Dance Show
Celebrating Nonviolence Against Women Day, 4 p.m., José Figueres Ferrer Cultural Center, San Ramón, 2447-2178.

Play: ‘Love Letters'
Romantic comedy in English by Little Theatre Group, through Dec. 7, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30 p.m., Laurence Olivier Theater, next to Sala Garbo, off Paseo Colón, 8355-1623, www.littletheatregroup.org.

Play: ‘Antes que amanesca'
Drama performed by Bacus Group, 7:30 p.m., Mexico Institute, 2283-2333.

National Symphony Orchestra
With U.S. guest violinist Kurt Nikkanen, conductor Chosei Komatsu, 8 p.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m., National Theater, Avenida 2, Calle 3, 2221-9417.

Time's Forgotten, Parque en el Espacio in concert
Rock, 8 p.m.; Cine Variedades, Calle 5, Avenida Central/1.

Elsa Basil in concert
Trova, 10 p.m., Jazz Café, San Pedro, www.jazzcafecostarica.com.

Robert Aguilar in concert
Neo soul, 10 p.m., Jazz Café, Escazú, www.jazzcafecostarica.com.

Pura Vida No Pro Surf Contest
To benefit Casa de Sueños orphanage, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Pelican Hotel, Esterillos Este. 

Pressure Buss Pipe in concert
Reggae-roots, 6 p.m., soccer field, Cocles, Puerto Viejo, Limón. Tickets at Salsa Brava Surf Shop, Puerto Viejo.

Benefit fashion show and auction
To help children with skin disease, 7 p.m., Country Plaza Shopping Center, San Rafael, Escazú, 2289-7272.

‘Guanacaste, Limón a un mismo son'
Festival including concerts by Cantoamérica, Manuel Monestel, Tucker Sisters (T-4), Max Goldenberg, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., CENAC.

7.5k race
Leaving from the Chamber of Construction of Costa Rica, Los Yoses to Parque de la Nunciatura, west Sabana Park, 9 a.m., registration at Runners Stores, and at the Chamber, 2253-5757.

Pet market
Animales de Asís (formerly Fondo de Ñato), 10 a.m.-1 p.m., La Paco commercial center, Escazú.

Miguel Cabrera in concert
Trova, 10 p.m., Jazz Café, San Pedro, www.jazzcafecostarica.com.

A high official in Costa Rica's Department of Intelligence and Security (DIS) was temporarily dismissed Thursday on suspicion of swiping online banking information and funds from private and corporate accounts, the government said.

On Wednesday, police raided the office of DIS Deputy Chief Roberto Guillén, who cannot return to his post “while the investigation involves him,” said a statement from the Presidency Ministry.

The Chief Prosecutor's Office suspects Guillén, a DIS employee for more than 10 years, of “illicit association, using false documents, falsification of documents and major fraud,” according to a press release from the state prosecutor's Technical Consultancy and International Relations Office.

Besides DIS, police on Wednesday also raided the information department at the government's Casa Presidencial in search of e-mails to and from Guillén that may be connected to the scam, which amounted to at least $350,000 in stolen bank funds, reported the daily La Nación.

Police officials said 14 people and private firms, including a well-known hotel in the central Pacific town of Quepos, were robbed after alleged fraudsters broke into their bank accounts, obtaining secret information form the Web site, Datum.net, according to La Nación.

The Web site, according to its “about us” section online, is “a private information service that enables the process of investigating and gathering data about people and companies.”

Police suspect Guillén holds a password to the site.

The prosecutor's office said it is not targeting DIS itself, rather “one of its functionaries,” said an office press release.

Vice Minister of Security José Torres, acting director of DIS, announced yesterday he will open a separate internal investigation into Guillén's activities.

The probe will look into “specifically who had access to the code (to enter the Datum.net files), if it was just Señor Guillén or not,” Torres said.

Guillén was released yesterday from police custody and must sign in every 15 days as the judicial investigation continues.

Tico Times reporter Gillian Gillers contributed.

Central American leaders are putting in their request for a group meeting with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, Guatemalan authorities said.

Guatemala's foreign minister, Haroldo Rodas, said that embassies of Central American countries in Washington, D.C., have begun placing formal requests to meet Obama.

“It has been difficult,” said Rodas, to set a date for the meeting due to Obama's tight schedule, but the bloc will continue trying until they receive a positive response.

Rodas said the region is interested in talking to Obama about issues related to immigration, security, trade and the world financial crisis.

The Costa Rican men's national soccer team racked up its sixth win Wednesday night in as many World Cup qualifying games, handling hosts El Salvador 3-1.

El Salvador notched the night's first goal the 18th minute, but Costa Rica responded with goals by Roy Myrie and Freddy Fernández in the next 12 minutes. In the second half, although the two teams shared possession almost equally, El Salvador were the ones putting consistent pressure on the goal but had to watch agonizingly as four shots on goal were saved by Tico goalie Ricardo González and two more deflected off the goalposts. Myrie sealed the deal for Costa Rica with a header in the fourth minute of injury time just before the final whistle.

La Sele, as the Tico team is known, became the only squad in the regional CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament to win all six games in the quadrangular semifinal phase, taking Group 3 with the full 18 points. Despite the loss, El Salvador still holds the second spot easily with 10 points. Both teams advance to next year's six-team “hexagonal” regional finals.

The team's performance is an affirmation of Head Coach Rodrigo Kenton's command of the squad. La Sele has moved up over 20 spots in the international rankings from 79 to 57 since he took over in late June.

In Group 2, Mexico limped into the finals after losing to Honduras 0-1 Wednesday, only edging a formidable Jamaican squad on goal differential. Honduras won the group and will advance as well.

Trinidad & Tobago also qualified Wednesday in Group 1 and will join the U.S. and the other four teams in next year's regional finals. The top three finishers in that tournament will qualify for the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The fourth-place team will play the fifth-placed finisher in the South America tournament for the hemisphere's last ticket to Africa.