And finally…soup du poor

Hotpot restaurant Xiabu Xiabu’s stock hit its lowest level in almost a year, after photos emerged of the dead rat being fished out of the broth by a pregnant customer.

The outlet in Shandong province has now been temporarily closed after the images went viral.

The outlet reportedly offered her 5,000 yuan (£559, $729) as compensation.

According to local news outlet Kankan News who spoke to her husband - identified as Mr Ma - he declined the offer, as he wanted his wife to undergo a full body check-up before deciding on a compensation amount.

The pregnant woman who had been out for hotpot with her family on 6 September, found the dead rat in her meal after she had already taken a few bites from the dish.

Days later on 11 September, the company’s share price hit its lowest level since October last year, although it slowly started to recover a couple of days later.

Mr Ma also alleged that one of the staff had had the bizarre suggestion that his wife get an abortion if she was worried about the baby’s health, and offered him 20,000 yuan for the procedure.

Photos of the boiled rat quickly spread on Chinese social media site Weibo.

The restaurant initially put out a statement on Saturday saying that it had “ruled out” the possibility that a lack of hygiene had caused the rat to end up in the hotpot, but later deleted it.

Authorities in Weifang city, the restaurant branch where the rat was found, said they would conduct investigations into Xiabu Xiabu’s restaurant.

Hotpot is a common meal in China and across other parts of Asia.

A simmering pot of hot soup is placed at a dining table and various vegetables and raw meats are then placed in the pot to cook.