Felicity James – The people of Timor-Leste head to the polls today to elect a new president, with former guerrilla fighter Francisco "Lu'Olo" Guterres widely tipped to out-poll seven other candidates.

Helen Davidson and Ben Doherty – A former revolutionary hero is expected to become Timor-Leste's next president as voters head to the polls in the country's first election since the departure of United Nations peacekeepers in 2012.

It is also the first time Timorese Australians have been allowed to cast absentee votes – in Sydney and Darwin – without having to travel back to Dili.

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – The front-runner to be elected East Timor's president at elections on Monday has offered new hope for a breakthrough with Australia in a bitter stand-off over $40 billion in oil and gas fields.

Alexandre Assis, Dili – East Timorese flocked to political rallies on the final day of campaigning ahead of Monday's presidential election, as Asia's youngest democracy grapples with persistent poverty and corruption at a time when oil revenues are rapidly running dry.

Daniel Flitton – The site in East Timor where Indonesian troops killed five Australian journalists in 1975 will be transformed with the construction of a new conference centre after a $100,000 donation by the Victorian government.

Victoria will also provide $60,000 to East Timor over the next three years to train nurses for a new dental clinic.

Venidora Oliveira – Police have ended their operations targeting illegal casinos in Dili after the government, through the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment, legalized the gambling venues.

Second General Commander National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL), Commissioner Faustino da Costa said under the law, the government previously banned casinos.

Gobie Rajalingam, Susan Marx – Politics in Timor-Leste is always engaging and colorful, and the lead-up to the 2017 presidential election on March 20 is no exception.

Experts have told a parliamentary inquiry that if the Greater Sunrise oil and gas field is not developed East Timor may become a failed state or aid dependent.

Venidora Oliveira – Criminal Investigation Service (SIK) registered 4049 criminal cases in 2016.

Second General Commander of the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) Commissioner Faustino da Costa said of that number there was a high prevalence of assault cases, with 969 registered cases.

Thomas Ora, Dili – Timor-Leste's Dili Diocese has declared 2017 as the Year of the Bible to boost people's faith and understanding of the Gospel as the main source of Christian life.

The declaration was made based on recommendations from a liturgy conference held last year.

Venidora Oliveira – National Member of Parliament has raised strong suspicions over the selection process of new students at the National University of Timor-Leste (UNTL) as some students with low grades are being selected while those with higher grades are not.

Venidora Oliveira – Secretary of State for the Socio-Economic Support of Women (SEM) has provided training to policewomen to help improve their leadership and public speaking skills.

The head of SEM's training department, Filomena Martins, said the main objective of the training was to improve the decision-making abilities of policewomen in senior positions.

An interview with the head of Timor-Leste's national human rights institution.

Venidora Oliveira – Police registered 1741 traffic accidents in 2016, which caused the deaths of 71 people.

Second General Commander National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL), Commissioner Faustino da Costa said that the majority of accidents occurred in Dili municipality, where 1600 accidents were registered. "The accidents mostly happen because the driver loses control," he said.

Paulina Quintao – Deputy Ministry of Health Ana Isabel Soares said improving the professional ethics and attitude of medical personnel remains a significant challenge for the Ministry of Health, particularly in terms of providing quality treatment.

She said communities continued to have concerns over the insensitive language used by the health personnel when treating patients.

Paulina Quintao – The government through the Health Ministry has allocated funding to establish a special mental health clinic, with an appropriate site now in the process of being identified.

Paulina Quintao – Private secondary schools are refusing to accept young mothers wanting to continue their studies after giving birth as there is still no legal basis.

Farol, Dili – Today, on 8 March 2017, we come together as a collective of Timorese organisations to put forward our call for positive change; to bring about equality, justice and freedom for all women. We, along with many women across the world, struggle against patriarchal systems that promote the use of violence, struggle against inequality and the exploitation of us and the environment.

Thomas Ora, Dili – In a sign of how much influence the Catholic Church retains in Timor-Leste all eight presidential candidates together with 5,000 people, joined a prayer rally in Dili to mark the start of campaigning ahead of the March 20 election.

Wellington – New Zealand's top military officer left for Timor-Leste Monday in a show of support for the young Pacific nation's security.

The Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tim Keating, said he would hold talks with Commander of the Timor-Leste Defence Force Major General Lere Anan Timur, Prime Minister Dr Rui Maria de Araujo and President Taur Matan Ruak.

Khoo Ying Hooi – Timor-Leste's 15 years of independence have been marked by a mixed performance of progress and crisis. Having emerged from war and internal conflict in the late 1990s, Timor-Leste has a challenging path to get on par with other countries, in particular on issues related to development.

Michael Leach – Election year arrives again in Dili, with the presidential campaign starting today and culminating in a national vote on 20 March.

New Zealand and Timor Leste have signed a five-year cooperation agreement aimed in part at helping reduce the Southeast Asian nation's reliance on oil.

Timor Leste, formerly known as East Timor, formally gained independence from Indonesia 15 years ago, after an armed intervention led by New Zealand and Australia.

Thomas Ora, Dili – Timor-Leste's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment has launched a joint effort to tackle coastal abrasion by restoring about twelve hectares of mangroves which were damaged by El-Nino or cut down for firewood.

Felicity James – East Timor's electoral commission is giving some Timorese Australians the chance to vote in the country's upcoming elections for the first time since independence.

Citizens living in Darwin and Sydney will be part of the trial, which allows them to vote without flying home.

Paulina Quintao – The Alola Foundation has called on women's weaving groups to preserve and maintain the originality of tais traditions as part of the country's identity.

Director of the Alola Foundation Alzira Reis said that some foreign companies were copying common tais patterns to respond to market needs.

Paulina Quintao – The Dili municipality authority has handed responsibility for waste management to the private sector.

President of the Dili municipality authority Gaspar Soares said it was more effective for the private sector to takeover waste management as employees worked seven days a week.

The ultrasound machine donated to Timor-Leste by Forbes Medical Centre is in constant use in Same Hospital, saving patients a very long trip by rough roads to the capital Dili.

Sometimes communities can decide to support a project that can really make a difference to the lives of others.

Paulina Quintao – Eight candidates have confirmed that they will be contesting this year's presidential election after fulfilling the criteria, including the required number of supporters.

East Timor Prime Minister Dr Rui Araujo is visiting this week to mark what Prime Minister Bill English said was the "evolving relationship" between the two countries.

Araujo was a student at Otago University in the late 1990s and will revisit his old stamping ground as well as meeting with English.

Stephen de Tarczynski, Melbourne – Juvinal Dias has first-hand experience of mistreatment at the hands of a foreign power. Born in 1981 in Tutuala, a village in the far east of Timor-Leste, Dias' family fled into the jungle following the 1975 invasion by Indonesia.

It was during this time, hiding from the Indonesian military, that his eldest sister died of malnutrition.

Paulina Quintao – Budget delays are impeding preparations by the Secretariat for Technical and Electoral Administration (STAE) for the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for March 20 so that STAE could be adequately prepared in time for the election.

Sometimes communities can decide to support a project that can really make a difference to the lives of others.

That's what happened last year when a 40 foot container packed tight with surplus medical equipment from the new Forbes and Parkes Hospitals, and other donated items, was delivered by sea to Dili, capital of Timor-Leste.

David Hutt – Politicians must sometime feel as though they can never win. For most of the last 15 years since Timor-Leste gained its independence, it has been marred by political division and partisanship, which exploded violently in 2006 when a dispute between regional officers in the military escalated into nationwide unrest.

Venidora Oliveira – The Head of the Falintil-Timor-Leste Defense Force (F-FDTL), Major General Lere Anan Timor, has called on the government to establish a military court.

Venidora Oliveira – The Japanese government has committed to continue supporting training programs for the Falintil-Timor-Leste Defense Force (F-FDTL).

Australia can't lecture anyone on a solution for the South China Sea until it sorts out its own long-running sea border dispute with East Timor where $40 billion in oil and gas resources is in play.

VNA – Vietnam will create best possible conditions for enterprises from Timor Leste to operate in the country, affirmed Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Paulina Quintao – A new report shows that most midwives in Timor-Leste still have little knowledge about the country's domestic violence law.

Paulina Quintao – Women's activists are concerned that Timor-Leste's patriarchal system is a barrier to the promotion of gender equality as society continues to consider it a part of the culture.

Presidential adviser Idelta Maria Rodrigues said Timor-Leste's constitution guarantees women's participation in political, economic and social life.

Paulina Quintao – Timor-Leste continues to face big challenges in reducing HIV infection rates as many communities in rural areas still lack understanding about the risks and how the virus is transmitted.

Victims of serious human rights violations committed during the Indonesian occupation (1975-1999) continued to demand justice and reparations. Security forces were accused of unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests, and arbitrarily restricting the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly.

Background

Emma Rumney – Falling health funding in Timor-Leste must be met with better planning and policies to manage rising costs, the World Bank has said.

The south-east Asian nation has made notable strides in its health system since gaining independence from Indonesia in 2002, at which time it had just 20 doctors for a population of one million.

Paulina Quintao – The Disabilities Association of Timor-Leste (ADTL) has called on the government to create better infrastructure to ensure people with disabilities are able to take part in this year's general election as is their right.

Paulina Quintao – According to data from the 2015 household census, 40,000 people in Timor-Leste (32%) still defecate in public as they don't have access to a toilet.

While the numbers have declined since the 2010 census, which showed that 39% of the population was publicly defecating, more work still needs to be done to ensure every community has access to toilets.

While plans to build a major cement project in Timor-Leste have brought the welcome promise of jobs for local people, the environmental and social costs could be catastrophic.

Venidora Oliveira – The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) has established Timor-Leste Coffee Producers Association (APKTL), aimed at controlling the price of coffee in the country.

Minister Estanislau da Silva said the government also planned to set price of coffee based on international standards as currently there was a lack of certainty in relation to quality and price.

Paulina Quintao – Although the number of Timorese women in the business sector remains small, more are getting involved as a way of improving their family's economic situation.

Anne Barker – East Timor's former finance minister and dual Australian citizen Emilia Pires is fighting to have her name cleared over charges she corruptly awarded a $1 million contract to her husband's company in Melbourne.