Vacations in La Aduana 
Cultural shows, workshops, games, skating and bike exhibitions, concerts, plays, dance shows, through Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., La Aduana, San José.  

Angelicus Chorale concert 
Performing Vivaldi's Magnificat and Christmas carols, 7 p.m., Church of the Immaculate Conception, downtown Heredia. 

Son del Pueblo in concert
Salsa, 9:30 p.m., El Observatorio, opposite Cine Magaly, Barrio La California, San José, info: 2223-0725.

Moonlight Dub in concert
Dub reggae, 10 p.m., Jazz Café, San José, info: 2253-8933, www.jazzcafecostarica.com.

Peter Paredes in concert
Tico singer songwriter, 10 p.m., Jazz Café, Escazú, info: 2288-4740, www.jazzcafecostarica.com.

The National Oil Refinery (RECOPE) reported on Thursday that oil consumption in Costa Rica during November dropped 13 percent compared with the same month last year.

RECOPE recorded consumption of 1,279,838 barrels last month – a drop from the 1,474,411 barrels in November 2007.

The fuel used for large ships marked the biggest decrease last month, dropping 82 percent below that registered in November last year.

Regular gasoline sales in November dipped 7.66 percent, selling 23,930 fewer barrels.

Costa Ricans also pumped 9.39 percent less diesel last month.

Bunker fuel, used by ships, sank 31.4 percent.

Immigration Police have deported a total of 25 African nationals who had entered Costa Rica illegally in recent weeks on their way to the United States.

In the most recent arrest, four men from the northeastern African country of Eritrea were arrested in Liberia, Guanacaste, in northwestern Costa Rica, en route to Nicaragua. The four men, all construction workers whose ages range from 26 to 35, are already back in their country in eastern Africa. Two of the men had identification cards from Italy and the other two from Malta.

Immigration Police Chief Francisco Castaing said in a statement that African migrants often first enter Italy illegally. While their immigration status is being resolved, they are issued an ID card that permits them to travel through the European Union. They then travel from Italy to Spain, and from there to Costa Rica, with the ultimate goal of continuing north to the United States. Other routes include leaving Europe from Malta and entering Costa Rica by land, traveling from Venezuela and Panama.

Immigration officials believe the recent arrests indicate the existence of a network dedicated to transporting African nationals to the United States, according to a Public Security Ministry press release.

The annual Teletón fundraising event this weekend for Costa Rica's National Children's Hospital beat its target of about $850,000.

The telethon launched Friday and ended yesterday morning, and before all donations were counted funds had already reached 477 million colones, equal to more than $870,000.

The event had a little help from pop singers, including Spain's Chenoa, Venezuela's José Luis Rodríguez “El Puma,” Mexico's Nikki Clan and Colombia's Alicastro.

The money will finance new medical equipment for the hospital's burn treatment unit.

Cristal Pérez, 11, was this year's telethon poster child, having suffered second- and third-degree burns on her face, arms and legs in an accident that occurred at a school science fair.