Haze Disruption: Southeast Asia’s meteorological centre has issued its highest alert as Indonesian wildfire smoke spreads across the region, worsening air quality in Timor-Leste and forcing school closures. Mineral Exploration: Estrella Resources has approval to start its first drilling at Laleno Dome, testing for copper-gold deposits; it also upgraded 274 million tonnes of its Werumata limestone resource to the higher-confidence indicated category. Offshore Energy: Finder Energy has secured the Hakuryu-5 rig for three development wells at the Kuda Tasi and Jahal fields, with drilling planned for December 2027, subject to approvals. Trade and Investment: Timor-Leste and Indonesia are pursuing broader market access and business ties, backed by a new bilateral investment treaty. Timor-Leste is also preparing to join ASEAN’s digital economy framework and has begun talks to join a government procurement pact.