2018 Massachusetts elections, Auditor
Incumbent Democratic Auditor Suzanne M. Bump ran for re-election to a third term in office.


2018 Massachusetts elections, Auditor
Helen Brady, business manager of the Boston Pops and candidate for State Representative in 2016, was unopposed for the Republican nomination.


2018 Massachusetts elections, United States Senate
Incumbent Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren ran for re-election to a second term. Her opponents were Republican State Representative Geoff Diehl and independent Shiva Ayyadurai.


2018 Massachusetts elections, United States House of Representatives
All of Massachusetts' nine seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2018.


2018 Massachusetts elections, United States House of Representatives
All nine seats were won by Democratic Party candidates. Seven seats were won by candidates seeking re-election. The 3rd District seat was won by Lori Trahan, after incumbent Niki Tsongas did not seek re-election. The 7th District seat was won by Ayanna Pressley, who defeated incumbent Mike Capuano in the primary election, and then ran unopposed in the general election.


2018 Massachusetts elections, Massachusetts Senate
All 40 seats in the Massachusetts Senate were up for election in 2018.


2018 Massachusetts elections, Massachusetts Senate
In the general election, the Democratic Party captured 33 seats, while the Republican Party captured six seats. The Republicans had previously held seven seats. The seat gained by the Democrats was in the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex district, where challenger Becca Rausch defeated incumbent Richard J. Ross by a two percent margin.


2018 Massachusetts elections, Massachusetts House of Representatives
All 160 seats in the Massachusetts House of Representatives were up for election in 2018.


2018 Massachusetts elections, Massachusetts House of Representatives
In the general election, the Democratic Party captured 127 seats, the Republican Party captured 32 seats, and one seat (2nd Franklin) was won by an independent incumbent. The Republicans had previously held 34 seats; Democrats took seats in the 18th Essex and the 17th Worcester districts.


2018 Massachusetts elections, County
Counties in Massachusetts elected county commissioners, district attorneys, registers of probate, and sheriffs.


2018 Massachusetts elections, Ballot measures
There were three statewide ballot questions: Question 1, which would have placed limits on nurse-to-patient ratios, was rejected; Question 2, an initiative to create a panel of citizens to propose amendments to the United States Constitution about campaign finance, was approved; and Question 3, a referendum on a prior law regarding discrimination based on gender identity in public places, was approved, meaning the law will remain in effect.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
The 2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Republican Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito sought reelection to a second term in office, facing Democratic challengers Jay Gonzalez and Quentin Palfrey, respectively. Candidates were selected in the primary election held on September 4, 2018.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
Shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. local time, the Associated Press declared the race in favor of incumbents Baker and Polito. Shortly after 9 p.m. location time, Gonzalez conceded the election.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
Baker was reelected with the highest vote total in the history of Massachusetts gubernatorial elections and by the widest margin since Bill Weld was reelected governor in 1994. He won many of the Commonwealth's most populated cities, including Worcester, New Bedford, and Springfield. Baker almost won Boston, losing it by around 3,000 votes, an extraordinary showing for a statewide Republican candidate in a major city.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Background
Charlie Baker was elected in 2014 by a slim margin over then-Attorney General Martha Coakley; however, he has consistently rated as one of the most popular governors in the country. Some Democrats, including Congressman Mike Capuano and Speaker of the House Bob DeLeo publicly speculated they may vote for Baker over the eventual Democratic nominee. Speculated candidates such as Attorney General Maura Healey, Congressman Joe Kennedy, former State Senator Dan Wolf, and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh all declined to be candidates, leaving no prominent Democrats to challenge Baker, which was seen as a necessary prerequisite to mount a formidable challenge to him.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Background
Because Evan Falchuk received more than 3% of the vote in the 2014 gubernatorial election, the United Independent Party gained official status. Falchuck had stated that he would "certainly" run for office in 2018. In 2016 however, the UIP lost its official party status after it failed to register 1% of Massachusetts voters as members. Evan Falchuk later left the UIP and registered as a Democrat in early 2017.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Republican primary
There was some concern amongst the Republican Party that Baker was too moderate, and talks of challenging him with a more conservative opponent in the primaries. GOP state committeeman Robert Cappucci told the Boston Herald that if Baker "shuns conservatives [...] there will be 100 percent an effort to try to find a conservative, viable candidate to challenge him in 2018 for governor". David Kopacz, the president of the Massachusetts Republican Assembly, also stated that Baker may face a conservative challenger in 2018.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Republican primary
Following his 2016 election, Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty, who once was tried and convicted for threatening the life of President George H. W. Bush, has been making local and state headlines. He's proposed a "shark mitigation strategy" to combat the growing presence of sharks near Cape Cod beaches by baiting and shooting them, which was rejected for consideration by the commission chairman. He has also mulled a primary run against his state representative, Randy Hunt, after Hunt parked in his Barnstable County Courthouse parking spot.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Republican primary
In September 2017 he announced he was in the process of changing the purpose of his campaign committee from a county to a statewide office. He cites the Governor's criticisms of President Donald Trump and his willingness to work with Democrats as his inspiration to run. On December 8, 2017, Scott Lively announced his campaign.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Republican primary
On December 13, 2017, Beaty stated he is no longer considering a run against Baker. Scott Lively, an evangelical pastor, challenged Baker and received more than the 15% of delegate votes necessary at the state convention to qualify for ballot access. Baker won the endorsement of the party by an overwhelming margin.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Republican primary
Baker ultimately won the nomination, but not without Lively securing over a quarter of the primary vote, leading to speculation that Baker's more moderate disposition and opposition to President Trump may have damaged his general election chances with Republican base voters.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
In November 2014, after interviewing over a dozen Democratic operatives, strategists, and activists, Joshua Miller of The Boston Globe wrote that the party would be looking for a young, fresh candidate who can appeal to the party's progressive base. He identified Attorney General Maura Healey as being "the first name on many Democratic lists". Samantha Lachman of The Huffington Post also identified Healey as a potential candidate for governor in 2018 or in a future United States Senate race.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
As of July 2017, the declared candidates are relatively unknown to the state's voters. Their identification by Democratic voters was bolstered by addressing the 2017 state Democratic Convention, which saw its largest attendance of around 3,000 delegates in years.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
On April 26, 2018, Setti Warren announced via Facebook that he was withdrawing from the race due to financial concerns. He stated he would not endorse either of his former opponents until the nomination is won.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
At the Massachusetts Democratic Convention in June, party delegates endorsed Gonzalez and Palfrey, but Bob Massie and Jimmy Tingle also surpassed the 15% threshold for ballot access by comfortable margins. A poll from late June conducted by WBUR and MassInc. indicated that the contest for the Democratic nomination in the gubernatorial race is a toss-up, with Massie and Gonzalez being separated by a percentage smaller than the margin of error.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
Gonzalez and Palfrey went on to win their respective nominations generously (winning almost every municipality in the state) and are headed into the general election to face their Republican counterparts.


2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, General election, Endorsements
All individuals belong to the nominee's party unless otherwise specified.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal
The 2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal was disclosed in early October when the board of the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas (CMSA) voted unanimously to suspend indefinitely the Master Sommelier credential awarded to all but one of an unprecedented 24 candidates who had passed its stringent annual membership exam a month previously at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal
The decision was taken after the CMSA's board learned that one of its own members, Reggie Narito, had passed advance information about two of the six wines candidates had to identify during the blind tasting section, considered the most challenging of the three portions of the exam. Two of the successful candidates, to whom the information was known to have been passed (a third had failed), unsolicited, were barred from retaking the exam for three years. All the others were allowed to make up the exam in December at no charge; six passed. Narito was expelled from the organization and lost his Master Sommelier title.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal
Aspiring Master Sommeliers often spend years, and considerable sums of money, acquiring the knowledge and experience necessary to pass the exam, the highest credential of the four the CMSA offers, which is only given to those invited to or recommended for it by those already members of the organization. The exam has an 8 percent pass rate; more people have been in space than become Master Sommeliers, entitled to append "MS" to their names in any wine-related context. Those who succeed have often been rewarded with a doubling of their income and lucrative jobs in the wine industry.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal
For those reasons, the candidates whose titles were suspended protested the CMSA's decision as not only costing them economically, but casting aspersions on their professional integrity, since they were never offered a chance to prove their innocence. The CMSA defended the decision as the only way to preserve the title's integrity since it could not be determined how many candidates had seen the tip as opposed to merely being sent it.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal
It sustained its decision on internal appeal, but in the process left itself open to public criticism of its internal investigation of the incident as cursory, secretive, and perhaps tainted by conflicts of interest. Rumors that the board's real motivation had been preventing public disclosure of earlier exams tainted by cheating were given credence in 2021 when a Vice article reported that a former candidate said the board had been aware of cheating on the exam almost 10 years earlier yet took no action save tightening testing procedures for the next exam. The affair has also given rise to more general criticism of the opacity of the exam administration process and CMSA's governance in general.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal
Some of those suspended have continued to pursue the title, a few succeeded; the exam has not been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Others, alienated by the CMSA's handling of the matter and a later sexual harassment scandal, have lost interest in ever becoming Master Sommeliers; some have decided to pursue the competing Master of Wine certification. One of the latter, Dan Pilkey, continued to use the "MS" post-nominal in social media posts about wine, and wear the lapel pin, even after the board suspended it. The CMSA sued him for infringement of its collective membership mark; the case was dismissed on procedural grounds and not refiled.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Background
The first Master Sommelier exam was held in the United Kingdom in 1969; the Court of Master Sommeliers was established as a governing body for the exam in that country eight years later. In 1986, the first American exam was held, and the American branch of the Court formally organized in its wake. The Court's goal is to "encourage improved standards of beverage knowledge and service in hotels and restaurants." Many of those who have earned the title work outside the hospitality sector, for wineries or distributors. or as consultants.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Background
Master Sommelier is the highest of four levels of certification the Court confers. Before attempting the annual exam candidates are required to have already passed the Introductory, Certified and Advanced Sommelier courses and exams, and worked in the hospitality industry in a wine-related capacity for at least 10 years. Candidates can only take the exam if invited or recommended by a member of the Court, and must still pay the exam fee of US$995 for each of three portions.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Background
A 75 percent score is required on each portion to pass (in contrast to the 60 percent passing criterion for the lower-level exams). Once they have passed Theory, candidates must pass the other two sections in the next three years to become Master Sommeliers; if they do not they must start the whole process again. In the history of the exam only nine people have passed all three portions on their first attempt; the Court has awarded them a trophy known as the Krug Cup.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Background
Overall it is estimated that of out every 70 candidates only one eventually passes, as happened in one 2013 sitting of the exam. As of 2021, 269 people have passed the exam and become Master Sommeliers, fewer people than have been in space. The exam's overall pass rate is 8 percent, leading to it being called one of the world's most difficult tests to pass.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Background
To prepare for the exam, as shown in the 2012 documentary film Somm and its sequels, aspiring Master Sommeliers cultivate relationships with those already Masters as a form of mentoring. They spend large quantities of their own money purchasing expensive wines to practice for the tasting portion. Often they go into debt in the process, knowing that passing the exam and earning the MS will approximately double their income, to around $160,000, and allow them to pay those debts off. They also forgo a social life to study 20–30 hours a week, and often retain sports psychologists. "It requires a level of dedication that's almost a sickness", one Master said in 2021; it has also been compared to the process of becoming a Shaolin warrior monk.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, 2018 exam
In early September 2018, 141 candidates, including some from outside the U.S., attempted the exam at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis over three days. On the morning of the Tasting portion, one of them, Elton Nichols, recalled later receiving an email from Reggie Narito, at the time vice president for fine wines at California-based Young's Market Company and not only a Master Sommelier, but a member of the Court's board and one of the exam proctors that day. The subject line was "Heads up" with "PG, CndP" in the body.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, 2018 exam
Nichols, who was acquainted slightly with Narito, having gone to Narito's house in the Bay Area from his own home in Seattle several times to taste wines along with other aspiring Master Sommeliers, understood this to mean pinot gris and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, two of the wines that candidates would be challenged to identify that day.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, 2018 exam
Nichols immediately deleted the email, but did nothing else. If, he reasoned, a Master Sommelier as prominent within the Court as Narito was involved in giving candidates advance information they were not supposed to have, others might also be, and informing any of the Court's officials present would not be productive. Nichols took the exam and passed, although he missed identifying one of the two wines in Narito's email. At the end of the day he would be one of 24 candidates to become Master Sommeliers, a success rate never achieved on any other exam. One had passed all three portions on his first attempt and was awarded the Krug Cup.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath
The newly credentialed Masters swiftly enjoyed the benefits of their position, receiving salary increases at their present jobs and fielding offers for new positions and business opportunities. Five weeks after the exam, the Court's board was approached by an attorney for one of that year's unsuccessful candidates, a woman who had also received Narito's email and, it was later disclosed, had previously been romantically involved with the Court's vice president, Matt Stamp. The attorney shared the email with the board, which immediately convened a special committee of its own to investigate.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath
After a three-day investigation over the first weekend of October, the special committee reported to an emergency meeting of the full board, from which it had recused Narito. After the special committee reported on the methodology of its investigation, the board voted unanimously, after much discussion, to revoke Narito's title and expel him from the Court, an action the board has never publicly confirmed; it is recorded in the meeting's minutes. Narito reportedly parted ways with his employer, as well; neither confirmed it to the media but shortly afterwards, Narito's LinkedIn profile indicated he was looking for work, which a Young's spokeswoman pointed out to the media.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath
The special committee then explained to the board that while it had learned that the email had been sent to just three candidates, and it did not appear that any of the recipients had solicited the information from Narito, it was impossible to tell if those three had shared the email with others. After much debate, the board voted, again unanimously, with several members including the vice president recusing themselves, to suspend the Master Sommelier titles of 23 of those who had gained it in September, including Krug Cup winner Van Wagner. The one remaining new Master kept his title due to having passed the Tasting portion in a previous year.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath
To offset the loss of their titles, the board scheduled a makeup exam for December and waived the fee for those who wanted to retake it, except two: Nichols and the other successful candidate who had received the email. They were barred from retaking the exam for five years, after which they would have to petition the board to be allowed to take it again. Most of the rest took the makeup exam, which only six passed.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath
All but four whose titles had been suspended organized as a group and appealed the Court's decision in a joint letter, demanding reinstatement and an apology. They were particularly upset by the haste with which the board had conducted its investigation and reached its decision, which they said could have better distinguished those innocent of cheating. The board had refused their offers to provide statements, take lie detector tests or allow their phones and other devices to be examined. It had also declined an offer by Young's CEO, Narito's former superior, to provide copies of other emails he had sent, which included the names of those the original email had been bcc'ed to.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath
Three others from the group of 23 passed the exam in 2019 and regained their titles. The exam has not been offered since then due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the Court has tolled the three-year limit for any candidates who have already passed one portion to pass the entire exam. As of April 2021, the Court was planning to hold the exam later in the  year.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath
Some of those whose titles were revoked were so alienated that they decided not to make any further attempts to regain it. "I want to find a different industry to work in", one of them told the wine news site SevenFifty after the scandal broke. "I want this to be over." Jane Lopes, the first Australian woman to have gained Master Sommelier status, wrote:


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath
In examining my reasons for taking the exam in the first place, I found several: to pursue excellence in my profession, to prove to myself that I could do it in spite of my particular challenges, and to be in a position to educate, mentor, and influence in the industry. I know now that I don't need the letters "MS" after my name to pursue the first, prove that I did the second, or be in a position to do the third.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath
Nichols and Dan Pilkey, who had been attempting to pass the exam since 2010 and did not pass the free December retest, have both said they are not interested in regaining their titles by any means other than the Court's board admitting its mistake and reinstating them. Pilkey, joking that "the best way to get over a breakup is to find a new partner", has opted instead to pursue the Master of Wine certificate.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath, Criticism of investigation
The board's decision to investigate the matter internally also drew criticism. "I look at this from a business perspective", said Ken Frederickson, a 19-year Master Sommelier who founded a high-end Chicago-based wine and spirits distributor. "This type of situation would always be investigated by an outside organization" due to the potential or actual conflicts of interest involved.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath, Criticism of investigation
Dustin Wilson, a New York wine store owner whose successful bid to become a Master was the focus of Somm, notes that despite the board's vice president acknowledging his conflict due to his past relationship with the woman who had brought Narito's email to the board's attention, he was still part of the special committee that conducted the investigation. "That shows you it's really just an old boys club," he commented.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath, Criticism of investigation
Critics also found the board to have been overly secretive about its investigation. When its members first learned of the allegations, then-president Devon Broglie warned members several times not to discuss the matter with anyone outside the Court, and after it became public discouraged them from speaking to the media. A few days after the scandal broke, Nichols decided to go to the board himself and disclose that he, too, had received Narito's email. The board thanked him for coming forward but asked him not to tell anyone else that he had done so, which he found odd.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath, Criticism of investigation
Nichols had also planned to make that disclosure to the group of 19 suspended Masters, but before he did someone close to the Court let Dan Pilkey, a leader of the group, know that there was another person among them who had received the email. The ensuing discord among the group when Nichols admitted it was him was later perceived by some of the former Masters as a deliberate attempt to undermine their unity.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Cheating allegations, investigation and aftermath, Criticism of investigation
Eventually some members of the suspended group got copies of the minutes of the October board meeting where it had voted to expel Narito and invalidate the tasting exam results. The description of the investigation's methodology had been redacted in its entirety, as well as passages recounting what was described as lengthy debate preceding the motions to expel Narito and invalidate the results. The entire document has been compared to something that might have been released by the CIA.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Possible cheating on previous exams
Suspicion grew among the suspended Masters that the board's handling of the incident reflected not incompetence so much as malfeasance, that its main goal had been to forestall the disclosures that might have come from a full investigation. They noted that Narito had not tried to conceal what he was doing, to the point of even using his work email account. That suggested that he felt little or no risk of consequences, that he or others had done this before and that it was cheating on earlier exams, including some where board members had earned their Master titles, they did not want disclosed.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Possible cheating on previous exams
In 2021, Arthur Black, a onetime Master candidate himself who taught many classes and performed other services for the Court but never passed the exam despite his stellar performance on the Theory section (he believes his outspokenness alienated some key members) shared with Vice an account of a conversation he had had with a prominent Master he did not name during the 2009 exam. It had long been customary for candidates taking the Theory portion to reconstruct the questions they had been asked and compile them into a study guide for their own, and others', future attempts at the exam. That year, rumors had circulated that some candidates who sat the exam in the morning had emailed questions they remembered to others who took it that afternoon.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Possible cheating on previous exams
Over billiards that evening, the Master asked Black what he knew about the "breach" of the exam that day. Unlike the 2018 exam, no action was ever taken by the board against anyone involved. The following year exam procedures were changed; candidates were sequestered and their phones were taken during the Theory portion, a procedure that has been followed since.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Lawsuit
After failing the retest, on which he said he felt like he was "playing not to lose", Pilkey began adding "MS" to his social media posts about wine and wearing the red lapel pin identifying him as a Master Sommelier, disregarding the Court's withdrawal of his title. The Court sent him letters ordering him to cease and desist or be sued for membership infringement, as it owns the Master Sommelier trademark and with it the exclusive right to say who can call themselves one. Pilkey responded by challenging the Court to proceed with suit as he believed he had fairly earned the title and unjustly been denied further use of it.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Lawsuit
In June 2019 the Court filed an action against Pilkey in federal court for the Northern District of California, where it is based.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Lawsuit
A group of Masters who had been critical of the board's handling of the exam paid for Pilkey's attorney, who was able to get the case dismissed by the end of the year on a procedural issue: CMSA had asserted the court had personal jurisdiction over Pilkey, a resident of Chicago, because of his employment as Midwest regional sales director for a California-based winery, his past personal ties to the state, and his social media posts about California wines, including geotags mentioning specific locations in the state as where the accompanying pictures were taken.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Lawsuit
The court agreed with Pilkey that the first two were not enough to establish jurisdiction and while the third might have been, they did not qualify as commercial endeavors since his sales territory did not include California and the wines in question were available anywhere in the United States. By that time Pilkey had stopped claiming the title publicly, wording his LinkedIn profile's header to say only that he passed the September 2018 exam.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Lawsuit
Pilkey learned from the Court's filings in response to the lawsuit that the Master Sommelier titles he and the other 22 had held briefly were not, in fact, revoked but merely suspended. While he has disdained further interest in regaining the title, in 2021 he still expressed his desire that the Court admit its mistake, apologize, and give he and the other 20 who did not receive the email the chance to accept the title as long as they wanted to.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Catalyst for efforts to reform Court and exam
The September 2018 class of Masters were not the only ones associated with the organization who found its handling of the exam results disturbing. Their concerns focused not just on the way the exam had historically been administered but the Court's governance as well. They were heightened after a sexual harassment scandal reported in 2020 forced the resignation of the entire board.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Catalyst for efforts to reform Court and exam
Starting with the 2019 exam the Court began putting in place new security procedures, including sequestering proctors as well as candidates and requiring them to surrender their electronic devices. Proctors are also not allowed to be alone with a candidate at any time during the exam. The exam itself is also becoming more compartmentalized, so that no single proctor knows all the material being tested or all the candidates taking the exam.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Catalyst for efforts to reform Court and exam
Critics believe those reforms are not enough. They point to the opacity of the exam and its grading as a root cause of the scandal and ensuing discontent. Candidates are never told what their exact score was on each portion of the exam, only that they passed, and on the Tasting portion the identities of the wine are never revealed. Pilkey has noted the contrast with the tasting sessions in the Master of Wine training, which does share with students what wines they tasted, and finds it more conducive to learning.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Catalyst for efforts to reform Court and exam
Even one of the Court's board members, Joseph Spellman, agrees that more transparency on the test would be for the better. "I have long wished", he wrote in a Facebook post after the scandal, "that we revealed at least some info on the wines after the exams." He admitted he was in the minority, and as long as the board's exam committee insists on reserving the right to change the sequence and/or selection of wines, or how they are scored, to compensate for flaws in the exam process, that is unlikely to change. Spellman also confirmed that the exam procedure gives the proctors the right to change candidates' scores after the exam, lending support to rumors that proctors had often lobbied for extra points for preferred candidates after the exams had been administered.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Catalyst for efforts to reform Court and exam
From the outset of the scandal, Wilson, Frederickson and a group of other longtime Masters including wine writer Richard Betts and Lopes' husband Jonathan Ross, had joined the calls to reinstate the suspended titles, investigate more thoroughly and reform the way the Court was run. "There should be a good amount of transparency between the broader membership and the decisions being made by the board", Wilson said.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Catalyst for efforts to reform Court and exam
He and others noted that the Court, a 501(c)(6) nonprofit under U.S. tax law, reported revenues of $4.5 million in 2017, which would be more than enough to hire a full-time nonmember with experience to run the organization; Frederickson also points out that the scandal shows the need for a human resources (HR) department.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Catalyst for efforts to reform Court and exam
Instead, the Court has persisted with having the head of its board serve as its executive, notwithstanding his own professional responsibilities, if any. Like all members of the board, his Court duties are unpaid. Under the Court's bylaws, candidates for board seats must have been Masters for three years, and teach at least four courses or proctor as many exams while they serve as directors. Wilson says this results in the board becoming "an insiders' club ... [ that] limits the scope of perspective of the group running the organization."


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Catalyst for efforts to reform Court and exam
During 2019, the board responded to some concerns. It had the Court join the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, and explored the possibility of hiring an outsider to run its daily operations, and explored providing more organizational support for those operations and the examinations as well as looking at companies that could provide HR support. In 2020, responding to concerns that its culture was racially exclusionary in the wake of highly publicized Black Lives Matter protests, the board dropped the requirement that all Masters be addressed by others with that title and their last name at Court functions.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Catalyst for efforts to reform Court and exam
After The New York Times reported on a culture of longterm sexual harassment within the organization in 2020, some of the most respected and prominent Masters, including former vice president Stamp and Court cofounder Fred Dame, were suspended from Court activities. Alpana Singh, the youngest woman and the first Indian American to make Master Sommelier, renounced her title in support of the women, and the entire board resigned in advance of that year's elections.


2018 Master Sommelier exam cheating scandal, Catalyst for efforts to reform Court and exam
In addition to Singh, Betts also left the Court in protest, saying he wished he had done it sooner since the organization "no longer aligns with [his] views". Another Master, Bobby Stuckey, sommelier at a popular Aspen, Colorado, restaurant, has stopped teaching the Advanced Sommelier class until reforms have been made. "I'm into hospitality, and hospitality is about always thinking about the other person", he said. "The way we have treated these candidates doesn't do that." The Court's new board has been holding listening sessions around the country in an effort to be more open with members, but has not said anything yet regarding the cheating scandal.


2018 Masters (curling)
The 2018 Canadian Beef Masters was held from October 23 to 28, at the Rath Eastlink Arena in Truro, Nova Scotia. This was be the second Grand Slam and first major of the 2018–19 curling season.


2018 Masters (curling)
On the men's side, John Epping defeated Kevin Koe 7–4 in the final, completing a career Grand Slam for Epping, winning all four major events. On the women's side, Anna Hasselborg defeated Rachel Homan 8–7 to win their second straight Grand Slam.


2018 Masters (curling), Qualification
The top 14 men's and women's teams on the World Curling Tour order of merit standing as of September 20, 2018 qualified for the event. The Grand Slam of Curling may fill one spot in each division as a sponsor's exemption. In the event that a team declines its invitation, the next-ranked team on the order of merit is invited until the field is complete.


2018 Masters (curling), Qualification, Men
Top Order of Merit men's teams as of September 20:


2018 Masters (curling), Qualification, Women
Top Order of Merit women's teams as of September 20:


2018 Masters (curling), Men, Round robin results
All draw times are listed in Atlantic Daylight time (UTC-3).


2018 Masters (curling), Women, Round robin results
All draw times are listed in Atlantic Daylight time (UTC-3).


2018 Masters (darts)
The 2018 Unibet Masters was the sixth staging of the non-ranking Masters darts tournament, held by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). It was held from 26–28 January 2018 at the Arena MK in Milton Keynes, England.


2018 Masters (darts)
Michael van Gerwen was the defending champion, after defeating Gary Anderson 11–7 in the 2017 final, and he successfully retained his title, by beating Raymond van Barneveld 11–9 in the final. It was Van Gerwen's fourth consecutive Masters title.


2018 Masters (darts), Qualifiers
The Masters only features the top 16 Players in the PDC Order of Merit. The following players comprised the top 16 of the PDC Order of Merit after the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship, with the exception of Phil Taylor, who despite being #4 in the rankings, had announced his retirement, following the final of the World Championship:


2018 Masters (darts), Prize Money
The prize money is £200,000 in total. The prize money is the same as in 2017.


2018 Masters (snooker)
The 2018 Masters (also referred to as the 2018 Dafabet Masters for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 14 and 21 January 2018 in London, England, and the second Triple Crown event of the 2017–18 snooker season. It was the 44th staging of the Masters, and was broadcast in Europe by the BBC and Eurosport.


2018 Masters (snooker)
The event saw two first-time Triple Crown finalists. Mark Allen won his first, defeating Kyren Wilson 10–7 in the final. Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan lost 1–6 in the quarter-finals to the eventual champion, Allen. It was O'Sullivan's first defeat at the Masters since 2015.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary
The 2018 Dafabet Masters saw the sixteen highest ranked players in the snooker world rankings compete, with no qualification round. Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was the number one seed, with remaining places being allocated to players based on the world rankings after the 2017 UK Championship.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary
With Stuart Bingham, ranked 12th, suspended for betting breaches, Liang Wenbo, ranked 17th, was invited in his stead. Luca Brecel and Anthony McGill made their Masters debuts at the event. A notable absentee was former Masters champion Neil Robertson, who had participated in every Masters tournament since 2006, but had failed to be ranked high enough in time for the event, at rank 20; Robertson would return to the event the following season.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary
As in previous years, the top eight seeds were allocated fixed positions in the draw. The other eight players were positioned by drawing lots during the final of the 2017 UK Championship.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, First round
The first round of the competition saw sixteen players take part, and was played between 14 and 17 January 2018. Defending champion, and top seed, Ronnie O'Sullivan whitewashed ninth seed Marco Fu 6–0, making three centuries during the match. During the first four frames in total, O'Sullivan scored 477 points without reply and Fu had gained only five points due to a foul.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, First round
Mark Williams won a match at the Masters for the first time in five years, coming from 3–5 behind to beat World Champion and World number one Mark Selby 6–5. Playing in his first Masters tournament in eight years; the other Welshman in the draw, Ryan Day, came from 0–3 down to beat World number four and former champion, Ding Junhui, 6–4.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, First round
Shaun Murphy defeated Ali Carter 6–4. Murphy led 4–0 but Carter won the next four frames to level. However, Murphy survived the comeback and won the next two frames for victory. Former World Championship finalist Judd Trump defeated Liang Wenbo by a score of 6–4 in the first round.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, First round
Mark Allen safely reached the second round by defeating Masters debutant Luca Brecel by a score of six frames to three. Kyren Wilson secured his first victory in a Masters match after having lost in the first round of his debut the year before. Wilson defeated former Masters finalist, Barry Hawkins, 6–4 in the first round of this edition of the tournament. Former champion John Higgins won the first two frames in his tie against Anthony McGill, before McGill won the next four frames to lead 4–2, with a match high break of 122. Higgins, however, won the next four frames to win the match 6–4.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
The quarter-finals were played on 18 and 19 January 2018. Defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was knocked out of the tournament by Mark Allen, who won their quarter-final match 6–1. This was O'Sullivan's first loss at the Masters since 2015. He claimed afterwards that he had been feeling ill before the match and was "glad" to be out of the competition. He also revealed, however, that he had not been feeling well during his whitewash of Marco Fu in the first round. After the match, Allen commented on the negative crowd reaction, saying that his playing style had been affected by some of O'Sullivan's fans.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
John Higgins defeated Ryan Day in the second quarter-final, with another 6–1 scoreline. Higgins made a break of 83 in the opening frame, Day won frame 2, then Higgins took the next five frames with breaks of 61, 63, 65, 80 and 113 to win the match. The third quarter-final match saw Kyren Wilson defeat Mark Williams, again 6–1. Wilson took the first four frames, Williams won the fifth, then Wilson took frames 6 and 7 with two century breaks to win the match.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
The last of the quarter-finals saw Judd Trump defeat Shaun Murphy 6–4. Trump made four 50+ breaks in the first six frames and built up a lead of 4–2, before Murphy took the next two frames to tie the match 4–4. Trump then won the next two frames, with breaks of 111 and 113, to win the match. Play was briefly interrupted when a wasp landed on the table during the match. Afterwards, Murphy admitted that he had been concerned, saying he was "terrified of wasps, who isn't?"


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, Semi-finals
The semi-finals took place on 20 January 2018, the penultimate day of the event. In the first semi-final, Kyren Wilson defeated Judd Trump 6–5 to reach his first Triple Crown final. Trump started the match with a lead of 3–1, and later 5–2, owing to breaks of 83, 96 and 69. Wilson took both of the next two frames, and then made a break of 107 in the tenth frame to tie 5–5, forcing a decider. Trump was the first of the two players to make progress in the final frame, but lost position after a break of 23, leaving Wilson in amongst the balls; Wilson then made an "outstanding" break of 72 to win the match.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, Semi-finals
In the second semi-final, Mark Allen dispatched another former multiple World and Masters Champion, John Higgins, 6–3. After making breaks of 63 and 90, Allen took a 3–1 lead at the mid-session interval. Higgins created a break of 131 in the fifth frame (his 700th competitive century break), but Allen won the next two frames to lead 5–2. In frame 8, Higgins scored the second century of the match to trail 3–5, before Allen won the match in the ninth frame to reach his first Masters final. Post-match, Higgins admitted that his tactical play was "very poor".


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, Final
The final took place on 21 January 2018, over two sessions, in a best-of-19-frames match. This was the first time since 1995 that two first-time finalists had met in the Masters final; neither Mark Allen (8) nor Kyren Wilson (13) had ever previously reached the final of a Masters tournament. Allen defeated Wilson 10–7 to win the title. This was Allen's first major title in his fourteen years as a professional.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, Final
The two players ended the first session tied at 4–4, and shared the first two frames of the second session to tie the match again at 5–5. Allen made a break of 73 in the eleventh frame to lead 6–5; he then took a two-frame lead with a break of 119 in frame 12, and also won frame 13 to lead 8–5. Wilson won the next two frames to reduce his deficit to a single frame, at 7–8. Allen took frames 16 and 17, with breaks of 69 and 71 respectively, to win the tournament.


2018 Masters (snooker), Tournament summary, Final
After the match, Wilson cried on receiving his runners-up medal. He commented: "I just made things a bit too easy for Mark, you can't do that to a player of Mark's class, he's too good and he'll punish you. That's what he did tonight."


2018 Masters (snooker), Prize fund
The event received identical prize money to that of the previous year, with £200,000 for the winner, and £600,000 overall. The highest break prize of £10,000 was won by Liang Wenbo, for a break of 139.


2018 Masters (snooker), Century breaks
The event saw a total of 28 century breaks throughout the tournament, with Liang Wenbo completing the highest tournament break of 139.


2018 Masters (snooker), Coverage
The tournament was broadcast live in the United Kingdom by BBC Sport, as well as on Eurosport in Europe. Worldwide, the event was covered by China Central Television and Superstars Online in China, and Sky Sports in New Zealand. NowTV presented the event in Hong Kong with additional commentary.


2018 Masters (snooker), Coverage, Aftermath
The Masters was followed by the 2018 German Masters, which was won by Mark Williams. Masters winner Mark Allen was defeated in the first round, losing 4–5 to Matthew Selt. At the following year's event, the 2019 Masters, both finalists would lose in the first round: Mark Allen 5–6 to Luca Brecel, and Kyren Wilson 2–6 to Judd Trump.


2018 Masters Tournament
The 2018 Masters Tournament was the 82nd edition of the Masters Tournament and the first of golf's four major championships in 2018. It was held April 5–8 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.


2018 Masters Tournament
Patrick Reed won his first major title with a final round 71 (−1) for 273 (−15), one stroke ahead of runner-up Rickie Fowler.


2018 Masters Tournament, Media
The 2018 Masters Tournament was the 63rd Masters Tournament to be televised by CBS with early round coverage airing on ESPN using CBS production crews.


2018 Masters Tournament, Field
The Masters has the smallest field of the four major championships. Officially, the Masters remains an invitation event, but there is a set of qualifying criteria that determines who is included in the field. Each player is classified according to the first category by which he qualified, with other categories in which he qualified shown in parentheses.


2018 Masters Tournament, Field
Golfers who qualify based solely on their performance in amateur tournaments (categories 6–10) must remain amateurs on the starting day of the tournament to be eligible to play.


2018 Masters Tournament, Field
Ángel Cabrera, Fred Couples, Sergio García (11,16,17,18), Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson (3,17), Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Phil Mickelson (3,15,17,18), Larry Mize, José María Olazábal, Mark O'Meara, Charl Schwartzel (11,17), Adam Scott (11,17), Vijay Singh, Jordan Spieth (2,3,11,13,15,16,17,18), Bubba Watson (15,18), Mike Weir, Danny Willett, Tiger Woods, Ian Woosnam


2018 Masters Tournament, Field
Jason Day (5,15,16,17,18), Jason Dufner (15,16,17,18), Justin Thomas (14,15,16,17,18), Jimmy Walker


2018 Masters Tournament, Field
Paul Casey (15,16,17,18), Kevin Chappell (15,16,17,18), Russell Henley (16,17), Matt Kuchar (13,16,17,18), Hideki Matsuyama (12,15,16,17,18), Ryan Moore, Thomas Pieters (17,18)


2018 Masters Tournament, Field
Daniel Berger (16,17,18), Wesley Bryan, Patrick Cantlay (16,17,18), Austin Cook, Bryson DeChambeau, Billy Horschel, Kevin Kisner (16,17,18), Patton Kizzire, Marc Leishman (16,17,18), Pat Perez (16,17,18), Ted Potter Jr., Ian Poulter, Jon Rahm (16,17,18), Xander Schauffele (16,17,18), Kyle Stanley (16,17,18), Brendan Steele (17,18), Jhonattan Vegas (16,17), Gary Woodland (16,18)


2018 Masters Tournament, Field
Tony Finau (17,18), Adam Hadwin (18), Charley Hoffman (17,18), Webb Simpson (17,18)


2018 Masters Tournament, Field
Kiradech Aphibarnrat (18), Ross Fisher (18), Matthew Fitzpatrick (18), Branden Grace (18), Tyrrell Hatton (18), Yuta Ikeda, Yūsaku Miyazato, Alex Norén (18), Bernd Wiesberger


2018 Masters Tournament, Par 3 Contest
Tom Watson won the Par 3 Contest with a score of 21 (−6). It was Watson's second win in the contest, having previously won in 1982. Three holes-in-one were recorded, including one by the grandson of Jack Nicklaus.


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, First round
Jordan Spieth, the 2015 champion, birdied five consecutive holes on the back-nine to post a round of 66 (−6) and take the first round lead for the third time in four years. Playing a day after dislocating an ankle during the Par 3 Contest, Tony Finau finished two shots back, along with Matt Kuchar. Four-time champion Tiger Woods, playing the Masters for the first time in three years, was three-over after a bogey on the 12th but rebounded with two birdies to finish with 73 (+1).


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, First round
Defending champion Sergio García hit five consecutive balls onto the green which rolled back into the water on the par-5 15th and carded a one-putt 13, the highest score on that hole in Masters history, and tied for the worst in history on any hole. He birdied the next hole; his 81 (+9) put him in a tie for 85th place.


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Second round
Playing in the afternoon, Patrick Reed made nine birdies to go along with three bogies on his way to a 66 (−6). He had three separate streaks of three birdies to take a two shot lead over Marc Leishman. Leishman, playing with Tiger Woods, eagled the par-5 15th to shoot a 67 (−5). Henrik Stenson was four back of Reed after a solid 70 (−2). First-round leader Jordan Spieth fell back with a 74 (+2) to end the day at −4 overall along with Rory McIlroy. Woods, looking for his first win since 2013, made the cut with a 75 (+3). Doug Ghim was the only amateur that made the cut.


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Second round
Amateurs: Ghim (+4), Niemann (+9), Redman (+9), Lin (+15), Parziale (+16), Ellis (+22)


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Third round
Patrick Reed recorded four birdies and two eagles on his way to a round of 67 and a three-shot lead heading to the final round. Reed was even on his round before three straight birdies on holes 8–10. At the par-5 13th, he hit his approach to 14 feet and made the putt for an eagle. Then on the 15th he chipped in from just off the green for another eagle. Rory McIlroy began the round five shots out of the lead but erased the deficit with a score of 31 on the first nine.


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Third round
He made three birdies in a four-hole stretch then chipped in for eagle at the par-5 8th to get into a share of the lead. Falling as much as five shots behind Reed on the second nine, McIlroy rebounded with birdies on the 15th and 18th to post a bogey-free round of 65 and cut Reed's advantage down to three. Rickie Fowler and Jon Rahm both shot bogey-free rounds of 65 (−7) and were five and six shots behind, respectively. It was the first time in Masters history three players shot as low as 65 in the same round. The scoring average was 71.26, the lowest third round average since 1986. Marc Leishman began the day in the final pairing and two shots out of the lead but failed to make a birdie in a one-over round of 73.


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Final round, Summary
Patrick Reed's one-under round of 71 was enough to hold off charges from Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth for his first major championship. Reed began the day three shots ahead of Rory McIlroy but bogeyed the 1st and failed to make birdie on the par-5 2nd. McIlroy had a four-foot (1.2 m) eagle putt on the same hole that would have tied Reed but missed, settling for birdie to cut the deficit to one. Reed regained his advantage with a birdie on the 3rd hole while McIlroy made bogey. McIlroy made two more bogeys on the first nine, while Reed recovered from a bogey at 7 with a birdie on the 8th to take a four-shot lead to the second nine.


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Final round, Summary
Jordan Spieth began the round nine shots behind Reed but mounted a charge to get back into contention. He birdied his first two holes and added three more birdies on the first nine. At the par-3 12th, where in 2016 he made a quadruple-bogey that cost him the title, he made a 27-foot (8 m) putt for birdie from just off the green.


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Final round, Summary
He made another birdie on the 13th after narrowly missing an eagle putt, two-putted for birdie on the par-5 15th, then made a 33-footer for birdie on the 16th to get to nine-under for the round and tie Reed. On the 18th, however, Spieth's drive hit a tree and he was unable to save par, settling for a round of 64 (−8).


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Final round, Summary
At the same time, Rickie Fowler was making a challenge to Reed's lead. He began five shots behind and was one-over on his round thru seven, but made six birdies on his last 11 holes. At the 18th, he holed a 7-footer for birdie to post a round of 67 (−5) and get within one.


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Final round, Summary
Reed, meanwhile, made bogey on the 11th but made a 22-foot (7 m) putt for birdie at the 12th. On the 13th, his approach to the par-5 came up short but hung up in the rough instead of falling into the water, but he was unable to get up-and-down for birdie. At the 14th, he hit his approach to eight feet and made the birdie putt, and was able to save par from over the green on 15. Reed faced an eighty-foot (24 m) putt on the 17th which hit the cup and rolled five feet away, then saved par.


2018 Masters Tournament, Round summaries, Final round, Summary
With a one-shot lead heading to the last, Reed faced a 25-foot (7.5 m) downhill putt which he hit to four feet. Reed converted to win by one shot over Fowler and two over Spieth. Jon Rahm got to within two of the lead before hitting his approach at 15 into the water and making bogey, finishing alone in fourth place. McIlroy settled for a two-over round of 74 and tied for fifth, six shots behind Reed. Final round scoring average was 70.49, believed to be the lowest single round scoring average in the history of the Masters.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings
On 13 July 2018, ahead of Pakistan's general election, two bombings took place at election rallies in Bannu and Mastung.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings
In Bannu, a remotely exploded bomb planted in a motorcycle left 5 people dead and 37 others wounded in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Akram Khan Durrani. Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen, an extremist organization, claimed responsibility for the attack.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings
In Mastung, a suicide bomber blew himself up during a rally for the Balochistan Awami Party's Siraj Raisani, the brother of former Balochistan chief minister Aslam Raisani. One of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Pakistani history, it killed 149 people and wounded 186 others. Siraj was taken to hospital in critical condition and died of injuries. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the event and named the suicide bomber as Abu Bakar al-Pakistani, though authorities identified him as Hafeez Nawaz of Abbottabad.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Background, Pre-election violence
The attacks came 12 days before general elections. In the beginning of the month, a bombing took place in Ramzak Tehsil of North Waziristan at the office of Malik Aurangjeb Khan, Pakistan Movement of Justice's candidate for NA-48 (Tribal Area-IX), leaving 10 people injured. A week before the current attack in Bannu, a bomb planted in a motorcycle was remotely exploded at an election campaign of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal's PK–89 candidate Shein Malik in the Takhti Khel area of the city.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Background, Pre-election violence
Two days prior to the attacks, a suicide bombing at an election rally of the Awami National Party's leader Haroon Bilour in Peshawar left 20 people, including Bilour, dead and wounded 63 others. On 12 July, the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP)'s office in Khuzdar came under gunfire before a bomb detonated injuring 2 people.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Background, ISIL in Pakistan
After the group's defeat in Iraq and Syria, many commanders of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fled to other countries where resistance was weak. Many fighters headed to Afghanistan where Al-Qaeda was fighting against the United States. Since ISIL's entry intervention in Pakistan, Balochistan has been a focus of its militancy. In 2016, ISIL claimed responsibility for two attacks in Quetta; one in August and the other in October. The following year, it perpetrated a suicide bombing at a shrine in Sehwan. In Mastung that year, the group carried out a suicide bombing to assassinate Deputy Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Prior intelligence
Soon after the Peshawar ambush, National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) forwarded 12 threats to federal and provincial interior ministries, following which committee chairman Rahman Malik directed authorities to enhance security of politicians named by NACTA. In its report, NACTA named six politicians that can be targeted. The list included Durrani. The other five politicians included Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s chairman Imran Khan, Awami National Party leaders Asfandyar Wali and Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, Qaumi Watan Party's head Aftab Sherpao and Hafiz Saeed's son Talha Saeed. It also suggested that members of PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) were under threat.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Prime targets, Mastung
Siraj Raisani was a prominent member of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and was to contest the next elections from PB-35. The brother of former Chief Minister of Balochistan Aslam Raisani, Siraj has served as chairman of Muttahida Mahaz Balochistan (MMB), founded by his father. He merged MMB into the BAP on 3 June 2018. Earlier, in July 2011, Raisani had survived an assassination attempt after grenades were thrown at him. In the ambush, his son Hakmal Raisani was killed.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Prime targets, Bannu
Akram Khan Durrani has served as chief minister of KPK from 2002 to 2007 and is contesting 2018 elections from NA-35 (Bannu) against Chairman of Pakistan Movement of Justice Imran Khan. Leader of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, Durrani was appointed as Minister for Housing & Works by the President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain on the advice of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 29 August 2013. The current attack follows two previous unsuccessful attempts to assassinate him, one in 2015 and another in 2007.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Attacks, Mastung
Siraj Raisani was about to address an election rally when a suicide bomber, carrying around 16–20 kg of explosive material in his vest, blew himself up among a crowd of more than 1000 people. Along with Raisani, the explosion killed 128 people. Two days after the attack, on 15 July 2018, the number of dead increased to 149, while 186 other people were injured, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in Pakistan since the APS massacre in Peshawar in 2014.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Attacks, Bannu
Former KPK chief minister and Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) leader, Akram Khan Durrani was coming from an election rally. Due to death threats to Durrani, his security was increased and 40 policemen were deployed in his convoy. When the convoy came near Haved Bazaar, an IED, planted in a motorcycle, exploded near the tire of his vehicle. Durrani remained unhurt. Having taken place 40 meters away from JUI (F)'s rally site, the explosion left 5 people dead and wounded 37 others. There were conflicting views about the nature of the detonation. An eyewitness reported having watched a motorcycle rider blowing himself up, while officials said that the bomb was planted in a motorcycle. RPO Bannu called it a remotely exploded bomb.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Aftermath, Rescue services
Before arrival of rescue teams, people took the injured to hospital via cabs. The ambulances brought survivors to Quetta Civil hospital where a state of emergency was imposed by provincial government. 73 bodies were first transported to the hospital. Later Shamim Akhtar, a hospital official, stated that they were treating 110 victims brought to them. Secretary of Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority (SBTA) Zahid Ansari asked blood banks to provide 1000 blood bags for the victims of the Mastung blast.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Aftermath, Rescue services
Ansari was approached by Balochistan Health Department, and urged citizens of Karachi to donate blood, following which mobile messages asking for blood donation started circulating in Karachi. On 14 July 2018, Quetta civil hospital overflowed due to the excess of patients. Beds in the hospital fell short of need and many patients were treated in the corridor of hospital.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Aftermath, Investigations and security measures
On the next day of attacks, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the Bannu bombing at the Haved police station. The FIR included charges of terrorism. Caretaker Chief Minister of KPK, Dost Muhammad Khan, formed a seven-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the Bannu bombing and apprehend the assailants. 86 teams of Frontier Constabulary containing 3338 security personnel were positioned across the province and another 500 officers from Azad Kashmir were summoned to be deployed in the region.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Aftermath, Investigations and security measures
Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) sought a briefing from NACTA over the Bannu bombing and also sought a report from the caretaker CM, IG and chief secretary of KPK over inadequate security of politicians. After Mastung incident, ECP ordered NACTA's coordinator to appear before it on the following day. ECP declared 17,000 polling stations across the country as sensitive. These included 5,487 from Punjab, 5,878 from Sindh, 3,874 in KPK and 1,768 in Balochistan.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Arrests
On next day of attack, security forces detained two suspects. According to security forces, the suicide bomber, who blew himself up in Mastung, came from Afghanistan two days prior to the attack and stayed in Chaghi. The apprehended duo is suspected to have sheltered the assailant inside their residence. On 19 July, IG Balochistan Mohsin Hassan Butt said the suicide bomber named Hafiz Nawaz was resident of Abbottabad. Nawaz had traveled from Abbottabad to Sindh and therein affiliated with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). According to Butt, efforts were underway to arrest Mufti Haider, a facilitator of Nawaz.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Media coverage
On the day of attacks, former Pakistani Prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz arrived in Lahore from Abu Dhabi. The duo's arrival was more in the crosshairs of the Pakistani media, hence it was covered in more detail than the bombings. Initially only a few news channels gave it short coverage but later when the death toll exceeded 100, media started covering it broadly. Many people took to Twitter and criticized the media for sidelining coverage of the bombings. Geo News's journalist Hamid Mir said if these attacks were carried out in Punjab, they would have received much more media coverage.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Responsibility
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the Mastung bombing. Two days later, ISIL released picture of the suicide bomber and identified him as Abu Bakar al-Pakistani. In a series of statements released on its official news agency Amaq, the organization, referring to Raisani, stated that deceased included one of the Pakistani intelligence officers who was contesting elections. A group called Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the Bannu incident.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Domestic reactions, Government
Caretaker Prime minister of Pakistan Nasirul Mulk condemned the attack and directed the interior ministry to issue a notification declaring Sunday, a day of mourning. Accompanied by Chairman senate Sadiq Sanjrani and caretaker Chief Minister of Balochistan Alauddin Marri, Mulk arrived in Quetta two days after the bombing and condoled the victims in hospital. He also met with Raisani's family and expressed his grief. Interim chief minister of Punjab, Hassan Askari condemned the attack and said that no religion asks for violence against innocent people and that the entire nation was united against terrorism.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Domestic reactions, Government
Marri expressed his grief over loss of lives. Denouncing the massacre, he called it "a conspiracy to derail elections". He also vowed to beat terror by education. The acting government of Balochistan announced two days of mourning in the province. The national flag was raised at half-mast throughout the province. The caretaker chief minister of Sindh Fazalur Rehman condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over loss of lives. Interim chief minister of KPK Dost Muhammad Khan prayed for injures and expressed sympathies for bereaved families. Denouncing the bombings, he vowed that perpetrators'd be dealt with iron hand. KPK Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra denounced both the attacks and prayed for the victims. On 16 July, the senate passed a unanimous resolution condemning the Mastung bombing and expressed grief over loss of lives.


2018 Mastung and Bannu bombings, Domestic reactions, Politicians
Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Zardari denounced the attacks. He also said that these assaults shouldn't delay elections. Former President Asif Ali Zardari condemned both attacks and expressed his "profound grief" over loss of lives. Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan visited Quetta to express his grief. He criticized authorities for lack of implementation of National Action Plan. In a tweet he said he wondered why terrorism rises in the country whenever Nawaz Sharif is in trouble. President of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Shehbaz Sharif visited Quetta hospital and expressed his solidarity with victims' families. In one of his statements, he said that India was involved in Mastung suicide blast. Leader of Qaumi Watan Party Aftab Sherpao condemned the attacks and extended his sympathies with victims and asked the government for proper security.


2018 Maui Invitational Tournament
The 2018 Maui Invitational Tournament was an early-season college basketball tournament played for the 35th time. The tournament began in 1984, and was part of the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Championship Round was played at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii from November 19 to 21, 2018.


2018 Mauritanian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections was held in Mauritania in September 2018; the first round took place on 1 September, with a second round held on 15 September. At the national level, elections were held in 157 constituencies, each electing one member to the National Assembly. Elections were also held in 13 regional councils and 219 municipalities.


2018 Mauritanian parliamentary election
As a result of the election, Union for Republic (UPR) remained the single largest party at the national level both in terms of popular vote and seats.


2018 Mauritanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
The 157 members of the National Assembly are elected by two methods; 113 are elected from single- or multi-member constituencies using either the two-round system or proportional representation; in single-member constituencies candidates require a majority of the vote to be elected in the first round and a plurality in the second round. In two-seat constituencies, voters vote for a party list (which must contain one man and one woman); if no list receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a second round is held, with the winning party taking both seats.


2018 Mauritanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
In constituencies with three or more seats, closed list proportional representation is used, with seats allocated using the largest remainder method. For three-seat constituencies, party lists must include a female candidate in first or second on the list; for larger constituencies a zipper system is used, with alternate male and female candidates.


2018 Mauritanian parliamentary election, Electoral system
The other 40 seats are elected from a single nationwide constituency, also using closed list proportional representation, with half elected on separate lists reserved for women. A further four members are elected by the diaspora.


2018 Mauritian Cup
The 2018 MFA Cup is the 47th edition of the MFA Cup, the knockout football competition of Mauritius.


2018 Mauritian Cup, Round of 32
GRSE Wanderers               2-2 Ent. Boulet Rouge-Riche Mare [GRSE on pen]


2018 Mauritian Cup, Round of 32
La Cure Waves                0-0 La Gaulette Sharks           [Sharks on pen]


2018 Mayo Senior Football Championship
The 2018 Mayo Senior Football Championship was the 117th edition of the Mayo GAA's premier gaelic football tournament for senior clubs in County Mayo, Ireland. Sixteen teams competed with the winners going on to represent Mayo in the Connacht Senior Club Football Championship. The championship started with a group stage and progressed to a knock out stage. The winners received the Paddy Moclair Cup.


2018 Mayo Senior Football Championship
Moy Davitts returned to the top-flight for the first time since their relegation in 2010, having claimed the 2017 Intermediate Championship title with a replay victory over Kiltimagh.


2018 Mayo Senior Football Championship
Castlebar Mitchels were the defending champions for the third season running after they defeated Ballintubber in the 2017 final. Ballintubber dethroned Mitchels in the semi-final following a replay, before defeating Breaffy in the final to win their 4th title. Crossmolina, 2001 All-Ireland champions, were relegated to the intermediate grade for the 2019 season.


2018 Mayo Senior Football Championship, Team Changes
As 2017 Intermediate Champions, Moy Davitts were promoted to the Senior Championship for 2018. They took the place of Ballinrobe, who were relegated from the Senior Championship at the end of the 2017 season.


2018 Mayo Senior Football Championship, Clubs
The 2018 Championship was contested by 16 clubs: 4 of them from South Mayo, 4 from North Mayo, 4 from West Mayo, 4 from East Mayo.


2018 Mayo Senior Football Championship, Group stage
All 16 teams entered the competition at this stage. The top 2 teams in each group qualified for the Quarter-Finals while the bottom team of each group entered a Relegation Playoff. All teams played one home match, one away match and one match at a neutral venue. In the event of two teams finishing on the same points total, placings were decided by head-to-head record between the teams, then by scoring difference.


2018 Mayo Senior Football Championship, Knock-Out Stage
The top two teams in each group progressed to the knock-out stage. Group winners were drawn against group runners-up, and all games were played at neutral venues.


2018 Mayo Senior Football Championship, Relegation Playoffs
The four teams who finished bottom of their groups entered the relegation play-offs, with the two losers of the semi-finals meeting in the relegation play-off final. All games were played at neutral venues. Crossmolina, as losers of the final, were relegated to the Intermediate Championship for 2019.


2018 Mayo by-election
A by-election for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Mayo took place on Saturday 28 July 2018, following the resignation of incumbent Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie.


2018 Mayo by-election
In early counting, within an hour of the close of polls, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's psephologist Antony Green's electoral computer had predicted Sharkie to retain the electorate with an increased margin.


2018 Mayo by-election, Background
Due to the High Court ruling against Senator Katy Gallagher on 9 May 2018 as part of the ongoing parliamentary eligibility crisis, Sharkie and three other MPs in the same situation announced their parliamentary resignations later that day, while the Perth incumbent resigned for family reasons. The Speaker announced on 24 May 2018 that he had scheduled the by-elections to occur on 28 July 2018. Popularly labelled "Super Saturday", the occurrence of five simultaneous federal by-elections is unprecedented in Australian political history. The others are:


2018 Mayo by-election, Background
Liberal candidate Georgina Downer deleted her Twitter account on 13 June 2018, claiming that trolls had been attacking her with bad language, with counterclaims from Twitter users that she had deleted legitimate policy questions posted to her Facebook account.


2018 Mayo by-election, Background
Historically, the rural seat of Mayo has been a comfortably safe Liberal seat in two-party terms, though over the past two decades, the Liberals in Mayo had been repeatedly left vulnerable by several strong election results from minor parties and independents. Mayo was represented by Liberal candidate Georgina Downer's father, Alexander Downer, for the first 24 years of Mayo's 34-year history. Further back, others in the Downer family including a Premier of South Australia represented overlapping geographical areas, in the federal seat of Angas and the state seats of Barossa and Encounter Bay.


2018 Mayo by-election, Candidates
The Family First Party (now the Australian Conservatives) contested Mayo at the last election on 4.6% (−2.5%) but declined to contest the by-election.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election
A by-election was held in Mayotte's 1st constituency on 18 March 2018, with a second round on 25 March as no candidate secured a majority of votes in the first round. The by-election was called after the Constitutional Council invalidated the election of Ramlati Ali, candidate of the Socialist Party (PS) in the June 2017 legislative elections and member of the La République En Marche group in the National Assembly, on 19 January 2018.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election
In the second round on 25 March, Ali was re-elected with 54.99% of the vote.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Background
On the evening of 18 June 2017, Elad Chakrina, candidate of The Republicans (LR), was initially declared the winner of the second round of voting in the legislative elections with 50.04% of votes, with 12 votes separating him from his opponent Ramlati Ali, candidate of the Socialist Party (PS). On 19 June, the result was overturned and Ramlati Ali was declared the winner with 50.17% of the vote, defeating Elad Chakrina by a margin of 54 votes.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Background
Elad Chakrina subsequently announced his intention to file an appeal to the Constitutional Council, alleging electoral fraud, claiming that results reported late in the evening from the commune of Bandraboua were "completely falsified". He also claimed that there were also a number of other irregularities that took place, including that a number of proxy votes cast were fraudulent, problematic electoral rolls, ballots that should have been voided, and ballots cast under the names of deceased individuals.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Background
On 19 January 2018, the constitutional council annulled the election of Ramlati Ali on the basis of several complaints, triggering a by-election within the constituency. The decision noted that 25 fewer signatures were found on the electoral roll than the number of ballots found in the ballot boxes in the communes of Mamoudzou, Acoua, Dzaoudzi, Bandraboua, and Mtsamboro. Members of the polling station in Dzaoudzi attempted to rectify an irregularly cast vote by randomly discarding an envelope from the ballot box before counting began, a procedure considered doubly irregular by the constitutional council. Chakrina also claimed at least 40 proxy votes were irregularly cast in Bandraboua on 9 and 16 June 2017, and provided documents relating into a judicial investigation that had been opened to look into the matter.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Background
In addition, Elad Chakrina alleged that Ramlati Ali breached article L. 49 of the electoral code by continuing to conduct her electoral campaign on the Internet through the day of voting, producing three screenshots of a Facebook page of Ramlati Ali's substitute urging people to vote. The constitutional council agreed with this complaint. Chakrina also alleged that Ali's campaign was improperly supported by calls to vote published on 17 June on Ali's Facebook page, among others.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Background
A by-election must be held within three months of the invalidation of the election, as stipulated by article L.O. 178 of the electoral code. Although elected as a member of the Socialist Party, Ramlati Ali joined the La République En Marche group in the National Assembly after her election. Following the decision of the constitutional council, the only two remaining members of the La République En Marche group in the National Assembly representing overseas France are Olivier Serva are Stéphane Claireaux.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Background
On 3 February 2018, the first round of the by-election was scheduled for 18 March 2018, with a second round on 25 March should no candidate secure a majority of votes in the first round. Prospective candidates needed to submit declarations of their candidacies between 19 and 23 February. Polling stations will be open from 8:00 to 18:00 EAT.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Candidates and campaign
Incumbent deputy Ramlati Ali, a 56-year-old former mayor of Pamandzi and head of the medicine, psychiatry and rehabilitation department at the Mayotte Hospital Centre (CHM) who joined La République En Marche! after her election in June 2017, presented herself as a candidate. Ali was placed under formal investigation on 13 February 2018, charged with "complicity in electoral fraud". However, no verdict will be rendered in the case until after the by-election. Due to the judicial affair, Ali did not receive the support of La République En Marche in the by-election, and presented her candidacy without the backing of any party.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Candidates and campaign
After the second round, La République En Marche announced its support for Ali in the second round without acknowledging the charges against her. Elad Chakrina, a 37-year-old lawyer and municipal councillor from Tsingoni, contested the constituency once more under the banner of The Republicans (LR) after his successful appeal. During a three-day visit from 5 to 7 March, LR president Laurent Wauquiez denounced the "abandonment" of Mayotte by Macron, saying that the department was "submerged by illegal immigration". On 15 March, Marine Le Pen, president of the National Front (FN), called upon the Mahorais to vote for the LR candidate; though the party neither officially endorsed nor rejected the support of the FN, several LR personalities rejected the FN's support for Chakrina.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Candidates and campaign
Bacar Ali Boto, first deputy mayor of Mamoudzou, contested the by-election without the support of any party. Daniel Zaïdani, the departmental councillor of Pamandzi and former president of the general council of Mayotte charged for embezzlement of public funds in February 2017, was selected by the Movement for the Development of Mayotte (MDM) as its candidate in the by-election after meeting to reconcile divisions within the party.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Candidates and campaign
Abdullah Mikidadi initially stood without the support of any party, but later received the backing of La France Insoumise, with deputy Jean-Hugues Ratenon taking the opportunity to offer his support for Mikidadi on a visit to Mayotte on 22 February, and Member of the European Parliament Younous Omarjee also traveling to the department. Catherine Bihannic was initially announced as the candidate of the Popular Republican Union (UPR), as in June, but was ultimately replaced by Alexandre Alçuyet, with Bihannic becoming substitute. Boina Dinouraini stood again as an independent candidate, and miscellaneous left candidate Bacar Mouta, a youth of the Social Mahorais Party, also contested the by-election.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Candidates and campaign
Large protests erupted across Mayotte in the weeks preceding the by-election, with demonstrations against insecurity, violence, and illegal immigration, especially from neighboring Comoros, paralyzing the department, prompting Minister for Overseas France Annick Girardin to promise reinforcements and to visit after the by-election. Saïd Omar Oili, president of the association of mayors of Mayotte, announced the closure town halls in protest, and warned that the by-election might be threatened by the unrest. Despite the threats by several mayors not to hold the by-election, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux insisted that it would be held regardless.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Candidates and campaign
The candidates in the by-election were reluctant to act, unsure how to respond to the protests. On 13 March, the mayors of Mayotte arrived at an "agreement in principle" to hold the by-election after talks with the government and local collectives produced promises to improve security and combat illegal immigration, and unions and collectives agreed to remove roadblocks on the island. Salim Nahouda, general secretary of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) in Mayotte, stated that 13 of 15 measures proposed by the union were accepted by the government.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Candidates and campaign
Trade unions and collectives called to boycott the vote. Although mayors requested the postponement of the by-election due to security concerns and the difficulty of campaigning, the by-election ultimately went ahead, albeit with certain difficulties due to roadblocks, transport issues, padlocked polling stations, and landslides caused by tropical storm Eliakim, all of which caused delays to opening of polling stations in several communes. Police were forced to open one padlocked polling station in Acoua by force. By 10:15, all polling stations were open. In Mtsamboro, two ballot boxes were stolen in the early afternoon, and a few hours later police later took the thieves into custody and recovered the ballot boxes.


2018 Mayotte's 1st constituency by-election, Candidates and campaign
Protesters intend to reinstate roadblocks before the second round of the by-election. Although all 73 polling stations of the constituency were operational, several opened late due to obstructions to their entrances. In Acoua, locked doors and damaged locks necessitated police assistance, while three polling stations in Koungou were blocked by glue and soldered scrap metal.


2018 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
The 2018 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game that was played on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Atlanta Hawks. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2018. The game is the 41st annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1977.


2018 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
The 24 players were selected from 2,500 nominees by a committee of basketball experts. They were chosen not only for their on-court skills but for their performances off the court as well. Coach Morgan Wootten, who had more than 1,200 wins as head basketball coach at DeMatha Catholic High School, was chairman of the selection committee.


2018 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, Rosters
When the rosters were announced on January 16, 2018, Duke & Kansas both had three selectees, while Oregon, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Vanderbilt each had two. At the announcement of roster selections, only 10 schools were represented and had 6 players uncommitted. On Jan. 20, Zion Williamson committed to Duke, giving them four selections which gave them most of any school. On Jan. 22, Moses Brown committed to UCLA which brought the total number of schools to 11. John Mirabello (Northwest Catholic High School, West Hartford, Conn.) and Brad Lauwers (A.J. Dimond High School, Anchorage, Alaska) coached the East and West teams, respectively.


2018 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, Rosters, Team West
† On March 29, Darius Bazley withdrew from his commitment to Syracuse in order to compete in the NBA G League (via entering his name in the 2018 NBA G League Draft) to prepare for the 2019 NBA draft.


2018 McGrath Cup
The 2018 McGrath Cup was a Gaelic football competition in the province of Munster, played by county teams.


2018 McGrath Cup
Just three county teams completed in 2018 after the withdrawals of Tipperary, Limerick, and Kerry. Cork were the winners.


2018 McGrath Cup
The cup was won by Cork after a 3–13 to 3–12 win in the final.


2018 McGrath Cup, Format
Three teams compete. Each team plays the other teams once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. The top two teams play in the final.


2018 McGrath Cup, Group stage
The final group game was cancelled, as Cork and Clare had already reached the final.


2018 McNeese State Cowboys football team
The 2018 McNeese State Cowboys football team represented McNeese State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Cowboys were led by third-year head coach Lance Guidry and played their home games at Cowboy Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 5–4 in Southland play to finish in a four-way tie for fourth place.


2018 McNeese State Cowboys football team
On November 20, head coach Lance Guidry was fired. He finished at McNeese State with a three-year record of 21–12.


2018 McNeese State Cowboys football team, Previous season
The Cowboys finished the 2017 season 9–2, 7–2 in Southland play to finish in a tie for third place. They did not receive an at-large birth to the FCS Playoffs.


2018 McNeese State Cowboys football team, Preseason, Preseason All-Conference Teams
On July 12, 2018, the Southland announced their Preseason All-Conference Teams, with the Cowboys having ten players selected.


2018 McNeese State Cowboys football team, Preseason, Preseason Poll
On July 19, 2018, the Southland announced their preseason poll, with the Cowboys predicted to finish in fourth place.


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
The 2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship is the 92nd edition of the Meath GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for Intermediate graded teams in County Meath, Ireland. The tournament consists of 18 teams, with the winner going on to represent Meath in the Leinster Intermediate Club Football Championship. The championship starts with a group stage and then progresses to a knock out stage.


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
The draw for the group stages of the championship were made on 5 March 2018 with the games commencing on the weekend of 15 April 2018.


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
Meath Hill were promoted to the middle grade after a 24-year exodus when securing the J.F.C. crown in 2017.


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
This was Duleek/Bellewstown's first ever period as an Intermediate club after spending 10 years as a senior club since being established from the Duleek and Bellewstown clubs in 2008.


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship
Longwood beat Ballinlough by 0-11 to 0-7 in the 2018 final to win their first Meath Intermediate Football title since 1942. St. Ultan's were relegated to the 2019 Meath Junior Football Championship. They will play at the junior grade for the first time since 2006.


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


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Participating teams
The teams taking part in the 2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship are:


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Group stage
There are 3 groups called Group A,B and C. The 2 top finishers in each group and the third-place finisher in Group A will qualify for the Quarter Finals. The third placed teams in Group B and C will qualify for a Preliminary Quarter Final, with the winner earning a place in last eight. The bottom finishers of each group will qualify for the Relegation Play Off.


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Group stage
The draw for the group stages of the championship were made on 5 March 2018 with the games commencing on the weekend of 15 April 2018.


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Knock-Out Stage
The winners and runners up of the three groups and the third placed team of Group A automatically qualify for the quarter finals. The third placed teams in Groups B and C play off to determine the team that completes the quarter final lineup.


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Relegation Play-Off Group
The three bottom teams from each group enter the relegation play-off group and play each other in a round robin basis.


2018 Meath Intermediate Football Championship, Relegation Play-Off Group
The team with the worst record after two matches will be relegated to the 2019 Junior 'A' Championship.


2018 Meath Senior Football Championship
The 2018 Meath Senior Football Championship is the 126th edition of the Meath GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for senior clubs in County Meath, Ireland. Eighteen teams compete, with the winner representing Meath in the Leinster Senior Club Football Championship. The championship starts with a group stage and then progresses to a knock out stage.


2018 Meath Senior Football Championship
Simonstown Gaels were the defending champions after they defeated Summerhill in the 2017 final to claim a "2-in-a-row" of titles.


2018 Meath Senior Football Championship
This was Curraha's debut in the top flight after claiming the 2017 Meath Intermediate Football Championship. Their 35 point loss (5-27 to 0-7) to Summerhill was the largest losing margin of any team in a S.F.C. match since 1996, when St. Colmcille's lost by a 44 point margin to Kilmainhamwood.


2018 Meath Senior Football Championship
The draw for the group stages of the championship were made on 5 March 2018 with the games commencing on the weekend of 15 April 2018.


2018 Meath Senior Football Championship
Blackhall Gaels were relegated to the Intermediate championship for 2019 after 17 years in the top-flight, including a S.F.C. title in 2003.


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


2018 Meath Senior Football Championship, Participating Teams
The teams taking part in the 2018 Meath Senior Football Championship are:


2018 Meath Senior Football Championship, Group stage
There are three groups of six teams called Group A, B and C. The 2 top finishers in each group and the third-place finisher in Group A will qualify for the Quarter Finals. The third placed teams in Group B and C will qualify for a Preliminary Quarter Final, with the winner earning a place in last eight. The bottom finishers of each group will qualify for the Relegation Play Off. The draw for the group stages of the championship were made on 6 March 2017 with the games commencing on the weekend of 20 May 2017.


2018 Meath Senior Football Championship, Knock-Out Stage
The winners and runners up of the three groups and the third placed team of Group A automatically qualify for the quarter finals. The third placed teams in Groups B and C play off to determine the team that completes the quarter final lineup.


2018 Meath Senior Football Championship, Relegation Play-Off Group
The three bottom teams from each group enter the relegation play-off group and play each other in a round robin basis.


2018 Meath Senior Football Championship, Relegation Play-Off Group
The team with the worst record after two matches will be relegated to the 2019 Intermediate Championship.


2018 Mediterranean Athletics U23 Championships
The 2018 Mediterranean Athletics U23 Championships was an athletics competition which was held in Jesolo, Italy, from 9 to 10 June 2018. A total of 42 events were contested, of which 21 by male and 21 by female athletes. A total of 25 nations participated in the championships.


2018 Mediterranean Athletics U23 Championships – Results
These are the official results of the 2018 Mediterranean Athletics U23 Championships which took place on 09–10 June 2018 in Jesolo, Italy.


2018 Mediterranean Games
The 2018 Mediterranean Games (Spanish: Juegos Mediterráneos de 2018), officially known as the XVIII Mediterranean Games (Spanish: XVIII Juegos Mediterráneos) and commonly known as Tarragona 2018, was an international multi-sport event held from 22 June to 1 July 2018 in Tarragona, Spain. Tarragona was announced as the host city at the ICMG General Assembly in Mersin, Turkey, on 15 October 2011.


2018 Mediterranean Games, Bidding process
The host city was announced during the ICMG General Assembly scheduled which took place in Mersin, Turkey (host of the 2013 Mediterranean Games) on 15 October 2011. The final candidates were Alexandria and Tarragona, where Tarragona won the vote 36–34.


2018 Mediterranean Games, Bidding process
Alexandria hosted the first Mediterranean Games and planned to build a new Olympic Village for the 2017 Mediterranean Games in the iconic South Mediterranean city.


2018 Mediterranean Games, Bidding process
Under the motto "History making history", Tarragona planned to take the Games to Spain for the third time after the 1955 Mediterranean Games in Barcelona and the 2005 Mediterranean Games in Almería.


2018 Mediterranean Games, Development and preparation, Concerns and controversies
On 9 November 2016, it was announced by the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games (ICMG) that Tarragona was postponing its hosting of the Mediterranean Games from 2017 to 2018 due to funding problems caused by Spanish political and economical instability.


2018 Mediterranean Games, Development and preparation, Concerns and controversies
Some doubts were expressed in 2017 about the holding of the games due to the 2017 Spanish constitutional crisis after the Catalan government unilaterally declared independence on 27 October 2017.


2018 Mediterranean Games, Development and preparation, Marketing
Tarracus, a humanoid character wearing a Roman helmet, was unveiled as the mascot for 2018 Mediterranean Games in May 2016. The pattern on the helmet plume is based on the flag of Tarragona.


2018 Mediterranean Games, The Games, Sports
The 2018 Mediterranean Games sports program featured 28 sports encompassing 244 events. The number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses. Triathlon was the only new sport added to the Mediterranean Games program. Equestrian and Golf came back after being absent in Mersin. Disabled events were held in swimming and athletics. Basketball tournament would be held in the 3x3 format. Boxing and football are going to hold only men's events, while Rhythmic Gymnastics would be women's only. The number in paratheses next to the sport is the number of medal events per sport.


2018 Mediterranean Games, The Games, Participating nations
The 2018 Mediterranean Games were the first Games in which Kosovo was eligible to participate.


2018 Meerbusch Challenger
The 2018 Meerbusch Challenger was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the sixth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2018 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Meerbusch, Germany, between 13 and 19 August 2018.


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


2018 Meerbusch Challenger, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry into the singles main draw using a protected ranking:


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


2018 Meerbusch Challenger – Doubles
Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies were the defending champions but lost in the quarterfinals to David Pérez Sanz and Mark Vervoort.