Mumbai, July 5: Here's a new feather on Priyanka Chopra's decorated hat. The actress has scored a fan base of 25 million on Instagram, leaving behind Indian icons like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and megastar Amitabh Bachchan's followers on the photo-sharing platform.
Modi has 13.5 million followers, while Big B has a score of 9.5 million. Priyanka, 35, is also ahead of Virat Kohli (22.7 million), Shah Rukh Khan (13.3 million), Salman Khan (17.3 million), Aamir Khan (1.2 million) and Deepika Padukone (24.9 million).
Fondly called as the "Desi girl", Priyanka thanked her fans for showering her with so much of love.
"25 million strong... Thank you for the love... Love you right back," she wrote on her Instagram Stories on Thursday.
A former Miss World, Priyanka carved her niche in the Hindi cinema world before making inroads into Hollywood, beginning by launching a singing career and then landing the lead role in American television show "Quantico".
The show gave her global popularity, which also led her to bag the villain's role in "Baywatch" and also a part in "A Kid Like Jake".
Now she is keeping the paparazzi busy as she is rumoured to be in a relationship with pop singer Nick Jonas, who has a following of 15.5 million on Instagram.
Priyanka is an ardent user of digital platforms and uses social media to stay connected with her fans and followers.
On the acting front, Priyanka will soon be seen sharing screen space with Salman in the upcoming film "Bharat", directed by Ali Abbas Zafar.
Priyanka will be teaming up with Salman on the big screen after a gap of 11 years, after their last appearance in "God Tussi Great Ho" in 2008. "Bharat" is an official adaptation of a 2014 South Korean film "Ode To My Father".
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.