Meghan Markle feels vindicated as William, Kate ‘failed’ to block her return

  Zoe Saldaña has built an impressive career in Hollywood, achieving milestones that only a small number of actors can claim. From becoming an Academy Award winner to appearing in some of the world’s most successful film franchises, the actress has established herself as one of the industry’s most recognisable stars. However, Saldaña now appears ready to explore a completely different side of filmmaking by considering a move into directing. During an appearance at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, Saldaña spoke about her desire to eventually take control behind the camera. Addressing the festival audience, the actress said she believed there would come a point when simply watching other directors work would no longer be enough for her. Saldaña joked that after observing directors for so long, she might eventually feel compelled to take over the camera herself. Her comments reflected her growing interest in expanding her creative role within the film industry and exploring storytelling from a director’s perspective. The actress also expressed confidence in her own instincts, particularly when discussing women and their ability to recognise what they believe is right. With a humorous tone, she suggested that women often feel confident in their opinions because they are correct a significant amount of the time. For Saldaña, directing could provide an opportunity to test those instincts and prove what she can accomplish outside her established acting career. Her remarks came as she was being honoured at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival. Saldaña received a Special Honorary Pardo at the event, recognising her contribution to cinema and her successful career across a wide range of projects. During her appearance, the actress also reflected on her childhood and the experience of growing up between different cultures. Born in the Dominican Republic, Saldaña said her background and experiences of feeling like an outsider have played an important role in shaping the way she approaches acting and develops her characters. She recalled the challenges of being separated from a New York environment where she had been exposed to people from different backgrounds and cultures. According to Saldaña, living in a diverse environment allowed her to encounter different perspectives and understand the world beyond a single cultural identity. She later moved to a much smaller and more culturally homogeneous island, an experience she described as difficult during her formative years. The transition brought significant challenges, particularly because she encountered a society with a more unified religious and cultural identity. Despite the difficulties, Saldaña believes those experiences ultimately became valuable to her as an actor. She explained that the challenges of growing up between different cultural environments helped her develop a broader understanding of people and identities. That perspective, she suggested, became particularly useful when portraying some of her most famous characters, including Neytiri in the Avatar franchise and Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. For Saldaña, growing up between cultures provided both struggles and opportunities for personal development. She believes being exposed to different ways of life enriched her understanding of human experiences and gave her additional emotional depth as a performer. Now, after years of success in front of the camera, Saldaña appears interested in turning those experiences into a new creative challenge. Her potential move into directing could mark an important new chapter in her career, allowing her to bring her perspective, cultural experiences and storytelling instincts to filmmaking from behind the camera.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Secretary General Nayyar Bukhari has strongly rejected the election results, declaring that his party will not accept what he described as a flawed and manipulated electoral process. Addressing a press conference in Muzaffarabad, Bukhari alleged that the elections were marred by widespread irregularities, voter manipulation, and violence, making them neither free nor fair. Bukhari claimed that the PPP possesses evidence of electoral misconduct. According to him, ballot papers were allegedly distributed among supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and party workers were seen providing ballot papers outside polling stations. He argued that such practices seriously undermined the credibility of the electoral process and violated the principles of transparent and democratic elections. Speaking to journalists, Bukhari questioned the fairness of the election, stating that a truly transparent election should allow voters to cast their ballots freely without interference or manipulation. He accused the authorities and political rivals of attempting to ensure victory for their preferred candidates through unfair means. As a result, he emphasized that the PPP does not recognize these elections as free and fair and therefore refuses to accept the announced results. The PPP leader also made serious allegations against a PML-N candidate, claiming that the individual was involved in a murder case. He urged the relevant law enforcement agencies and government institutions to take immediate notice of the matter and ensure that those responsible are arrested and brought to justice. According to Bukhari, allowing such individuals to contest elections raises serious concerns about the rule of law and the integrity of the democratic process. Bukhari further alleged that law and order in Azad Jammu and Kashmir had significantly deteriorated. He pointed to what he described as increasing incidents of violence and political intimidation during the election period. Referring to recent events, he claimed that even the President of Azad Kashmir had been attacked, calling it evidence of the worsening security situation and the failure of the authorities to maintain peace. He also highlighted attacks on members of his own party. Bukhari stated that PPP Member of the National Assembly Salahuddin Junejo was attacked, while PPP worker Mushtaq Hussain Shah was killed. He described these incidents as tragic examples of political violence and intimidation aimed at discouraging democratic participation. Furthermore, he alleged that in constituency LA-31, the PPP candidate was attacked by PML-N workers and was subsequently hospitalized due to injuries sustained during the incident. Describing the elections as fraudulent and heavily rigged, Bukhari argued that the overall electoral environment was neither peaceful nor impartial. He maintained that the democratic rights of voters had been compromised and that the results failed to reflect the genuine will of the people. He stressed that elections conducted under such circumstances cannot earn public confidence or democratic legitimacy. Concluding his remarks, Bukhari stated that governments established through coercion and manipulation cannot gain lasting public acceptance. He reaffirmed that the PPP respects the will of the people and believes that democratic principles must always be upheld. However, he alleged that the public mandate, particularly in the Mirpur Division, had not been respected. According to Bukhari, the people of Azad Kashmir had rejected the PML-N, and the election results did not accurately represent the voters’ true choice.