MIL Email Publisher – Foreign Submissions

18 MARCH 2026 – Equinor has made an oil discovery that will be tied into the Johan Castberg field in the Barents Sea.

Grete Birgitte Haaland, area director for Exploration and Production North at Equinor

The discovery was made in the “Polynya Tubåen” prospect (7220/7-5). The well was drilled by the COSL Prospector rig. The preliminary volume estimate is between 14 and 24 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalents.

– With Johan Castberg, we opened a new oil province in the Barents Sea one year ago. It is encouraging that we are now making new discoveries in the area. We plan to drill one to two exploration wells annually in this region going forward to increase the resource base and maintain plateau production for a longer period, says Grete Birgitte Haaland, area director for Exploration and Production North at Equinor.

The volume basis in Johan Castberg was originally estimated at 500–700 million barrels, and Equinor has an ambition to increase this by an additional 200–500 million barrels.

In June 2025, an oil discovery called “Drivis Tubåen” was made in the Castberg area, estimated at 13–20 million barrels in the Drivis structure.

Last week marked the start of construction for the development of Isflak, the first discovery to be tied into Johan Castberg. Aker Solutions in Sandnessjøen is building a well frame for two new wells that will be connected to existing subsea facilities.

Facts

• The Johan Castberg field is located in the Barents Sea, 220 kilometres northwest of Hammerfest.
• Partnership in Johan Castberg is Equinor Energy AS (operator) 46.3%, Vår Energi ASA 30%, Petoro AS 23.7%
• The first discovery in the Johan Castberg field was made in 2011.
• Production started on March 31, 2025.

The Commonwealth Bank has responded to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s cash rate increase.

Tuesday, 17 March 2026 – Following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) decision to increase the official cash rate by 0.25% per annum (p.a.), CBA will increase rates by 0.25% p.a. on eligible variable-rate business loans.

The rate change will apply to CBA Business Bank’s Variable Base Rate, Commercial Variable Base Rate, Residential Equity Rate, Commercial Residential Equity Rate, Overdraft Reference Rate, and Commercial Overdraft Reference Rate, flowing through to eligible variable-rate business lending products including BetterBusiness Loans and Business Overdrafts. These changes will be effective 27 March 2026.

CBA Group Executive Business Banking, Mike Vacy-Lyle, said the Bank remains focused on supporting customers through the current economic environment.

“We know any rate increase can put added pressure on business owners. Our priority is to support customers through this period, and our teams are here to help businesses find the support that’s right for them. We encourage any customer who needs help or wants to explore their options to contact our dedicated Business Financial Assistance team.”

Support for business customers

CBA offers a wide range of tools and programs to support business customers at every stage of their business journey. This includes:

• Free comprehensive cash flow tracking capabilities via a Business Cash Flow tool in the CommBank app. 
• Bill Sense to help customers predict future bills and CommBank’s business insights tool called Daily IQ. 
• CommBank Business Masterclass modules help upskill businesses in the areas of AI and cashflow with more modules to come. 
• Eligible business customers can also benefit from discounts and special offers available via CommBank Yello for Business, the bank’s customer rewards and recognition program. 
• A range of financial support options are available for business customers experiencing difficulty, including deferred business loan repayments or debt restructuring. 

More information is available on our website and businesses seeking support can speak to their Relationship Manager or call CBA’s dedicated Business Financial Assistance team, available 24/7, on 13 26 07.

• A common bacterium, Enterococcus faecalis, can suppress the body’s early warning system in wounds, causing infections to persist and create an environment that allows other bacteria to take hold
• The bacterium releases large amounts of lactic acid in the wound, which lowers pH, weakens immune cells and prevents them from fighting an infection
• These findings could help develop better ways to treat stubborn wounds – such as diabetic foot ulcers and post-surgical infections – which could lead to faster healing.

Singapore, 12 March 2026 – Researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology’s (SMART) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) interdisciplinary research group, along side collaborators from SCELSE, at Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and University of Geneva (UNIGE), have made a breakthrough discovery revealing how a common bacterium, Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), releases lactic acid to acidify its surroundings and suppresses the immune-cell signal needed to start a proper response to infection. By silencing the body’s defences, the bacterium can cause persistent and hard-to-treat wound infections. This study explains why some wounds struggle to heal even with treatment and why infections involving multiple bacteria are especially difficult to eradicate.
 
Chronic wound infections are notoriously difficult to manage because some bacteria can actively interfere with the body’s immune defences. In wounds, E. faecalis is particularly resilient – it can survive inside tissues, alter the wound environment and weaken immune signals at the injury site. This disruption creates conditions where other microbes can easily establish themselves, resulting in multi-species infections that are complex and slow to resolve. These persistent wounds, including diabetic foot ulcers and post-surgical infections, place a heavy burden on patients and healthcare systems, and sometimes lead to serious complications such as amputations.
 
In a paper titled “Enterococcus faecalis-derived lactic acid suppresses macrophage activation to facilitate persistent and polymicrobial wound infections”, recently published in Cell Host & Microbe, the researchers documented how E. faecalis releases large amounts of lactic acid during infection, acidifying the tissue environment. This acidity suppresses the activation of macrophages – immune cells that normally help to clear infections – and interferes with several important internal processes that help the cell recognise and respond to infection. As a result, the mechanisms that cells rely on to send out “danger” signals are suppressed, leaving the macrophages unable to fully activate.
 
Researchers found that E. faecalis uses a two‑step mechanism to achieve this. Lactic acid enters the macrophages through a lactate transporter called MCT‑1 and also binds to a lactate-sensing receptor, GPR81, on the cell surface. By engaging both pathways, the bacterium effectively shuts down downstream immune signalling and blocks the macrophage’s inflammatory response, allowing E. faecalis to persist in the wound much longer than it should. Specifically, the lactic acid prevents a key immune alarm signal, known as NF-κB, from switching on inside these cells.

A mouse wound infection model demonstrated that wounds infected with E. faecalis had dampened immunity, allowing E. faecalis to persist and even enabling co-infecting bacteria like E. coli to thrive. The model allowed researchers to study how lactic‑acid‑driven immune suppression promotes persistent, polymicrobial infections. (Photo: SMART AMR)
 
This was proven in a mouse wound model, where strains of E. faecalis that could not make lactic acid were cleared much more quickly, and the wounds also showed stronger immune activity. In wounds infected with both E. faecalis and Escherichia coli (E. coli), the weakened immune response caused by lactic acid also allowed E. coli to grow better. This explains why wound infections often involve multiple species of bacteria and become harder to treat over time, particularly since E. faecalis is among the most common bacteria found in chronic wounds.

Mouse wound infection model showing a circular punch‑biopsy wound used to study how bacterial infections progress over time. Researchers tracked how E. faecalis persists in these wounds and how immune responses change during infection. (Photo: SMART AMR)

“Chronic wound infections often fail not because antibiotics are powerless, but because the immune system has effectively been ‘switched off’ at the infection site. We found that E. faecalis floods the wound with lactic acid, lowering pH and muting the NF‑κB alarm inside macrophages – the very cells that should be calling for help. By pinpointing how acidity rewires immune signalling, we now have clear targets to reactivate the immune response,” said Dr Ronni da Silva, Research Scientist at SMART AMR, SCELSE-NTU Visiting Researcher and first author of the paper.
 
“This discovery strengthens our understanding of host-pathogen interactions and offers new directions for developing treatments and wound care that target the bacteria’s immunosuppressive strategies. By revealing how the immune response is shut down, this research may help improve infection management and support better recovery outcomes for patients, especially those with chronic wounds or weakened immunity,” said Prof Kimberly Kline, Principal Investigator at SMART AMR, SCELSE-NTU Visiting Academic, Professor at UNIGE and corresponding author of the paper.
 
By identifying lactic‑acid‑driven immune suppression as a root cause of persistent wound infections, this work highlights the potential of treatment approaches that support the immune system rather than rely on antibiotics alone. This could lead to therapies that help wounds heal more reliably and reduce the risk of complications. Potential directions include reducing acidity in the wound or blocking the signals that lactic acid uses to switch off immune cells.
 
Building on their study, the researchers plan to explore validation in additional pathogens and human wound samples, followed by assessments in advanced preclinical models ahead of any potential clinical trials.
 
The research was partially supported by the National Research Foundation Singapore under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme.

March 16 2026 – Trump mulling a delay to the Beijing summit with President Xi signals that diplomacy is increasingly transactional, and markets may experience sudden repricing events tied to political decisions rather than economic fundamentals.

This is the warning from the CEO of financial advisory giant deVere Group as the US President Donald Trump indicated his upcoming trip to China later this month could be pushed back as Washington urges Beijing to play a role in restoring shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, bringing a new strain to an already fragile relationship between the two powers.

Nigel Green says: “A growing share of market-moving events now stem from geopolitical decisions that can emerge suddenly and reshape expectations overnight.

“A possible delay to the Beijing summit illustrates how diplomacy itself can become a strategic instrument.

“Political signals of this kind have the capacity to explode across energy markets, currencies, equities and global supply chains.”

The potential postponement comes against the backdrop of rising tensions linked to the Iran conflict and threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy chokepoints.

The US has urged several countries, including China, Japan, the UK and France, to contribute to efforts aimed at securing the route and preventing further disruption to tanker traffic.

The linkage between the summit and the Hormuz crisis highlights how diplomatic engagement is increasingly being used as leverage in wider geopolitical disputes.

“Investors should recognise the signal here. Diplomatic events, summits and state visits are no longer ceremonial or predictable milestones in international relations.

“They are becoming bargaining tools used to exert pressure or shape strategic outcomes,” comments the deVere chief executive.

China imports a significant proportion of its crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, giving Beijing a clear economic interest in stability in the region.

However, tensions between Washington and Beijing remain substantial, and the possibility of linking cooperation in the Gulf with high-level diplomatic engagement introduces a new layer of complexity to the relationship.

Nigel Green explains that markets may struggle to fully price this evolving environment.

“Traditional market models rely on economic data and policy cycles that unfold gradually.

“Geopolitical decisions, by contrast, can emerge with little warning and change the direction of investor sentiment within hours,” he says.

Energy markets remain particularly sensitive. Any perception that the Strait of Hormuz could remain constrained indefinitely risks pushing oil prices higher, which in turn feeds into inflation expectations, corporate cost pressures and consumer spending patterns across major economies.

At the same time, uncertainty surrounding US-China engagement carries implications for global trade flows, manufacturing supply chains and the broader outlook for global growth.

The deVere CEO notes that investors have grown accustomed to periods of tension between Washington and Beijing, yet developments surrounding the summit underscore how quickly the diplomatic tone can shift.

“The relationship between the US and China sits at the centre of the global economic system.

“Small changes in the political atmosphere between the two powers can have disproportionate consequences for markets,” he says.

“Announcements involving tariffs, trade restrictions, diplomatic visits or negotiations can all trigger sharp moves in sectors ranging from commodities to tech stocks.”

The current landscape demands a more comprehensive view of risk.

“Political decisions increasingly sit alongside economic indicators as a driver of market outcomes.

“Investors who track geopolitical developments with advice will be better positioned to understand the forces influencing market volatility.”

Developments in the Middle East and the US-China relationship are now unfolding simultaneously, a dynamic Nigel Green believes investors must incorporate into their strategic outlook.

“The intersection of energy security, military tensions and diplomatic engagement between the world's largest economies creates a complex backdrop for global markets,” he concludes.

“Trump floating a delay on his visit to Beijing reminds investors that geopolitical developments are increasingly reshaping market expectations quickly.

“Investment strategies must take account of these evolving risks to avoid negative outcomes.”

16 MARCH 2026 – Equinor has completed its internal investigation into the workplace accident at Mongstad on 17 September 2025, in which a worker lost his life. The purpose has been to ensure learning and to identify measures that can strengthen safety in crane and lifting operations across the company.

The accident occurred during the lifting of heat exchangers as part of the plant’s turnaround work.It happened when a crane hook unintentionally caught on a bolt on a heat exchanger.

A worker in the area became trapped between two heat exchangers. Lifesaving first aid was performed, but his life could not be saved. The incident was reported to the police and the Petroleum Safety Authority, both of which have conducted their own investigations.

“The loss of a colleague at work affects us all, and my thoughts go to the family and all those affected. The ongoing investigation is essential to identifying the circumstances that led to this incident, allowing us to learn and make improvements. We are currently implementing all necessary measures to enhance safety in our crane and lifting operations,” stated Irene Rummelhoff, executive vice president for Marketing, Midstream & Processing at Equinor.

The investigation was conducted by an independent group led by Equinor’s Corporate audit and investigation unit, with participants from Crane Norway as well as representatives from the safety delegates, in line with the company’s requirements for investigating serious incidents. The group has expertise in crane and lifting operations, organisational safety, and operational experience from Mongstad.

“The accident has had a profound impact on our organisation at Mongstad. In addition to identifying the direct cause, the investigation report points to several factors that may have contributed to the incident. We have already initiated measures to strengthen the planning, execution, and management of lifting operations at the facility, in line with the report’s recommendations. Together with partners in the industry, we will ensure that everyone working at our facilities receives enhanced training and a clearer understanding of the requirements for this type of operations,” says Bernt Edvard Tysseland, vice president for Mongstad.

The worker who died was employed by the staffing company Nidab and assigned into Crane Norway, which is a lifting services supplier at the Mongstad facility.

The mandate of the investigation team has been to review the following:

• Clarify the sequence of events and the background for the accident.
• Identify immediate and underlying causes, including factors related to the management and control of the lifting operation.
• Assess any deviations from governing documentation.
• Identify barriers that failed or were missing – and barriers that functioned as intended.
• Evaluate notification and emergency response actions during the incident.
• Analyse the actual and potential consequences of the accident.
• Examine whether similar incidents or transferable experiences exist.
• Provide recommendations for improvements and measures that can reduce the risk of recurrence.

The investigation team’s work has included:

• Interviews and conversations with involved personnel, management, suppliers, and witnesses to the incident.
• Review of technical data and documentation, including procedures, lift plans, competency requirements and risk assessments related to the lifting operation.
• Assessment of equipment and operational conditions in the area where the incident occurred.
• Review of notification logs and emergency response handling related to the accident.
• Compilation of previous experiences from crane and lifting incidents in Equinor.

Australia’s mobile services market is poised for steady expansion through 2030 as surging data consumption and rapid 5G adoption reshape operator revenue models. 

Kazakhstan’s proposed new Constitution represents an alarming rollback of human rights protections and the rule of law and a blatant attempt to concentrate presidential power, Amnesty International said ahead of a referendum on the sweeping changes scheduled for 15 March.

“The project of the new Constitution of Kazakhstan reflects what we have been witnessing over the last years – the erosion of international human rights standards and fundamental principle of the law in the country,” Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said.

The draft Constitution, which was prepared without inclusive public consultations or meaningful input from independent civil society, would permit greater restrictions on human rights including the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, based on overly broad and vague concepts of “constitutional order” and “public morality.”

It also defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, further enshrining discrimination against LGBTI people, whose rights have already been severely curtailed by a law banning so-called propaganda of “non-traditional sexual relations” enacted in December 2025.

“By including in the draft Constitution undue restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and the right to protection from discrimination, Kazakhstan is joining an accelerating rollback on international human rights standards and the rule of law that we have documented throughout Central Asia and the wider region,” Marie Struthers said.

“The draft Constitution places human rights within the framework of broad and vague concepts such as the “idea of a Just Kazakhstan,” the principle of “Law and Order,” and “promotion of the idea of a responsible, creative patriotism.”

“Kazakhstan authorities must immediately revoke or remove the repressive provisions and ensure the draft Constitution contains human rights guarantees that are entirely consistent and compatible with the country's international human rights obligations.”

As one human rights defender from Kazakhstan put it, “Law becomes a substitute for rights, and Order – for freedoms”.”

Primacy of national law

The Constitution would no longer contain the provision that international treaties to which Kazakhstan is a state party take precedence over national laws which are inconsistent with the country’s international human rights obligations. Instead, as has been the case in Russia since 2020, the draft Constitution grants the Constitutional Court the authority to overrule the implementation of decisions by international human rights bodies which “do not comply with the Constitution,” thereby undermining the country’s international human rights obligations. Kazakhstan may not invoke the provisions of its internal law as justification for its failure to perform its treaty obligations.

In what appears to be a bid to tighten control over civil society, the draft Constitution would require NGOs to ensure that all information on financial transactions relating to foreign sources of their funding and all related assets is “open and accessible.”

“Although framed as a transparency measure, in practice such provisions are only too reminiscent of repressive ‘foreign agents’ or ‘foreign influence’ legislation likely to be used to impede NGOs’ work, replicating harmful examples from Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and elsewhere,” said Marie Struthers.

Background

The draft Constitution was hastily drafted by a state appointed commission. The authorities have clamped down on criticism of the proposed changes, stifling any legitimate debate by detaining journalists, lawyers and bloggers and blocking social media accounts.

The draft Constitution further consolidates presidential power while undermining the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances and diminishing the role of Parliament, which will become unicameral and renamed the Kurultai.

It also grants the President the authority to appoint the heads of the Supreme Court, the Central Electoral Commission, the Supreme Audit Chamber, the State Security Service, the National Bank and the Human Rights Commissioner, without parliamentary approval. In addition, the President would appoint the Chairperson of the Constitutional Court and, together with the Kurultai, confirm 10 of the Court’s 11 judges.

Article 27 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969) provides that, “A party may not invoke the provisions of its internal law as justification for its failure to perform a treaty.” Kazakhstan acceded to the Convention on January 5, 1994.

The United Nations has endorsed a new global statistical framework for disaster-related statistics to help countries better understand and reduce growing disaster risks.

The Global Disaster-Related Statistics Framework (G-DRSF) establishes internationally agreed guidance on how governments produce statistics on disasters from their frequency and intensity, economic losses and infrastructure damage, population and environmental risk and impacts, to efforts we make in reducing disaster risk. Its endorsement comes at a critical moment, as countries face increasingly frequent and severe hazards that strain public finances and threaten to reverse development gains.

For the first time at the global level, the G-DRSF brings together the work of National Statistical Offices and National Disaster Management Offices under one coordinated approach. By aligning data systems across institutions, it is expected to strengthen national disaster data governance and improve the consistency and reliability of information used in policy decisions.

The G-DRSF responds to longstanding calls to look beyond gross domestic product as the primary measure of progress. It provides governments with a more comprehensive evidence base for planning and budgeting by better equipping them to measure not only direct damage from disasters, but also exposure, vulnerability and capacity to cope.  

The development of the G-DRSF has been coordinated by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Disaster-related Statistics, co-chaired by UNDRR, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), in response to a 2019 UN Statistical Commission decision to advance a common statistical framework on disaster-related statistics.

The G-DRSF aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and supports reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Goal on Adaptation.

“The Global Disaster-Related Statistics Framework shows how regional innovation can shape global progress. It consolidates and scales up the Asia-Pacific framework endorsed in 2018 and sets a strong example of a bottom-up pathway toward internationally coherent disaster-related statistics,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

“Cooperation to prevent disasters relies on having a shared understanding of risks, both within countries and across borders. The Global Disaster-Related Statistics Framework is a major milestone in creating a common language to drive disaster prevention. This is a success for multilateralism, and I am grateful to all partners whose commitment made this possible,” shared Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.

As climate-related and other hazards intensify, the endorsement of a shared statistical foundation is expected to strengthen risk analysis, inform safer infrastructure and investment decisions, and support efforts to protect vulnerable communities worldwide.

For more information:  https://unstats.un.org/UNSDWebsite/statcom/session_57/documents/BG-4c-G-DRSF-E.pdf  

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the most inclusive intergovernmental platform in the Asia-Pacific region. The Commission promotes cooperation among its member States and associate members in pursuit of solutions to sustainable development challenges. ESCAP is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations.

A landmark James Cook University (JCU) study has laid bare the systemic disadvantage and racism experienced by Australian South Sea Islanders in Queensland – and called for dedicated “navigators” to help communities access essential services.

Commissioned through a Queensland Government research tender, the JCU-led project partnered with the Queensland United Australian South Sea Islander Council (QUASSIC) and combined ABS Census analysis with in-depth, story-based interviews to document the lived experiences of Australian South Sea Islanders (ASSI) across the state.

Qualitative research used the story-based, Pacific method of “tok stori” to document people’s lives, and helped lay a foundation for future improvements in identity, greater opportunities in housing and higher education, and improvement of gaps in health and aged care.

Lead researcher Associate Professor Michelle Redman-MacLaren said the study found that while South Sea Islanders are often more likely to be employed than Queenslanders overall, home ownership rates and equitable access to services remain issues.  

“Australian South Sea Islanders helped build Queensland’s agricultural economy, yet they have only been officially recognised as a distinct people group for 25 years – and the systems that should support South Sea Islanders still aren’t designed with them in mind,” she said.

“The systems we have – especially in education, health and housing – are not set up for Australian South Sea Islander communities or a collective way of life, and yet community members are trying to navigate systems built for individuals and nuclear families.

A key recommendation of the JCU report is the creation of funded Australian South Sea Islander “navigators” – trusted community-based workers who can help families navigate education, health, housing and other government systems.

“We already see elders informally guiding people through hospitals and services,” Assoc Prof Redman-MacLaren said.

“Formalising and funding these roles is a practical, evidence-based way to improve outcomes for Australian South Sea Islanders.”

Proud ASSI woman and newly enrolled JCU PhD candidate Zia Youse was a key member of the research team, and she has further research planned to build on the findings of this study.

“The report shows the community is calling for stronger recognition of Australian South Sea Islander identity,” she said.

“Promoting the visibility of the Australian South Sea Islander flag builds pride and belonging and expanding initiatives like the Kanaka Proud Cup will strengthen opportunities for young people to express their identity through football.”

Despite strong employment, particularly in education, health, mining and trades, South Sea Islanders have lower rates of home ownership and are also under-represented in university-level qualifications, even as participation in trades and technical education grows.

The project also highlighted serious undercounting in census data, contributing to under‑recognition and a lack of dedicated government support.

In the 2016 census 6826 Queenslanders identified as Australian South Sea Islanders but by 2021 that figure had dropped to 5562, despite the community clearly not shrinking – a problem linked to how identity is recorded on census forms.

“With the Australian Census taking place on 11 August this year, QUASSIC will be leading a public education campaign to ensure our community understands how to correctly identify as Australian South Sea Islander,” President of QUASSIC, Mr Clacy Fatnowna, said.

“Accurate identification is critical, as government resources and future service planning are directly linked to these Census numbers.”

The full report is available online here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61d66cbe1da7096634e2b6e5/t/6909a8a90c47440d9d8c95cc/1762240681031/Lived+ExperiencesStudy_Final+Report.pdf