March 18, 2018 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Turkish military operation in Afrin
- The Turkish Army and Free Syrian Army seize the Kurdish stronghold of Afrin from the YPG in northern Syria, raising the Turkish flag above the city centre. A statue of the Kurdish legendary figure, Kaveh the Blacksmith, is bulldozed by Turkish-backed forces. (BBC) (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- 2018 Manila Pavilion Hotel fire
- Three people are killed in a fire at the Manila Pavilion Hotel in the Philippines. (Reuters)
- Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapse
- The Miami Police Department states that they believe they have recovered the last of the victims killed by the bridge's collapse. (NPR)
- Cirque du Soleil fatal accidents
- A Cirque du Soleil performer dies after falling 15 feet (4.6 m) during a performance in Tampa, Florida. (CBC)
- 2017–18 Australian bushfire season
- A bushfire destroys dozens of buildings in Tathra, New South Wales, Australia. (BBC)
Law and crime
- 2018 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka
- Far-right politics in the United Kingdom
- Lutz Bachmann, the founder of the German nationalist group Pegida, is detained and prevented from speaking at a free speech rally at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, London, at which activist Tommy Robinson is also speaking. (The Independent) (The Guardian)
Politics and elections
- Russian presidential election, 2018
- Voters in Russia cast their votes for the President of Russia. Incumbent Vladimir Putin wins a fourth term in office, with just over 75% of the popular vote. (Reuters)
Sports
- 2018 Winter Paralympics
- The closing ceremony of the Winter Paralympics takes place with the United States team winning the medal table with 36 medals (13 gold, 15 silver and 8 bronze). (BBC)