New York, April 27: Indian-American publishing group Parikh Worldwide Media (PWM) has acquired ITV Gold cable TV channel with plans to enter the Indian media market.
Announcing the acquisition here on Thursday, PWM Chairman Sudhir Parikh, said: "We will have tie-ups with digital platforms in India to launch ITV Gold before we penetrate the cable markets there with informative news shows and programs that will give insight into the Indian diaspora and their issues in the US."
With the acquisition of ITV Gold, PWM now has a presence in print, online and electronic media making it a premier Indian-American media house, a company statement said.
Launched in 1985, New York-based ITV Gold (International Television Broadcasting) is the first 24A-7 cable TV channel in the US to deliver news about India, Indian-Americans and South Asians, according to the PWM news release.
ITV Gold portfolio includes Vision of Asia that was started in 1976 and is the longest-running Indian-American TV programme in the US.
New York-headquartered PWM publishes four weekly newspapers -- the national publication, News India Times; two regional publications from New York and Chicago, Desi Talk, and the Gujarati language Gujarat Times -- and an online magazine, Indian American.
It also publishes an in-depth opinion and policy journal, India Global Review, in association with the Parikh Foundation for India's Global Development.
Parikh is a physician who has received the Padma Shri award and led major Indian-American organisations, including the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and the Indian American Forum for Public Education (IAFPE).
"ITV Gold has solid brand value and a massive following in the Indian-American, South Asian, and Indo-Caribbean market and we plan to give more community news and local events coverage with the combination of print and television connecting viewers to matters that affect them here in the US and in India," Parikh said.
Deepak Viswanath, son of ITV Gold's late founder, Banad Viswanath, said: "This partnership combines the strength of two well established and respected Indian American Media. It is a launching pad to expand the channel on new platforms across the US."
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Spain rejects White House claim of military cooperation with US in Iran war
Madrid: Spain has rejected a claim by the White House that Madrid had agreed to cooperate militarily with the United States amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, even as US President Donald Trump warned of trade consequences over Spain’s stance.
Al Jazeera reported that White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that Spain had reconsidered its earlier position of not allowing its military bases to be used in the war against Iran.
“With respect to Spain, I think they heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear, and it’s my understanding, over the past several hours, they’ve agreed to cooperate with the US military,” Leavitt said.
Clearly denying the assertion, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said the claim was incorrect and insisted that Madrid’s position had not changed. “Not a single comma has changed, and I have no idea whatsoever what they might be referring to,” Albares said in an interview with the Hora25 radio programme.
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Trump had earlier criticised Spain’s opposition to the war, describing its stance as “terrible” and threatening economic retaliation. “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain,” he said on Tuesday.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reaffirmed his government’s opposition to the conflict, recalling past military interventions in the region. “The world, Europe, and Spain have faced this critical moment before. In 2003, a few irresponsible leaders dragged us into an illegal war in the Middle East that brought nothing but insecurity and pain,” Sánchez wrote on social media.
He added that Spain’s position remained firmly against war, violations of international law and “the illusion that we can solve the world’s problems with bombs”.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian praised Spain’s stand, saying it reflected ethical responsibility.
“Spain’s responsible conduct in opposing the Zionist-American coalition’s flagrant human rights violations and military aggression against countries, including Iran, shows that ethics and awakened consciences still exist in the West,” he wrote in a post on social media.
Within Europe, Spain has been among the few countries to openly oppose the attacks on Iran. The European Union has instead called for de-escalation and protection of civilians without directly rejecting the US and Israeli military action.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Iran’s missile and nuclear programmes and its support for armed groups pose a serious threat to global security, adding that the bloc has imposed sanctions on Tehran while continuing to back diplomatic engagement on the nuclear issue.
