■ Canada
More for Afghanistan
The Defence Department said it will send 200 more soldiers and a Leopard tank squadron to Afghanistan "in light of the changing tactical situation in the area."The deployment will bring to 2,500 the number of Canadian troops as part of the NATO deployment there. "We have reached the stage where, with a small increase in personnel and equipment, we can dramatically multiply our opportunities to secure and stabilize the region," General Rick Hillier said in a statement. An infantry company will protect and escort construction crews and "provide a quick reaction force for Kandahar," the announcement said. The Leopard tank squadron will allow Canadian forces to fight in those areas where Taliban fighters have built robust defenses.
■ Perubr />
Peru's `Mona Lisa' found
Peru celebrated the return on Friday of a centuries-old embossed gold headdress -- renowned as Peru's equivalent of the "Mona Lisa" -- a month after it was recovered from a dusty office cabinet in London. The antique had been stolen in 1988 from a tomb in the Jequetepeque valley in northern Peru. It was recovered last month during an undercover "sting" operation by Scotland Yard's Art and Antiques squad. Collectors. The headdress could be among Peru's most valuable treasures, worth close to US$2 million.
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