Paulina Quintao – The Director of the organization Women's movement (MOFFE), Yasinta Lujina acknowledges that new Members of Parliament (MPs) need transportation to facilitate their work, especially to do monitoring activities on the ground, but this does not mean said transportation must be an expensive Prado.

Dili – East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said Thursday his country is "doing our best" to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but Asean members Myanmar and Singapore are still withholding their support.

Paulina Quintao – Women's organizations urge political parties from the VII constitutional government to put away party interests and uphold the public interest in order to bring sensible development for everyone in Timor-Leste.

Celestina Soares – Since 2016, the government through the Ministry of Education has distributed 1100 chairs and tables to schools throughout Timor-Leste.

The Director General of the Ministry of Education (ME), Antoninho Pires said now there are only 200 or 300 chairs left, as the rest have been distributed.

Michael Leach – In 2015, not long after the formation of the unprecedented national unity government between Timor-Leste's two largest parties, CNRT and Fretilin, senior CNRT Minister Agio Pereira commented on the country's remarkable transition from 'belligerent democracy' to a new era of consensus democracy.

Damien Kingsbury – Australia's agreement with Timor-Leste to settle a permanent maritime boundary in the Timor Sea may have hit a snag as Timor-Leste's politics is thrown into turmoil.

East Timor's new government has suffered a major setback after opposition parties vetoed its policy programme, a blow that could see the impoverished young democracy return to the polls.

The Fretilin party, which won the July election by a narrow margin, did not receive enough votes to govern alone and has formed a minority coalition government with the Democratic Party.

David Hutt – What a relief. For years, myself and some other pundits deplored the fact that there was very little political opposition to Timor-Leste's "unity government." So little, in fact, that President Tuar Matan Ruak went beyond his constitutional role by taking it upon himself to hold the government to account.

How a policy scare galvanized a small island's family planning sectorBy Kelli Rogers @kellierin19 October 2017

The government of Timor-Leste (East Timor) intends to double non-oil tax revenues to US$400 million a year with the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) and increases in the taxes on tobacco and alcohol, said the Minister of Planning and Finance.

Paulina Quintao – The rate of Anemia has been increasing in the country according to data from the Timor-Leste Food and Nutrition survey 2013, that showed that 63% of anemia had an effect on children older than 6 years old, while 40% of women from reproductive age 14 to 60 suffered from anemia.

Paulina Quintao – The government through the National Commission of Food Security and Nutrition (KONSSANTIL) held a meeting with non-government organizations to evaluate the progress and discuss the continuation of the implementation of the National Action Plan to end Hunger and Malnutrition in Timor-Leste (PANHAM-TIL).

Lindsay Murdoch, Bangkok – A landmark agreement to develop billions of dollars' worth of oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea has been referred to East Timor, where the future of country's new minority government is in doubt.

As rain rat-a-tats on a flimsy tin roof, baby Afeena lies sleeping. On the walls, pieces of cardboard are tacked up, to give warmth, while across a window, a piece of fabric, mint green and paper-thin, blows gently.

Australia and Timor Leste have drawn up a draft treaty setting out their maritime borders, aiming to end a bitter dispute over lucrative oil and gas fields, officials said Sunday.

"Timor Leste and Australia have reached agreement on the complete text of a draft treaty" in confidential talks in The Hague over the past week, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said in a statement.

In the far-east of Timor-Leste, where the road narrows to one lane overhung with vegetation, where crocodiles still lurk in the rivers, and where freedom fighters were born, lies Lospalos. It's a small town of about 17,000 people that tells its story openly.

Celestina Soares – The representative Mria Dadi Magno from the Timor-Leste National Youth Council (CNJTL) said this is a proud moment for young people as so far there has been no youth policy.

"It is a big moment for Timor-Leste youth to be proud, we now have a national youth policy," she said during the ceremony of the launch of the National Youth Policy book in Dili.

Brigida dos Santos – Public toilets in Dili are damaged and have no water, in particular toilets in Largo Lecidere and those in front of the Government Palace, the community appeal to the government to pay attention to the toilets.

Erin Cook, Jakarta – A long-running territorial dispute between Australia and Timor-Leste is a step closer to resolution with last month's announcement that talks at The Hague arrived at a new maritime border treaty for the Timor Sea.

Dili – The 7th Timorese constitutional government, a minority government, will face the first great test in Parliament next week, with the debate of the executive's Program to be able to condition the life in the country until the middle of 2018.

Sirisha Veera – 2017 has been a positive year for Timor-Leste politics. Despite initial fears, both the May presidential election and the July parliamentary election concluded peacefully.

In the coming days it is likely we will get more information about the "boundary breakthrough" announced on the 1st of September.

According to an article published last week by the Portuguese news agency LUSA, this week Timor-Leste, Australia and the UN Conciliation Commission are participating in meetings at The Hague to finalise remaining details.

With its longstanding dispute with Australia over the Timor Sea resolved, neighbouring Timor-Leste looks set to expand its petroleum and mineral industries.

Meanwhile, its government is actively seeking investors in agriculture and fisheries, tourism and services, according to Abel Guterres, Timor-Leste Ambassador to Australia.

Khoo Ying Hooi – After 15 years of its restoration of independence, Timor Leste is a country that remains unknown to many of us in the Southeast Asia region. Geographically, it is located on the eastern edge of the Indonesian archipelago. As a small state, the country has a population of only 1.2 million people.

Lindsay Murdoch – East Timor's three opposition parties say they are ready to form a parliamentary majority alliance to take office if programs of a newly sworn-in minority government fail to gain support, as political tensions rise again in Asia's newest democracy.

Nelson Da Cruz, Dili – East Timor President Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres swore in the remaining members of the new cabinet on Tuesday and urged the first minority government since independence to focus on improving living conditions and avoiding political upheaval.

Gary Cox – In wealthy countries, free-to-air broadcast television may be giving way to marathon binge sessions on your favourite streaming service.

But in Timor-Leste, viewers are getting something extra in their terrestrial TV programming and it's proving a hit. A new locally-produced law and order drama is taking the fledgling nation by storm.

Caitlin McGee – Fifteen years since Timor-Leste gained its independence, there are growing fears it could face economic collapse.

Its main oil and gas reserve is nearly depleted and the government of the country formerly known as East Timor is pumping its savings into grand infrastructure schemes that critics say are wasteful.

Remembering the Balibo Five In the month of August, Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA was proud to support the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) co-host two public events featuring East Timorese Journalist, Raimundos Oki who was in Australia undertaking a placement with Fairfax and the ABC.

Boni Jehadin, Kupang and Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Neglected for almost two decades, pro-Jakarta Catholic Timor-Leste militias who relocated to Indonesia after the country's independence have demanded the government begin a process to remove them from the United Nation's serious crime list, which prevents them traveling abroad.

Beijing – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Monday extended congratulations to Mari Alkatiri on his election as Timor-Leste's prime minister, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Kupang – A total of 13,000 ex-East Timorese residents proposed eight demands to the Indonesian government through the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Provincial Government during a demonstration at Jalan El Tari Kupang in front of the NTT governor's office.

Singapore – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has written to Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri To congratulate him on his appointment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a media release on Monday (Sep 25).

Khoo Ying Hooi – Led by Mari Alkatiri, secretary-general of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin) for the second time as the prime minister, the Seventh Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste was finally sworn in on September 15.

Thomas Ora, Dili and Michael Sainsbury, Bangkok – Timor-Leste faces fresh political uncertainty after the youth focused Khunto Party pulled out of a three-way coalition two days before the Sept. 15 inauguration of the cabinet.

The move casts doubt over whether the now-minority government can last a full five year term.

Guteriano Neves – After almost two months of intense political theater among the Timorese political elites, the new government was finally sworn in on September 15, 2017 with the new minority government model.

Michael Leach – Almost two months since the 22 July election, a new government will be sworn in today in Dili. Fretilin, with 23 seats in parliament, has joined with Democratic Party (PD) which has seven representatives, giving them 30 seats in the 65-seat house.

East Timor swore in a new government Friday, led by a returning prime minister who experts say will need to wean the country off its reliance on oil revenues and diversify the economy.

Mari Alkatiri, secretary general of the Fretilin party, was inaugurated with 10 members of his 30-person administration at a ceremony in the capital Dili.

Nelson Da Cruz, Dili – East Timor is set to swear in Mari Alkatiri for a second stint as prime minister, the country's president said on Thursday, with Asia's youngest democracy facing stiff challenges to boost a flagging economy heavily reliant on oil and gas.

Jakarta – Indonesia and Timor Leste have been committed to solving their border problem at Noelbesi-Citrana in Kupang district, East Nusa Tenggara province, a senior minister said.

"The dispute persists there. But it does not mean that it cannot be solved," Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto said here Tuesday.

Thomas Oro, Dili – Muslim politician Mari Alkatiri, who quit as prime minister 2006 after four years as the mainly Catholic nation's first parliamentary leader after its independence, is set for a dramatic return to lead the government for the next five years.

Paul Malone – The announcement by the Permanent Court of Arbitration last week that Australia and Timor Leste have reached an agreement on maritime boundaries will hopefully bring to an end a shameful episode in Australia's foreign affairs history.

Bec Strating – Last Friday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) announced a 'breakthrough' in maritime boundary conciliation proceedings between Timor-Leste and Australia. The two parties 'reached an agreement on the central elements of a maritime boundary delimitation' and on a 'Special Regime' governing the development of Greater Sunrise and the allocation of resulting revenue.

Donald R. Rothwell – The announcement on the weekend by the Timor Sea Conciliation Commission is the first indication that Australia and Timor Leste are making real progress towards resolving their maritime boundary dispute.

Damien Kingsbury – Australia's agreement with East Timor to settle a permanent maritime boundary in the Timor Sea appears to bring to an end a long-running and often bitter dispute, which has marred relations between the two countries.

Michael Leach – In a major joint announcement on Saturday, Timor-Leste and Australia declared they had reached an agreement on "central aspects" of a maritime boundary determination. Since April last year, the two countries have been involved in a Compulsory Conciliation Process under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, initiated by Timor-Leste.

Analysts have cautiously welcomed a new maritime agreement between Australia and Timor-Leste.

The deal ends a long running row between the two nations that's stalled a multibillion-dollar offshore gas project in the Timor Sea. The details will remain confidential until they are finalised next month.

In what has been described as a "breakthrough" by the two governments, Australia and East Timor have reached an agreement for the framework of a new treaty that will finally set permanent maritime boundaries between the two countries.

The Timor Sea Justice Campaign's spokesperson, Tom Clarke, welcomed the news but warned it was not yet a done deal.

Jane Norman – Australia and Timor-Leste have resolved their bitter and long-running dispute over maritime boundaries in the Timor Sea, in what is being described as a "landmark day" in the relationship between the two nations.

Lindsay Murdoch, Bangkok – Australia and East Timor have reached agreement on developing billions of dollars of oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea, ending years of bitter disagreement.

A deal has been reached on a maritime boundary as well as sharing arrangements for the $US50 billion Greater Sunrise oil and gas field.