TripAdvisor under investigation after complaints

Britain's advertising watchdog has launched a formal investigation into travel review website TripAdvisor after complaints that some of its reviews are made up or defamatory.

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has decided to investigate after more than 2,000 hotel and restaurant owners approached a company called KwikChex.com, claiming that some reviews, purportedly written by travellers, were either fake or defamatory.

KwikChex.com, which helps companies manage their online reputations, approached the advertising watchdog. An ASA spokesman confirmed that an investigation is underway.

KwikChex.com co-founder Chris Emmins said that he is also mounting a civil action in the United States on behalf of hotel and restaurant owners, and has submitted a formal complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, the US equivalent of the ASA.

A TripAdvisor spokesperson said the company does not comment on "current or potential regulatory investigations or litigation". The Daily Telegraph

Meet Natalia Bernal - you will hear more about her on One Voice From Africa

Natalia Bernal is a child of the desert of Atacama . She began singing Chilean, Argentine and Peruvian folk songs with her father at an early age and soon felt attracted to Jazz. Then came Brazilian music, Fusion and Latin Jazz. At the age of 8 she found her first role model: Barbra Streisand, and later studied the work of vocalists like Mercedes Sosa, Adriana Varela,  Eva Ayllon, Sarah Vaughan and Shirley Bassey. After high school, Natalia moved to Chile’s capital, Santiago City, to attend a contemporary music college. She quickly made a name for herself on the Santiago jazz scene and began searching for her own musical identity. In 2003 Natalia received the Latin American Sholarship from Berklee College of Music. She move to the U.S. to study jazz and Latin Jazz , and finally made her way into the Latin Jazz music industry. The influential environment of Berklee gave her the opportunity to work with such renowned artists as Juan Luis Guerra, Paquito D’Rivera, Ruben Blades, Rosa Passos, Eliane Elias, and Gloria Estefan. In her four years in Boston, producers and composers required her collaboration both as singer and a lyricist, and participated in several CD projects including pianist Danilo Perez production: "Panama Suite".  Natalia and guitarist David Newsam recorded an EP that featured bassist Oscar Stagnaro and drummer Mark Walker (of the GRAMMY-winning Paquito D’Rivera Quintet).

Based in New York City since 2008, Natalia Bernal has released "La Voz de Tres" (www.lavozdetres.com) with her trio Bernal/Eckroth/Ennis (available on iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby), and recorded in several projects with musicians from all over the word including: Layla Angulo Latin Band, DiSanto, Mary Ann McSweeney Quartet, Los Chamanes and more.   Her new solo project is in the making, and you can check out her upcoming performances and news at:

 www.facebook.com/nataliabernalmusic