Dili (Kyodo News) – East Timor's president-elect Jose Ramos-Horta said on Thursday he expects his country to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2023 when Indonesia chairs the 10-member bloc.

Dili, Timor Leste – Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta called for dialogue on Thursday, one day after scoring a landslide victory in Timor Leste's presidential election.

The 72-year-old won 62 percent of the vote against incumbent Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres' 37 percent, according to preliminary results announced after all the votes were counted.

Peter Job – May 20 will mark 20 years of independence for Australia's near neighbour, the nation of Timor-Leste.

The Nobel prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta has scored a landslide victory in Timor-Leste's presidential election, according to preliminary results published by the election secretariat.

Independence leader and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has won a second term as president of Timor-Leste.

In the second and final round of vote counting on April 20, Ramos-Horta won 62.09 percent of the vote while ex-guerrilla fighter President Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres trailed with 37.91 percent, according to data from the country's election body.

Chris Barrett, Singapore – A decade after being unseated, Jose Ramos-Horta is headed for a return to East Timor's presidential palace from where he will be charged with resolving the country's bitter political feud.

Kate Lamb and Nelson Da Cruz – Independence leader and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta has taken a decisive lead in the second and final round of East Timor's presidential election, early results of the vote showed on Wednesday.

Dili, East Timor – East Timor's citizens head to the polls on Tuesday to choose either a Nobel laureate or a former guerrilla fighter – the incumbent president – as their next leader.

Dili, Timor Leste – Voting in the second and final round of Timor Leste's presidential election began early on Tuesday, with Nobel laureate, Jose Ramos-Horta, the clear frontrunner in the poll.

Parker Novak – Timorese voters head to the polls again on Tuesday 19 April for the second round of the country's presidential election. The campaign, following a first round of voting last month, pits two long-standing political figures against each other – incumbent president Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres and challenger Jose Ramos-Horta.

Peter Job – After East Timor declared independence from Portugal in 1975, Indonesian dictator Suharto ordered an invasion and tried to crush the national liberation movement. Australia knew Indonesian forces were carrying out massacres – and helped hide it from the world.

Interview by Zacharias Szumer

A report on human rights released by the United States government highlights the problems with police in the Catholic-majority country of Timor-Leste, such as violence against civilians and efforts to deter communities from reporting such cases.

An international group advocating human rights in Timor-Leste, of which a UK pedophile priest was a supporter, has taken down an appeal for financial support he had set up for the group following his conviction for child sex abuse last week.

Elizabeth Byrne – The High Court has put off considering whether details of an alleged Australian spying operation in Timor-Leste should remain secret during a criminal trial.

Four Corners has revealed the New Zealand military ordered its legal offi

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – A Catholic priest is to moderate the presidential debate in Timor-Leste as Asia's youngest democracy gets ready for a second round of voting on April 19.

The appointment of Father Bento Barros Pereira from Dili Archdiocese was announced by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) on April 11.

Ryan Dagur – Timor-Leste is mourning the death of a Portuguese missionary who spent more than 50 years working as a teacher in the Catholic-majority country.

Baltasar Pires, a deacon of the Salesians of Don Bosco, died on April 4 in a hospital in the capital Dili. He was 81.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Dili Archdiocese in Timor-Leste has established an ecclesiastical court to handle marriage-related cases including annulments.

Salesian Archbishop Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili along with the Vatican's representative in Timor-Leste, Monsignor Marco Sprizzi, and Justice Minister Tiago Amaral launched the court on April 1 in Dili.

In April last year, heavy rainfalls from Cyclone Seroja caused flash flooding and landslides across Timor-Leste, destroying tens of thousands of homes and killing 48 people, with 14 still unaccounted for.

Zulmira Alves dos Reis and her husband Luis da Costa told SBS News they will never forget the moment they watched their family home swallowed by floodwaters.

Anne Barker – Juliana dos Santos says she had been a "war trophy" for 22 years when she decided it was time to escape the man she claims kept her a prisoner and a slave.

Days after Timor Leste's independence ballot in 1999, Juliana was kidnapped at 15 by a pro-Indonesia militia leader and taken across the border to Indonesian West Timor.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – The Catholic-majority nation of Timor-Leste is still battling a dengue outbreak that has killed dozens of people, with the number of cases soaring to more than 3,700 this year despite the government's preventive measures.

Timor-Leste is headed for a runoff presidential election after Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta failed to secure more than 50 percent of the vote despite a commanding lead over a fellow former independence fighter, incumbent President Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres.

Leaders from the three key parties in the Timor-Leste governing coalition have confirmed that are supporting the incumbent head of state, Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres, in the second round of the presidential elections next month, reports Lusa news agency.

Timor-Leste is headed for a run-off presidential election after Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta failed to secure more than 50 per cent of the vote, despite a commanding lead over a fellow former independence fighter, incumbent President Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres.

Timor-Leste's citizens voted for a new president at the weekend, hoping the most competitive election in the history of the Asia-Pacific's youngest country will end a protracted political impasse, reports France 24.

Parker Novak – Timor-Leste – one of Southeast Asia's few vibrant democracies – held the first round of its presidential election on Saturday 19 March. Jose Ramos-Horta led the pack with 46 per cent, while incumbent president Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres took second with 22 per cent.

Li-Li Chen – Five days after polls closed, the presidential election in Timor-Leste, Asia's youngest democracy, seems set for a second-round of voting. As of 9 p.m.

Chris Barrett, Singapore – A bid by one of East Timor's founding fathers, Jose Ramos-Horta, to return to the presidency has been strongly endorsed by voters in Australia's near neighbour.

South-east Asia's youngest country went to the polls on Saturday for its fifth presidential election and while counting continued on Sunday, Ramos-Horta, 72, was clearly in front.

Voting is under way in East Timor, as Asia's youngest nation holds its fifth presidential election since independence amid concerns over political stability and economic security.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Timor-Leste's Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak has called on voters to ensure a successful and peaceful presidential election and exercise their right to vote in what promises to be the most competitive poll in the Catholic-majority country's history.

Dili, Timor Leste – The frontrunner in Timor Leste's presidential election, independence figure and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta, has said he hopes to restore political stability to Asia's youngest democracy, as the nation prepares to head to the polls.

Tempo.Co, Suci Sekarwati, Jakarta – The 1996 Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient Manuel Ramos-Horta said in a discussion held by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) on Thursday, March 17, 2022, that Timor Leste is hoping to join ASEAN. Jose acknowledges that the process would take some time.

Joao da Cruz Cardoso – Timor-Leste will hold its fifth presidential election on 19 March with an unprecedented 16 candidates competing to become the next head of state.

Avatar Fernando da Costa – Thousands of people in East Timor have flocked to presidential campaign rallies days before an election that will test the young country's stability amid a protracted political crisis and economic uncertainty.

Elizabeth Byrne – Evidence so secret that Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery himself cannot know what it is will be permitted to be used by Commonwealth prosecutors in a trial against him.

Mr Collaery is accused of conspiring to reveal classified information about an alleged Australian spying operation in East Timor, during sensitive oil and gas treaty negotiations.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Timor-Leste is mourning the death of a Portuguese Jesuit priest who served in the country for more than four decades and was credited with helping people in need during the struggle for independence during the Indonesian occupation.

Father Jose Alves Martins died on March 14 at a hospital in Portugal aged 80. The cause of his death was not revealed.

Li-Li Chen – Next week, Timor-Leste will hold the seventh presidential election that the country has conducted on its own since gaining its independence two decades ago.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Catholic-majority Timor-Leste is to provide humanitarian assistance "in a show of solidarity with Ukrainians" following the Russian invasion of the Eastern European country.

The government announced on March 9 that US$1.5 million in aid would be provided through the UN's World Food Program.

Max Lane – There have been contentions in Timor Leste's political landscape in the run-up to the presidential elections. But Indonesia has less to worry about, given that political parties across the spectrum support strong relations with Jakarta.

Andrea Fahey – In the midst of an international crisis, it is remarkable when small countries still find the courage to adhere to their democratic principles. This time the Timorese government has chosen to respect its independence history and democratic values by condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – A Timor-Leste court has acquitted a priest and several of his staff over writing a report in favor of a defrocked priest jailed for sexually abusing young girls.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Catholic officials have urged candidates for Timor-Leste's forthcoming presidential elections to avoid politicizing the Church and using religious symbols or attributes during the campaign.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Pope Francis' planned visit to Catholic-majority Timor-Leste has been confirmed for this year, according to a senior official in the Catholic-majority nation's apostolic nunciature.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Candidates in Timor-Leste's upcoming presidential election have signed a national unity pact, part of a commitment to ensuring a free, fair and peaceful electoral process and not one tarnished by mudslinging and violence.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Authorities in Timor-Leste have officially named 16 candidates to contest March's presidential election in what promises to be the most competitive poll in the Catholic-majority country's history.

Phnom Penh – Asean is launching a fact-finding mission to accelerate East Timor's accession into the bloc, a task expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Damon Evans – East Timor-based independent think-tank La'o Hamutuk has hit out at Santos' plans to store carbon from its proposed Barossa liquefied natural gas (LNG) development at the Bayu Undan field in the Timor Sea by filing a submission to the Northern Territory (NT) Environmental Protection Authority (NTEPA).

Kathmandu – Nepal and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste have established diplomatic relations. With this, the number of countries with which Nepal has bilateral diplomatic relations reached 173.

Stephen Dziedzic – Documents filed in court claim that Australia may have been monitoring the phone calls of political leaders in Timor-Leste in 2000, four years before Australian intelligence agents allegedly bugged the tiny nation's Cabinet offices ahead of crucial negotiations over lucrative oil and gas reserves.

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – Timor-Leste Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak has been forced to cancel a visit to Australia after contracting Covid-19 for a second time.

The news of his infection comes amid a spike in cases that have spread across the Catholic-majority country in the past week.