Tax chaos, exam cheats and cow detectors: India's interesting week

Malala joins Twitter

Nobel Laureate and all round inspirational figure, Malala Yousafzai, has finally joined Twitter. Opening her account with a simple "Hi," Malala gained over 100K followers in the first 30 minutes. She now has close to 750K, including Justin Trudeau, Bill Gates and Emma Watson. Offline, Malala recently celebrated her 20th birthday while in Iraq, meeting with young girls who had been displaced by ISIS.

New tax system: supposedly simple but chaos ensues

Although it has been over two weeks since the new Goods and Service Tax (GST) was first introduced -- rather dramatically during a midnight session of the Indian Parliament, no less -- the majority of the country remains stuck in a chaotic impasse, as people grapple with with the complexities of the new code. Formulated to help streamline the country's tax system, adoption of the GST has so far been erratic. Fortunately, the government has a solution: It will broadcast simple-to-follow instructions in a whooping 23 languages and 176 dialects across India.

Bihar exam ace is old but not wise

When it comes to cheating in exams, the state of Bihar rarely disappoints. After a string of past scandals, police this year arrested a 42-year-old man who had aced a class 12 exam, while posing as a 24-year-old student. While most students who sit the class 12 exam are between 16 and 18 years old, older students are not unknown. Precisely why this one mature student wanted to sit an exam aimed at teenagers remains unknown.

Beef detection units

In what might be described as a textbook example of misplaced priorities, Maharashtra police have been issued with the latest "beef detection kits" to help bolster efforts to curb the illegal sale of beef products. Unfortunately, issues such as modernizing the police force and increasing the number of computers available to officers remain unaddressed.

Mother Teresa's sari is trademarked

Missionaries of Charity, the organization set up by Mother Teresa, has trademarked her iconic blue and white sari pattern in an apparent attempt to combat its "misuse" and protect the saint's reputation. The recognizable uniform is thought to have originally been purchased from a store on Kolkata's famous Mahatma Gandhi Road (then Harrison Road) back in 1948.