Conservative populist Laura Fernandez won Costa Rica`s presidency, promising to continue the aggressive reorienting of the Central American nation`s politics started by her political sponsor, outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves. (Pics/AFP)

Raging wildfires in the Argentine Patagonia have blazed through nearly 12,000 hectares of scrubland and planted and native forests, threatening local communities, according to firefighting authorities. (Pics/AFP)