Tesco agreed to sell its Asian businesses to Thai billionaire Dhanin Chearavanont for more than $10bn (€8.8bn), clinching a record deal in Thailand even as the coronavirus outbreak damps enthusiasm for mergers and acquisitions worldwide.

The Chinese appetite for Irish meat continues to grow, with imports of fresh and frozen pork up 116% for the first half of this year versus 2011, according to the latest Bord Bia analysis.