A proposed law to check online crimes and misuse of social media in Timor-Leste has sparked concern that the government could exploit it to muzzle dissent and suppress free speech.

A final decision on Timor-Leste's full membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expected in May, reports the Portuguese news agency Lusa.

The top education officials in Catholic-majority Timor-Leste have warned of stern punitive action against teachers if students face sexual abuse from them in schools.

Following two recent abuse scandals in schools, Education Minister Dulce de Jesus Soares said the government will not tolerate sexual abuses committed in schools.

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia has requested to relax the criteria and requirements set for Timor-Leste in a bid to expedite the process for the country to become a full member of ASEAN by the end of this year, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Jakarta – Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono received a visit from his Timor-Leste counterpart, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and ensure that the partnership provides concrete benefits.

Danial Donald, Kota Tinggi – Timor-Leste is confident that it has made significant progress and is on the right track to fulfil the roadmap outlined for its full membership in ASEAN.

Church officials in Timor-Leste have joined those opposing a new law that allows the government to recruit foreign nationals to serve as public prosecutors and judges in the Catholic-majority nation.

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao's government claims the law, passed on Feb. 24, aims at the long-term development of judiciary professionals.

James Pearson – Local geologists working for Estrella Resources have picked up a rich deposit of transported alluvial manganese at the company's Soru prospect, with early observations suggesting grades running as high as 95 per cent.

The prospect is part of the company's northern leases that make up its Lautem manganese project in Timor-Leste.

Kuala Lumpur – Timor-Leste is likely to join ASEAN as a full member at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He stated that a special unit has been established at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta to expedite Timor-Leste's admission as a full member of ASEAN

Jakarta – Indonesia's Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto stated that his side warmly welcomes and is committed to bolstering collaboration in higher education with Timor-Leste.

Zhai Kun – The year 2025 holds significant promise for ASEAN as Malaysia takes on the role of the organisation's Chair. Among the anticipated milestones is the potential ascension of Timor-Leste from an observer state to a member state.

Najma Sambul – As blackouts crippled Timor-Leste, its leaders scrambled for a solution. It was 2010 and the newly independent country, still reeling from decades of occupation and destruction, was desperate to keep the lights on in its capital, Dili.

Sui Lee-Wee, Dili, East Timor – Three decades ago, he was a scrappy campaigner roaming the world's corridors of power with a dream to win independence for his tiny homeland. Today, at 75, Mr Jose Ramos-Horta is both the president and a relentless salesman for East Timor.

After a farewell from Timorese President Jose Ramos Horta, the inaugural direct air passenger service between Timor-Leste's capital Dili and the southern Chinese city of Xiamen touched down around 10 pm local time last Friday, reports Xinhua.

Marjorie Preston – In an 11 February filing, Asia-Pacific Strategic Investments Ltd (APS) announced it would establish a $60 million (#47.5 million/Euro 57.2 million) casino and a $20 million bank in the Southeast Asian country.

The agreements were "formalised" with Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, Timor-Leste's vice-prime minister and economic affairs and tourism minister.

New analysis indicates that Timor-Leste is at a critical juncture in its development, with the need for economic diversification increasing as the Petroleum Fund that finances much of the economy is expected to dry up by 2035. That's according to a press release from the World Bank.

Sudarshan Varadhan, Dili – East Timor would prefer to work with Australia and partners Woodside Energy and Japan's Osaka Gas over Chinese firms that have expressed interest in developing the stalled Greater Sunrise natural gas field, its president said.

Binoy Kampmark – Bugging, in the context of intelligence, is natural for the buggee. Those who approve it and engage in such a practice, however, get riled when the favour is returned in all its rich naturalness. In the murky stock exchange of espionage, deception and surveillance, agencies are expected to lie and spy for their country.

We continue to reflect on Jimmy Carter's foreign policy with history professor Brad Simpson.

Havana, Cuba – Jose Ramos Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste, sent his Cuban counterpart, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, a congratulatory message on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the triumph of the Revolution.

A study of the Greater Sunrise gas field by British engineering and consulting company John Wood Group has confirmed the viability of developing the project in Timor-Leste. The study was carried out between April and November of this year and was reported by the Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Sarah MacDonald – Tributes are pouring in for Irishman Tom Hyland, who played a pivotal role in highlighting the genocide in East Timor, following his death on Christmas Eve in the Timorese capital of Dili.

The 72-year-old former Dublin bus driver from Ballyfermot was described by President Michael D. Higgins as "exceptional".

Lusa – Australia is to invest in the qualification of workers in Timor-Leste and create an infrastructure fund for the country with some of its share of profits from the Greater Sunrise offshore gas field, the prime ministers of the two countries have announced.

Dili – Timor-Leste and China agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various aspects during meetings held between Timorese leaders and a senior Chinese political advisor.

Dhaka – The maiden visit of the President of Timor-Leste Dr. Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta in Bangladesh ushered in a new era in the bilateral relations between the two countries, said a joint communique here today.

Dhaka – President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta today urged Bangladesh business firms to come up with their investment in Timor Timor-Leste.

He came up with the call while speaking at a joint press appearance at Chief Adviser's Office (CAO) here after holding talks with Chief Adviser Dr Professor Muhammad Yunus, followed by a delegation-level meeting.

Lusa – In Timor-Leste, a bus dubbed the 'Demokrasia – bis' is serving as an information sharing centre, driving around the country to hear the concerns and suggestions of young Timorese in order to then bring them to the attention of political decision-makers.

Lusa – The former prime minister of Timor-Leste, Taur Matan Ruak, said that the best reconciliation is the one that "comes from the heart", referring to the recent social outrage provoked by an invitation to the militia leader to take part in the celebrations for the declaration of independence.

Baku, Azerbaijan – Climate finance needs to be increased under a new collective quantitative target to $1.3 trillion annually by 2035, Special Envoy, Ambassador for Climate Affairs of Timor-Leste Adao Soares Barbosa said as he delivered her national statement at the COP29 summit today, Trend reports.

Lusa – The President of Timor-Leste said on Thursday that the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP), which is taking place in Azerbaijan, is unlikely to be very different from the others in terms of funding.

Lusa – The president Timor-Leste said on Tuesday that National Youth Day, which marks the Santa Cruz massacre, is not only about "remembering", but also about strengthening the "freedom and dignity" of the Timorese.

Jim Della-Giacoma – On 12 November 1994, a group of 29 young Timorese men gathered to protest outside the US embassy in Jakarta. They were there to make sure the world did not forget what happened at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili on the same day three years earlier: a massacre of more than 250 Timorese civilians by Indonesian troops.

Douglas Kammen – For Timor-Leste, the 20th century was a century of repeated mass violence.

Mericio Juvinal dos Reis "Akara", Rheinhard Sirait – Timor-Leste is on the brink of a digital revolution with the anticipated arrival of a submarine cable promising faster and more affordable internet access.

Dili, Timor Leste – Along the waterfront of Timor Leste's capital, buzzing restaurants sell local dishes and Portuguese colonial fare facing turquoise waters where the Indonesian military launched an invasion nearly half a century before.

Stephen Dziedzic – Timor-Leste's president has sharply criticised exploitation in Australia's Pacific labour scheme, warning that unscrupulous employers are soaking workers from his country by over-charging them for accommodation and transport.

Tempo.Co, Kemlu.Go.Id, Petir Garda B, Jakarta – ASEAN foreign ministers convinced for ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) in Vientiane, Laos, on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. The ACC meeting discussed ASEAN's institutional process prior to the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summit in Laos.

Tory Shepherd – The $74bn Greater Sunrise gas project – which has been decades in the making – could be under way by the end of the year, the Timor-Leste president, Jose Ramos-Horta, said.

But he also said the pipeline and the accompanying processing work must go to his nation, not Darwin.

Estrella Resources has revealed high-grade manganese in Timor-Leste just days after nailing down new exploration licenses at its Samalari prospect in the nation's Baucau Municipality.

Ati Nurbaiti, Dili – The crowd called out one name: "Hakim, Hakim!" Drink in hand, Hakim Afonso happily joined the singer on stage. He waved his hands to the beat with revelers who sang along to "Labarik Lakon" – the missing children. "Yes, I must learn" the Tetun language, he told me.

Michael Rose – On Tuesday afternoon last week, around half the population of Timor-Leste, at least 600,000 people, attended a mass held by Pope Francis in Dili.

Dili – Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta said on Wednesday (Sep 11) that a deal with Australia on a vast fossil fuel project seen as crucial to the tiny nation's economic future will be struck by November.

Rights activists have criticized the Timor-Leste government for arresting activists who expressed solidarity with West Papuans' independence struggle during Pope Francis' visit.

Police arrested physically disabled Nelson Barros Pereira Xavier on Sept. 10, a day after Pope Francis arrived in the national capital for a three-day visit.

Dili – Pope Francis on Monday (Sep 9) called for action on abuse of young people after arriving in Timor-Leste, the Catholic-majority nation that has been shocked by several child sexual assault cases involving clergy members in recent years.

Niniek Karmini – East Timor has been criticised for the cost of Pope Francis' historic visit. The Pope made the visit to one of the world's youngest and poorest countries to the tune of 12 million dollars (#9.1 million), drawing rebuke from activists and human rights organisations.

Dili – When Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff to visit Timor Leste, he will confront a clergy beset by child abuse scandals that have been largely ignored by the deeply Catholic country's freedom heroes.

Dili – Pope Francis arrived on Sept 9 in Timor-Leste – a predominantly Catholic nation in South-east Asia – for a three-day visit that will include an open-air celebration of mass, which the Vatican says may include more than half the population of 1.3 million.

Shannon Brincat – Timor-Leste has had much to celebrate recently. August 30 marked 25 years since the Popular Consultation – or "The Referendum", as many call it – when more than 98% of the population braced themselves against brutal repression to vote for their freedom.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expresses concern following the recent arrest of journalist Antonieta Kartono Martins, who was covering the eviction of street vendors in Timor-Leste's capital. This obstruction of journalism in a country widely regarded as a regional model of press freedom sends a troubling signal.

Dili – When Pope Francis touches down in the Timor-Leste capital of Dili this week, he will be landing in a totally different nation to the one visited by his predecessor.