Today's Links: World's oldest profession, suicide of toy company boss and recall of China-made toothpaste

• Oldest profession flourishes in China [Washington Post]
  No longer limited to well-known bars or a growing number of karaoke parlors, prostitutes are everywhere in China today, branching out onto college campuses, moving into private residential compounds and approaching customers on mobile phone networks.


• Mattel recalls 9 million toys made in China [NPR]
  Mattel issues a recall affecting more than 9 million toys made in China, citing magnets that could be swallowed and possible problems with lead paint. The company's Fisher-Price division recalled 1.5 million preschool toys from a different Chinese supplier earlier this month.


• Head of China toy company commits suicide [NY Times]
  The head of a Chinese manufacturer whose lead-tainted Sesame Street toys were the center of a massive U.S. recall has killed himself, a state-run newspaper said Monday. Cheung Shu-hung, who co-owned Lee Der Industrial Co., committed suicide at a warehouse over the weekend, apparently by hanging himself, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.


• US food and drug agency announces recall of tainted Chinese toothpaste [Forbes]
  The US Food and Drug Administration has announced the worldwide recall of a Chinese-produced toothpaste often found in hotels, after tests showed some samples contained the chemical diethylene glycol, or DEG, which is used as an antifreeze.


• China, Taiwan in rare swap of crime suspects [Reuters]
  Beijing repatriated 19 Taiwanese suspected of fraud, illegal entry and drug trafficking on Tuesday after the island sent two convicted aircraft hijackers back to China where they face new trials and possible execution.


• Beijing to reward citizens who report safety issues [Reuters]
  Beijing city authorities will reward citizens who report food safety concerns to officials, state media said on Monday, a day after a TV reporter was jailed for cooking up a report about dumplings made with cardboard.


• Panda-monium! 4 born on same day in China [MSNBC]
  Four pandas were born in captivity in China on the same day, a rare occurrence after 34 were born in all of last year, state media reported Tuesday.

This Youku video shows some women offering old men massage hanky-panky, all out in the open in an unnamed city, for as low as RMB5! The world's oldest profession is alive and well in China, and it is everywhere.