2018

2018 was designated as the third International Year of the Reef by the International Coral Reef Initiative. January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of South Sudan. January 12–13 – The first round of voting of the 2018 Czech presidential election is held. January 13- 2018 Hawaii false missile alert. A missile alert sent as a Civil danger warning caused 38 minutes of panic. It was determined to have been a hoax. January 20 – Turkey, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announces the beginning of a military offensive to capture a portion of northern Syria from Kurdish forces, amidst the ongoing Kurdish–Turkish conflict. January 20–22 – The US government enters a federal government shutdown as a result of a dispute over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. January 24 – Scientists in China report in the journal Cell the creation of the first monkey clones using somatic cell nuclear transfer, named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua. January 26–27 – The second round of voting of the 2018 Czech presidential election is held and incumbent president Miloš Zeman is reelected. January 28 2018 Finnish presidential election: Incumbent president Sauli Niinistö is reelected on the first round of voting. The first round of voting of the 2018 Cypriot presidential election is held. January 31 – A total lunar eclipse takes place, the 49th eclipse of Lunar Saros 124. This was referred to by the media as a 'super blue blood moon' as it was close to a supermoon, with perigee being on January 30, and a blue moon eclipse, the first since 1982. February 4 The second round of voting of the 2018 Cypriot presidential election is held and incumbent president Nicos Anastasiades is reelected. 2018 Costa Rican general election: The first round of voting of the presidential election and legislative election are held. February 6 – SpaceX successfully conducts its maiden flight of its most powerful rocket to date, the Falcon Heavy, from LC39A at John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.