Pramod Thomas is a senior correspondent with Asian Media Group since 2020, bringing 19 years of journalism experience across business, politics, sports, communities, and international relations. His career spans both traditional and digital media platforms, with eight years specifically focused on digital journalism. This blend of experience positions him well to navigate the evolving media landscape and deliver content across various formats. He has worked with national and international media organisations, giving him a broad perspective on global news trends and reporting standards.
Royal Challengers Bangalore stand-in skipper Virat Kohli delivered a blunt assessment of their performance in Wednesday's (26) Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Kolkata Knight Riders, saying they were not "professional enough" and deserved to lose.
Bangalore, one of three teams who have never won the IPL title, slumped to their fourth defeat in eight matches with their 21-run loss at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.
After opener Jason Roy smashed 56 and skipper Nitish Rana, who was dropped twice, hammered 48 off 21 balls to power Kolkata to 200-5, Kohli (54) led the Bangalore reply with his fifth fifty of the season.
While their chase was derailed by a slew of soft dismissals, Kohli said it was their sloppiness in the field that gifted the opposition victory.
"To be honest, we handed over the game," a visibly upset Kohli said afterwards.
"We deserved to lose because we weren't professional enough in the field.
"I thought the bowlers hit decent areas, but we didn't hold on to our chances. That's what you call a freebie in T20 cricket and we literally handed them a victory."
Bangalore had been cruising at 51-1 in the fifth over but could not capitalise on the start and eventually finished on 179-8.
"With the bat, I thought we set ourselves up really well," said Kohli, who has taken the captaincy with Faf du Plessis limited to batting duties because of a rib injury.
"And then so many soft dismissals ... those were not really wicket-taking balls but we ended up hitting to the fielder four-five times in the innings.
"These are some of the soft plays in cricket which you want to avoid as a team."
Bitcoin has once again become the focal point of the global financial markets. After surging past the $110,000 mark and then experiencing sharp corrections, the market is actively debating the long-term impact of the 2024 halving event, the continued inflows into U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs, and Bitcoin’s role as a hedge against inflation. While institutions are accelerating their adoption, more individual investors are seeking safer and more stable ways to participate in the cryptocurrency wave.
Cloud mining has emerged as a popular choice, with BJMINING standing out thanks to its professional operations and global infrastructure. According to reports, investors on BJMINING are achieving daily returns of over $5,700, offering greater stability and risk resistance compared to holding volatile spot assets directly.
Advantages of BJMINING Cloud Mining
Instant Activation: Mining starts immediately after purchasing a contract, no hardware required.
Multi-Currency Support: BTC, ETH, LTC, DOGE, XRP, SOL, USDT, USDC, and more.
Stable Daily Yields: Fixed daily payouts with no hidden fees or additional maintenance costs.
Global Network: 60+ mining farms across North America, Europe, and Asia ensure reliable performance.
Secure & Transparent: Professional risk control and transparent operations safeguard investors’ interests.
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in the United Kingdom, BJMINING is one of the world’s leading cloud mining platforms. The company operates over 60 mining farms worldwide, serving more than 6 million active investors across 180+ countries. With advanced mining equipment, sustainable energy utilization, and a transparent management model, BJMINING continues to provide secure, stable, and high-yield cloud mining services for global users.
By clicking the 'Subscribe’, you agree to receive our newsletter, marketing communications and industry
partners/sponsors sharing promotional product information via email and print communication from Garavi Gujarat
Publications Ltd and subsidiaries. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the
unsubscribe link in our emails. We will use your email address to personalize our communications and send you
relevant offers. Your data will be stored up to 30 days after unsubscribing.
Contact us at data@amg.biz to see how we manage and store your data.
Giorgio Armani’s journey from window dresser to fashion emperor
Armani began as a window dresser in Milan before sketching suits for Nino Cerruti.
In 1975, he launched his own label by selling his car, sparking a quiet fashion revolution.
His unstructured suits redefined power dressing for men and women in the 1980s.
From American Gigolo to the Oscars, Armani became Hollywood’s style signature.
He built a global empire yet stayed hands-on, shaping fashion until his final days at 91.
It’s strange to think Armani once stood behind a shop window, fixing mannequins instead of red carpets. He wasn’t born into Milan’s glittering salons or stitched into privilege. His journey started with burns from a war shell, with a mother who made scraps look elegant, with a young man who quit medical school because he couldn’t quite see his future in blood and bandages.
From there, he picked up fabrics, cuts, and the quiet dream of building something lasting. And against all odds, he did. You know his clothes. You’ve seen that look, the effortless drape of a jacket, the quiet confidence of a suit that doesn’t scream but whispers luxury. Giorgio Armani, who left us last year at 91, wasn’t just a designer, he rewrote how the world dresses. These ten chapters show how he carved that throne.
Giorgio Armani’s journey from window dresser to fashion emperor Getty Images
1. Milan shop windows to Nino Cerruti
After leaving the army, Armani took a sales job at La Rinascente, Milan’s posh department store. He was a clerk, then a window dresser, learning which fabrics customers touched twice and which ones they ignored. By the mid-60s, he was sketching suits for Nino Cerruti. Those years taught him discipline, proportion, and that style was more about how clothes moved than how much they glittered.
How Giorgio Armani redefined elegance in ten chaptersGetty Images
2. Founding Giorgio Armani
In 1975, with his partner Sergio Galeotti urging him forward, Armani sold his car to raise money and launched his own label. It was a risk. He wasn’t a household name yet. But those first collections, sharp but fluid, men and women both, hit Milan like a quiet revolution. Armani had arrived, and he carried his own name on the masthead.
The life and legacy of Giorgio Armani in ten actsGetty Images
3. The unstructured suit
He ripped the stuffing out of the traditional jacket, peeled off the padding, and let fabric drape. Men’s shoulders softened. Women walked into boardrooms in suits that carried authority without pretending to be men’s uniforms. It was tailoring that breathed. Armani gave the world a whole new vocabulary: power without stiffness, elegance without excess.
Giorgio Armani’s quiet revolution that changed fashion foreverGetty Images
4. American Gigolo and Hollywood
Richard Gere opening that closet full of Armani shirts was pure cinema, a cultural turning point. Overnight, Armani became shorthand for sleek modernity. From American Gigolo to Julia Roberts in a men’s suit at the Golden Globes, it’s safe to say Armani rewired Hollywood’s image of glamour. That’s why critics joked the Oscars red carpet could have been renamed the “Armani Awards.”
Ten defining moments in the life of Giorgio ArmaniGetty Images
5. The empire expands
Perfumes, jeans, children’s clothes, Armani Exchange. He turned his minimalist philosophy into a whole lifestyle. While rivals chased conglomerates, Armani kept control and built his own ladder, one rung for luxury, one for youth, one for home, even one for hotels. By the late ’90s, his eagle logo was everywhere from sunglasses to sofas.
The timeless legacy of Giorgio Armani in ten chaptersGetty Images
6. Sports and spectacle
He dressed Chelsea footballers and Olympic athletes. He opened a hotel in Dubai, restaurants in Milan, Armani Casa for homes. Armani understood something crucial: his vision wasn’t just clothes. It was a way of living. Walking into an Armani space felt the same as wearing his jacket: quiet, precise, disciplined and elegant.
How Giorgio Armani built a global style empireGetty Images
7. Ethics before trend
Long before wellness talk filled magazines, Armani banned dangerously underweight models from his shows. The same year, he livestreamed a couture collection, back when fashion still thought the internet was beneath it. Armani was old-school in silhouette but sharp-eyed about culture.
Remembering Giorgio Armani through his most iconic momentsGetty Images
8. Grief and resilience
The loss of Sergio Galeotti to AIDS could have shattered him. Instead, Armani carried their dream forward, with family by his side. His empire became not just a company but a shield, one he built in memory of the man who first believed in him.
Armani’s empire: fashion, lifestyle, and legacy in ten stepsGetty Images
9. Awards, honours, billions
Armani wasn’t just respected; he was decorated. From the Legion of Honour to Italy’s highest civilian award, the world recognised his contribution. Forbes estimated his net worth at £9.2 billion (₹978 billion). Yet ask anyone in Milan: he still turned up at the office daily, fussing over lapels and fabrics like an apprentice.
He died on 4 September 2025, in Milan, aged 91, still at work, still in control. Italy’s prime minister called him “the best of Italy.” Critics called him a giant. The truth is simpler: Armani changed how people move through the world. His clothes taught us that confidence whispers, it doesn’t shout.
Giorgio Armani’s timeless influence on global styleGetty Images
Not an ending, but a silhouette
We often say legends “fade away.” Armani doesn’t get that cliché. He didn’t fade. The light just changed, and what’s left is his silhouette. You can’t talk about modern style without tripping over his influence. He’s in the DNA of every brand that prizes minimalist elegance. He’s in the posture of a woman walking into a meeting, feeling powerful in a soft-shouldered blazer. He’s in the ease of a man in a suit that finally feels like his own skin.
When we say “there will be an Armani after Armani,” it’s not just in the company he built, but in everyone who has ever worn his clothes and discovered the quiet power of looking like their truest, most confident self.
Keep ReadingShow less
Works are painted on bark cloth from Lake Victoria
Artist Shafina Jaffer presents a new chapter of her Global Conference of the Birds series.
The exhibition runs from 7–12 October 2025 at Mall Galleries, London.
Works are painted on bark cloth from Lake Victoria, combining spiritual themes with ecological concerns.
Exhibition details
Artist Shafina Jaffer will open her latest exhibition, Whispers Under Wings (Global Conference of the Birds), at the Mall Galleries in London on 7 October 2025. The show will run until 12 October 2025.
This practice-led series reinterprets Farid ud-Din Attar’s 12th-century Sufi allegory, Conference of the Birds, reflecting on themes of unity, self-realisation and the idea that the Divine resides within.
Material and meaning
Each work is painted on sustainably sourced bark cloth from the Lake Victoria region, using natural pigments, minerals and dyes. Large panels are formed from the bark of single trees, aligning material ecology with the spiritual narrative.
The series weaves together sacred geometry, Qur’anic verses and depictions of endangered bird species, underscoring the connection between ecological fragility and spiritual awakening.
Previous recognition
Whispers Under Wings follows earlier presentations in London and Dubai, extending the project’s message of peace, unity and environmental care.
A central work from the series — the Simurgh, conceived as a symbol of light (Noor) — was recently acquired by Prince Amyn Aga Khan for the new Ismaili Centre in Houston. A feature on the exhibition also appears in the September edition of Twiga, Air Tanzania’s inflight magazine.
Keep ReadingShow less
John Malkovich admits Michelle Pfeiffer affair destroyed his marriage and cost him a colleague he could never replace
John Malkovich has spoken about his affair with Michelle Pfeiffer during Dangerous Liaisons.
The 71-year-old said the relationship cost him both his marriage and a valued colleague.
His marriage to Glenne Headly ended in 1988 after the affair.
Pfeiffer divorced Peter Horton two years later and later married David E. Kelley.
Hollywood actor John Malkovich has reflected on his past and admitted regret over his affair with Michelle Pfeiffer. The 71-year-old star, known for films such as Burn After Reading and Con Air, revealed on the Fashion Neurosis podcast that the romance not only ended his marriage but also damaged a professional friendship with his Dangerous Liaisons co-star. Speaking candidly, he explained that what began as a close bond on set became a turning point that changed both his personal and professional life.
John Malkovich admits Michelle Pfeiffer affair destroyed his marriage and cost him a colleague he could never replace Getty Images
What did John Malkovich say about his affair with Michelle Pfeiffer?
Malkovich explained that actors often develop intense emotional connections during filming, but in this case, the relationship extended beyond work. He admitted that while Pfeiffer was “fun, moving, and incredibly fair” with him, he was not, and that imbalance left lasting consequences.
He said: “I think I’ve learned over the course of my life that a great colleague is rarer than anything. When that relationship becomes more than collegial or more than a friendship, even a profound friendship, you lose a great colleague.”
John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Liaisons where their on-screen chemistry mirrored real lifeGetty Images
How did the Michelle Pfeiffer affair affect John Malkovich’s marriage?
At the time, Malkovich was married to actress Glenne Headly. Their six-year marriage ended in 1988, the same year Dangerous Liaisons was released. Pfeiffer was married to actor Peter Horton, and their relationship also unravelled soon after.
Headly went on to marry musician Byron McCulloch, with whom she remained until her death in 2017 from complications of a pulmonary embolism. Pfeiffer divorced Horton in 1990 and later married TV producer David E. Kelley in 1993, with whom she has two children.
Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley attends The 33rd Annual Environmental Media Association Awards Gala Getty Images
Has John Malkovich spoken about the affair before?
Until now, Malkovich has rarely addressed the subject. In the past, he deflected questions with remarks such as, “It’s hard to believe Michelle Pfeiffer ever said hello to me.” His latest comments mark the first time he has spoken openly about the personal and professional toll of the affair.
He contrasted the situation with his decades-long working relationship with Lithuanian actress Ingeborga Dapkunaite. Malkovich noted they had been friends and collaborators for more than 30 years because they maintained professional boundaries.
After the breakdown of his first marriage, Malkovich went on to build a long-term partnership with Italian production designer Nicoletta Peyran, with whom he shares two children. He continues to work actively in film and theatre, while Pfeiffer remains a leading actress in Hollywood.
John Malkovich attends the 'John Malkovich: The Infernal Comedy' press conference Getty Images
The affair, however, remains a defining episode from the late 1980s, one that Malkovich now describes with regret, emphasising that the price of crossing professional lines was losing a trusted colleague as well as a marriage.
Keep ReadingShow less
The build consists of 270 pieces and features the franchise’s red racing hero
LEGO confirms first Speed Champions set for 2026: Lightning McQueen.
Release coincides with the 20th anniversary of Pixar’s Cars.
Unusual for the theme: no minifigure included.
The first 2026 reveal
LEGO has confirmed its first Speed Champions set for 2026, taking the theme in an unexpected direction. Set 77255 Lightning McQueen celebrates the 20th anniversary of Disney and Pixar’s Cars (released 28 July 2006) and marks the first time the theme has focused on a fictional, animated vehicle.
The build consists of 270 pieces and features the franchise’s red racing hero, complete with printed details and stickers, as well as an anniversary logo on the box.
A shift for Speed Champions
The release follows a year of Formula 1–focused sets but breaks new ground by presenting a character car without any accompanying minifigure. Aside from small polybag builds, it is the first Speed Champions set to omit a minifigure entirely.
McQueen’s signature smile and sponsor decals are recreated using a mix of stickers and possible printed elements, such as tyres and wheel arches — though LEGO has not yet confirmed which are printed.
Price and release date
Set 77255 Lightning McQueen is available to pre-order worldwide at £22.99 / $27.99 / €27.99, with a release date of 1 January 2026. The price point suggests that Speed Champions sets in the US will continue the price increases seen in 2025.
What’s next for 2026?
At present, Lightning McQueen is the only Speed Champions set officially confirmed for 2026. However, several others are listed for release early next year, including a Bugatti Vision GT, a Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale, a McLaren W1, and a Back to the Future Time Machine. At least one more film-inspired vehicle is also rumoured, hinting that Speed Champions may be steering towards more cinematic tie-ins alongside its traditional supercar line-up.