East Timor celebrates 25th anniversary of UN-backed vote for independence

DILI, East Timor (AP) — East Timor is celebrating the 25th anniversary of a U.N.-backed referendum that secured its independence from its major neighbor Indonesia, which invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975. Crowds cheered Friday as the country’s leaders along with state guests traveled by motorcades to a stadium in the country’s capital for a ceremony kicking off festivities across the impoverished nation of 1.3 million people. State guests included U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who met with Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, and paid an emotional tribute to the former guerilla leader.