Bishkek, Sep 1: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) must work unitedly to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorism as well as its financing, and there can’t be any room for double standards in combating the menace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

In his address at the annual SCO summit in this Kyrgyz capital city, the prime minister also said that all wars and conflicts in the world must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy as no solution can be found on battlefields.

Modi also stressed that connectivity projects must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, remarks seen as an oblique reference to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The prime minister’s comments on the need for dealing with terrorism assumed significance as they came amid New Delhi’s relentless efforts to corner Pakistan on cross-border terrorist activities.

We must dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorism as well as its financing, he said.

We must speak in one voice that there can be no place for double standards in dealing with terrorism, Modi added.

The prime minister also said that there can be no solution to wars and conflicts on battle field and they must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. He also said that India supports all efforts that connect markets, facilitate trade, and open new pathways for development.

At the same time, Modi added that efforts towards connectivity must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.

For India, SCO is a confluence of great civilisation, culture and ideas, he said. Three main pillars of India’s vision for SCO are security, connectivity and opportunity, Modi noted.

Kathmandu, Sep 01: More than 11,000 people have been rescued from flood-affected areas in Nepal so far, with over 22,000 security personnel mobilised for search and rescue operations, officials said on Tuesday.

As of Monday, the death toll from the devastating flash floods was 939, while around 4,000 people were still missing.

At least 16 helicopters have also been deployed for search and rescue operations in the affected areas, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) spokesperson Shanti Mahat said.

More than 11,000 people have been rescued so far, he said, adding that the government has intensified search and rescue efforts in the flood-hit areas.

Over 22,000 security personnel, including those from the Nepal Army, have been mobilised for the operations, Mahat said.

So far, 254 labourers and technicians have been rescued from the Upper Trishuli 1 Hydropower Project sites, while search operations continue with the involvement of Indian and Chinese tunnel rescue experts.

According to the latest figures, 927 bodies have been sealed, of which 51 have been handed over to family members following identification, while 726 remain unidentified.

As many as 413 unidentified bodies have so far been managed or buried in accordance with standard international norms, officials said.

The authorities have arranged temporary shelter for 2,970 displaced people at various holding centres.

Meanwhile, the NDRRMA issued an alert to people living along the banks of the Bishnumati River after its water level near the Gongabu area crossed the danger mark.

The authority urged residents in riverbank areas to remain alert and take necessary precautions.

New York, Sep 01: A woman randomly stabbed two people in New York City’s Times Square, killing one woman, and then was fatally shot by police, according to the New York Police Department.

The shooting on Monday happened next to a New York Police Department substation, just outside One Times Square, the building that hosts the city’s annual New Year’s Eve ball drop celebration. It is one of the most heavily touristed and policed spots in all of New York.

The 49-year-old woman from Queens pulled out two knives from a shopping bag and stabbed a 68-year-old man in the abdomen before quickly turning and stabbing a 32-year-old woman also in the abdomen, police said at a news conference Monday evening.

Both were taken to the hospital. The woman died and the man is in stable condition, according to police.

Police didn’t say disclose if the victims were tourists visiting the city or residents.

Videos posted on social media show a group of at least 10 officers gathered around the woman, who was holding two large kitchen knives.

Officers tried to convince the woman to drop the knives for several minutes before using a Taser, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. The woman told them: “I’m not dropping anything, I would rather kill both of you,” Tisch said.

Two officers then shot the woman. In the video posted by bystanders, the woman fell to the ground, where an officer handcuffed her. Officers rolled her onto her back and rendered first aid.

“This was an extraordinarily dangerous situation unfolding in the heart of Times Square, the crossroads of the world,” Tisch said.

The woman has a “documented mental health history with the NYPD” but no arrest history, Tisch said.

Police are investigating. Tisch said there was no evidence suggesting it was a terrorist attack.

The names of the victims have not been released until next of kin are notified, according to police.

“We know that those families’ lives have been shattered by what took place today, and we will continue to hold them close as the hours and days and weeks continue from this moment,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The NYPD closed part of 7th Avenue and warned the public to stay away from the area. Police tape cordoned off the area as a large group of law enforcement officers worked nearby.