Lusa – The Government of Timor-Leste will propose changes to the public debt regime in order to diversify sources of financing and reduce dependence on the Petroleum Fund, Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao announced on Thursday.

Robert Dougherty – Australia has announced a joint declaration on establishing Parseria Foun ba Era Foun (New partnership for a new era) with the government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

Gregory, Yangon – For victims of military repression in Myanmar, East Timor (Timor-Leste) has become a new battleground. Not an armed one, but one involving the law.

A human rights organisation representing Myanmar's ethnic Chin minority has lodged a complaint in Dili against the country's military junta, accusing it of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Joao Boavida Milena Pires – Despite a stable constitutional framework, sustained international assistance, and substantial public expenditure, Timor-Leste continues to experience political stagnation.

Timor-Leste and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a US$78 million agreement on Monday aimed at rehabilitating a vital segment of the national road network, reports the Portuguese newspaper O Jornal Economico.

Ali MC, Dili, East Timor – On the 50th anniversary of Indonesia's invasion of East Timor, longtime independence advocate and now the country's President Jose Ramos-Horta reflected on the last half-century of politics and diplomacy in his country.

Adinda Jasmine, Jakarta – Xanana Gusmao, the Prime Minister of Timor Leste, delivered his inaugural policy speech at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on Thursday, December 11, 2025. Xanana made his first visit as Timor Leste was accepted as the 11th member of the regional bloc in Malaysia last October.

Adinda Jasmine, Jakarta – Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao kicked off his official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on Thursday, December 11, 2025. This marks his first visit after Timor Leste was designated as the 11th full member of ASEAN in Malaysia last October.

Philip Jacobson, Dili, Timor-Leste – Whale tourism in Timor-Leste is booming. Tour operators report a healthy number of sightings and full bookings in the peak season of September to December, when hundreds of pygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) make the journey through the Ombai-Wetar Strait on their way south to western Australia.

Vonia Vieira, Doug Dingwall – As Indonesian warplanes flew overhead, they dropped something many in Timor-Leste had never seen.

But Jose Bareto de Jesus recognised the rounded objects floating to the ground and sounded the alarm to his friends that day on December 7, 1975.

"I was shouting that the plane dropped a parachute," he told the ABC.

Luqman H, Tegar Nurfitra, Yogyakarta – Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao met Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, Governor of Indonesia's Special Region of Yogyakarta, on Monday, in a visit that underscored the deep historical and cultural links between the two nations.

On 7 December 2025, fifty years since Indonesian troops invaded East Timor, survivors and their descendants continue to live with the legacy of occupation, violence and loss – and to insist that remembrance, truth and justice still matter.

Dhaka – The 50th anniversary of Timor-Leste's Proclamation of Independence has been celebrated in Dhaka highlighting the significance of the milestone and underscoring prospects for expanded bilateral cooperation following Timor-Leste's recent accession to ASEAN as its 11th member.

Ali MC, East Timor – It is a quiet afternoon in Lospalos. Just the clucking of chickens, the grunt of a pig and in the distance, a transistor radio playing Portuguese reggaeton; a typical small-town soundtrack in this country of 1.4 million people situated in the Timor Sea between Indonesia and Australia's northern territories.

Anna O'Connor – Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has doubled down on processing liquified natural gas (LNG) from the Greater Sunrise field in the country ahead of a new agreement with the Australian operator, reports the Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Yulida Nuraini Santoso – Timor-Leste's accession to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) ended more than 12 years of waiting and inaugurated a new phase in the country's regional engagement.

Ivo Mateus Goncalves Da Cruz Fernandes – Forms of solidarity have persisted between Indonesians and East Timorese after the restoration of Timor-Leste's independence in May 2002. This solidarity is underpinned by shared historical experiences of New Order authoritarian rule and a commitment to dismantling colonialism.

Mouzinho Lopes de Araujo – The world has lost a giant with the passing of Australian media legend Bob Howarth. He was 81.

He was a passionate advocate for journalism who changed many lives with his extraordinary kindness and generosity coupled with wisdom, experience and an uncanny ability to make things happen.

Shafiah Muhibat – Don't let the polite headlines fool you. When Timor-Leste was welcomed as the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the 47th Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the fanfare obscured one of the summit's most important actions.

Adinda Jasmine, Jakarta – The government of the United Kingdom declared its support for Timor Leste after the country was officially accepted as the 11th member of ASEAN at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 26.

Kurniawan Arif Maspul – Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN this week came with a boom: not just a new flag at the summit in Kuala Lumpur, but a live demonstration of how great-power politics, resource competition and institutional fragility are colliding in Southeast Asia.

Saifulbahri Ismail, Marcel Pereira, Dili – At the 12 November High School in Dili, students listen attentively to a lesson about their country's journey to independence.

None of them were alive when Timor-Leste gained sovereignty in 2002 after 24 years of Indonesian occupation.

Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao has paid tribute to the "courageous and determined" contribution of Australian journalist Robert Domm to the struggle of the Timorese people in gaining independence from Indonesia. He died last Friday.

Domm was remembered for meeting in secret with the then Timorese resistance leader Gusmao in an exclusive interview.

Anna O'Connor – As Timor-Leste debates its General State Budget for 2026, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao is advocating for targeted investment to fuel economic transformation, the Portuguese news agency Lusa reports.

On 22 October 2025, a peaceful protest in the town of Tanahmerah, Boven Digoel Regency, South Papua Province, ended violently following repressive intervention by Indonesian police forces.

Iona Main, Sydney – Wandering through the cavernous, white-tiled port building of Kupang, in Indonesia's West Timor, you might momentarily think you're in the maritime gateway to a much bigger place. But linger a little longer and it's clear the glistening modern edifice is mostly a monument to future potential.

New Delhi, India – India has sent 10,000 doses of rabies vaccine and 2,000 vials of rabies immunoglobulin to Timor-Leste to help the island nation tackle a rabies outbreak, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday.India also reaffirmed its role as a trusted and reliable health partner to the Global South.

Iona Main – Wandering through the cavernous, white-tiled port building of Kupang, in Indonesia's West Timor, you might momentarily think you're in the maritime gateway to a much bigger place.

Kyaw Win – As leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) convened in Kuala Lumpur for their biennial summit over the weekend, they formally admitted Timor-Leste into the bloc, marking the first expansion of its membership since 1999.

Guteriano Neves – The official inauguration of Timor-Leste's membership in ASEAN has been the main topic in Dili this week and a highlight of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is a moment of great joy for many Timorese. The theme "Together We Rise" captures a sense of unity and hope inspired by this historic accession.

Samantha Tan, Kuala Lumpur – Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao has reiterated the importance of peace and dialogue in ensuring sustainable development across the ASEAN region and beyond.

Kuala Lumpur – Asia's youngest nation Timor Leste on Sunday became the 11th member of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN, fulfilling a vision set out by its current president nearly a half-century ago while under Portuguese rule.

Agencies, Kuala Lumpur – Timor Leste joined the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc as its 11th member state on Sunday, after 14 years of campaigning.

Its Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao joined ASEAN leaders for a summit and signing ceremony in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, before posing for photographs together in interlocking arms.

Jakarta – Asia's youngest nation Timor Leste is set to achieve a decades-long dream when it becomes the 11th member of ASEAN this weekend, which analysts say is a win politically although the economic benefits remain to be seen.

Saifulbahri Ismail, Dili, Timor-Leste – Timor-Leste is poised to make history as it prepares to formally join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) when regional leaders gather for their summit in Kuala Lumpur later this week.

Gordon Peake – "If something happens that's wrong, you say sorry" said Evan Shackleton, son of one of the Balibo Five, last week. Shackleton was speaking to media at Balibo at commemorations for the five journalists murdered by Indonesian forces on the Timorese side of the border in 1975.

Terry Friel – Fifty years ago this week, five young journalists from Australia, the UK, and New Zealand were murdered in what was then East Timor by Indonesian troops – and their families are still angry that no one has been held accountable and that governments, especially Australia, have done nothing.

Anna O'Connor – Timorese President Jose Ramos Horta has honoured the members of China's 10th medical aid team with the Medal of Merit in recognition of their contributions to the country's health sector, reports the Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Nick Sas, Vonia Vieira, Rory Callinan – Walking in the same dirt his father did 50 years ago brews a stew of emotions for Evan Shackleton. This is the dirt, in the Timor-Leste border town of Balibo, where his father laid his last footprints.

Shannon Brincat – On October 16, 1975, five journalists were killed in the remote Timorese town of Balibo. To this day, no one has been charged with their deaths.

Timor-Leste is pushing to revive the Tasi Mane project, promising returns of up to US$52 billion by 2056 with development of the energy industry infrastructure, reports Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Seri Iskandar (Bernama) – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today confirmed that Timor-Leste will be officially made a full member of ASEAN on Oct 26.

Anwar, who is also the ASEAN Chairman, said Malaysia, through the Foreign Ministry, is working hard to ensure that Timor-Leste is accepted as a permanent member of the regional bloc.

Dili, Timor-Leste (Bernama-Kyodo) – Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta has expressed hope for increased Japanese investment following his country's accession to ASEAN at a summit in Malaysia later this month, Kyodo News reported.

Teh Lip Li – Twenty-three years after its independence, Timor-Leste confronts fundamental questions as it prepares to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the bloc's summit later this month: namely, what value does it bring to regional cooperation, and how will it transition from an ASEAN observer to a constructive partner?

Michael Rose – Two decades after Timor-Leste gained its independence, the country is a complicated and qualified success story. Poverty and deep economic problems persist, but the country boasts a thriving democracy. Its ascension to the ASEAN regional bloc will come later this month.

Li-Li Chen – Recent years have witnessed the rise of what some have termed the "Gen Z movement" – a wave of activism from young people born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s.

Kuala Lumpur – Timor-Leste, Southeast Asia's youngest nation is finalising preparations for its imminent entry into ASEAN as a full member this month, having fulfilled 97 per cent of the regional bloc's membership requirement.

The government of Timor-Leste on Wednesday approved a Council of Ministers resolution to cancel licences for online gambling and betting, citing risks to security and social stability.

Ravaged by a brutal military occupation, East Timor won its independence just over two decades ago. The young nation has built itself into a stable democracy, but poverty remains widespread.

Timor-Leste's economy will slow down and grow by an average of 3.7% in 2025, 2026 and 2027, compared to 4.1% in 2024, according to the World Bank's (WB) biannual economic report.

"That growth will be driven mainly by public investment in infrastructure, the expansion of the service sector and improvements in digital connectivity and transport," the WB said in the report.