Musk continues to call the shots at Twitter, and new rule to attract more international students to the UAE, our editors comment on the top stories of Dec 21

MUSK WILL CALL THE SHOTS AT TWITTER: Elon Musk may have said that he will step down as Twitter CEO as soon as he finds "someone foolish enough to take the job". But let's not read too much into this tweet just yet. Musk remains a key shareholder at Twitter, and he will continue to call the shots, whether as CEO or not. One only needs to look as far as Tesla and SpaceX to understand how closely involved he is with day-to-day operations. The only immediate positive one can see coming out of this tweet is that it will assuage Tesla shareholders, who have been dumping stock on fears that Musk will no longer devote enough time to the electric car company. The stock -- the key source of Musk's wealth -- has lost 65 per cent value since the beginning of the year. Twitter 2.0 is in a nascent stage right now, and needs a full-time CEO who can take the company in a new direction. If Musk won't do the job, he needs to install someone trustworthy who will. (By Anupam Varma, Assistant Editor)

NEW SIMPLIFIED RULES TO BOOST HIGHER EDUCATION IN UAE: The Ministry of Education has announced an exemption for students who have graduated from UAE-based private schools - as well as public and private schools abroad - from equivalency requirements for university admission in the country. The exemption is granted if the high-school student has a ‘No Objection’ letter. The student is then exempted from conditional admission to university. The new simplified procedure will definitely attract more international students to the UAE, which has already become a hub for higher education in the region. (Ashfaq Ahmed, Senior Assistant Editor)

SUB-STANDARD PITCHES SHOULD INCUR PENALTY TO HOST TEAMS: It was a masterstroke by the International Cricket Council when the slow overrate penalty was changed to on-field punishment, bringing in one fielder inside the 30-yard circle for the number of overs that the bowling team are behind the schedule. It has brought a semblance of urgency among the players now. Another menace is the standard of pitches after Gabba was rated below average recently. A similar on-field penalty for the standard of pitches should address the issue than demerit points to the venue, like the host team getting a points penalty or extra points to the visiting team. Hopefully, then one will be able to witness even contests. (By A.K.S. SATISH, Sports Editor)

‘AVATAR’ COMES UNDER FIRE: James Cameron’s new movie ‘Avatar: Way of Water’ has been pulling in decent number at the box office and has been intriguing audiences with this eye-popping graphics and action. However, some Indigenous people have criticised the portrayal of the fictional Na’vi tribe and what they say is the movie’s glamorization of colonialism. Filmmaker Cameron, on his part, has defended his movie and its direction. In the past, movies have sometimes been discriminatory and encouraged stereotypes about minority groups. It’s important that film houses make the effort to get representation right at a time when information is so easily available. (By Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor – Entertainment)