After centuries of foreign occupation, East Timor became the first new nation of the millennium. But independence has not brought wealth. For a detailed look at the challenges ahead the U.N. Development Programme 2006 report The Path out of Poverty is comprehensive and has loads of useful statistics, but is a little slow to download. For a quick summary click here.

The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR's 2006 planning overview is also worth a look. It says East Timor's political, economic and security situation is still fragile and most humanitarian indicators remain discouraging.

UNHCR's Refworld website links to the most recent reports from think tanks, U.N. agencies and the U.N. mission in East Timor.

The UNHCR's East Timor page describes its six-year operation to help around a quarter of a million refugees who fled to West Timor during the bloodshed sparked by the 1999 independence referendum. Three staff members were murdered by pro-Jakarta militia in 2000 - the worst single security incident in the agency's history. There's also info on operations to help those displaced by the 2006 violence.

The East Timor government website, which is in English, Portuguese and Tetum, is well presented with a short history and information on the administration.

Relief Web's East Timor page has updates on the general situation, reconstruction, refugees and human rights.

The Asian Development Bank's reports on its East Timor programmes make for dry reading, but there's a good 2005 report on women's role in the future of East Timor. Don't be too put off by the report's title - Gender and Nation Building in Timor-Leste - there are some interesting thoughts on rebuilding East Timor here. The ADB site also has information on humanitarian indicators and Millennium Development Goals.

The World Bank is helping rebuild the country's infrastructure, stabilise the economy, and develop government institutions. For recent reports click here. For human and economic development statistics click here.

East Timor has made progress on human rights but a 2006 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the government to address the problem of police torture - Tortured Beginnings: Police Violence and the Beginnings of Impunity in East Timor. HRW also says obstacles to justice remain for victims of the violence that accompanied Indonesia's rule and withdrawal.

The easiest way to find the latest media coverage on the country is probably via the Yahoo East Timor page.

AlertNet has a roundup of media reports on the displacement problem and food insecurity.

To get to grips with the 2006 crisis and its ramifications have a look at this very readable Open Democracy article from 2008. International Crisis Group also has information on the problems between the army and police which are jeopardising security.

The International Crisis Group has also a report examining why, two years on from the conflict, 100,000 people remain displaced.

This 2007 World Food Programme overview has statistics on malnutrition and poverty and background on the country's severe food insecurity.

La'o Hamutuk, East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis, has background and reports on justice, human rights abuses under Indonesian rule, oil, aid and agriculture.

British aid agency Catholic Fund for Development (CAFOD) provides information about farmers, and features writing on East Timor and globalisation by East Timorese singer and activist Eugenio Lemos.