diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index dc83d0d98..cf9907da7 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,3 +1,27 @@
+What's new in Sudo 1.8.18
+
+ * The sudoers locale is now set before parsing the sudoers file.
+   If sudoers_locale is set in sudoers, it is applied before
+   evaluating other Defaults entries.  Previously, sudoers_locale
+   was used when evaluating sudoers but not during the inital parse.
+   Bug #748.
+
+ * A missing or otherwise invalid #includedir is now ignored instead
+   of causing a parse error.
+
+ * During "make install", backup files are only used on HP-UX where
+   it is not possible to unlink a shared object that is in use.
+   This works around a bug in ldconfig on Linux which could create
+   links to the backup shared library file instead of the current
+   one.
+
+ * Fixed a bug introduced in 1.8.17 where sudoers entries with long
+   commands lines could be truncated, preventing a match.  Bug #478.
+
+ * The fqdn, runas_default and sudoers_locale Defaults settings are
+   now applied before any other Defaults settings since they can
+   change how other Defaults settings are parsed.
+
 What's new in Sudo 1.8.17p1
 
  * Fixed a bug introduced in 1.8.17 where the user's groups were
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 033cb4d48..d753be4ef 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # Guess values for system-dependent variables and create Makefiles.
-# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69 for sudo 1.8.17p1.
+# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69 for sudo 1.8.18.
 #
 # Report bugs to <https://bugzilla.sudo.ws/>.
 #
@@ -590,8 +590,8 @@ MAKEFLAGS=
 # Identity of this package.
 PACKAGE_NAME='sudo'
 PACKAGE_TARNAME='sudo'
-PACKAGE_VERSION='1.8.17p1'
-PACKAGE_STRING='sudo 1.8.17p1'
+PACKAGE_VERSION='1.8.18'
+PACKAGE_STRING='sudo 1.8.18'
 PACKAGE_BUGREPORT='https://bugzilla.sudo.ws/'
 PACKAGE_URL=''
 
@@ -1526,7 +1526,7 @@ if test "$ac_init_help" = "long"; then
   # Omit some internal or obsolete options to make the list less imposing.
   # This message is too long to be a string in the A/UX 3.1 sh.
   cat <<_ACEOF
-\`configure' configures sudo 1.8.17p1 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
+\`configure' configures sudo 1.8.18 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
 
 Usage: $0 [OPTION]... [VAR=VALUE]...
 
@@ -1591,7 +1591,7 @@ fi
 
 if test -n "$ac_init_help"; then
   case $ac_init_help in
-     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of sudo 1.8.17p1:";;
+     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of sudo 1.8.18:";;
    esac
   cat <<\_ACEOF
 
@@ -1838,7 +1838,7 @@ fi
 test -n "$ac_init_help" && exit $ac_status
 if $ac_init_version; then
   cat <<\_ACEOF
-sudo configure 1.8.17p1
+sudo configure 1.8.18
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69
 
 Copyright (C) 2012 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@@ -2364,7 +2364,7 @@ cat >config.log <<_ACEOF
 This file contains any messages produced by compilers while
 running configure, to aid debugging if configure makes a mistake.
 
-It was created by sudo $as_me 1.8.17p1, which was
+It was created by sudo $as_me 1.8.18, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69.  Invocation command line was
 
   $ $0 $@
@@ -24868,7 +24868,7 @@ cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 # report actual input values of CONFIG_FILES etc. instead of their
 # values after options handling.
 ac_log="
-This file was extended by sudo $as_me 1.8.17p1, which was
+This file was extended by sudo $as_me 1.8.18, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69.  Invocation command line was
 
   CONFIG_FILES    = $CONFIG_FILES
@@ -24934,7 +24934,7 @@ _ACEOF
 cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 ac_cs_config="`$as_echo "$ac_configure_args" | sed 's/^ //; s/[\\""\`\$]/\\\\&/g'`"
 ac_cs_version="\\
-sudo config.status 1.8.17p1
+sudo config.status 1.8.18
 configured by $0, generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69,
   with options \\"\$ac_cs_config\\"
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d64e3c501..9feddfdd9 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ dnl
 dnl Copyright (c) 1994-1996,1998-2016 Todd C. Miller <Todd.Miller@courtesan.com>
 dnl
 AC_PREREQ([2.59])
-AC_INIT([sudo], [1.8.17p1], [https://bugzilla.sudo.ws/], [sudo])
+AC_INIT([sudo], [1.8.18], [https://bugzilla.sudo.ws/], [sudo])
 AC_CONFIG_HEADER([config.h pathnames.h])
 AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([src/sudo.c])
 dnl