Connect with us

Entertainment

East Timor joins ASEAN after 14-year wait, becoming bloc’s 11th member

Published

on

East Timor joins ASEAN after 14-year wait, becoming bloc’s 11th member


Timor-Leste’s Foreign Minister Bendito Freitas, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan and Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow attend a ceremony for the accession of Timor-Leste to the ASEAN charter in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia October 25, 2025. — Reuters

East Timor joined the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc as its 11th member state on Sunday, after 14 years of campaigning.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose country currently chairs ASEAN, said East Timor’s accession “completes the ASEAN family — reaffirming our shared destiny and deep sense of regional kinship”.

“Within this community, Timor-Leste’s development and its strategic autonomy will find firm and lasting support,” Anwar told an ASEAN summit in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

East Timor, also known by its Portuguese name Timor-Leste, is the youngest country in the region, having gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years of occupation.

President Jose Ramos-Horta has long campaigned for ASEAN membership, and an application was first submitted in 2011 during his first term.

The signing of a declaration on East Timor’s admission on Sunday is also seen as one of the crowning achievements of Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship.

East Timor was granted observer status to the regional body in 2022 but its full membership was delayed by various challenges.

The country continues to grapple with high levels of inequality, malnutrition and unemployment.

It remains heavily reliant on oil, with little diversification into other sectors, and some concerns remain over its ability to participate meaningfully in ASEAN’s development agenda.

It also faces challenges in infrastructure development and human resource capacity, seen as critical for effective participation in ASEAN’s economic community.

In September, thousands of student-led protesters demonstrated against a multi-million dollar plan to purchase Toyota Prado SUVs for each of the country’s 65 members of parliament and lifetime pensions for former MPs.

Demonstrators and police clashed for two days, before the parliament cancelled the vehicles’ procurement.

The parliament has also bowed to public pressure over MPs’ pensions.

ASEAN began as a five-member bloc in 1967 and has gradually expanded, with Cambodia the most recent addition in 1999.





Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Entertainment

King Charles teaches important lesson to emerging leaders

Published

on

King Charles teaches important lesson to emerging leaders


Palace issues King Charles emotional statement after Harry, Meghan’s message

King Charles made a keynote address during his latest royal engagement as he returned to Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth on Friday, December 19.

The 77-year-old delivered a powerful speech to teach graduating officers an important lesson about leadership at the Lord High Admiral’s Divisions parade.

The monarch got emotional as he told the assembled cadets: “It has been some 54 years since I stood where you are, as part of Blake Division.”

In his defiant address, after celebrating those passing out, the monarch said: “Leadership is about character!”

Encouraging the future leaders to serve the nation with distinction through achieving the highest standards.

The royal family released the monarch’s photos with his moving words, writing: “You are all imbued with the same drive, determination and fighting spirit that have carried your forebears to victory. I can only wish each of you every possible success and good fortune…”

During the visit, the King inspected troops, officers from the Commonwealth and other countries including Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

He himself joined Dartmouth over 50 years ago, on the 16th September 1971, as a member of the Blake Division.

William and Harry’s father recalled numerous memories from his training days, particularly navigating picket boats along the River Dart whilst learning to avoid collisions with enthusiastic yacht owners.

As a graduate entrant, he spent six weeks at Dartmouth, learning about leadership, navigation and the ways of the Royal Navy.

The royal family has very close links with the College and the King’s father, grandfather and great-grandfather, all spent time at Dartmouth.





Source link

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle release surprise video alongside holiday cards

Published

on

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle release surprise video alongside holiday cards


Harry and Meghan release their holiday card 2025 amid some major changes

The Sussexes’ holiday card is officially here as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle implement some major changes.

On Friday, December 19, the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes revealed their Christmas cards; as always, they released one for the public and another meant for close family and friends. But this time, they surprised fans with an additional festive video published on their newly re-named Archewell Philanthropies (previously Archewell Foundation).

“On behalf of the Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Archewell, we wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful new year,” the accompanying read.

The video featured clips from various Archewell initiatives, but one moment stood out as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet appeared during a Thanksgiving-related community outing in Los Angeles.

The siblings joined their parents as Archewell partnered with Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles to prepare meals for those in need. In the footage, 6-year-old-Archie and 4-year-old Lilibet could be seen helping with food preparation and pushing a trolley alongside Meghan and Harry. Meghan previously shared glimpses of the same outing to her Instagram last month.

Apart from spreading holiday cheer, the video also serves to increase the Sussex children’s involvement in Archewell’s initiatives, which is a major reason for its recent name change. 

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle release surprise video alongside holiday cards

As Harry and Meghan explained, “This charitable entity allows the couple and their children to expand upon their global philanthropic endeavors as a family.”

Shortly after releasing the video, the couple also shared a separate holiday card featuring a photo of the two of them at the Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler. Unlike last year, Archie and Lilibet were not pictured.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle release surprise video alongside holiday cards

The children last appeared on their parents’ holiday card in December 2024, when a candid photo showed them running toward Meghan and Harry. 





Source link

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Albert Brooks remembers his “oldest friend” Rob Reiner: “I’m still in that not believing it stage”

Published

on

Albert Brooks remembers his “oldest friend” Rob Reiner: “I’m still in that not believing it stage”


Comedian and actor Albert Brooks said he’s still in shock over the death of one of his oldest and best friends, Rob Reiner.

“Rob was my oldest friend. It’s that simple. He’s the person that I’ve known the longest. I met him when I was 14 years old. So I’m still in that not believing it stage,” he told CBS News in the upcoming special “CBS News: Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life,” airing Sunday. Brooks and Reiner met at Beverly Hills High School in a drama class 60 years ago.

Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found fatally stabbed in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14, authorities said. Their son, Nick, has been charged with first-degree murder in their deaths.

Brooks said there are still moments he forgets his friend is gone.

“I know it happened, but, you know, I’m driving around and all of a sudden – I actually two days ago, I called his number,” he recalled.

Brooks and Reiner returned to their high school, reminiscing about their time together while surveying the school’s Wall of Fame, during an interview for “CBS Sunday Morning” in December 2023. 

“This is the first time both of us have been back since we graduated,” said Reiner. Brooks joked: “Over a certain age, it’s against the law. Well, life works best when you remember.” 

As they pointed out a bench they used to sit on, Reiner joked, “It brings back no memories,” as Brooks agreed, “Nothing. Nothing.”

Reiner directed the HBO documentary, “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life,” released in 2023. Before that, the pair was only in one movie together, “The Muse” in 1999. “He hired me. He was nice enough to hire me,” Reiner said. “I was,” Brooks replied.

You can hear more from Brooks and others who knew Reiner in the one-hour special “CBS News: Rob Reiner – Scenes from a Life.” It will be broadcast Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on CBS, and will stream on Paramount+.  



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending