Economics and Policy Lebanon’s budget deficit in the first six months of this year continued to rise amid falling revenues and increasing expenditures, the Finance Ministry has announced. More from The Daily Star Islamic trade finance, a tiny part of global banking business, is starting to attract interest among big Western banks because of rapid growth of trade involving wealthy Gulf economies. More from Reuters Companies and Business Two years of double-digit declines in tourism and persistently weaker domestic demand are pushing operators of several international food and beverage franchises to downsize their operations and reconsider store portfolios in Lebanon. More from The Daily Star Just Falafel, the United Arab Emirates fast-food chain planning 720 new outlets in 19 nations, is weighing the sale of a 25 percent stake in an initial public offering, two people with knowledge of the matter said. More from
