The Year in Latin 2014, 10 Tropical Latin Christmas Songs, and More in This Week's Latin Digest

TOP STORIES The Year in Latin 2014: Romeo Santos and Enrique Iglesias Lead Songs and Albums  The year in Latin music saw the continuation of a tropical wave, as Romeo Santos and Marc Anthony maintained their presence at the top of the charts. It was a male dominated year across Latin genres, led by veteran Enrique Iglesias and newer artists like J Balvin and Remmy Valenzuela staking their claims. Regional Mexican star Gerardo Ortiz and bachata singer Prince Royce each made strong showing on the year-end charts, and a parting of ways saw both Wisin and Yandel each achieve solo chart rankings. Latin Radio Exec Jesus Salas Cleared of Criminal Charges in Rape Accusation  No criminal charges will be filed against prominent Latin radio executive Jesus Salas in a case that saw his former girlfriend, aspiring singer Katherine Alexander, accuse him of rape and gun threats. Daddy Yankee to Coach 'La Voz Kids': 'They Won't Fear Me, But I'm Demanding!'  Daddy Yankee gives Billboard an exclusive interview on his new stint as a judge on Telemundo's "La Voz Kids." He'll take the judge's seat in Spring, 2015. Jenni Rivera's Estate Launches Lawsuit Against Learjet Owners  The negligence case is against Starwood Management Inc., which owned the Learjet 25 jet that crashed in northern Mexico in December 2012 after plunging more than 28,000 feet. 10 Tropical Latin Christmas Songs  Christmas in the tropics means trading jingle bells and roasted chestnuts for roast pig and rum. And forget about silent nights. We wish you a sweaty, sexy and sabroso Christmas with this sampler of 10 songs to ignite your own hot holiday fiesta. Google to Shut Down Search Engine in Spain  Spain's tough IP law is to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2015. J. Balvin & Jenni Rivera Collect New No. 1s  Rising urban act J. Balvin continues his chart ascent as “Ay Vamos” becomes the second No. 1 on Latin Airplay for the Colombian singer. A 10 percent audience increase, to 10.7 million audience impressions according to Nielsen Music in the week ending Dec. 7, was enough to bump Juan Luis Guerra from his seven week lead at the top (he falls 1-2). Juan Flores, Scholar of Nuyorican Music and Culture, Dies at 71  Juan Flores, a professor and writer whose work often explored music’s role in Latino identity, has died. The 71-year-old author of books including “From Bomba to Hip-Hop,” Flores had reportedly been working on a biography of Puerto Rican pianist and bandleader Eddie Palmieri. The 10 Best Latin Albums of 2014  Billboard counts down our picks for the best Latin albums of 2014.