Timor

10 years on…. 98.6 per cent of registered voters turned out to vote for the historic ballot on 30 August 1999

Timorese and the UN celebrate and commemorate, a decade after a momentous vote

30 August 2009
Timor-Leste is in festive mode this week. Hundreds of cyclists have criss-crossed the country's rugged and beautiful scenery in the inaugural Tour de Timor. Peace festivals and concerts have been staged in towns and villages. Feasts have been organized. But behind all the celebrations across the tiny nation are darker memories as well.
Bikers at the opening of the Tour-de-Timor

With pedal power, UN staff take part in race to change perceptions about Timor-Leste

24 August 2009
It may lack the glamour or the pedigree of the Tour de France, but the inaugural Tour de Timor – which starts today in the capital, Dili – can probably claim to be a more gruelling race than its storied peer, with potholes, dirt roads, slippery river crossings and uneven off-road routes to unnerve even the most experienced cyclists.