The Daily Populous

Sunday April 29th, 2018 day edition

image for Fake five-star reviews being bought and sold online

Fake online reviews are being openly traded on the internet, a BBC investigation has found.

BBC 5 live Investigates was able to buy a false, five-star recommendation placed on one of the world's leading review websites, Trustpilot.

It also uncovered online forums where Amazon shoppers are offered full refunds in exchange for product reviews.

Both companies said they do not tolerate false reviews.

In 2016, Amazon introduced a range of measures prohibiting what it called "incentivised reviews", where businesses offered customers free goods in exchange for positive reviews.

"5 star is better for us" said one person making such an offer, in an exchange of messages with the BBC.

5 live Investigates is on BBC Radio 5 live, 29 April at 11:00 GMT - catch up on BBC iPlayer Radio. »

North Korea nuclear test site to close in May, South Korea says

Authored by bbc.com

Image copyright Reuters Image caption A satellite image of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea.

North Korea's nuclear test site will close in May, the South Korean president's office has said.

On Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in agreed to work to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons. »

The Woman Who Walked 10,000 Miles (No Exaggeration) in Three Years

Authored by nytimes.com
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This time she walked into the South Island’s Kahurangi National Park without food to see if she could survive for 30 days.

Marquis returned to Switzerland and embraced the cycle — work for money, then leave on some extreme challenge she devised for herself.

She remained captivated by what she describes as “this wild call from inside me” and decided to walk 8,700 miles around Australia. »

R.Kelly performance canceled after protests surrounding those "cult" allegations

Authored by news.avclub.com
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Nine months after canceling his latest tour—ostensibly for low ticket sales, but more realistically because Buzzfeed News ran an extensive, damning investigation into allegations that he operates a “cult” of young women whose personal and sexual lives he aggressively controls—R&B singer R. Kelly has had another performance shut down.

Kelly’s May 5 concert at his hometown’s University Of Illinois At Chicago has now apparently been shuttered, after 1,300 students, staff, and members of the public signed a petition asking for his performance to be canceled.

Natalie Bennett, director of UIC’s Women’s Leadership And Resource Center, posted an open letter to the center’s Facebook page earlier this week, urging the chancellor to cancel the performance. »

15 Great Prince Songs That Were Hits for Other Artists

Authored by rollingstone.com
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Technically, the raspy 1983 Wild Heart dance track "Stand Back," was written by Nicks herself – but Nicks has said it "belongs" to Prince.

She wrote "Stand Back" start to finish that day, humming along to the Prince single.

He "walked over to the synthesizers that were set up, was absolutely brilliant for about 25 minutes and then left," she later told Timothy White. »