Day: May 30, 2026

Lucas, who was married to Star Wars creator George Lucas during the making of the first three films, was regarded as a pivotal creative force behind the space saga’s early success, imbuing the original series with emotional depth and narrative clarity, News.az reports, citing BBC.
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She died from metastatic cancer at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, on Wednesday surrounded by loved ones, according to her family.
“Marcia was a force,” her family said in a statement to US media on Friday. “A true trailblazer for women in film and one of the most influential editors in cinematic history; she helped redefine what film editing could be.”
Lucas won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for 1977’s Star Wars – later renamed A New Hope – alongside editors Richard Chew and Paul Hirsch.
Although her contributions largely took place behind the scenes, her role in shaping the film’s emotional heart and narrative structure has been widely recognised in the decades since its release.
George Lucas credited her with helping make sense of the vast amount of footage filmed for the climactic Death Star battle sequence.
“It was extremely complex and we had 40,000 feet of dialogue footage of pilots saying this and that,” he told Rolling Stone shortly after the film’s release.
“Nobody really has ever tried to interweave an actual plot story into a dogfight, and we were trying to do that.”

Born Marcia Griffin in Modesto, California, in 1945, she began her career as a film librarian before becoming one of Hollywood’s most respected editors.
After marrying George Lucas in 1969, she worked on several of his early films, including THX 1138 and American Graffiti – earning an Oscar nomination for the latter.Getty Images
She also collaborated with director Martin Scorsese on a string of his acclaimed 1970s films including Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Taxi Driver and New York, New York.
Lucas later returned to the Star Wars franchise, working on The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of the Jedi in 1983.
She and George Lucas adopted a daughter, Amanda, in 1981. The couple divorced in 1983 after 14 years of marriage.
She later married Tom Rodrigues, a production manager at Skywalker Ranch, with whom she had a second daughter, Amy.
Her family said in its statement: “Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun and more full of love.

“Her work was known for its emotional intelligence, rhythm and humanity – a rare ability to find the truth of a scene and bring heart, momentum and clarity to the screen.”
“I love film editing,” Lucas once told a reporter, according to Lucasfilm.
“I have an innate ability to take good material and make it better, and to take bad material and make it fair.”
Paying tribute on Saturday, Lucasfilm said it was “deeply saddened” to learn of her death, adding it “joins the global filmmaking community in mourning the loss of Marcia Lucas”.
Meanwhile, Mark Hamill, who portrayed Star Wars protagonist Luke Skywalker, wrote that he and his wife Marilou were “deeply saddened by the loss of our lifelong friend”.
He added: “Not just a gifted, innovative artist, she also happened to be a genuinely nice person. Smart, funny and just plain fun to be around. Thankfully, her memory lives on and we will never stop missing her.”

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“I don’t want an American military unit to lose in the next era of war. This is why supporting and embracing Ukraine is an imperative for NATO’s dominance,” writes Issac Olvera, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer, in this op-ed.  kyivindependent.com/american…

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 30, 2026

According to the reported draft framework, one of the key areas of the proposed memorandum concerns new regulations governing maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important shipping routes, News.az reports.
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Under the reported provisions, Iran would play a central role in determining the status of vessels passing through the strait. Ships carrying cargo considered dangerous or linked to end users in countries viewed by Tehran as hostile would reportedly not be recognized as commercial vessels and could be denied access to designated transit routes.
The reported framework also suggests that Iran would be granted authority over determining shipping routes and setting fees for navigation services in the waterway. In addition, every vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz would be required to submit information regarding its cargo, ownership and destination to a relevant center operated by the Iranian Navy.
Another major element of the reported agreement concerns Iran’s frozen financial assets held abroad.
According to the unofficial text cited by Iranian state television, the United States would commit to providing Iran with full access to approximately $12 billion in frozen funds within 60 days. The reported arrangement would allow the assets to be transferred without restrictions to banks in countries designated by Iran and used at Tehran’s discretion.
The reported framework indicates that the release of the funds would form one of the central pillars of a broader understanding between the two countries, potentially opening the door to further economic and diplomatic engagement.
However, Iranian state television emphasized that the published text remains unofficial and should not be regarded as a finalized agreement.
According to the broadcaster, the document is still undergoing discussions, negotiations and revisions, meaning its contents could change before any formal deal is reached.
Neither Tehran nor Washington has officially confirmed the reported details, and no final agreement has been announced.
Analysts say that if an agreement incorporating these provisions were eventually signed, it could mark one of the most significant developments in Iran-US relations in recent years. Measures related to the Strait of Hormuz and the release of frozen Iranian assets could have far-reaching implications for regional security, international shipping and global energy markets.
The future of the proposed arrangement remains uncertain, with negotiations reportedly continuing and both sides still working through key issues before any final document can be approved.

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Speaking at a briefing on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia remained committed to developing relations with Georgia on the basis of “pragmatism and equality” despite ongoing differences between the two countries, News.Az reports, citing News Georgia.
“Contrary to the EU’s tactless attempts to impose a confrontational course towards Moscow on Tbilisi, introduce anti-Russian sanctions and, essentially, sacrifice its own interests for the sake of the West’s political madness, Georgia chose a multi-vector policy,” Zakharova said.
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She noted that economic ties between the two countries continue to grow, adding that bilateral trade reached a record $2.7 billion last year. According to Zakharova, around 1.4 million Russian tourists visited Georgia during the same period.
At the same time, the Russian diplomat reiterated Moscow’s support for Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two Georgian breakaway regions whose independence Russia recognised after the 2008 war.
Zakharova described the territories as Russia’s “closest allies” in the South Caucasus and said Moscow intended to further deepen cooperation with them in the fields of security and economic development.
More broadly, she stressed that Russia had no intention of reducing its role in the South Caucasus.
“Russia does not intend to leave the South Caucasus,” Zakharova said, arguing that the country’s presence in the region is determined by historical and geographical factors.

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