Viji Menon – Timor-Leste's second parliamentary elections in a space of 10 months have raised the prospect for a resolution to the young country's political gridlock; but challenges remain which call for exceptional leadership from all parties.

Paul Karp – The attorney general has refused to elaborate on why he approved the prosecution of a former spy who revealed Australia had bugged Timor-Leste's cabinet rooms, describing it as an "independent decision" of prosecutors.

David Dixon – They just couldn't leave it alone could they? The Attorney-General's decision to approve charges against "Witness K" and his lawyer, Bernard Collaery, for telling the government of East Timor that their offices had been bugged by Australia is a crude act of political revenge against a whistleblower.

Anne Barker – When police in East Timor caught a large fleet of Chinese fishing boats last year, with thousands of dead sharks on board, the evidence of illegal fishing – on a massive scale – seemed indisputable.

Nick O'Malley – A retired senior judge has expressed alarm over the decision to charge the former spy known as Witness K and his solicitor Bernard Collaery for exposing Australia's bugging of East Timor during contentious oil and gas negotiations.

Clinton Fernandes – The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Sarah McNaughton SC, recently filed criminal charges against Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery and his client, a former officer of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS).

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo congratulated Timor Leste for holding a successful election on May 12.

Michael Sainsbury and Jose Belo, Dili – Timor-Leste's new government has hit a major hurdle in its plan to improve fraught relations with Australia over the sensitive issue of maritime boundaries in the gas-rich sea between the two countries.

Jakarta – First Lady Cidalia Lopes Nobre Mouzinho Guterres of Timor Leste paid a brief visit Thursday to Kampung KB (Family Planning Village) at a child-friendly integrated public space (RPTRA) in Kalijodo, North Jakarta, where she and her Indonesian counterparts spoke about sexual and reproductive health rights.

Criminal charges have been filed against a spy-turned-whistleblower who exposed a secret Australian bugging operation in East Timor, parliament heard Thursday, in what one MP called an "insane development".

Anton Hermansyah, Bogor, West Java – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo welcomed East Timor President Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres at the Bogor Palace in West Java on Thursday.

Ahmad Faiz Ibnu Sani, Jakarta – Timor Leste President Fransisco Guterres urged has called on Indonesia to support his country to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He conveyed his wish to President Joko Widodo or Jokowi during Guterres' visit to the Bogor Presidential Palace on Thursday, June 28.

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo met Timor Leste President Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres during the latter's state visit at the Bogor Palace in Bogor, West Java, on Thursday.

Rod Mcguirk, Canberra, Australia – Australia's prime minister on Friday distanced his government from a decision to prosecute a former spy and his lawyer who accuse Australia of illegally bugging the East Timorese Cabinet while negotiating a deal to share oil and gas revenue.

Paul Karp and agencies – Criminal charges have been filed against the spy-turned-whistleblower who revealed Australia had bugged Timor-Leste's cabinet rooms, federal parliament has been told.

Andrew Greene and Lucy Sweeney – A Canberra lawyer whose client exposed a secret Australian spying operation in East Timor has described the prosecution against them both as an attack on freedom of speech.

Celestina Soares – The Director of the Central Basic School (EBC) in Akadiru-hun, Dili, Mateus Pinto Tilman urged the Public Service Commission (PSC) to encourage teachers aged 60 and upwards to retire so that new teachers can be recruited.

Paulina Quintao – Women's participation in the labor force in Timor-Leste is still limited to 21% compared to men's 40%, according to data from the labor force survey 2015.

Dili – Former Timor Leste independence fighter Jose Maria de Vasconcelos was sworn in as Prime Minister yesterday and pledged to bring unity to the nation after months of political deadlock.

President Francisco Guterres dissolved Parliament in January after former prime minister Mari Alkatiri's minority government faced a legislative stalemate.

Dili – East Timor's president is refusing to swear in 11 members of cabinet because of corruption investigations, marring the formation of a new government following a protracted political stalemate in the young nation.

Harold Mitchell – Today finds me in Timor-Leste. Not too many Australians are aware of this tiny nation just 40 minutes off the coast of Northern Australia. But our influence over this brave band of just over a million people has been enormous.

Nelson de la Cruz, Dili – East Timor will swear in as prime minister on Friday its former president and independence fighter Jose Maria de Vasconcelos, putting an end to months of political deadlock in the tiny Southeast Asian nation.

Michael Sainsbury, Yangon, Myanmar – Former East Timor president and revolutionary leader Taur Matan Ruak has been announced as the country's new Prime Minister five weeks after the Alliance of Progress and Change coalition won a majority of 43 in the nation's 65 seat legislature.

David Hutt – It is almost certain, barring a constitutional calamity, that Taur Matan Ruak will soon be appointed the new Prime Minister of Timor-Leste.

Paulina Quintao – The President of the Women's Association for Aileu Municipality, Cristina da Conceicao said it is difficult for women producers from Aileu to access markets to sell their products and earn money to sustain their families.

Paulina Quintao – Based on the monitoring done by the Human Rights Association (HAK) of prisoners' situation, many complain of lack of contact with the public defender who defended them in court.

Paulina Quintao – The Executive Director of the National Hospital Guido Valadares (HNGV), in Dili, Dr. Aniceto Barreto said currently there are 12 Chinese medical specialists providing health assistance at the hospital.

The specialists are providing care in urology, surgery, ophthalmology, maternity, radiology, as well as in other areas.

Bharati Jagdish, Singapore – "I thought I was going to die. I lost four litres of blood, but my concern was whether the country would slide into a civil war," says Jose Ramos-Horta as we talk about the attempt to assassinate him in 2008.

Paulina Quintao – The representative of Catholic Church and Bishop of Dili Diocese Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva urges the new government to unify all Timorese and their dreams and to work together to develop better Timor-Leste during the next five years.

Paulina Quintao – Human Right Association (HAK) Program Advocacy Officer Xisto dos Santos believes the government has committed a violation against the right of prisoners by allowing 100 prisoners to share a single cell block.

Jonas Guterres – Timor-Leste has held a series of successful and competitive elections in the last year; one for president, and two separate parliamentary elections. The country also has gone through peaceful transfers of power despite experiencing political impasse since July 2017.

Nelson de la Cruz, Dili – An East Timor opposition coalition, including a party led by independence hero Xanana Gusmao, won a majority of the seats in the May 12 election, a court has confirmed.

The new ballot was called to end months of deadlock in the country, where there had been a minority government led by Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri since July 2017.

Paulina Quintao – The Director for Becora prison, in Dili, Joao DomiNGOs said Becora prison can only accommodate 250 prisoners, but currently it hosts 606 prisoners which puts a strain on prison services.

Jose Belo, Dili, Timor-Leste – Timor-Leste's parliamentary elections on May 12 have returned Xanana Gusmao to the Government Palace in Dili in an alliance that gives him enough votes to govern in his own right.

Hao Duy Phan – On May 9, 2018, the Conciliation Commission in the maritime boundary dispute between Timor-Leste and Australia issued its report, marking the conclusion of the first-ever conciliation proceedings under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Rebecca Strating and Clive Schofield – In April, Australia and Timor-Leste reached agreement on their maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea. This resolved a longstanding source of contention between them.

Jonas Guterres – Through the fresh election held on May 12, Timor-Leste has for the time being put an end to nearly half a year of political impasse.

Muslims in Dili, the capital of predominantly Catholic East Timor, have welcomed Ramadan with great joy.

Estevao Nuno – Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Timor Aid aims to preserve Timor's culture through book documentation to inform Timorese in the future about their culture.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Timor Aid, Florentino Sarmento said besides promoting the original culture of Timor, Timor Aid also attempted to regenerate cultures that are becoming extinct.

Estevao Nuno – Program Coordinator for Timor-Leste's National Youth Council (CNJTL), Manecas Lobo dos Santos urges the upcoming VIII Constitutional Government to prioritize the creating employment for the youth of Timor-Leste.

Paulina Quintao – The executive Director of Luta Hamutuk organization (LH), Jose da Costa urged the new upcoming government to take responsibility for the special zones for social market economy of Timor-Leste (ZEESM-TL) as an investment for the Timorese people, especially those in the Special Administrative region of Oe-Cusse-Ambeno (RAEOA).

Sophie Raynor – After ten months of political gridlock and one dissolved parliament, Saturday's decisive parliamentary election result represents one kind of victory for Timor-Leste's fledgling democracy.

Guteriano Neves – After nearly a year of political deadlock resulting from a minority government, and a divisive political campaign, Timor-Leste is set to have a stable government after an early election, held on May 12. The forthcoming government will face an uneasy task in delivering on the promises made during the campaign.

Edward Cavanough, Dili – Timor Leste headed to the polls on May 12 in its second general election in as many years, with the opposition coalition of parties led by the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) claiming victory.

Helen Davidson – Timor-Leste independence hero Xanana Gusmao is expected to be appointed prime minister again after the country's second parliamentary election in less than a year.

Gusmao led a coalition of opposition parties that has secured more than 49.5% of the vote, with 99% counted. The official result will be announced later this month.

Simon Roughneen, Dili – A three-party alliance led by Timorese independence hero Xanana Gusmao ousted the short-lived Fretilin minority government in East Timor's election held Saturday, though the top party in the ruling coalition refused to concede the outcome late Sunday.

Michael Leach – After nearly ten months of political uncertainty, Saturday's parliamentary elections in Timor-Leste delivered a decisive result.

David Hutt – Preliminary results from Timor-Leste's general election on Saturday indicate that an opposition coalition has clinched victory, winning enough seats to form a majority government and end the country's political stalemate.

Nelson de la Cruz, Dili – A coalition of East Timor's opposition parties, including a party led by independence hero Xanana Gusmao, was heading for victory on Sunday in an election held after months of deadlock in the tiny Southeast Asian nation's parliament.

Jose Belo – Timor-Leste's general election in 2018 will prove to be like no other.

This is the first time in East-Timorese history that a minority government and the president of the republic have been forced into early elections – less than a year since the last general election in July 2017.