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Far out at sea, second Dec. storm forms

MIAMI - Tropical Storm Peter formed Tuesday in the Atlantic Ocean, the second named storm to develop since the Atlantic hurricane season ended Dec. 1.

At 10 p.m., Peter was in the far eastern Atlantic at 22.9 N latitude and 37.0 W longitude, about 870 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands, the National Hurricane Center said. It had sustained winds of 50 mph and was moving toward the north at 15 mph; it was expected to dissipate within a day.

Peter follows Tropical Storm Odette, which flooded parts of the Dominican Republic last weekend, killing eight.

Odette was the first storm ever to form in the Caribbean Sea in December. This is the first time since 1887 that two tropical storms have formed in the Atlantic basin during December, the hurricane center said.

MONROVIA, Liberia - Angry ex-fighters rampaged in Liberia's capital by the hundreds for a second day Tuesday, leading U.N. authorities to grant their demands of on-the-spot payment for guns surrendered under a fledgling postwar disarmament effort.

The U.N. peace mission announced it would give each fighter $75 to turn in a weapon and enter a disarmament camp.

JAPAN GIVES UP ON MARS PROBE: Japan abandoned its troubled mission to Mars on Tuesday after space officials failed in their final effort to put the Nozomi probe back on course to orbit the Red Planet. Japan's first interplanetary explorer had been traveling for five years toward Mars and would have reached the planet next week.

RED CROSS WON'T DUCK TROUBLE: The Red Cross on Tuesday appealed for $716-million for next year, pledging not to abandon its risky operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other danger spots. The budget represents a decrease of $27-million compared with last year. Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said much of that drop was due to the improved situation in Afghanistan.