Social Housing Push: President José Ramos-Horta says he’s acting on “conscience” with concrete support beyond the Presidency—building 39 social houses and backing 10,747 families, including 1,653 people with disabilities, plus 17,425 beneficiaries of the “Rai Mor” social therapy program; the Palace also reports support for 283 orphanages, 90 micro-businesses, 387 cultural groups, 35 students and 50 sports groups, with 748 women backed through training, scholarships, and micro- and cash grants. Independence Diplomacy: As Timor-Leste marks its 24th Independence Restoration Day, Cambodia’s Hun Sen sent congratulations to Parliament President Maria Fernanda Lay and to President Ramos-Horta, stressing deepening legislative ties after Timor-Leste’s ASEAN accession. Regional Moves: Australia’s defence leadership is set to meet Timor-Leste officials during the Independence anniversary, while India’s IOS SAGAR mission wrapped up with INS Sunayna returning to Kochi after a multi-country deployment that included Timor-Leste. ASEAN 2029 Prep: Timor-Leste launched work on an International Convention Centre to host the 2029 ASEAN Summit.