Daily Headlines: January 5, 2015

* Latin America: Argentine-born Pope Francis selected fifteen new cardinals including one each from Panama, Uruguay, and Mexico reportedly in order to promote diversity within the Catholic Church.
 
* Panama: A consortium led by Spanish firm Sacyr claimed to have won a $234 million ruling for cost overruns on the expansion of the Panama Canal.

* Cuba: The U.S. Coast Guard have apparently noticed a spike in Cuban migrants traveling by sea since the leaders of both countries agreed to improve relations.

* Venezuela: President Nicolás Maduro proposed freeing imprisoned opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez if the U.S. would liberate Puerto Rican activist Oscar Lopez Rivera.

Video Source – YouTube via ROME REPORTS in English

Online Sources – New York Times; CBC News; Reuters; NBC News