Michael Cheika is looking for an attitude change rather than a personnel overhaul ahead of the return Test against New Zealand but it is hard to imagine the Wallabies coach naming the same side on Thursday after the Sydney humiliation.
Australian rugby, already reeling after a miserable Super Rugby season and the chaos surrounding the cull of the Western Force, hit a new nadir when the All Blacks racked up 54 points in the opening 48 minutes of last Saturday's Test in Sydney.
With the World Cup in Japan a little more than two years away, though, the temptation for Cheika to stick to his selectorial guns for Saturday's match in Dunedin must be strong even after the crushing 54-34 defeat.
After chopping and changing his line up for almost every match and doling out 20 first caps since the 2015 World Cup final, Cheika knows he needs to start giving his combinations some time to bed in before 2019.
The defensive chaos in Sydney is sure to result in some tweaks in the backline, however, otherwise Cheika risks a second humiliation that might even start to threaten his own position.
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Dane Haylett-Petty would probably have started last weekend had he not still been recovering from a biceps problem and he will almost certainly come in for Curtis Rona on the left wing.
A midfield that resembled a revolving door for the All Blacks at times in the Rugby Championship opener is also likely to be altered with Tevita Kuridrani coming in for Samu Kerevi at outside centre, as he did in the second half in Sydney.
Kurtley Beale's attacking threat should save him from the chop but it would be wishful thinking to believe the All Blacks will not be targeting the inside centre and the almost as slight Bernard Foley at flyhalf.
The back row is another area where Cheika might make changes with the inexperienced blindside flanker Ned Hanigan all but disappearing amid last Saturday's carnage.
Lopeti Timani is only marginally more experienced but would bring a little more heft to the back row and, if played at number eight, allow Cheika to retain the energy of Sean McMahon in the number six shirt.
Cheika described Stephen Moore and Tatafu Polota-Nau as being like "one hooker" last week but the impact the latter had off the bench in Sydney might mean the former wins his 122nd cap as a replacement in Dunedin.
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Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
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Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
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HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
