LaNUBlog™

Baroness Thatcher's ashes have been interred in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea at a service attended by her family and close friends. The former prime minister's children, Sir Mark and Carol Thatcher, were among those at the central London site. Prayers were said before a solid oak casket containing her ashes was placed in the ground. Lady Thatcher's ashes were placed next to those of her husband, Sir Denis. A private service was held at All Saints Chapel in the hospital's Margaret Thatcher Infirmary, which she opened in 2009. Music was provided by the chapel choir who sang Po Atarau, a traditional Maori song of goodbye in recognition of Lady Thatcher's family connections with New Zealand. Carol Thatcher placed a red rose with her mother's ashes Lady Thatcher - the longest-serving prime minister of the 20th Century - built up a strong relationship with the Royal Hospital Chelsea during the last years of her life. She and her husband often spen...

Australian PM Tony Abbott has dismissed a diplomatic row with Indonesia over his coalition's asylum policy. Australia says asylum-seekers arriving by boat will be returned to Indonesia. Mr Abbot said on Friday, ahead of an official trip to Indonesia, that the issue was a "passing irritant" and would not affect bilateral relations. His comments come as Indonesian officials reportedly said an email listing concerns over Australia's plan was not meant to be released publicly. "The last thing anyone should want is to have Australia's relationship with Indonesia defined by this boats issue, which I am sure will be but a passing irritant," Mr Abbott told Fairfax Radio on Friday. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has held talks with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in New York this week and their discussions touched on the coalition's asylum plans. Some details about these talks were released in an email on Thursday, which cited Ind...

At least 21 people drowned when a boat carrying dozens of migrants seeking asylum in Australia sank off the coast of Java, Indonesian officials say. Reports say the boat carried people from Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen. Rescue officials said 50 survivors had been taken ashore in the Cianjur district. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has promised to intercept migrant boats at their point of embarkation. Mr Abbott is expected to discuss the issue when he visits Jakarta on Monday. Officials say the search for survivors is continuing. It is not known how many people were aboard the boat when the vessel sank. Bodies were found floating in an estuary on Friday morning, a local police official, Warsono, told the AFP news agency. He said the boat had broken into several pieces. Four vessels were involved in the search, which was called off at nightfall and would resume on Saturday, he added. Hundreds of migrants have died trying to reach Australian shores in recent years; many of them...

The 2013 Miss World pageant has been won by Miss Philippines, Megan Young, on the Indonesian island of Bali. US-born Ms Young, 23, beat 126 other contestants and pledged to be "the best Miss World ever". The competition was moved to Bali from the capital, Jakarta, because of protests from hardline Muslim groups. Security for Saturday's event was high in Bali, a resort island with a majority Hindu population, but no further demonstrations were reported. Miss France, Marine Lorphelin, came second in the contest and Miss Ghana, Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter, took third place. Wearing a glittering gown, Ms Young, who moved to the Philippines at the age of 10, wept as the Miss World sash was put over her shoulder by 2012 winner Miss China. She told the cheering crowd in Nusa Dua in southern Bali she would "be myself in everything I do, to share what I know and to educate people". Heavily armed police patrolled the event in southern Bali Indonesia is the world...

What about Indonesia? It has seen its currency fall by 18% since May. Its current account deficit has widened to more than 4% of GDP. It is certainly the most vulnerable economy in South East Asia, after recent inflows of "hot money", which is now being pulled out, just as in 1997. There has been a lot of talk in Indonesia about a recent report by the Singapore-based bank DBS, and its eye-catching statement that South East Asia is "absolutely headed back to 1997 again". May 1998: Protesters in front of a burning bank in Jakarta demand Suharto resign But read a little further, and what the report actually says is that, yes, that is where current trends are taking the region, but this won't happen for five years, and won't happen at all if policy-makers can prevent it. It's worth remembering too that before 1997 Indonesia had been running current account deficits of 6% or more for many months, and that it was ruled by a nepotistic dictator, Suharto, w...

The rat has unusually coarse, spikey fur on its back and a short tail with a distinctive white tip. Tufts of harsh, bristly hair and a white tail tip are among the defining features of a new rodent species discovered in Indonesia. The Spiny Boki Mekot Rat was found in the mountain forests of Halmahera, in the Moluccas (Maluku) archipelago. It was from these islands that Alfred Russel Wallace wrote to Charles Darwin, outlining his theory of evolution. The region is rich in biodiversity but its wildlife is under threat from logging and mining firms. Scientists hope the new mammal discovery will encourage greater exploration and conservation of the area. Their findings are reported in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Under threat The new rat was found in a remote, hilly region of Halmahera by an expedition team from the University of Copenhagen and Indonesia's Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense. They laid traps baited with roasted coconut and peanut butter, placed o...

A Nigerian contestant has been crowned the winner of a beauty pageant for Muslims in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola, 21, won the World Muslimah 2013 title on Wednesday. Twenty finalists showed off Islamic fashions and worked to demonstrate religious values during the contest. The pageant was held before the upcoming Miss World competition, which has drawn protests from hardline Indonesian Muslim groups. Finalists in World Muslimah were chosen from more than 500 who took part in an online selection process. One of the rounds involved contenders comparing stories of how they came to wear the hijab (Muslim headscarf) - a requirement for all those taking part. The finalists hailed from countries including Bangladesh, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria and Brunei. In the run-up to the final, contestants underwent three days of "spiritual training", waking before dawn to pray together and to study the Koran. All contestants in Muslimah World must wear the hij...