A proposal to amend Timor-Leste's media law has sparked strong criticism from journalists and activists who allege the move seeks to curtail press freedom and muzzle dissent in the tiny Catholic-majority nation.

The Secretariat of State for Social Communication recently proposed an amendment to the Social Communication Law, passed in 2014.

Adinda Jasmine, Jakarta – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed his support for Timor Leste to become a full member of ASEAN. He believes Timor Leste's inclusion will strengthen the regional organization by complementing its geographic presence.

Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta has denied violating the Catholic-majority nation's constitution and dismissed a ruling from a top court that accused him of interfering in judicial independence.

The Myanmar junta's rhetoric against Timor Leste is reaching hysterical pitch as the island state's accession to ASEAN looms.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta boasted about Dili's economic strength, including its investments and low foreign debt, during a trip to Jakarta on Friday, as the half-island nation is set to join ASEAN in about two months.

Yogyakarta – Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta has proposed the establishment of an ASEAN Community Peace and Reconciliation Study Center by involving universities and civil society organizations across the region.

Winston Mwale, Geneva – The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially certified Timor-Leste as malaria-free, marking a remarkable achievement for the young nation that emerged from conflict and built a robust public health system from the ground up, writes Winston Mwale.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – ASEAN is set to officially accept Timor-Leste as its when the group's leaders gather in Kuala Lumpur this October, thus finally ending the half-island nation's decades-long wait.

Max Lane – ASEAN faces an intriguing test of its own decision-making procedures, as consensus might be elusive given the apparent obstruction of one member to the full accession of its eleventh member.

ASEAN member states have agreed to expedited completion of the documentation process, ensuring that Timor-Leste can take its place as a full member of the Southeast Asian bloc in October, reports Malaysian news agency Bernama.

Kornelis K, Tegar Nurfitra, Kupang – The governments of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province and Timor-Leste have discussed the plan to form a technical team to advance economic cooperation and support development for their communities.

Timor-Leste has dismissed Myanmar's objection to it becoming the 11th member of ASEAN as "inconsequential and irrelevant."

Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta said his country's path to full membership of ASEAN has already been secured, according to UCA News.

Jakarta – Timor-Leste will officially become ASEAN's 11th member later this year, according to the Foreign Ministry's Director General for ASEAN Cooperation, Sidharto R. Suryodipuro.

Poramet Tangsathaporn – Thailand will support Timor-Leste joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as its 11th member despite reported opposition from Myanmar, officials said yesterday.

Bolbongse Vangphaen, director-general of the Department of Asean Affairs, reiterated the country's official stance during the ministry's weekly press briefing.

Timor-Leste has dismissed Myanmar's reported objection to it becoming the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as "inconsequential and irrelevant."

Kuala Lumpur – After 26 years, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is set to welcome its first new member since 1999 as Timor-Leste nears full accession.

This milestone carries significant implications for both the nation and the regional bloc amid shifting geopolitical and economic dynamics.

Sukegawa Seiya – In October 2025, Timor-Leste will be officially admitted to ASEAN as its 11th member state. This will mark the realization of the long-standing aspiration for regional integration the young country has had since it won independence in 2002.

Kuala Lumpur (Xinhua) – China's poverty eradication efforts will serve as a role model for other countries to follow suit, Jose Ramos-Horta, president of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, has told Xinhua.

Kuala Lumpur – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday said ASEAN remains committed to supporting Timor-Leste's full membership in the regional grouping, while acknowledging that the process of meeting key requirements is complex and gradual.

Hundreds of ethnic Timorese who fled to the Indonesian territory of West Timor decades ago to escape Timor-Leste's violent struggle for independence have called for land ownership from the government and rejected a resettlement plan.

Lusa – The President of Timor-Leste, Jos Ramos-Horta, began a private visit to Malaysia on Tuesday, from where he will travel to Monaco for a working visit to promote regional cooperation and strengthen international partnerships.

Catholic-majority Timor-Leste has reversed its initial decision to abstain in a vote on a United Nations resolution concerning the protection of civilians in Gaza and voted in favor of it a day after the vote.

Vonia Vieira, Nick Sas, Doug Dingwall – The smoke from burning waste gets so thick at Delfina Martin's home in Timor-Leste, she and her children struggle to breathe.

But she says it's not the only way the country's biggest rubbish dump – only 300 metres from her house – damages her family's health.

James Pearson – Estrella Resources has made a landmark discovery in its maiden exploration program in Timor-Leste, intersecting a thick 6.45-metre zone of massive manganese oxides just 1.35m below surface at its Ira Miri prospect.

Manila – Timor-Leste deported an Interpol-wanted Filipino murder suspect on Thursday (May 29) whose case the government has linked to its aspirations to join the regional ASEAN bloc, after more than two years of political wrangling.

Police in Timor-Leste have re-arrested a former Philippine Congress member accused of masterminding the killing of a sitting governor and nine others back home in March 2023.

Freedom of self-determination is one of the most valuable principles, higher than other values that should be enjoyed by every person in their life, especially people who live on a certain land.

Kuala Lumpur – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with his Timor-Leste counterpart Xanana Gusmao in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, within the framework of his official visit to Malaysia and his attendance at the 46th ASEAN Summit and related Summits.

Timor-Leste is one step closer to achieving full membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a new announcement putting its accession as soon as October if requirements are fulfilled, according to multiple media reports.

Jan Hennop, Kuala Lumpur – Timor-Leste is a step closer to fulfilling its longstanding wish to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc and could become its 11th member state by October, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Sunday.

Kuala Lumpur – ASEAN Foreign Ministers today reaffirmed their strong support for Timor-Leste's full membership in the regional bloc, acknowledging the country's significant progress in implementing the ASEAN Roadmap.

Fadhil Haidar Sulaeman, Dili – For the people of Timor-Leste, May 20 is Independence Restoration Day: the day the United Nations officially handed over sovereignty after the Portuguese and Indonesian colonial periods, a time characterized by an enduring struggle for independence.

Nadja Skopljak – Switzerland-based StreamTec Solutions has signed a cooperation agreement with Timor-Leste's national oil & gas company Timor Gas & Petroleo, E.P. (TIMOR GAP) and the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MPRM) to establish a company that will develop an underwater pipeline highway for the transport of natural gas.

A woman who survived sexual abuse at the hands of a convicted paedophile priest fears he will hurt her again if the Timor-Leste government succeeds in having him pardoned.

A former Catholic priest convicted of sex abuse is among 38 people considered for the presidential executive clemency in Timor-Leste, according to the country's justice minister.

More than 50,000 Catholics gathered on April 26 for a requiem Mass for Pope Francis at the Esplanade of Tasi Tolu on the coast of Timor-Leste, where the pope celebrated Mass during his visit to this Catholic-majority nation last September.

Stefani Wijaya, Jakarta – Indonesian National Police (Polri) Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo has been awarded the Order of Timor-Leste, the country's highest honor, by the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

Jakarta – Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Polri), General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, received the Order of Timor-Leste, the highest honor granted by the government of Timor-Leste, at the country's embassy in Jakarta on Monday.

Dili – Brandishing his government-gifted medals near a statue of the Virgin Mary in East Timor's capital, ex-rebel Crisanto de Jesus Alves da Costa says Pope Francis' message of hope on a rare visit last year offered a bright path for Asia's youngest nation.

Dili – Catholic-majority Timor Leste will observe a week of mourning to honour Pope Francis after his death on Monday aged 88, President Jose Ramos-Horta said, hailing the pontiff's "very brave" fight for peace and support of the world's poorest people.

Stephen Dziedzic, Andrew Greene – One of Australia's closest neighbours has declared it is willing to join Chinese-led military exercises but insists it would only do so if the activity is "not directed at any perceived hostile entity".

Timor-Leste has awarded its first offshore gambling license, calling the move a milestone in the broader push for economic diversification and digital sector development.

Jakarta – The Indonesian National Border Management Agency (BNPP) has officially opened a new cross-border route connecting the Napan Border Crossing Post (PLBN) in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province to the Oesilo Border Post in Timor-Leste.

Havana – East Timor President and Nobel Peace Laureate Jose Ramon Horta handed over diplomas to Cuban doctors who wound up their work in that country.

Kiki Siregar, Liquica, Timor-Leste/Morowali, Indonesia: Most people would not be thrilled to be surrounded by a sea of trash daily, but Dion Gonsalves feels blessed to have the opportunity to work at a 23ha dumpsite in Liquica district, west of Timor-Leste's capital Dili.

Zac Gillies-Palmer – In September 1974, socialists in Dili founded the Revolutionary Front for the Independence of Timor-Leste, better known as FRETILIN. Against the backdrop of the Cold War, FRETILIN grew from a small group of left-wing intellectuals into East Timor's main independence party and armed resistance movement.

James Pearson – Estrella Resources is about to make history in Timor-Leste with the arrival of the nation's first mineral exploration rig. The company is gearing up to kick off an exploration drilling campaign at its Ira Miri, Sica and Lalena manganese prospects in the country's northwest.

Timor-Leste has pledged humanitarian aid worth US$500,000 for Myanmar where a strong earthquake has left more than 3,000 dead, thousands more injured and tens of thousands displaced.

Indonesia, West Papua – The Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (C24) decided that the 2025 C24 Pacific Regional Conference will be held in Dili, Timor-Leste, from 21 to 23 May 2025.

Portugal's National Energy and Geology Laboratory (known by its Portuguese initials LNEG) is cooperating with its local counterpart in Timor-Leste to assess the mineral potential of the Southeast Asian country, the Lusa news agency reports.