Mon Aug 18 01:02:33 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text, followed by a news article rewritten from the provided information:

**Summary:**

The article presents a snapshot of news from August 17-18, 2025, covering Indian politics, economic policy, international relations, and other current events. Key highlights include the nomination of C.P. Radhakrishnan as the NDA’s Vice-Presidential candidate, a preview of a consumer-centric GST regime, updates on electoral roll revisions in Bihar, and discussions on simultaneous elections. The article also mentions technical issues with an Air India flight, an Air Canada strike, stranded tourists in Ranthambore, unrest in Serbia, an upcoming visit by the Chinese Foreign Minister to India, and potential security guarantees for Ukraine discussed between U.S. and Russian leaders.

**News Article:**

**Radhakrishnan Nominated for Vice-President, Modi Previews New GST Regime**

**New Delhi, August 18, 2025** – The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has nominated Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan as its candidate for Vice-President. The BJP Parliamentary Board endorsed Radhakrishnan’s name on Sunday in a meeting attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Radhakrishnan, a former MP from Coimbatore and former Tamil Nadu BJP president, is 68 years old.

In economic news, Prime Minister Modi offered a preview of a revamped Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime during his Independence Day address. Government sources indicate the new system will prioritize consumers, with a focus on the poor, MSMEs, the middle class, and farmers.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar addressed concerns regarding the deletion of 65 lakh names from Bihar’s electoral rolls. Kumar stated that the updated lists were posted on district magistrate websites within 56 hours of the Supreme Court’s order, emphasizing the necessity of the revisions due to long-standing discrepancies reported by political parties.

The debate surrounding simultaneous elections continues, with former CJI Sanjiv Khanna advising a parliamentary committee that the constitutional validity of the proposal doesn’t guarantee its desirability or necessity.

In other news:

* **Air Travel Disruption:** An Air India flight scheduled to depart from Kochi to Delhi aborted its takeoff due to a technical issue. Separately, Air Canada has suspended operations after a strike by flight attendants disrupted travel for approximately 130,000 passengers.

* **Tourism Incident:** Twenty tourists were left stranded in Ranthambore National Park after their safari vehicle broke down.

* **Serbian Unrest:** President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia is implementing strict measures against anti-government protesters amidst ongoing riots.

* **Sino-Indian Relations:** Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Modi during a two-day visit to India, starting today, ahead of Modi’s planned trip to China for the SCO summit.

* **Ukraine Conflict:** Special U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to consider a U.S. and European security guarantee for Ukraine, similar to NATO’s collective defense, as part of a potential resolution to the conflict.

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