Argentina

I read about Canada discontinuing tax refunds for visitors. Are there other countries that have these refunds for people who make purchases while visiting? While Canada may have eliminated tax refunds through its visitor rebate program, many other countries continue to offer VAT (value added tax) refunds for purchases made by foreign visitors. Here's a partial list: Australia, Austria, Britain, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

BUENOS AIRES -- The arrest of former Argentine President Isabel Peron in Spain yesterday signaled an expansion of human rights cases here beyond the former military junta to the epoch of strongman Juan Domingo Peron, father of Argentina's current ruling party. The 75-year-old former president, whose full name is Maria Estela Martinez de Peron, was arrested at her home near Madrid after a federal judge in Argentina issued a warrant for her detention, officials reported. A Spanish tribunal later ordered her conditional release pending an extradition request from Argentina.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Defiled by grave robbers, banished from the presidential grounds and sliced for DNA samples, the battered remains of former Argentine President Juan Domingo Peron was moved yesterday to a new monument where enthusiasts hope the remains of his celebrated former wife Eva "Evita" Peron will one day join him. But violent clashes among rival union groups at the mausoleum site southwest of Buenos Aires marred the planned ceremony....

When you're the president, you do get certain advantages. Evo Morales, president of Bolivia, is an avid soccer player. He recently played in a match against other politicians and scored on a penalty kick in his team's 5-0 victory. Morales' side did have somewhat of an edge - his team included members of his security detail and retired players from Bolivia's 1994 World Cup squad. Morales tried to get some other South American presidents to play - Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Nestor Kirchner of Argentina - but they all declined.

The cuisine of another South American country has come to Fells Point. Adding to the mix there of Latino eateries that offer dishes from Mexico, El Salvador and Argentina -- just to name a few -- you'll find the Brazilian-themed Aquarelas. The name comes from a style of Brazilian music, according to Carmen Nusinov, who co-owns the place with fellow Brazilian Soraya Asmar. Before you lump Aquarelas into the rest of the spicy Latin combo, Nusinov points out the biggest difference between her country's cuisine and that of many other Central and South American countries.

A U.S. loss in an international basketball tournament no longer elicits shock. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Carmelo Anthony and the Americans were to meet Argentina today in the bronze-medal game at the FIBA world championships in Japan. Its gold-medal plans were wrecked in yesterday's 101-95 semifinal loss to Greece. By one measure the first U.S. loss in the tournament is a considerable improvement over two recent flops in international play. Still, it was a huge disappointment. A losing streak to the Argentines traces the Americans' fall from grace in the game that was invented in the U.S. Tomorrow will mark the fourth anniversary of a loss to Argentina at the 2002 world championships in Indianapolis.

BERLIN -- It's a soccer lesson that has been hammered home time and time again over the decades: never, ever, under any circumstance, at any time, anywhere, give Germany a second chance. Argentina must not have been listening. World Cup Today: England vs. Portugal, 11 a.m., chs. 2, 7; Brazil vs. France, 3 p.m., ESPN

HAMBURG, Germany -- Somewhere among the four World Cup quarterfinal matches, a great moment surely awaits. But it is the Argentina-Germany quarterfinal clash in Berlin today that has everyone talking. World Cup Today: Argentina vs. Germany, 10:55 a.m., ESPN; Italy vs. Ukraine, 2:55 p.m, ESPN2

Good morning -- Argentina -- Six goals? You're going to give your play-by-play guy laryngitis.

PARIS -- They are the two men standing in the way of the most eagerly anticipated French Open men's final since John McEnroe faced Ivan Lendl in 1984. David Nalbandian of Argentina and Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia. So, just how do you say the word "spoiler" in one of the several languages Ljubicic speaks, or in Nalbandian's native tongue, Spanish? It may be of use because a French Open final between top-seeded Roger Federer of Switzerland and No. 2 and defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain -- while highly desired by those tennis fans not living in Croatia or Argentina -- is hardly a sure thing.