Live: Israel strikes factory in Iran, alleges it supplied fentanyl for chemical weapons

Italy out of FIFA World Cup again

Four-time champion Italy failed to qualify for a third straight FIFA World Cup after getting beat in a penalty shootout with 10 men at 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoffs on Tuesday.

Moise Kean scored early on for Italy but then Azzurri center back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a direct red card before the break and Bosnia substitute Haris Tabakovic equalized in the 79th to send the game into extra time at 1-1.

The defeat added more misery for Italy's once-proud national team after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in the qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups.

“It's too easy to say what's working and what's not working,” Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso said. “The fact is that Italy has failed to qualify for three World Cups. We're having a tough time achieving our goals, both with the national team and with our clubs.” Bosnia won the shootout 4-1 and qualified for the first time since 2014 — its only previous appearance.

In the shootout, Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed their spot kicks and US-born Esmir Bajraktarevic converted the decisive penalty for Bosnia.

“We still don't believe it — that we're out and that it happened in this manner,” Italy defender Leonardo Spinazzola said. “It's upsetting for everyone. For us, for our families, and for all the kids who have never seen Italy at a World Cup.” In Tuesday's other European playoff finals, Sweden, Turkey and the Czech Republic each qualified. Sweden beat Poland 3-2; Turkey beat Kosovo 1-0; and the Czechs beat Denmark in a shootout.

Italy's latest ouster means that the 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 champions will go at least 16 years without even playing a match at soccer's biggest event.

Italy's World Cup struggles go back all the way to 2010 and 2014, having failed to advance from its group on both occasions. Although the Azzurri did win the European Championship in 2021.

Italy's last World Cup knockout match was when it won the title in 2006 by beating France in a penalty shootout.

Israel strikes factory in Iran, alleges it supplied fentanyl for chemical weapons

Israel said early Wednesday it struck a plant supplying Iran's theocracy with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, to allegedly use in a chemical weapons programme. Iran acknowledged the strike on Tofigh Daru factory, but insisted it only supplied “hospital drugs” used in medical operations.

The strike happened Tuesday, both Israel and Iran said.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted a picture of the factory in Tehran, writing on X: “The war criminals in Israel are now openly and unashamedly bombing pharmaceutical companies.” Hospitals extensively use fentanyl to treat severe pain. But a small amount of the drug can be fatal.

Oracle lays off around 12,000 employees in India, another round likely within a month

US-based IT firm Oracle is believed to have laid off approximately 12,000 staff in India, with another round of layoffs expected within a month, impacted employees said on Tuesday.

Globally, the company has fired around 30,000 employees.

"In India, around 12,000 employees have been laid off. The company is planning another mass layoff within a month," said two people impacted by the retrenchment, including one from the company's human resource department.

The company has approximately 30,000 employees in India, including those affected by the layoffs.

Oracle declined to comment on the development.

Oracle, in an email sent to staff, said the employees were informed about certain organisational changes and "because of these changes, a decision has been taken to streamline the operations, and as a result, unfortunately, the position you currently hold will become redundant".

Jet fuel prices more than doubled to Rs 2.07 lakh/kl

The price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF), also known as jet fuel, was more than doubled to a record Rs 2.07 lakh per kilolitre on Wednesday, while commercial LPG rates were raised by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, mirroring the surge in global oil prices linked to the widening West Asia conflict.

ATF price in Delhi was hiked by Rs 110,703.08 per kilolitre, or 114.5 per cent, to Rs 207,341.22 per kl, according to state-owned fuel retailers.

This is the first time ever that ATF prices have crossed Rs 2 lakh per kl-mark. The previous peak was in 2022 when rates were hiked Rs 1.1 lakh per kl after oil prices surged after Russia invaded Ukraine.

This is the second monthly increase in rates. Prices on March 1 were hiked by 5.7 per cent (Rs 5,244.75 per kl).

The rising prices will further strain airlines which are already burning more fuel in taking longer routes for flying to western destinations because of closure of airspace due to the war. Fuel makes up around 40 per cent of an airline's operating cost.

Commercial LPG prices hiked by Rs 195.5

Prices of commercial LPG were hiked by Rs 195.50 on Wednesday, on back of surge in global oil prices linked to the widening West Asia conflict.

A 19-kg commercial LPG now costs Rs 2,078.50 in Delhi, according to state-owned oil companies.

Rates were last increased by Rs 114.5 per 19-kg cylinder on March 1.

Domestic cooking gas LPG rates, which were last hiked by Rs 60 per 14.2-kg cylinder on March 7, remain unchanged. It costs Rs 913 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi.

UAE bars Iranians from entering, transiting country amid hostilities

The UAE has barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country as the war rages, three major airlines said Wednesday.

The long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, as well as the lower-cost airline FlyDubai, made the announcements on their websites.

Entry rules can sometimes be opaque in the autocratic United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms. But the airlines' websites all displayed the order. It said holders of Golden Visas, 10-year residency permits in the country, could still enter.

Authorities offered no official comment. But the change comes as Dubai already has shut down the Iranian Hospital and Iranian Club in the city, two institutions in the city-state dating back to the time of the shah.

White House says Trump to address nation on Iran war

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that Trump will “give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran” at 9 pm EDT on Wednesday (6:30 PM IST, Thursday).

Her post came shortly after Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday evening that US forces could leave Iran in “two or three weeks.”

Trump says it's on other nations to open the Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that the responsibility for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open should belong with countries that rely on it, rather than the US. He said there's “no reason for us to do this.”

Trump expressed frustration earlier Tuesday with allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the US war effort, telling them to “go get your own oil.”

Trump recently has vacillated between insisting there is progress in diplomatic talks with Iran and threatening to widen the war.

US gas prices jumped past an average of USD 4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, as the Iran war continues to push fuel prices higher worldwide. Analysts say those high fuel costs will trickle into groceries as businesses' transportation and packaging costs pile up.

Israel and the US launched a new wave of strikes on Iran, hitting Tehran early Tuesday. Iran has been launching fewer missiles than at the start of the war, but it continues to deploy more low-flying drones that are harder to intercept. The conflict has killed more than 3,000 people in the region, and millions have been displaced in Lebanon and Iran.

In Iraq, a US journalist has been kidnapped, two officials in the country said Tuesday. It's not clear if her kidnapping was related to the war.