Simple English News Daily Friday 18th July 2025. Syria ceasefire. ByteDance top. Iraq fire. Africa payments. US Coca-Cola sugar. UK voting age. Germany UK treaty...
Jul 18, 2025
In just seven minutes, the podcast captures critical global events from July 18, 2025. A ceasefire in Syria highlights the need to protect minorities amid growing tensions. ByteDance emerges as a social media powerhouse. A tragic fire devastates a shopping mall in Iraq. Meanwhile, Africa unveils a new payment system, and Coca-Cola shifts to cane sugar in the U.S. Political changes stir in the UK with discussions on a lower voting age. Unusual stories include a bear shooting in Norway and a strawberry pasta craze ignited by a tennis star's comments.
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Complex Druze Conflict in Syria
- The Druze minority in Syria faces violence involving militias, Bedouin tribes, and the Syrian government army.
- The conflict includes complex dynamics with Israel's involvement and a significant death toll over one week.
ByteDance Tops Social Media Revenue
- ByteDance has become the world's biggest social media company by revenue.
- It overtook Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, with $43 billion versus $42 billion in Q1 2025.
African Payment System Initiative
- African central banks plan to create a unified payment system for cross-border trade.
- This reduces reliance on foreign banking systems and mirrors payment systems used in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.