Morning news: Tropical Storm Hilary updates, Trump opts out of Republican debates, and more

Tropical Storm Hilary hit Mexico's northwestern Pacific Coast on Sunday, boasting winds of 100 kilometres per hour that reached California, bringing unexpected heavy rainfall to the arid southwestern United States. In the political arena, former US President Donald Trump has opted out of the forthcoming Republican primary debates, citinghis commanding position in recent opinion polls where he maintains a solid grip on 47 percent of the Republican vote nationally overshadowing competitors

China, in its bid to resuscitate its sluggish economy, has taken its second key benchmark lending rate cut this year, reducing the one-year loan prime rate to 3.45 percent from 3.55 percent.

Tropical Storm Hilary batters California: Floods and tornado warnings in place

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Tropical Storm Hilarymade landfall on Sunday (August 20) on Mexico's northwestern Pacific Coast, along with maximum sustained winds of 100 kilometres per hour, reaching California. It also brought heavy rains with it in the typically arid southwestern United States.

Trump confirms skipping Republican debates, cites lead in opinion polls

Former US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will not be taking part in the upcoming Republican primary debates. He took the decision basis his leading position in the recent opinion polls. It is worth noting that the recent polls reflect the dominance of former president Trump in the Republican quarters.The most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll from this month indicated that Trump commands 47 percent of the Republican vote nationally. Meanwhile, Trump's rival and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis saw a decline of six percentage points from July, settling at 13 percent.

China slashes key benchmark lending rates to revive sluggish economy

Amid efforts to reviveits sluggish economy, the second-largest in the world, China has slashed key benchmark lending rates, a move taken for the second time this year, media reports said.The People's Bank of China (PBOC) took action on Monday by decreasing the one-year loan prime rate (LPR) by 10 basis points from 3.55 percent to 3.45 percent.

Threads plans launch of web version of app next week: Report

Meta Platforms is planning to launch the web version of its microblogging app Threads, reported the Wall Street Journal on Sunday (August 20), citing people familiar with the matter.

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