This is just plain hilaaaarious: Cops in NYC have arrested a worker at a funeral supplies shop in Chinatown that sells joss paper and other papier-mâché items that Chinese people the world over like to burn for their deceased family members. more ›

Using fishing line, a pulley, a canvass bag, and glow sticks, some very wily border smugglers have been transporting thousands of dollars worth of electronics through the air across the border from Hong Kong to Shenzhen. Apple products are obviously the focus of their pursuits, and when border authorities caught them they found 50 iPhones and 50 iPad 2s. more ›

Oenophiles, beware. The cost of your favourite tipple may go up very soon. A report by AP has uncovered that several wine importer executives are being detained while Shanghai customs officials conduct an "audit" of wine importers, including Don St Pierre Jr, of Shanghai-based ASC Fine Wines. more ›

If you have friends and family from overseas who are planning to visit for the Olympics, you may for their own sake want to subject them to a friendly frisk before they board their homeward flight. According to reports picked up on by Shanghai Scrap, the World Customs Organization is going to leave no stuffed panda unturned in its fight against counterfeit Olympic goods. The head of the WCO, Christophe Zimmerman, seems to be out for scalps, saying that: "Even if you are found with the smallest item, even just one item, you will face at least a fine. Of course, if you stock up then it will be more serious." more ›