Attar lived in a time of slim hope, and died aged 76 in a massacre. He lived in Nishapur, in the province of Khorasan in Persia where he was born around 1145, and was relatively well off. Before he wrote poetry using the name Attar and travelled widely meeting prominent Sufis, he lived comfortably as a pharmacist. Patients thronged to him. From them, Attar earned his living-and from them, too, he got to know sad stories of people and the fragility of faith in life.

With the end of Ramadan fast approaching, Bambang Brodjonegoro's busy schedule has just begun. His days are filled with one ministerial meeting after another. He must also keep monitoring two legislative bills currently being discussed by the House of Representatives (DPR) to ensure that they are passed by the end of the month as scheduled. One bill concerns the revised state budget (RAPBN-P) and the other is on the tax amnesty.

At a High-level Dialogue of the UN General Assembly on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace in New York a while back in 2007, Gerardette Philips made a presentation.

Of the 32 short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala) stranded in an estuary last week in Probolinggo, East Java, eight have died.

Among the campaigners roaming Cornmarket Street at Oxford on the day of the European Union referendum, one person stood out by holding a sign carrying a bold statement: 'Ask me why these Vote Leave leaflets are lying'.

PRESIDENT Joko Widodo's objective to attract Rp3.5 quadrillion in foreign investment throughout his five-year term could turn out to be an unfulfilled dream if thousands of thorny regional regulations remain in force. It is a fact that the absurd regulations cooked up by little 'emperors' in the regions, in the forms of unfair levies and complex permit procedures, are gnawing at the country's economy like a chronic disease.

WITH the collection of 1 million voters' ID cards, Basuki Tjahaja (Ahok) Purnama will be able to enter the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial race as an independent. Friends of Ahok, a volunteer organization that gathered the support, have collected copies of 1,024,632 ID cards from voters and counting.

When Tempo was announced the winner of the Editors Lab innovation competition by Evangeline de Bourgoing, program director for the Global Editors Network (GEN), in Vienna, Austria, two weeks ago, all of us at the Tempo office at Palmerah, West Jakarta were stunned. This is the first time Tempo was invited to send a team to compete in the media hack-a-thon-we would have been happy just to reach the final round.

Mochamad Awam Prakosa loves little children. He also loves fairytales. In 1999, the 44-year old got laid off from his banking job. He has dedicated his time storytelling from kindergarten to kindergarten ever since.

RIZA Oktavin Nugraheni recounted with grief the evening when a landslide claimed the life of her baby. When Tempo visited her at Dr. Tjitrowardojo Regional Hospital in Purworejo, Central Java, during her recovery, the 24-year-old woman recalled her anxiety when heavy rain and wind began battering her village for three hous two weeks ago.

Boki Ratu Nita Budhi Susanti was furious at the verdict passed down by the Ternate District Court last Monday. Voice rising, she scolded the judicial panel for being unappreciative of her late husband, Ternate Sultan Mudaffar Sjah.

BUREAUCRACY
Thirteenth-Month Salary and Lebaran Bonus Disbursement

The nightmare of rising market volatility has begun with the British public finally deciding to leave the European Union (EU). Last week, banks were busy preparing for the possibility of the worst scenario. With business confidence tumbling, there is a playback of past financial crises, where foreign funds in global financial markets, including emerging markets, were suddenly pulled back to their home country.

This year, Indonesia and India mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. However, the ties between the two nations have existed much longer, predating the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of India. These connections span social, cultural, religious, economic, and trade aspects. But do those close ties of the past have any bearing on the present relationship? Why is there no direct flight between the capitals of the two countries?

Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Sandeep Chakravorty, shares his views on this matter at TEMPO TALKS.