Lebanon Honors Rahbani Brothers, Issues a Commemorative Stamp in Memory of Assi’s Death

Lebanese musician Elias Rahbani bids farewell to his late brother, composer Mansour Rahbani. January 16, 2009 (ANWAR AMRO; AFP)
Lebanese musician Elias Rahbani bids farewell to his late brother, composer Mansour Rahbani. January 16, 2009 (ANWAR AMRO; AFP)
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Lebanon Honors Rahbani Brothers, Issues a Commemorative Stamp in Memory of Assi’s Death

Lebanese musician Elias Rahbani bids farewell to his late brother, composer Mansour Rahbani. January 16, 2009 (ANWAR AMRO; AFP)
Lebanese musician Elias Rahbani bids farewell to his late brother, composer Mansour Rahbani. January 16, 2009 (ANWAR AMRO; AFP)

This week, the Lebanese people commemorated the 35th anniversary of the departure of the great artist Assi Rahbani, who died on June 21, 1986, which coincides with the last day of World Music Day.

On this occasion, the National Post Office in Lebanon “Liban Post”, in coordination with the Ministry of Communications, issued a commemorative stamp in honor of both artists, Assi and Mansour Rahbani. The brothers contributed to both Arab and Lebanese music with hundreds of poems and melodies that enriched people’s souls.

Mansour Rahbani’s son, Oussama, shared the stamp on social media. The stamp belongs to the 500 Lebanese pounds category and bears the Rahbani brothers’ image in black and white.

Rima Rahbani, the daughter of Assi and Fairuz, posted a photo on her Facebook page and commented: “Mr. Khalil Shbeir hands Rima Rahbani the commemorative plaque for the stamp’s release.”

Mansour Rahbani passed away in 2009 at the age of 83, 23 years after the death of his brother Assi. Despite the quarrels among Assi’s heirs after his death, they reconciled after their father’s stamp commemoration, which shows that family will always be united through history.



‘Lilo & Stitch’ Cruises to No. 1 Again; John Wick Spinoff ‘Ballerina’ Dances to 2nd Place

Stitch arrives at the premiere of "Lilo and Stitch" on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Stitch arrives at the premiere of "Lilo and Stitch" on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
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‘Lilo & Stitch’ Cruises to No. 1 Again; John Wick Spinoff ‘Ballerina’ Dances to 2nd Place

Stitch arrives at the premiere of "Lilo and Stitch" on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Stitch arrives at the premiere of "Lilo and Stitch" on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

In the box office showdown between a deadly assassin and a chaotic CG alien, “Lilo & Stitch” still had the edge. The Disney juggernaut celebrated a third weekend at the top of the charts, while the John Wick spinoff “Ballerina” did not jeté as high as expected.

According to studio estimates Sunday, “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” earned $25 million from 3,409 theaters in the US and Canada, The Associated Press reported. Several weeks ago it was tracking to open in the $35 to $40 million range, but that was adjusted down several times. Ultimately, it still came in lower than forecasts. The movie, directed by Len Wiseman, makes a sideline character out of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick and focuses on Ana de Armas. It takes place during the events of “John Wick 3.”

The box office performance is a bit perplexing result considering that “Ballerina” got good critic reviews and audience exit polls. Conventional wisdom would say that word of mouth might have given it a boost over the weekend. But, recently, opening weekend isn’t the end all that it used to be. “Ballerina” could be in the game for the long haul.

The Lionsgate release, a Thunder Road Films and 87Eleven Entertainment production, had a hefty production price tag reported to be in the $90 million range. But much of that cost has already been offset by foreign pre-sales. Internationally, it earned $26 million from 82 countries, bringing its global opening to $51 million.

As the first spinoff, it’s the second lowest opening of the five-film franchise – above only the first film which opened just over $14 million in 2014, which does not account for inflation. The franchise overall has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.

First place once again went to “Lilo & Stitch,” which added another $32.5 million in North America, bringing its domestic total to $335.8 and global tally to $772.6 million. In just 17 days, it's already made more domestically than the live-action “The Little Mermaid” did in its entire run ($298 million).

“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” slid to third place with $15 million, bringing its worldwide total to $450.4 million. “Karate Kid: Legends” earned $8.7 million to take fourth place. And “Final Destination: Bloodlines" rounded out the top five with $6.5 million.

The new Wes Anderson movie “The Phoenician Scheme” expanded beyond New York and Los Angeles to 1,678 theaters nationwide. The Focus Features release starring Benicio del Toro made an estimated $6.3 million and landed in sixth place.