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ByCarleyPeteschand Babacar Dione The Associated Press BANJUL, GAMBIA Gam- bia's defeated leader Ya- hya Jammeh announced early Saturday he has de- cided to relinquish power, after hours of last-ditch talks with regional lead- ers and the threat by a re- gional military force to make him leave. "I believe it is not neces- sary that a single drop of blood be shed," Jammeh said in a brief statement on state television. He prom- ised that "all the issues we currently face will be re- solved peacefully." He did not give de- tails on any deal that was struck, and it was not im- mediately clear when Ad- ama Barrow, who beat Jammeh in last month's election, would return from neighboring Sene- gal to take power. But the speech sig- naled an end to the po- litical crisis that has seen this tiny West African na- tion caught between two men claiming to be in charge. Late Friday, Bar- row declared that "the rule of fear" in Gambia had ended. Shortly before Jam- meh's address, Maurita- nian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz told re- porters that a deal had been reached and that Jammeh would leave the country. He and Guinean President Alpha Conde had handled the talks. A State House offi- cial close to the situation said Jammeh would leave within three days, pos- sibly on Saturday with Conde, who was spend- ing the night in Gambia's capital, Banjul. The offi- cial spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak about the situation to press. The famously mer- curial Jammeh at first shocked Gambians by conceding his election loss to Barrow, but with the possibility of prosecu- tion hanging over him for human rights abuses al- leged during his 22 years in power, he decided to change his mind. Barrow was inaugurated Thurs- day at Gambia's embassy in Senegal because of concerns for his safety. The defeated Gambian leader, who first seized power in a 1994 coup, has been holed up this week in his official residence in Banjul, increasingly iso- lated as his security forces abandoned him and he dissolved his Cabinet. Defense forces chief Ousmane Badjie on Fri- day told The Associated Press that Gambia's secu- rity services now support Barrow and would not oppose the regional force that was ready to move against Jammeh if he re- fused to step down. "You cannot push us to war for an issue we can solve politically," Badjie said. "We don't see any reason to fight." The force, including tanks, had rolled into Gambia without facing any resistance, said Mar- cel Alain de Souza, chair- man of the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS. At least 20 military vehi- cles were seen Friday at the border town of Ka- rang. The force included troops from Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Mali, and they moved in after Barrow's inaugu- ration and a unanimous vote by the U.N. Security Council to support the re- gional efforts. Fearing violence, about 45,000 people have fled Gambia for Senegal, ac- cording to the U.N. refu- gee agency. Jammeh earlier had agreed to step down but demanded amnesty for any crimes he may have committed while in power and wanted to stay in Gambia, in his home vil- lage of Kanilai, de Souza said Friday. Those de- mands were not accept- able to ECOWAS, he added. In his address early Sat- urday, Jammeh expressed "infinite gratitude to all Gambians" and said not a single person had been killed during the political crisis. "Our decision today was not dictated by any- thing else but by you, the supreme interest of our Gambian people, and our dear country." WEST AFRICA Gambia'sdefeated leader agrees to cede power, leave By Kristen Gelineau The Associated Press SYDNEY A man with a his- tory of mental health and drug abuse issues drove into a street crowded with pedestrians in Australia's second-largest city on Fri- day, killing at least four people, including a child, and injuring around 15 oth- ers, police said. The chaos began in the early afternoon, after a man was seen driving in erratic circles in the middle of a major intersection in downtown Melbourne. The driver then turned onto the Bourke Street Mall, a pedes- trian-only road, deliber- ately mowing people down before continuing onto a sidewalk and hitting sev- eral others, Victoria state Police Acting Commander Stuart Bateson said. Police shot the driver and arrested him at the scene. The 26-year-old man was being treated at a hospital for non-life threatening in- juries, police said. Officials have not released his name and said there is no further threat to the public. The incident comes amid global concern over extrem- ists using vehicles to strike crowds, following truck at- tacks in Berlin and Nice, France last year. Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ash- ton said the Melbourne inci- dent had no terror links. The driver has a history of mental health and drug abuse issues, and has an extensive record of domes- tic violence, Ashton told re- porters. Last weekend, he was arrested after police say he assaulted members of his family. Before he began his ram- page through Melbourne, police say he was involved in a domestic stabbing inci- dent in a suburb earlier Fri- day. Police tried to intercept his vehicle, but called off the chase before he entered the downtown area because he was driving so erratically. Ashton said they feared a chasethroughthecitymight endanger the community. Two adults and a child were killed after being struck by the man's car, Ashton said. They were not related. A fourth person died in a hospital Friday night. Police did not release any details of that victim. Another 15 people were injured. Of those, five were in critical condition, includ- ing an infant. FATAL RAMPAGE 4 killed, 15 hurt a er car hits pedestrians in Melbourne By Paolo Santalucia, Gregorio Borgia and Colleen Barry The Associated Press FARINDOLA, ITALY With cheers of "Bravo! Bravo!" rescue crews pulled sur- vivors from the debris of an avalanche-crushed ho- tel in central Italy on Fri- day, boosting spirits two days after the massive snow slide buried some 30 people. Four children were among the 10 people found alive — and one asked for cookies when she got out. The news buoyed rescue workers who had already located four bodies in the rubble of the luxury Ho- tel Rigopiano, 180 kilome- ters (112 miles) northeast of Rome, where the avalanche dumped 16½ feet (5 meters) of snow on top of the resort. "Today is a day of hope. There's a miracle under way," declared Ilario Lac- chetta, mayor of the tiny town of Farindola, where the hotel is located. Relatives of the miss- ing rushed from the rescue operations center in the mountains to the seaside hospital where the survi- vors were taken for treat- ment in hopes that their loved ones were among the lucky few to be found. First word of the discov- ery came around 11 a.m. Video released by rescuers showed a boy wearing blue snow pants and a matching ski jacket emerging through a tunnel dug in the snow. It was Gianfilippo Parete, the 8-year-old son of Giampiero Parete, a chef vacationing at the resort who had gone to his car when the avalanche struck and first sounded the alarm by calling his boss. Emergency crews mussed the boy's hair in celebra- tion. "Bravo! Bravo!" they cheered. Next to emerge was the boy's mother, Adri- ana Vranceanu, 43, wear- ing red snow pants and ap- pearing alert as she told rescuers that her 6-year- old daughter, Ludovica, was still trapped inside. Mother and son were helped to a stretcher for the helicopter ride out. They were then reunited with Parete at a hospital in the coastal town of Pescara, suffering from hypothermia and dehydration but other- wise in good health, hospi- tal officials said. "They had heavy clothes," said Dr. Rossano di Luzio. "They had ski caps to cover themselves. They remained away from the snow and cold, they were always in- side the structure. That's why the hypothermia wasn't severe." Ludovica was later res- cued and asked for cookies when she got out: Ringos, an Italian version of Oreos, said Quintino Marcella, the restaurant owner who ral- lied the rescue after getting the phone call from her fa- ther. About 30 people were trapped inside the hotel in the Gran Sasso moun- tain range when the ava- lanche hit Wednesday after days of winter storms that dumped up to three meters (nearly 10 feet) of snow in some places. The region was also rocked by four earthquakes on Wednesday, though it was not clear if they set off the avalanche. As the rescue work con- tinued, relatives of the miss- ing gathered anxiously at the Pescara hospital wait- ing for word of their loved ones. "I just hope that my niece and her boyfriend will make it out of there," said Melissa Riccardo. "We came to see if she was here." A few erupted in frus- tration at an evening news conference. "The only news I have has been from the inter- net. They haven't given me anything direct," said Do- menico Angelozzi, await- ing news of his sister and brother-in-law. The number of survi- vors found and extracted evolved over the course of the day. "We found five people alive. We're pulling them out. Send us a helicopter!" a rescuer was heard saying over a firefighters' radio as Associated Press reporters made their way on foot to the site of the disaster. Late Friday, civil pro- tection chief Fabrizio Cari said a total of 10 people had been found alive: Five who had been extracted, includ- ing four children. Rescuers were working to remove the rest, he said. "A beautiful feeling. Won- derful. I can't describe it!" marveled Simona Di Carlo, aunt of Edoardo Di Carlo, after hearing word that he was among the survivors. "But I would like to see him." Rescue crews said one group of survivors was found in the hotel's kitchen area in an air pocket that formed when reinforced concrete walls partially re- sisted the avalanche's vio- lent power. "It's probable that they realized the risk and took protective measures," fire- fighter Giuseppe Romano said. ITALY 'Miracle underway': Rescuers pull out avalanche survivors from buried hotel ITALIANFIREFIGHTERS—ANSA This frame from video shows Italian firefighters extracting a boy alive Friday from under snow and debris of a hotel hit by an avalanche Wednesday in Rigopiano, Italy. InPrintEveryTuesday-Thursday-Saturday Online:Publishes24/7 www.redbluffdailynews.com Threeadditionalonline locations at no extra cost! Print and On-Line HOMESERVICESDIRECTORY Full Size $ 117 .50 Per Month No early cancellation, non-refundable TWOSIZESTOCHOOSEFROM Half Size $ 70 .00 Per Month Construction Burrows Construction Remodel, New Additions, Siding Repair and Replacement, Water and Dryrot New Construction Foundation to Finish Ph:(530) 515-9779 Residential•Commerical PATIOS•DECKS REFRENCES Lic#824770 Roofing Call for Estimates! Residential, Commercial & Mobiles www.harbertroofing.com HARBERT ROOFING, INC. 530-223-3251 Lic# 696974 Time To Roof? Blinds Need Blinds? 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