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5 deaths blamed on weakening Marty

GUAYMAS, Mexico - Tropical Storm Marty sideswiped Mexico's western mainland Tuesday before weakening into a tropical depression as it moved northward, dumping rain on portions of the southwestern United States.

Marty's maximum sustained winds dropped to 35 mph, down from a peak of 100 mph a day earlier, when hurricane-force winds slammed into the Los Cabos tourist region on the Baja California peninsula. Authorities blamed five deaths on the storm; one of the victims drowned as he was trying to secure his boat, witnesses said.

Traveling quickly over the Gulf of California, Marty knocked out power to Guaymas, the largest port in Sonora state. Phone lines went dead, the wind toppled hotel signs, and 2 feet of water flowed down city streets.

JERUSALEM - Israel's defense minister said Tuesday that the government had no intention of releasing a jailed Palestinian leader but that progress was being made toward a prisoner swap with Lebanese guerrillas.

Freeing Marwan Barghouti, considered a potential successor to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, could help get the stalled U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan back on track.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Barghouti was not likely to be part of a deal to exchange Arab prisoners, including Palestinians, for Israeli businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah in 2000.

TOURISM CAMPAIGN TO REACH SYNAGOGUES: Thousands of American Jews attending High Holy Day services this week will find a different kind of pledge card on their seats at synagogue - instead of asking for donations, the card is seeking a promise to visit Israel.

The Israel Ministry of Tourism on Tuesday launched what it called its largest campaign ever to lure visitors from the United States, sending out pledge cards to thousands of U.S. congregations before services marking the Jewish New Year.

U.N. DRUG REPORT: The supply and use of synthetic drugs such as ecstasy and amphetamines are soaring worldwide in part because the public doesn't realize how dangerous they can be, a U.N. report said Tuesday. The report, presented at a news conference in Rome, estimated that global use of ecstasy rose by 70 percent and use of amphetamines rose by 40 percent from 1995-1997 to 2000-2001. More than 40-million worldwide, or 1 percent of all people 15 years or older, used amphetamine-type stimulants in 2000-2001, the report said.

IVORY COAST DEAL IMPERILED: Rebel leaders said Tuesday they were abandoning their posts in Ivory Coast's power-sharing government and halting disarmament amid spiraling tensions since the official end of civil war months ago.