MOSCOW, OCT 1 /DNA/ – The Russian Federation has taken note of the proposed peace plan for Gaza presented by the President of the United States. In relation to this initiative, the Official Representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria V. Zakharova, stated the following:

“Russia has consistently and firmly called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip.

In this context, we believe that any measures and initiatives aimed at achieving this critical goal deserve to be supported. It is our sincere hope that a ceasefire will not only take hold but will become sustainable, ultimately leading to a lasting stabilisation of the situation in the Palestinian enclave.

The establishment of a durable calm is a fundamental prerequisite for launching large-scale, comprehensive efforts to rebuild the sector’s critical infrastructure, which has suffered near-total destruction during the course of hostilities.

A successful and unimpeded implementation of this plan must pave the way for the resumption of a constructive dialogue between the Israeli and Palestinian sides. The ultimate objective remains a comprehensive political settlement of all outstanding issues on a recognised international legal basis. This foundation provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, coexisting in peace and security with Israel and all other states in the region.”

SIDOARJO, OCT 1 (AFP/APP):Rescuers pulled a survivor from the ruins of a collapsed school in Indonesia on Wednesday, as desperate parents demanded searchers speed up efforts to find dozens more still believed trapped in the rubble.

  Part of the multi-storey school on the island of Java gave way suddenly on Monday, as students gathered for afternoon prayers.

On Wednesday, rescuers said they had retrieved a survivor and a fourth body from the ruined building, but gave no details on either.

     Based on school records “91 people are suspected to be buried,” National Disaster and Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said in a statement late Tuesday.

Tearful parents milled near the ruins throughout Wednesday, awaiting news of their children.

  “We believe our children might still be alive because they were crying for help,” said father Abdul Hanan, whose 14-year-old son is missing. “The rescue operation must be accelerated.”

  “We are racing against time now,” the 45-year-old added, bursting into tears.

  Nearby, Dewi Sulistiana was awaiting news of her 14-year-old son she was last in touch with on Sunday. The boarding school limits student access to cellphones.

   She rushed to the scene from Surabaya, several dozen kilometres (miles) away, after hearing about the collapse.

       “I have been here for days. I cried thinking about my son,” she told AFP. “Why is taking so long to find him, why is the search so slow? I haven’t had any updates, so I just wait.”

– Tunnels and drones –

The rescue operation is complex, said Mohammad Syafii, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency.

  “If vibration happens in one spot, it could affect other places. So now, to reach the spot where the victims are, we have to dig an underground tunnel,” he told reporters.

   Digging itself poses challenges, including possible landslides. And any tunnel will only provide an access route around 60 centimetres (about 23 inches) wide because of the structure’s concrete columns.

     Technology including thermal-sensing drones is being used to locate survivors and the deceased as the 72-hour “golden period” for best survival chances nears its end.

   AFP saw rescuers in orange uniforms appearing to snake cameras under the rubble to hunt for traces of survivors.

     So far, signs of life have been detected in seven areas, said Emi Freezer, of the National Search and Rescue Agency.

       Water and food was being sent in, but access was through a single point, he said. “The main structure has totally collapsed.”

  Complicating the operation, an earthquake struck offshore overnight, briefly halting the search.

   Around the ruins, local charitable organisations have set up posts offering families food and drink.

   The school collapse was so violent it sent tremors across the neighbourhood, said local resident Ani.

  “I felt a vibration and then I heard a noise. I immediately ran to save myself. I didn’t realise at first it was a building collapse,” the grocery stall owner told AFP.

“Many people then also ran to save themselves,” she added.

   Investigations into the cause of the collapse were ongoing, but initial signs point to structural issues and construction that did not meet building standards, experts said.

    The building collapsed after its foundation pillars failed to support the weight of new construction on the fourth floor of the school, said the national disaster management agency spokesman.

   Lax construction standards have raised widespread concerns about building safety in Indonesia, where it is common to leave structures — particularly houses — partially completed, allowing owners to add extra floors later when their budgets permit.s

  Earlier this month, at least three people were killed and dozens injured when a building hosting a prayer recital collapsed in West Java province.

WASHINGTON, OCT 1 (APP/DNA): U.S. President Donald Trump Tuesday said he called both Pakistan and India to stop the war between the two nuclear-armed countries and again praised the Pakistani leadership for acknowledging that by doing so he saved millions of lives.

“India and Pakistan were going at it. I called them both… They had just shot down seven planes… I said, if you do this, there’s not going to be any trade, and I stopped the war. It was raging for four days,” he told American military commanders at Quantico, Virginia, near Washington DC.

Trump said he leveraged U.S. trade to end the war that the two countries fought between May 7 and 10, engaging in one of the largest aerial combats in modern warfare.

Pakistan declared that it shot down six Indian fighter jets including super-sophisticated French Rafale jets. Later, India acknowledged the losses, though without revealing the exact number of jets lost.

“And in this case, I use trade. I’m not going to trade with you. You start two nuclear nations. Big nuclear. No, no, no. You cannot do that. You go into this freaking war and I stopped it.”

On May 10, Trump announced in a social media post that India and Pakistan had agreed to a ceasefire after U.S. diplomatic engagement.

Trump also said that he was “honoured” when Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who he called “a very important guy in Pakistan”, praised him for saving millions of lives.

“I have settled so many wars” in the nine months of his administration, he said. “I’ve settled seven. And yesterday we might have settled the biggest of them all, although I don’t know, Pakistan and India was very big, both nuclear powers. I settled that.”

Referring to his peace plan to end the Gaza conflict, announced on Monday, Trump said, “We got it, I think, settled. We’ll see. Hamas has to agree, and if they don’t, it’s going to be very tough on them. But it is what it is. But all of the Arab nations, Muslim nations, have agreed.” In his remarks, Trump again went back to the conflict between India and Pakistan and praised the Pakistani officials for lauding him for saving millions of lives.

In a sign of rapidly warming U.S.-Pakistan relations, Trump spoke of his Oval Office meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.

 “The prime minister of Pakistan was here along with the Field Marshal (Asim Munir) who’s a very important guy in Pakistan. And he was here three days ago,” the U.S. president noted, referring to last Friday’s meeting.

The US president said he was honoured by Pakistani military chief’s words.

“And I didn’t even realize it as beautifully as he (Asim Munir) said it, but he said that to a group of people that were with us…He (Asim Munir) said, ‘This man (Donald Trump) saved millions of lives because he stopped the war from going on,’” Trump said.

“That war was going to get very bad. I was very honored. I love the way he (Asim Munir) said it. Susie Wiles (White House Chief of Staff) was there. She said that was the most beautiful thing. But we saved a lot of them,” Trump added.