Vonia Vieira, Nick Sas, Doug Dingwall – The smoke from burning waste gets so thick at Delfina Martin's home in Timor-Leste, she and her children struggle to breathe.

But she says it's not the only way the country's biggest rubbish dump – only 300 metres from her house – damages her family's health.

James Pearson – Estrella Resources has made a landmark discovery in its maiden exploration program in Timor-Leste, intersecting a thick 6.45-metre zone of massive manganese oxides just 1.35m below surface at its Ira Miri prospect.

Manila – Timor-Leste deported an Interpol-wanted Filipino murder suspect on Thursday (May 29) whose case the government has linked to its aspirations to join the regional ASEAN bloc, after more than two years of political wrangling.

Police in Timor-Leste have re-arrested a former Philippine Congress member accused of masterminding the killing of a sitting governor and nine others back home in March 2023.

Kuala Lumpur – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with his Timor-Leste counterpart Xanana Gusmao in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, within the framework of his official visit to Malaysia and his attendance at the 46th ASEAN Summit and related Summits.

Timor-Leste is one step closer to achieving full membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a new announcement putting its accession as soon as October if requirements are fulfilled, according to multiple media reports.

Freedom of self-determination is one of the most valuable principles, higher than other values that should be enjoyed by every person in their life, especially people who live on a certain land.

Jan Hennop, Kuala Lumpur – Timor-Leste is a step closer to fulfilling its longstanding wish to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc and could become its 11th member state by October, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Sunday.

Kuala Lumpur – ASEAN Foreign Ministers today reaffirmed their strong support for Timor-Leste's full membership in the regional bloc, acknowledging the country's significant progress in implementing the ASEAN Roadmap.

Fadhil Haidar Sulaeman, Dili – For the people of Timor-Leste, May 20 is Independence Restoration Day: the day the United Nations officially handed over sovereignty after the Portuguese and Indonesian colonial periods, a time characterized by an enduring struggle for independence.

A woman who survived sexual abuse at the hands of a convicted paedophile priest fears he will hurt her again if the Timor-Leste government succeeds in having him pardoned.

Nadja Skopljak – Switzerland-based StreamTec Solutions has signed a cooperation agreement with Timor-Leste's national oil & gas company Timor Gas & Petroleo, E.P. (TIMOR GAP) and the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MPRM) to establish a company that will develop an underwater pipeline highway for the transport of natural gas.

A former Catholic priest convicted of sex abuse is among 38 people considered for the presidential executive clemency in Timor-Leste, according to the country's justice minister.

More than 50,000 Catholics gathered on April 26 for a requiem Mass for Pope Francis at the Esplanade of Tasi Tolu on the coast of Timor-Leste, where the pope celebrated Mass during his visit to this Catholic-majority nation last September.

Stefani Wijaya, Jakarta – Indonesian National Police (Polri) Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo has been awarded the Order of Timor-Leste, the country's highest honor, by the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

Jakarta – Chief of the Indonesian National Police (Polri), General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, received the Order of Timor-Leste, the highest honor granted by the government of Timor-Leste, at the country's embassy in Jakarta on Monday.

Dili – Brandishing his government-gifted medals near a statue of the Virgin Mary in East Timor's capital, ex-rebel Crisanto de Jesus Alves da Costa says Pope Francis' message of hope on a rare visit last year offered a bright path for Asia's youngest nation.

Dili – Catholic-majority Timor Leste will observe a week of mourning to honour Pope Francis after his death on Monday aged 88, President Jose Ramos-Horta said, hailing the pontiff's "very brave" fight for peace and support of the world's poorest people.

Stephen Dziedzic, Andrew Greene – One of Australia's closest neighbours has declared it is willing to join Chinese-led military exercises but insists it would only do so if the activity is "not directed at any perceived hostile entity".

Timor-Leste has awarded its first offshore gambling license, calling the move a milestone in the broader push for economic diversification and digital sector development.

Havana – East Timor President and Nobel Peace Laureate Jose Ramon Horta handed over diplomas to Cuban doctors who wound up their work in that country.

Kiki Siregar, Liquica, Timor-Leste/Morowali, Indonesia: Most people would not be thrilled to be surrounded by a sea of trash daily, but Dion Gonsalves feels blessed to have the opportunity to work at a 23ha dumpsite in Liquica district, west of Timor-Leste's capital Dili.

Jakarta – The Indonesian National Border Management Agency (BNPP) has officially opened a new cross-border route connecting the Napan Border Crossing Post (PLBN) in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province to the Oesilo Border Post in Timor-Leste.

Zac Gillies-Palmer – In September 1974, socialists in Dili founded the Revolutionary Front for the Independence of Timor-Leste, better known as FRETILIN. Against the backdrop of the Cold War, FRETILIN grew from a small group of left-wing intellectuals into East Timor's main independence party and armed resistance movement.

James Pearson – Estrella Resources is about to make history in Timor-Leste with the arrival of the nation's first mineral exploration rig. The company is gearing up to kick off an exploration drilling campaign at its Ira Miri, Sica and Lalena manganese prospects in the country's northwest.

Timor-Leste has pledged humanitarian aid worth US$500,000 for Myanmar where a strong earthquake has left more than 3,000 dead, thousands more injured and tens of thousands displaced.

Indonesia, West Papua – The Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (C24) decided that the 2025 C24 Pacific Regional Conference will be held in Dili, Timor-Leste, from 21 to 23 May 2025.

Portugal's National Energy and Geology Laboratory (known by its Portuguese initials LNEG) is cooperating with its local counterpart in Timor-Leste to assess the mineral potential of the Southeast Asian country, the Lusa news agency reports.

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".