Ryan Dagur – Timor-Leste's government has launched a national program to combat endemic malnutrition that afflicts nearly half of children under five in the Catholic-majority nation.

Ryan Dagur – Timor-Leste's president-elect Jose Ramos-Horta held meetings with Catholic leaders, including the Vatican envoy, to discuss government and church cooperation in addressing poor education, one of the most pressing problems in the Catholic-majority country.

Catholic-majority Timor-Leste has moved forward with the adoption of two international treaties aimed at ensuring the rights of disabled people.

Parker Novak – The results of Timor-Leste's 19 April presidential run-off were unsurprising, with challenger Jose Ramos-Horta besting the incumbent, Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres, by a 24 per cent margin. As the dust settles in advance of Horta's inauguration on 20 May, the key takeaways from the election are clear.

What happens next is anything but.

Houston/Melbourne – East Timor's national oil company wants to start producing natural gas from its Greater Sunrise fields by 2028 or 2030, the company's head said on Tuesday in Houston, hoping to develop the offshore project that has been stuck in limbo for decades.

Sofia Tomacruz, Manila – Nobel laureates Jose Ramos-Horta and Maria Ressa have called on Southeast Asians to fight for democracy and continue demanding human rights amid growing threats to democratic freedoms in the region.

Patrick O'Connor – Ramos-Horta received 62 percent of the vote, defeating incumbent Fretilin President Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres with 38 percent. Turn out was 75.2 percent. The former prime minister and president will return to office next month, with the presidential swearing in ceremony scheduled for May 19.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Timor-Leste's president-elect Jose Ramos-Horta says he will adopt a papal-endorsed document on human fraternity into the school curriculum to maintain interreligious harmony and peace in the Catholic-majority country.

He said he had discussed the issue with Aniceto Guerres Lopes, national parliament president, who gave his support.

Timor-Leste has awarded five out of 18 blocks in the second licensing round for onshore and coastal oil and gas exploration projects, according to the National Oil and Minerals Authority (ANPM).

ANPM awarded three onshore blocks and two blocks in the Timor Sea, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Timor-Leste president-elect Jose Ramos-Horta said he would work closely with the Catholic Church and acknowledged the important role of various parties, including religious leaders, in jointly finding solutions to the country's problems.

Fernanda Canofre and Dercio Tsandzana – As Timor-Leste celebrates its 20th independence anniversary, former president and 1996 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has been announced as the new president-elect in the Asian country of 1.3 million inhabitants.

Dili (Kyodo News) – East Timor's president-elect Jose Ramos-Horta said on Thursday he expects his country to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2023 when Indonesia chairs the 10-member bloc.

Dili, Timor Leste – Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta called for dialogue on Thursday, one day after scoring a landslide victory in Timor Leste's presidential election.

The 72-year-old won 62 percent of the vote against incumbent Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres' 37 percent, according to preliminary results announced after all the votes were counted.

Peter Job – May 20 will mark 20 years of independence for Australia's near neighbour, the nation of Timor-Leste.

The Nobel prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta has scored a landslide victory in Timor-Leste's presidential election, according to preliminary results published by the election secretariat.

Independence leader and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has won a second term as president of Timor-Leste.

In the second and final round of vote counting on April 20, Ramos-Horta won 62.09 percent of the vote while ex-guerrilla fighter President Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres trailed with 37.91 percent, according to data from the country's election body.

Kate Lamb and Nelson Da Cruz – Independence leader and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has taken a decisive lead in the second and final round of East Timor's presidential election, early results of the vote showed on Wednesday.

Chris Barrett, Singapore – A decade after being unseated, Jose Ramos-Horta is headed for a return to East Timor's presidential palace from where he will be charged with resolving the country's bitter political feud.

Dili, Timor Leste – Voting in the second and final round of Timor Leste's presidential election began early on Tuesday, with Nobel laureate, Jose Ramos-Horta, the clear frontrunner in the poll.

Dili, East Timor – East Timor's citizens head to the polls on Tuesday to choose either a Nobel laureate or a former guerrilla fighter – the incumbent president – as their next leader.

Parker Novak – Timorese voters head to the polls again on Tuesday 19 April for the second round of the country's presidential election. The campaign, following a first round of voting last month, pits two long-standing political figures against each other – incumbent president Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres and challenger Jose Ramos-Horta.

Peter Job – After East Timor declared independence from Portugal in 1975, Indonesian dictator Suharto ordered an invasion and tried to crush the national liberation movement. Australia knew Indonesian forces were carrying out massacres – and helped hide it from the world.

Interview by Zacharias Szumer

A report on human rights released by the United States government highlights the problems with police in the Catholic-majority country of Timor-Leste, such as violence against civilians and efforts to deter communities from reporting such cases.

An international group advocating human rights in Timor-Leste, of which a UK pedophile priest was a supporter, has taken down an appeal for financial support he had set up for the group following his conviction for child sex abuse last week.

Elizabeth Byrne – The High Court has put off considering whether details of an alleged Australian spying operation in Timor-Leste should remain secret during a criminal trial.

Four Corners has revealed the New Zealand military ordered its legal offi

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – A Catholic priest is to moderate the presidential debate in Timor-Leste as Asia's youngest democracy gets ready for a second round of voting on April 19.

The appointment of Father Bento Barros Pereira from Dili Archdiocese was announced by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) on April 11.

Ryan Dagur – Timor-Leste is mourning the death of a Portuguese missionary who spent more than 50 years working as a teacher in the Catholic-majority country.

Baltasar Pires, a deacon of the Salesians of Don Bosco, died on April 4 in a hospital in the capital Dili. He was 81.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Dili Archdiocese in Timor-Leste has established an ecclesiastical court to handle marriage-related cases including annulments.

Salesian Archbishop Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili along with the Vatican's representative in Timor-Leste, Monsignor Marco Sprizzi, and Justice Minister Tiago Amaral launched the court on April 1 in Dili.

In April last year, heavy rainfalls from Cyclone Seroja caused flash flooding and landslides across Timor-Leste, destroying tens of thousands of homes and killing 48 people, with 14 still unaccounted for.

Zulmira Alves dos Reis and her husband Luis da Costa told SBS News they will never forget the moment they watched their family home swallowed by floodwaters.

Anne Barker – Juliana dos Santos says she had been a "war trophy" for 22 years when she decided it was time to escape the man she claims kept her a prisoner and a slave.

Days after Timor Leste's independence ballot in 1999, Juliana was kidnapped at 15 by a pro-Indonesia militia leader and taken across the border to Indonesian West Timor.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – The Catholic-majority nation of Timor-Leste is still battling a dengue outbreak that has killed dozens of people, with the number of cases soaring to more than 3,700 this year despite the government's preventive measures.

Leaders from the three key parties in the Timor-Leste governing coalition have confirmed that are supporting the incumbent head of state, Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres, in the second round of the presidential elections next month, reports Lusa news agency.

Timor-Leste is headed for a run-off presidential election after Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta failed to secure more than 50 per cent of the vote, despite a commanding lead over a fellow former independence fighter, incumbent President Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres.

Timor-Leste is headed for a runoff presidential election after Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta failed to secure more than 50 percent of the vote despite a commanding lead over a fellow former independence fighter, incumbent President Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres.

Li-Li Chen – Five days after polls closed, the presidential election in Timor-Leste, Asia's youngest democracy, seems set for a second-round of voting. As of 9 p.m.

Parker Novak – Timor-Leste – one of Southeast Asia's few vibrant democracies – held the first round of its presidential election on Saturday 19 March. Jose Ramos-Horta led the pack with 46 per cent, while incumbent president Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres took second with 22 per cent.

Timor-Leste's citizens voted for a new president at the weekend, hoping the most competitive election in the history of the Asia-Pacific's youngest country will end a protracted political impasse, reports France 24.

Chris Barrett, Singapore – A bid by one of East Timor's founding fathers, Jose Ramos-Horta, to return to the presidency has been strongly endorsed by voters in Australia's near neighbour.

South-east Asia's youngest country went to the polls on Saturday for its fifth presidential election and while counting continued on Sunday, Ramos-Horta, 72, was clearly in front.

Voting is under way in East Timor, as Asia's youngest nation holds its fifth presidential election since independence amid concerns over political stability and economic security.

Tempo.Co, Suci Sekarwati, Jakarta – The 1996 Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient Manuel Ramos-Horta said in a discussion held by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) on Thursday, March 17, 2022, that Timor Leste is hoping to join ASEAN. Jose acknowledges that the process would take some time.

Dili, Timor Leste – The frontrunner in Timor Leste's presidential election, independence figure and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta, has said he hopes to restore political stability to Asia's youngest democracy, as the nation prepares to head to the polls.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak has called on voters to ensure a successful and peaceful presidential election and exercise their right to vote in what promises to be the most competitive poll in the Catholic-majority country's history.

Avatar Fernando da Costa – Thousands of people in East Timor have flocked to presidential campaign rallies days before an election that will test the young country's stability amid a protracted political crisis and economic uncertainty.

Joao da Cruz Cardoso – Timor-Leste will hold its fifth presidential election on 19 March with an unprecedented 16 candidates competing to become the next head of state.

Elizabeth Byrne – Evidence so secret that Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery himself cannot know what it is will be permitted to be used by Commonwealth prosecutors in a trial against him.

Mr Collaery is accused of conspiring to reveal classified information about an alleged Australian spying operation in East Timor, during sensitive oil and gas treaty negotiations.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Timor-Leste is mourning the death of a Portuguese Jesuit priest who served in the country for more than four decades and was credited with helping people in need during the struggle for independence during the Indonesian occupation.

Father Jose Alves Martins died on March 14 at a hospital in Portugal aged 80. The cause of his death was not revealed.

Li-Li Chen – Next week, Timor-Leste will hold the seventh presidential election that the country has conducted on its own since gaining its independence two decades ago.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Catholic-majority Timor-Leste is to provide humanitarian assistance "in a show of solidarity with Ukrainians" following the Russian invasion of the Eastern European country.

The government announced on March 9 that US$1.5 million in aid would be provided through the UN's World Food Program.

Andrea Fahey – In the midst of an international crisis, it is remarkable when small countries still find the courage to adhere to their democratic principles. This time the Timorese government has chosen to respect its independence history and democratic values by condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.