China and Timor-Leste

𝐏𝐍𝐓𝐋 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞 : 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐧 𝐗𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐳𝐚 𝐑𝐮𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢 𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐮 𝐊𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐚 𝐈𝐡𝐚 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐢 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐢 𝐓𝐋

Smnewstl.com | Dili, 19 Abril 2026 - Sidadaun xineza nain rua ne’ebé diskumfia ho indísiu forte katak utiliza osan falsu ho valor $100 hodi halo kompra iha Centro Supermercado Kampung Alor, Díli, loron hirak liu ba halai ona husi Timor-Leste, Domingo, (19/04/2026) ne'e ho aviaun komersial antes autoridade sira kaptura.

Tuir informasaun ne’ebé hetan, kazu ne’e akontese iha loron hirak liu ba hafoin makina iha Supermercado Centro identifika osan nota dolar $100 falsu, no parte loja imediatamente hato’o informasaun ba autoridade kompetente hodi buka tuir.

Komandu Polícia Nacional Timor-Leste liu husi Diresaun Servisu Investigasaun Kriminal (DSIK), lideradu husi Superintendente Xefe João Belo dos Reis ho ninia ekipa, ne'ebe simu informasaun desloka kedas ba Aeroporto Internacional Nicolau Lobato hodi tenta kaptura suspeitu sira.

Maibé, bainhira ekipa to’o iha aeroportu iha oras tuku 12:30 OTL, sidadaun rua refere iha ona aviaun laran ne’ebé hahú ona prosesu semo.

Autoridade imigrasaun ne’ebé simu ona informasaun tenta atu trava sira, maibé la konsege tamba suspeitu sira ultrapasa tiha ona prosesu check-in no aviaun hahú ona semo, nune’e labele hatun fali.

Evidénsia liu husi vídeo CCTV ne’ebé autoridade seguransa aprezenta hatudu katak sidadaun rua refere utiliza osan falsu durante tranzasaun iha supermercado refere.

Ligadu ho kazu ne’e, Diresaun Servisu Nasionál Kriminal kontinua halo investigasaun no konsege deskobre tan osan falsu ho kuantidade to’o 4 miliaun iha armagen Y&W, ne'ebe lokaliza iha Bidau.

Kazu ne’e hetan atensaun maka'as husi Prezidente Republika, José Ramos-Horta no Primeiru-Ministru, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão nune'e submete ona ba prosesu justisa, no tribunal deside aplika medida koasaun prizaun preventiva ba arguidu nain tolu ne’ebé liga ho rede produsasaun osan falsu.

Autoridade sira agora kontinua buka kooperasaun internasionál atu lokaliza no toma medida hasoru sidadaun rua ne’ebé sai ona husi rai-laran.

The report throws into sharp relief the tremendous toll of the war on the global economy and the war’s human cost. Nations of the world, least of all the most vulnerable countries, shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of a war which shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

The ceasefire must hold. The Strait of Hormuz must reopen. Peace must return to the Gulf. The global economy and energy supply must not take
any more hit. The world does not need yet another humanitarian crisis.

Had it not been for the war in the Middle East, we would have revised up our global growth forecasts to 3.4% this year. However, with new shocks, growth is now projected to slow to 3.1% in 2026.

Amid frequent global shocks, countries must calibrate policies that respond to today’s pressures while strengthening resilience for potential future shocks.

Read more: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2026/04/14/world-economic-outlook-april-2026?cid=sm-com-fb-sm26-WEOEA2026001

President Xi Jinping has urged high-ranking military officials to lead by example in restoring and upholding the fine traditions of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese armed forces. #习近平 https://bit.ly/48x6NKw

Yes, he really said that.

Yesterday Vice President JD Vance criticized Pope Leo XIV for not knowing enough theology: “"I think it's very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology ... If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful, you’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth," he said, at a Turning Point conference.

One of the many, many, ironies about that statement is that it came in response to Pope Leo's comments about war and peace and, specifically, the concept of "just war," which originated with St. Augustine. As many have already noted, when the Vice President was making his comments, Pope Leo XIV, a member of the Augustinian Order, and twice Prior General of the Augustinians before his election as Pope, was visiting the hometown of St. Augustine, then called "Hippo," now in Annaba, a town in modern-day Algeria. For good measure, Pope Leo XIV, the man critiqued for insufficient theological education, earned not only a master's degree in divinity, but also a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

JD Vance's recent conversion to Catholicism is beside the point, because many converts are of course not only highly intelligent (and learned in theology) but faithful and energetic Catholics. We rejoice over everyone entering the church.

What most of us do not rejoice over, however, is a deadly combination of inaccuracy and hubris. Pace, Vice President Vance, but the current war in Iran is not a just war under Catholic doctrine. You can hear that from church leaders from across the theological spectrum, from Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the head of the military vicariate and former head of the , to Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington who holds doctorates in both theology and political science. You can look all that up online. Suffice to say, the Vice President doesn't seem to understand the tenets of just war.

Nor does he seem to understand the fundamental position of the church, which is for peace. "War is always a defeat for humanity," as St. John Paul II said. If that authority isn't enough, then turn to Jesus who said, "Blessed are the peacemakers," not "Blessed are the warmongers." And after the Resurrection, the Risen Christ says to the frightened disciples not "Vengeance is mine" but "Peace be with you."

Incidentally, the day before, the Vice President said that the Pope (and the Vatican) should stick to teaching about morality, also seeming to forget that war and peace are profoundly moral issues.

For his part, Pope Leo was focused yesterday on his spiritual father, St. Augustine. After what seemed like an emotional visit to Hippo, he celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine in Annaba. During his homily he said, "The primary task of pastors as ministers of the Gospel is therefore to bear witness to God before the world with one heart and one soul, not permitting our concerns to lead us astray through fear, nor trends to undermine us through compromise."

Amen. Let's all continue to pray for the Holy Father as he works for peace.

(Image: Pope Leo XIV prays at the archeological ruins of Hippo, home of St. Augustine, in current-day Algeria. CNS photo).