Unconditional dialogue key to peace, justice: Timor Leste president
Delivering a keynote address in Kuala Lumpur, Ramos-Horta drew on Timor-Leste's decades-long struggle for independence, beginning with the country's 1975 liberation from Portuguese colonial rule and subsequent occupation by Indonesia.
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The Star
4 days ago
- The Star
Portugal protests expulsion of reporters from Guinea-Bissau before election
LISBON (Reuters) -Portugal's government on Friday condemned the expulsion of reporting teams of state news agency Lusa and two African units of broadcaster RTP from Guinea-Bissau in the run-up to a postponed election scheduled to be held in November in the West African country. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had "immediately summoned the ambassador of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau in Lisbon for explanations and clarifications" for a meeting that will take place on Saturday. "The Portuguese government strongly condemns the decision of the government of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau to order the removal of Lusa, RTP Africa, and RDP Africa from that country and their respective termination of broadcasts," it said, calling the move "highly reprehensible and unjustifiable". No explanations for the move were provided by either Guinea-Bissau, which announced the expulsion in a government decree earlier on Friday, or Portugal. The representatives of the media outlets have until August 19 to leave the country. Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said in March he would run for a second term, backtracking on earlier promises to step down and stoking tensions over postponed elections, with his opponents saying that his term expired in February. A dispute over when Embalo's presidential term, which began in 2020, should end has heightened tensions that risk unrest in the former Portuguese colony with a history of military coups. On August 7, Embalo, a former army general, appointed by decree a new prime minister, Braima Camara - the third premier since Embalo took office in 2020 - replacing Rui Duarte de Barros. In March, a political mission of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), deployed to help reach a consensus on how to conduct the election, said it had to leave "following threats by H.E. Umaro Sissoco Embalo to expel it". The presidential and legislative elections are scheduled to be held on November 23. (Reporting by Andrei Khalip in Lisbon and Alberto Dabo in Bissau; Editing by Paul Simao)
The Sun
31-07-2025
- The Sun
Portugal considers recognising Palestinian state at UN in September
LISBON: Portugal is evaluating whether to recognise the State of Palestine during the United Nations General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro's office confirmed on Thursday. The move follows similar signals from France, Britain, and Canada, as global criticism mounts over worsening conditions in Gaza. A government statement said Portugal is 'considering recognition of the Palestinian state, as part of a procedure that could be concluded during the high-level week of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, to be held in New York in September.' The decision follows 'multiple contacts' with international partners, citing 'extremely worrying developments in the conflict, both from a humanitarian perspective and through repeated references to a possible annexation of Palestinian territories' by Israel. Recent reports from a UN-backed hunger monitoring body warned of a 'worst-case famine scenario' unfolding in Gaza. Portugal's potential recognition aligns with recent statements from France, where President Emmanuel Macron pledged to formally recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September to encourage broader international support. Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stated that the government's decision was 'very carefully considered in consultation with its European and other partners.' This development reflects growing diplomatic momentum toward Palestinian statehood amid escalating humanitarian concerns. – AFP
The Star
23-07-2025
- The Star
Mozambique seeks to prosecute opposition leader over post-election unrest
FILE PHOTO: Mozambique opposition leader Venancio Mondlane speaks to the media as he arrives at the Maputo International Airport, after fleeing in the days following a hotly contested election in October that sparked demonstrations in which dozens of protesters have since been killed in the capital Maputo, Mozambique, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Regulo Cuna/File Photo MAPUTO (Reuters) -Mozambique is seeking to prosecute the country's main opposition leader, Venancio Mondlane, over civil unrest that followed a disputed election last year, a document presented to Mondlane by prosecutors showed. Mondlane, who says President Daniel Chapo of the long-ruling Frelimo party won the election through vote-rigging, was summoned by prosecutors on Tuesday. He was shown the 40-page document laying out a series of accusations including that he incited the unrest. An adviser to Mondlane shared the document with Reuters on Wednesday and said the opposition politician denied all the prosecutors' accusations. Prosecutors in the resource-rich Southern African country declined to comment. The post-election protests, in which more than 300 people were killed, were the largest against Frelimo since independence from Portuguese colonial rule in 1975. Frelimo denies allegations of electoral fraud, though Western observers say October's vote was not free and fair. There had been indications that Chapo and Mondlane were looking to build bridges, as the two politicians met for talks in March and again in May. Chapo also launched a "national dialogue" and invited Mondlane to serve on a presidential advisory body. Louw Nel, a political analyst at Oxford Economics Africa, said attempts to prosecute Mondlane would "weigh on the political compromise Mozambique's political actors reached in March". (Reporting by Manuel Mucari and Custodio Cossa; Additional reporting by Kopano Gumbi;Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
