Briefly

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Timor-Leste becomes 11th ASEAN member

Timor-Leste has been welcomed into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as its 11th member, following a ceremony at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday. Timor-Leste's President Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao attended the signing of the Declaration on the Admission of Timor-Leste into ASEAN. The country applied for ASEAN membership in 2011, and in November 2022, ASEAN member states principally agreed to admit it as a new member. On the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit, Cambodia and Thailand on Sunday signed a joint declaration on peace.

FRANCE

Suspects arrested over Louvre heist

Suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of crown jewels from the Louvre, the Paris prosecutor said on Sunday. The prosecutor said investigators made the arrests on Saturday evening, adding that one of the men taken into custody was preparing to leave the country from Charles de Gaulle Airport. French media BFM TV and Le Parisien newspaper earlier reported that two suspects had been arrested and taken into custody. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau did not confirm the number of arrests and did not say whether jewels had been recovered.

Xinhua - Agencies