International News:
* Deadly Floods in China: Heavy rainfall and flooding in the northeastern Chinese province of Heilongjiang resulted in severe flooding, causing widespread damage and leading to the deaths of over 100 people.
* U.S.-Sudan Tensions: The United States launched cruise missiles aimed at a pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum, Sudan, in retaliation for the East African embassy bombings. The bombing reportedly resulted in the deaths of several civilians and caused tensions between the two countries.
* UK Inquiry into BSE (Mad Cow Disease): British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced a public inquiry into the handling of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, and its potential link to a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in humans.
National News (United States):
* Monica Lewinsky Scandal: As part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry, Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern, gave her videotaped testimony to a federal grand jury, detailing her relationship with President Bill Clinton. The testimony marked a significant development in the scandal that gripped national attention.
* TWA Flight 800 Preliminary Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary findings on the crash of TWA Flight 800, which had occurred on July 17, 1998. The board revealed that the most probable cause of the accident was a fuel-tank explosion.
* Space Shuttle Discovery Launch: NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery launched into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission, designated STS-91, was mainly focused on performing maintenance tasks on the Hubble Space Telescope.
Entertainment News:
* Music Star Michael Hutchence Found Dead: Australian musician Michael Hutchence, lead singer of the rock band INXS, was found dead in a Sydney hotel room. His death was ruled as suicide.
* Baseball History: During a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants, major league baseball umpire John McSherry was involved in an unusual incident when he suffered an injury after being hit by a foul ball while performing his duties.
These were some of the notable news events that occurred on August 18, 1998.