Roughly 1,000 factory workers left their work stations and blocked a highway this week to protest extreme working conditions at their factory which produces parts for Apple and IBM in Shenzhen. The protest is the latest in a growing series of labor disputes in China, highlighting a need for truly independent trade unions amid worker fears over the future of China's economy. more ›

• Just in time for Halloween, Microsoft's latest update earlier this week certainly has a trick or treat feel to it. If you're one of the millions of PC users using a pirated version of Microsoft office on a pirated version of Windows then firstly shame on you, and secondly you'll be inconvenienced by a scary black screen every sixty minutes and a perpetual warning that your software is fake on your task bar. The latest WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) and OGA (Office Genuine Advantage) Update isn't meant to “brick” your PC, it is just meant to freak you out and pretend to look like you're system has suffered an untimely death.
• And after that little scare and you are truly repentant this Hallows eve, but still think over a thousand Renminbi is too much to pay to make your computer do the most basic of tasks, then visit the Ubuntu site for a legally free operating system. But don't do it until October 30 when it's latest version, the Intrepid Ibex is released. For an office alternative you can try Open Office.
• Chinese software maker Kingsoft, in reaction to this latest somewhat intrusive update has issued a statement that although they are also against software piracy they won't be introducing an update that is effectively malware to their WPS Office product.

• Last week Baidu announced after two years of searching the appointment of Li Yinan as the new Chief Technology Officer for China's leading search engine. Just when everything began to fall into place and we were getting ready for a season Googlesque innovation, rumours began to fly that William I. Chang, Baidu's Chief Scientific Officer was planning to resign because he didn't like his new job scope. Not sure though how much of a rumour it is when they have already named his successor.
• To make CEO Robin Li's life even more stressful, Baidu's next big push will be into the e-commerce arena with the launch of youa.com may be thwarted by Alibaba Group's announcement that it will invest another RMB5 billion into its own online Taobao.com to strengthen its 57% market share. Of course Alibaba claims that this had nothing to do with fending off Baidu and we of course believe them.
• In its own corporate reshuffle, Alibaba has for the first time in its five year history appointed a COO. Zhang Yong, former CFO was promoted to fill the void left by Huang Ruo, the former VP and B2C business director who resigned at the end of September.