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WORLD NEWS Friday 20 May 2022
East Timor celebrates independence anniversary, new leader

By GANTRY MEILANA extreme poverty line of
Associated Press $1.90 a day, and for every
DILI, East Timor (AP) — For- 1,000 babies born in the
mer East Timor indepen- country, 42 die before their
dence fighter and Nobel fifth birthday because of
Peace Prize laureate Jose malnutrition.
Ramos-Horta was sworn Residents voted over-
in as president of Asia’s whelmingly for indepen-
youngest country late dence in a 1999 referen-
Thursday as it marks its 20th dum held under U.N. aus-
anniversary of indepen- pices, despite widespread
dence. Indonesian intimidation
Crowds cheered as he then and violence. The vote had
traveled by motorcade to been unexpectedly of-
Parliament, where a cer- fered by an overconfident
emony kicked off nation- Indonesian government
wide festivities commemo- following a long-running
rating independence from but largely fruitless resis-
Indonesia, which invaded tance struggle.
the former Portuguese col- Indonesia’s military re-
ony in 1975. sponded to the referendum
Ramos-Horta, 72, who led results with a scorched-
the resistance during Indo- earth campaign that left
nesia’s occupation, called Then East Timorese presidential candidate who is also former President Jose Ramos-Horta shows East Timor devastated. Aus-
for national reconciliation his inked finger after casting his ballot at a polling station during the election in Dili, East Timor on tralia spearheaded a U.N.
March 19, 2022.
and unity as he took the Associated Press military mission to restore
oath of office shortly be- order from the chaos as the
fore midnight, the time the sionally erupted into vio- Indonesian Coordinating ures, showing how much Indonesian forces left.
country declared indepen- lence. Its economy is reliant Minister of Political, Law they continue to dominate It took almost three more
dence 20 years ago. on dwindling offshore oil and Security Affairs Mo- politics after two decades. years for the half-island
“Today more than ever, we revenues. hammad Mahfud were “He is a great hero in the nation of just over 1 million
must be fully aware that Ramos-Horta pledged to among those who attend- era of our struggle for inde- people to become an in-
only in unity will be able to reduce poverty, improve ed the inauguration. pendence,” Aderito Herin dependent and sovereign
achieve the development health services for mothers Ramos-Horta defeated Martins, a resident of the country on May 20, 2002.
goals that we propose,” he and children, and promote incumbent Francisco “Lu capital, Dili, said of Ramos- Ramos-Horta lived in exile
said. East Timor’s transition a dialogue to restore politi- Olo” Guterres, his fellow in- Horta. for almost three decades
to a democracy has been cal stability. dependence fighter, in an “Now it’s time for him to and returned to East Timor
rocky, with leaders battling He said he expects East April 19 election runoff. He work on the critical issues at the end of 1999, after he
massive poverty, unem- Timor to become the 11th held a commanding lead of poverty and unemploy- and Bishop Carlos Felipe Xi-
ployment and corruption member of the regional among 16 candidates in ment that still face our menes Belo were awarded
as the country continues to bloc the Association of the first round, but didn’t country as he promised in the Nobel Peace Prize in
struggle with the legacy of Southeast Asian Nations in receive the 50% threshold his campaign.” 1996 in recognition of their
its bloody independence the next two years. required for victory. The U.N. estimates that work “toward a just and
battle and bitter factional Portuguese President Mar- More than 76% of the votes nearly half of East Timor’s peaceful solution to the
politics that have occa- celo Rebelo de Sousa and went to resistance-era fig- population lives below the conflict” in the country. q

Brazil’s Lula gets married at 76 with

a political touch

By MAURICIO SAVARESE It was the third marriage old and is in love like I am,
Associated Press for Lula, as he is known to willing to get married, can
SAO PAULO (AP) — Former Brazilians. His two previous only want good things for
President Luiz Inácio Lula wives Maria de Lourdes this country.”

da Silva, the front-runner da Silva and Marisa Leticia Lula’s bio on social media
heading into Brazil’s presi- died. channels was quickly up-
dential election in October, Lula started his relation- dated to add that he is
was married Wednesday in ship with his new wife, now “Janja’s husband.”
a ceremony that had a po- nicknamed Janja, in 2017, The wedding’s location in
litical touch. when he was in jail follow- Sao Paulo was kept secret
The 76-year-old leftist poli- ing corruption convictions until Wednesday afternoon In this photo released by the 2022 campaign press office of
tician, who was president that were later overturned due to fears of protests by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s former president, Da Silva, left,
in 2003-2010 and leads in- by Brazil’s Supreme Court. Bolsonaro supporters, as and sociologist Rosangela Silva get married in Sao Paulo Brazil,
cumbent far-right President “I decided to get married have other events attend- Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Jair Bolsonaro in all opinion again because I believe ed by Lula. Guests includ- .Associated Press
polls, wed sociologist Ro- Brazil can be fixed,” Lula ed politicians, old friends souvenirs with an embroi- dential race as a fight
sangela Silva, 55, before said during the Roman of the couple and artists, dered inscription reading between love and ha-
150 guests who sang his old Catholic ceremony, ac- including Grammy award “O Amor Venceu” (Love tred, linking the latter in his
and new campaign songs cording to a statement. winner Gilberto Gil. has Won). Lula has sought speeches to Bolsonaro’s
more than once. “A man who is 76 years As they left, they received to characterize the presi- campaign.q