Sas and Vonia Vieira, Dili – As always in Timor-Leste, there was a prayer before the big event. Minutes later, the bulldozers rolled in. And in an instant, the homes of Tasitolu were gone.

"I'm very sad," local resident Ana Bela da Cruz told the ABC as her home was demolished in the background.

Dili, East Timor – When the Vatican acknowledged in 2022 that the Nobel Peace Prize-winning, East Timorese independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo had sexually abused young boys, it appeared that the global clergy sexual abuse scandal that has compromised the Catholic Church's credibility around the world had finally arrived in Asia's newest country.

Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos Horta has termed the preparations for the upcoming visit of Pope Francis a "logistical nightmare" due to various challenges, but expressed hope everything will go as planned, says a report.

Peter Milne – Santos could lose control of its Bayu Undan gas project north of Darwin on Friday unless it agrees with the Timor-Leste government to give it a share of the project, according to a letter from the country's minister of petroleum seen by this masthead.

The government of Timor-Leste announced on Friday that it would be proceeding with a project to expand and modernise President Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili.

Dili – President Droupadi Murmu announced during her address in Timor-Leste on Saturday that India will soon open an embassy in the country as part of the growing India-Timor-Leste friendship.

President Murmu arrived in Timor Leste on Saturday, after concluding her visits to Fiji and New Zealand, in the third leg of her three-nation tour.

Antonio da Costa, Dili – Rights groups are questioning Timor-Leste, an impoverished Asian nation, for allocating US$12 million for Pope Francis' visit next month, including US$1 million to build an altar for a papal Mass.

Church sources said some 700,000 Catholics, primarily from the nation's 1.3 million-strong Catholic majority, are expected to attend the Sept. 10 Mass.

Ha Noi – Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta left Ha Noi on Saturday afternoon, wrapping up his four-day state visit to Viet Nam at the invitation of President To Lam.

During his stay, the leader paid tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum and laid wreaths at the monument to war heroes and martyrs on Bac Sin Street in Ha Noi.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – The Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK) and Banco Central de Timor Leste (BCTL) or the Central Bank of Timor Leste have officially agreed to boost cooperation by signing an amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Mutual Cooperation on Cross-Border Supervision.

The president of Timor-Leste is in Beijing on the first state visit to China by any Timorese leader, Xinhua reports. China was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with the Portuguese-speaking Southeast Asian nation back in 2002, the same year it gained independence from Indonesia.

Dioceses bordering Timor-Leste and the Indonesian government are collaborating to help Catholics attend the papal visit to the Catholic-majority Asian nation in September.

Jude Conway – The hardships endured by the East Timorese are detailed in a memoir by Dr Vacy Vlazna, both a story of courage and a political analysis. Dr Jude Conway reviews "East Timor Reveille for Courage: Recollections of an Australian Human Rights Activist, 1998-2001".

Sandy Yule – When Melbourne-born Helen Hill, an outstanding social activist, scholar and academic, died on May 7, 2024, at the age of 79, the Timorese government sent its Minister for Education, Dulce de Jesus Soares, to deliver a moving eulogy at the funeral service at Church of All Nations in Carlton.

Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta said in a visit to Luanda that Timor-Leste becoming the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025 will open new opportunities for all Portuguese-speaking countries.

Timor-Leste and Mozambique signed a series of cooperation agreements last Friday in Maputo as part of Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta's working visit to the African country.

Luanda – Angola and East Timor signed three agreements on Monday to strengthen bilateral cooperation, in a ceremony attended by the presidents of the two countries, Joao Lourenco and Jose Ramos Horta in Luanda.

Singapore – Singapore passport holders will soon be able to travel to Timor-Leste without a visa under a new agreement, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Thursday (Jun 27).

Bill Birtles and Zevonia Vieriq – An Australian man has been sentenced to 11 years in jail in Timor Leste after he was convicted of abusing a girl under the age of 12.

Robert Trott, 76, was found guilty on two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor by a panel of judges at a court in the capital Dili.

Timor-Leste will now issue entry visas at seven embassies in order to "simplify" the process and improve border control.

Max Lane – The Socialist Party of Timor (PST) evolved out of the national liberation struggle in Timor Leste in the 1970s. In the first stage of that struggle, socialist ideas circulated, originating from contact with Portugal, Brazil or the national liberation struggles in the Portuguese African colonies.

Max Lane – Last week, while in Dili, I had the opportunity for a chat over coffee with the Cuban Ambassador to Timor Leste, Alina Aldama. I had met the Ambassador briefly at the State Restoration of Independence Day Celebrations on 20 May.

Andrew Probyn – Australia is offering Timor-Leste a multi-billion-dollar lifeline to fast-track the Greater Sunrise offshore gas project, which promises generational wealth for the fledgling nation while keeping Beijing at bay.

Max Lane – On May 19th, one day before the commemoration of Timor Leste's second proclamation of Independence I accepted the Medal of Honour of Timor Leste from President Ramos Horta at a ceremony where 14 other people also accepted such awards.

The Coffee Association of Timor-Leste (known by its Portuguese initials ACT) is calling for Timorese coffee, particularly a game-changing Robusta-Arabica hybrid, to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Ahmad Syamsudin, Dili, Timor-Leste – Jose do Santos was once a construction foreman in Dili who oversaw the rise of buildings symbolizing Timor-Leste's progress after its triumphant vote for independence from Indonesia nearly 25 years ago.

Now, he barely makes ends meet navigating the city's streets as a minibus driver.

Fidelis Magalhaes – Prabowo Subianto's recent election win has sparked varied reactions, and while some interpret it as a setback for democratic progress since the 1998 reformasi, I see it as an opportunity for fostering deeper reconciliation between Timor-Leste and Indonesia.

Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara – The Indonesian Army (TNI AD) received 235 improvised firearms left over from the 1999 East Timorese crisis from East Nusa Tenggara residents living on the Indonesia-Timor Leste border.

The president of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos-Horta, has questioned whether the country is prepared to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, as currently planned, given its lack of key infrastructure.

Ahmad Syamsudin, Dili, Timor-Leste – At Timor-Leste's museum of memory, Hugo Fernandes supervises exhibits chronicling resistance and oppression during the Indonesian occupation – an era when Prabowo Subianto, now Indonesia's president-elect, is alleged to have overseen atrocities.

Timor-Leste's minister of foreign affairs, Bendito Freitas, travelled to China on Tuesday for an official visit aimed at strengthening cooperation and diplomatic relations between the two countries, the government in Dili said.

Michael Philipps – Estrella Resources has officially been granted exploration tenure of more than 500 square kilometres in Timor-Leste making history as one of the first companies to receive exploration rights in the country.

The nation is looking to build its industry in this resource-rich part of the world and ASX-listed Estrella is the first through the gate.

The Timor-Leste non-governmental organisation Mahein Foundation on Thursday alerted the government to the public's discontent with the lack of "seriousness and urgency" in improving people's living conditions since it took office.

Around 360,000 people in Timor-Leste, a country with a population of 1.3 million, face critical levels of food insecurity, according to a report assessing the food situation in the country, released by the World Food Programme (WFP).

Jordyn Beazley and Luca Ittimani – Natalino Guterres likens getting the chance to march down Oxford Street in pure queer pride to the feeling he had when he was 12 and Timor-Leste achieved independence after a brutal occupation.

"It's really emotional for me," he said. "It's one of those moments when you're really happy and get to look forward to having some momentum."

John Martinkus – Indonesia's president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, has form. As the son-in-law of the former dictator, Suharto, he rose quickly through the ranks of the military to become head of the greatly feared Indonesian special forces, Kopassus.

The government of Timor-Leste signed the accession protocol to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the culmination of nearly eight years of work, at the 13th WTO ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi this week.

Vonia Vieira in Oecusse, Timor-Leste and the Pacific Local Journalism Network's Nick Sas – Noviana Tome leads a simple life.

The farmer from Timor-Leste's far-west Oecusse region attends her rice fields every day, leaving early in the morning and coming home late in the afternoon.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia and Timor Leste recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperatives as well as micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Juvita Pereira Faria (EngageMedia) – While 50 percent of Timor-Leste's population is aged 15-25, the country suffers from underdeveloped digital infrastructure, and the public is highly vulnerable to attacks against human and digital rights, such as threats to their digital security, online harassment, and mis- and disinformation.

Antara, Jakarta – Prabowo cemented a landslide victory in Timor Leste. With his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, they won 61.6 percent of the vote, while Ganjar Pranowo – Mahfud MD bagged 28.9 percent and Anies Baswedan – Muhaimin Iskandar only got 9.0 percent.

Michael Rose – In September, Timor-Leste will mark a quarter century since its vote for independence from Indonesia, the conclusion of a 24-year long struggle that left few Timorese families untouched.

Sydney – Australia said it will spend $23 million to support policing in East Timor, boosting disaster response and technology capabilities in the small Southeast Asian neighbor that recently upgraded ties with China.

Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy arrived in East Timor on Monday and met with Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.

Antara, Jakarta – Indonesian Minister of Communications and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi stated that Indonesia and Timor Leste agreed to advance the communications and informatics sectors of both countries.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo thanked Timor Leste's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao on Friday after the close neighbor trusted Indonesia's state enterprises to partake in its infrastructure projects.

Surya Lesmana, Bogor – Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao expressed gratitude to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo for the strong support extended by Indonesia towards Timor Leste's bid to join ASEAN, during his first-ever visit to the Bogor Palace on Friday.

Lusa – The Chinese non-governmental organisation GX Foundation launched a pilot project to prevent and combat dengue fever in Timor-Leste on Tuesday with a donation to the Timorese ministry of health.

Vonia Vieira, Dili – Joaquim Fonseca's daily life depends on the internet. So the IT professional, based in Timor-Leste's capital Dili, has a problem.

"Every day, somehow, the internet fails," he told the ABC. "Downloading small files is difficult. Even downloading a page to read the news [is hard]."

Pope Francis met on Monday with East Timorese president Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.

Following the papal audience, President Ramos-Horta met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.'Cordial discussions'

Lusa – The National Student Resistance of Timor-Leste (RENETIL) on Wednesday expressed concern about the country's healthcare sector and called on the government to provide an urgent response, stressing that "health is people's lives."

President Jose Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste has met with India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, in the first summit between the two nations.