setting up a national oil company and a sovereign oil fund. He reaffirmed the Amal Movement commitment to 'People, Army, Resistance' policy, urging steadfastness towards Israel.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Amal
The Amal-Hezbollah bloc fielded joint 'Hope and Loyalty' lists in the Bekaa III, South II and South III electoral districts. However, compared to the previous election, the Amal-Hezbollah bloc lacked an alliance with Michel Aoun and his Free Patriotic Movement. But whilst FPM and Amal had parted ways nationally, they still managed to form alliances in Mount Lebanon III and Beirut II. In Mount Lebanon III (Baabda) the joint list carried the label 'National Reconciliation'. In Beirut II a joint list of Amal, Hezbollah, FPM and Al-Ahbash was formed, under the label 'Unity of Beirut'.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Amal
And whilst Berri and the Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil had a public fall-out in early 2018, which sparked street riots, Berri's post as Speaker of the Parliament appeared to be fairly secured during the electoral campaign. Both the Hariri and Jumblatt camps affirmed their support to Berri's speakership in the run-up to the polls. According to political analysts, the Amal-Hezbollah victory seemed probably in Berri's home constituency, South II, as opposition forces had failed to produce a strong list to challenge him in his home turf.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Free Patriotic Movement
The electoral slogan of the party was 'A Strong [FPM] for a Strong Lebanon'. The party formed a number of local coalitions with a wide array alliance partners around the country. In North III FPM fielded the "Strong North" list, headed by Gebran Bassil, in alliance with the Independence Movement and the Future Movement. In Mount Lebanon I (Byblos-Kesrwan) FPM fielded the "Strong Lebanon" list led by Chamel Roukoz. In Mount Lebanon II (Metn) FPM fielded the "Strong Metn" list together with the SSNP and Tashnaq.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Free Patriotic Movement
After the split between the Future Movement and the Lebanese Forces, a joint list for Beirut I of the Free Patriotic Movement, Tashnaq and the Hunchaks was conceived. supported by the Future Movement. In Bekaa I FPM, Future, Tashnaq and independents fielded a joint list. In North I (Akkar) and South II (Saida-Jezzine) FPM formed electoral alliances with al-Jamaat al-Islamiyya. In North II FPM fielded a list in alliance with Kamal Kheir.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Free Patriotic Movement
Moreover, whilst FPM and the Amal-Hezbollah coalition parted ways nationally, joint lists were presented in Beirut II and in Mount Lebanon III (Baabda).


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Free Patriotic Movement
In Bekaa III (Baalbek-Hermel) FPM had hoped to form a list together with former speaker Hussein el-Husseini, but the project fell apart as el-Husseini withdrew from the electoral process. In the end, the Free Patriotic Movement candidates joined the list led by the former regional secretary of the Baath Party, Faiz Shukr.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Free Patriotic Movement
In South III the Future Movement, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Democratic Party supported a joint list called "The South is Worth It", with two FPM-supported independents.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Future Movement
At a ceremony in the Seaside Pavilion on 11 March 2018 the candidates and electoral platform of the Future Movement were presented. The party fielded 37 candidates, out of whom 21 were newcomers. The political newcomers included lawyer Roula Tabash Jaroudi in Beirut II and civil society activist Chadi Nacchabe in Tripoli.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Future Movement
The electoral slogan of the party was 'Blue Talisman' (kharzé zar’a). Commenting on the slogan party leader Saad Hariri stated that "[the] Future Movement is a Talisman (blue bead) that you put in the ballot box, to protect the country. For that reason, our slogan is the protection of Lebanon and the symbol is the Talisman. You will draw the Talisman with your activity, with your energy, with your daily small and large contributions to the electoral machine, in your dialogue with people, in working for each candidate on the Future lists."


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Future Movement
The Future Movement and the Lebanese Forces negotiated for weeks on forming an electoral alliance, but the effort failed as relations between Future leader Saad Hariri and LF leader Samir Geagea deteriorated on issues relating to Hariri's visit to Saudi Arabia.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Hezbollah
On 19 February 2018, Hezbollah general secretary Hassan Nasrallah presented the names of the 13 Hezbollah candidates. Amongst the candidates there were five new faces.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Hezbollah
On 22 March 2018, Nasrallah issued a statement outlining the main priorities for the parliamentary bloc of the party, Loyalty to the Resistance, in the next parliament. He stated that rooting out corruption would be the foremost priority of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc. He described the relation with FPM as 'normal', whilst reaffirming the claim that opponents to the Amal-Hezbollah bloc in Bekaa III had supported 'terrorist groups'.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Hezbollah
The electoral slogan of the party was 'We will construct and we will protect'.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Hezbollah
Overall, Hezbollah performed the best in the case of popular vote in the election, and had substantial electoral vote gains as well.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Kataeb Party
Kataeb ran the elections based on an attempt to re-brand the party as a reformist political force, and distance it from its right-wing conservative legacyThe electoral slogan of the party was 'A Pulse for Change'. Its electoral platform was a comprehensive list of policies that included 131 points, including a range of long-demanded reforms. The party held the elections based on a discourse inspired by protest movements, and attempted to re-brand itself away. However, it failed to make any gains in the elections, losing two of its parliamentary seats and gaining only three seats, two of whom for party leader and Amine Gemayel's son Samy Gemayel, and Nadim Gemayel, son of late president-elect and Lebanese Forces leader Bashir Gemayyel.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Lebanese Forces
The Lebanese Forces announced the names of 19 party candidates and 20 allies on LF-supported lists at an event in Beirut on 14 March 2018 (the anniversary of the founding of the March 14 Movement). At the event LF leader Samir Geagea affirmed commitment to the cause of the 14 March Movement.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Lebanese Forces
The electoral slogan of the party for the election campaign was It has become necessary (sar badda).


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Progressive Socialist Party
At the ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of killing of Progressive Socialist Party founder Kamal Jumblatt in Moukhtara on 19 February 2017, Walid Jumblatt symbolically gave his keffiyeh to his son Taymour, symbolically marking the generational shift in the party leadership.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Progressive Socialist Party
The Democratic Gathering bloc, the parliamentary platform of the Progressive Socialist Party, fielded 10 candidates across the country. The number of candidates of the party was lower than in previous elections, in 2009 the bloc won 11 seats. For the first time since 1992 PSP chief Walid Jumblatt did not stand as a candidate, with Taymour taking over as the party leader. The party fielded candidates for 3 out of 4 Druze seats in Mount Lebanon IV, keeping with the tradition of leaving a seat uncontested to help LDP chief Talal Arslan get elected.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Progressive Socialist Party
PSP joined joint lists with the Future Movement in Beirut II, Bekaa II and Mount Lebanon IV and with Lebanese Forces in Mount Lebanon III and Mount Lebanon IV.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Arab Democratic Party
In a statement issued on 29 April 2018 the Political Representative of the Arab Democratic Party Rifaat Eid called on his followers to vote for the Alawite candidates Hussein Saloum (on the list of Wajih Barini) in North I and Ahmed Omran in North II (on the list of Faisal Karami).


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
Prior to the election the Arab Socialist Baath Party had suffered a split, with Regional Secretary Assem Qanso and Numan Shalq heading in different directions. Both factions had nominated candidates for the elections, but none was accepted into a list and were thus eliminated from the polls. Reportedly, the Syrian ambassador had lobbied against any list accepting Qanso's candidates, as his group is not recognized from Damascus. A Baathist politician, Kassem Hachem, was included in a list in South III as Amal candidate, but not on behalf of the party. Former Regional Secretary Fayez Shukr headed a list in Bekaa III.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Lebanese Democratic Party
Talal Arslan's LDP gained only one seat in the new parliament, held by Erslan himself, as all other Druze seats were won by candidates from or supported by the Progressive Socialist Party. In Beirut II, LDP had hoped to get Nasib Jawari included as the Druze candidate on the Amal-Hezbollah, but Jawari was not included and LDP withdrew his candidature. Likewise LDP withdrew its candidate from the race in the Bekaa II electoral district.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Independence Movement
The Moawad family's Independence Movement joined the FPM list in Zgharta.


2018 Lebanese general election, Parties, Kulluna Watani Alliance
The civil society alliance behind the "Kulluna Watani" (We are all National) ('Kulluna Watani') lists held a launching event on 9 April 2018 at Forum of Beirut. The alliance gathered with a new Political Party ("") and 10 different campaign and groups, most of which are connected to campaigns started in the protest movements of 2015 or the municipal elections of 2016.