diff --git a/lib/action.php b/lib/action.php
index 8ba2abc9f9..251b1dadac 100644
--- a/lib/action.php
+++ b/lib/action.php
@@ -277,6 +277,13 @@ class Action extends HTMLOutputter // lawsuit
             $this->cssLink('css/display.css', $baseTheme, $media);
         }
         $this->cssLink('css/display.css', $mainTheme, $media);
+
+        // Additional styles for RTL languages
+        if (is_rtl(common_language())) {
+            if (file_exists(Theme::file('css/rtl.css'))) {
+                $this->cssLink('css/rtl.css', $mainTheme, $media);
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/lib/apiaction.php b/lib/apiaction.php
index 64b4284f6a..7b2f70c07c 100644
--- a/lib/apiaction.php
+++ b/lib/apiaction.php
@@ -241,13 +241,13 @@ class ApiAction extends Action
 
         // Is the requesting user following this user?
         $twitter_user['following'] = false;
-        $twitter_user['statusnet:blocking'] = false;
+        $twitter_user['statusnet_blocking'] = false;
         $twitter_user['notifications'] = false;
 
         if (isset($this->auth_user)) {
 
             $twitter_user['following'] = $this->auth_user->isSubscribed($profile);
-            $twitter_user['statusnet:blocking']  = $this->auth_user->hasBlocked($profile);
+            $twitter_user['statusnet_blocking']  = $this->auth_user->hasBlocked($profile);
 
             // Notifications on?
             $sub = Subscription::pkeyGet(array('subscriber' =>
@@ -317,6 +317,7 @@ class ApiAction extends Action
 
         $twitter_status['source'] = $source;
         $twitter_status['id'] = intval($notice->id);
+        $twitter_status['statusnet_conversation_id'] = intval($notice->conversation);
 
         $replier_profile = null;
 
diff --git a/lib/language.php b/lib/language.php
index 2af62fea0c..d72380e466 100644
--- a/lib/language.php
+++ b/lib/language.php
@@ -289,6 +289,21 @@ function get_nice_language_list()
     return $nice_lang;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Check whether a language is right-to-left
+ *
+ * @param string $lang language code of the language to check
+ * 
+ * @return boolean true if language is rtl
+ */
+
+function is_rtl($lang)
+{
+    $all_languages = common_config('site', 'languages');
+    $lang = $all_languages[$lang];
+    return ($lang['direction'] == 'rtl');
+}
+
 /**
  * Get a list of all languages that are enabled in the default config
  *
diff --git a/plugins/Activity/ActivityPlugin.php b/plugins/Activity/ActivityPlugin.php
index cd47427e0a..b21fa90653 100644
--- a/plugins/Activity/ActivityPlugin.php
+++ b/plugins/Activity/ActivityPlugin.php
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ class ActivityPlugin extends Plugin
         if (!empty($user)) {
         	$sub = Subscription::pkeyGet(array('subscriber' => $subscriber->id,
                                            	   'subscribed' => $other->id));
-            $rendered = sprintf(_m('<em><a href="%s">%s</a> started following <a href="%s">%s</a></em>.'),
+            $rendered = sprintf(_m('<a href="%s">%s</a> started following <a href="%s">%s</a>.'),
             					$subscriber->profileurl,
             					$subscriber->getBestName(),
                                 $other->profileurl,
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ class ActivityPlugin extends Plugin
         if(!$this->StopFollowUser) return true;
         $user = $subscriber->getUser();
         if (!empty($user)) {
-            $rendered = sprintf(_m('<em><a href="%s">%s</a> stopped following <a href="%s">%s</a></em>.'),
+            $rendered = sprintf(_m('<a href="%s">%s</a> stopped following <a href="%s">%s</a>.'),
             					$subscriber->profileurl,
             					$subscriber->getBestName(),
                                 $other->profileurl,
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ class ActivityPlugin extends Plugin
             $fave   = Fave::pkeyGet(array('user_id' => $user->id,
             						  	  'notice_id' => $notice->id));
             
-            $rendered = sprintf(_m('<em><a href="%s">%s</a> liked <a href="%s">%s\'s update</a></em>.'),
+            $rendered = sprintf(_m('<a href="%s">%s</a> liked <a href="%s">%s\'s update</a>.'),
             					$profile->profileurl,
             					$profile->getBestName(),
                                 $notice->bestUrl(),
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ class ActivityPlugin extends Plugin
 
         if (!empty($user)) {
             $author = Profile::staticGet('id', $notice->profile_id);
-            $rendered = sprintf(_m('<em><a href="%s">%s</a> stopped liking <a href="%s">%s\'s update</a></em>.'),
+            $rendered = sprintf(_m('<a href="%s">%s</a> stopped liking <a href="%s">%s\'s update</a>.'),
             					$profile->profileurl,
             					$profile->getBestName(),
                                 $notice->bestUrl(),
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ class ActivityPlugin extends Plugin
             return true;
         }
         
-        $rendered = sprintf(_m('<em><a href="%s">%s</a> joined the group <a href="%s">%s</a></em>.'),
+        $rendered = sprintf(_m('<a href="%s">%s</a> joined the group <a href="%s">%s</a>.'),
             				$profile->profileurl,
             				$profile->getBestName(),
                             $group->homeUrl(),
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ class ActivityPlugin extends Plugin
             return true;
         }
         
-        $rendered = sprintf(_m('<em><a href="%s">%s</a> left the group <a href="%s">%s</a></em>.'),
+        $rendered = sprintf(_m('<a href="%s">%s</a> left the group <a href="%s">%s</a>.'),
             				$profile->profileurl,
             				$profile->getBestName(),
                             $group->homeUrl(),
diff --git a/plugins/Activity/joinlistitem.php b/plugins/Activity/joinlistitem.php
index 1979524001..5764f1d2e6 100644
--- a/plugins/Activity/joinlistitem.php
+++ b/plugins/Activity/joinlistitem.php
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ class JoinListItem extends SystemListItem
             $out->elementStart('div', 'join-activity');
         	$profile = $mem->getMember();
         	$group = $mem->getGroup();
-        	$out->raw(sprintf(_m('<em><a href="%s">%s</a> joined the group <a href="%s">%s</a></em>.'),
+        	$out->raw(sprintf(_m('<a href="%s">%s</a> joined the group <a href="%s">%s</a>.'),
             					$profile->profileurl,
             					$profile->getBestName(),
                             	$group->homeUrl(),
diff --git a/plugins/Activity/systemlistitem.php b/plugins/Activity/systemlistitem.php
index d2b99c802e..0b8d2f4c02 100644
--- a/plugins/Activity/systemlistitem.php
+++ b/plugins/Activity/systemlistitem.php
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class SystemListItem extends NoticeListItemAdapter
     function showNotice()
     {
         $out = $this->nli->out;
-        $out->elementStart('div');
+        $out->elementStart('div', 'entry-title');
         $this->showContent();
         $out->elementEnd('div');
     }
diff --git a/plugins/DirectionDetector/DirectionDetectorPlugin.php b/plugins/DirectionDetector/DirectionDetectorPlugin.php
index be8dbea8e5..890af06807 100644
--- a/plugins/DirectionDetector/DirectionDetectorPlugin.php
+++ b/plugins/DirectionDetector/DirectionDetectorPlugin.php
@@ -42,15 +42,6 @@ class DirectionDetectorPlugin extends Plugin {
         return true;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * SN plugin API, here we will add css needed for modifiyed rendered
-     *
-     * @param Action $xml
-     */
-    public function onEndShowStatusNetStyles($xml){
-        $xml->element('style', array('type' => 'text/css'), 'span.rtl {display:block;direction:rtl;text-align:right;float:right;} .notice .author {float:left}');
-    }
-
     /**
      * is passed string a rtl content or not
      *
diff --git a/theme/base/css/display.css b/theme/base/css/display.css
index 9ad1b4ec15..5d65c14cc8 100644
--- a/theme/base/css/display.css
+++ b/theme/base/css/display.css
@@ -1514,6 +1514,22 @@ content:'☠';
 font-size:150%;
 }
 
+#content .notice-source-system div.entry-title, .notice-source-system div.entry-content {
+    margin-left: 0;
+} 
+
+#content .notice-source-system div.entry-title {
+    font-style: italic;
+    min-height: 0;
+}
+
+span.rtl {
+    display: block;
+    direction: rtl;
+    text-align: right;
+    float: right;
+} 
+
 /* override OStatus plugin style */
 
 #form_ostatus_connect.form_settings.dialogbox, #form_ostatus_sub.dialogbox {
diff --git a/theme/base/css/rtl.css b/theme/base/css/rtl.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a9b6e593cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/theme/base/css/rtl.css
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+/* placeholder for RTL style */
diff --git a/theme/neo/css/rtl.css b/theme/neo/css/rtl.css
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a9b6e593cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/theme/neo/css/rtl.css
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+/* placeholder for RTL style */