Al Ain Farms Group (AAFG), one of the UAE’s largest food and beverage manufacturers, has committed to reducing added sugars by between 10 per cent and 20per cent across its brands as part of Abu Dhabi’s Healthy Living Strategy, the company said on Monday.

The initiative covers brands including Al Ain Farms and Marmum Dairy and aims to improve the nutritional profile of widely consumed food and beverages while maintaining product quality, taste and consumer trust.

The reformulation programme is one of 28 strategic initiatives under Abu Dhabi’s Healthy Living Strategy, which seeks to make healthier choices more accessible through system-wide interventions.

The commitment was formalised in collaboration with Healthy Living and the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC), marking a groupwide effort to enhance nutrition across AAFG’s dairy and beverage portfolio.

Dr Ahmed AlKhazraji, executive director of Healthy Living, said improving the nutritional quality of everyday food products was one of the most effective ways to support healthier lifestyles at scale.

“We want to ensure that healthy, nutritious food is within everyone’s reach – because eating well should be easy for all,” he said, adding that the initiative would help make healthier options more widely available.

Engineer Abdulla Hassan Al Muaini, executive director of the Central Testing Laboratory at QCC, welcomed the commitment, saying it aligned with efforts to help consumers make informed choices without compromising on quality or taste.

Hassan Safi, Group CEO of AAFG, said the company was combining product innovation with reformulation across its portfolio to make healthier choices more accessible while maintaining taste and quality.

Read: The making of a ‘National Champion’: How Al Ain Farms Group is nurturing the UAE’s food future

AAFG launched a new healthy product range in April 2026 and plans to reformulate products, including flavoured milk, yoghurt and laban sold under the Al Ain Farms and Marmum Dairy brands.

The updated products are expected to be available before the back-to-school season in September 2026.

The company said the initiative demonstrates how local food manufacturers can support government efforts to improve nutrition and consumer wellbeing, particularly among children and young people.

Kuwait could restore nearly 70 per cent of its oil production within six to eight weeks after the Strait of Hormuz reopens, Kuwait Petroleum Company’s managing director for international marketing, Shaikh Khaled Ahmad Al-Sabah, said on Wednesday.

The remaining 30 per cent would take about another month, he told the S&P Global Energy Middle East Petroleum and Gas Conference.

Kuwait’s timeline for its production recovery is shorter than some forecasts for a full reopening of transits through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed since U.S.-Israeli attacks in late February.

On Tuesday, ADNOC’s executive vice president for sales and trading Philippe Khoury said full transits through the strait could take until mid-2027 to recover to pre-war levels. The International Energy Agency’s head of oil, Toril Bosoni, said a recovery could take six to eight months in the best-case scenario from now if an agreement was reached.

Separately, Al-Sabah said KPC could restore its refinery output to normal levels in around two to three weeks. KPC has about 1.4 million barrels per day of refining capacity, he said.

Vitol Bahrain’s head of research, Bader Nooruddin, forecast on Wednesday that Gulf refineries could ramp up to about 90–95 per cent of capacity within 40 to 60 days.

Middle East refiners are already planning for a future after the current supply crisis.

Al-Sabah said Kuwait is in talks with “friendly countries” on potential pipeline projects.

“A lot of people thought, why build a pipeline without using it? Now shows the use of a pipeline,” he said, adding the crisis had also highlighted Kuwait’s need for larger storage capacity.

Austrian oil firm OMV echoed the comments, with general manager Mikael Berthod telling the conference that Middle Eastern refiners must become more commercially agile and invest in pipelines and storage over the next two to three years.

They will also need stronger partnerships to handle future supply shocks, he added. OMV has investments in the Middle East.

In the near term, ADNOC expects a spike in oil demand to rebuild inventories, followed by a steady recovery as prices normalise, senior vice president of business transformation Fatema Bin Saleem Al Teneiji said.

Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) will resume quality assurance visits to private schools across the emirate from the 2026-27 academic year, marking a significant step in the emirate’s efforts to enhance educational standards, improve student outcomes and strengthen parental confidence in the private education sector.

The initiative forms part of Dubai’s Education 33 (E33) Strategy, which seeks to elevate the quality of education while placing students at the centre of the learning experience, a WAM report said.

The strategy also supports wider objectives outlined in the Dubai Plan 2033, Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) and Dubai Social Agenda, all of which position education as a key pillar of the emirate’s long-term development.

Focus on school improvement

The Education Quality Assurance and Compliance Agency, a division of KHDA, said the renewed programme will reinforce oversight of private education providers while enhancing quality assurance mechanisms designed to support continuous school improvement.

Read-Dubai halts private school fee hikes for 2026-27 academic year

Over the past two academic years, KHDA maintained oversight of educational quality through targeted visits to newly established schools and institutions completing their first three years of operation. The authority also relied on school self-evaluation reports, data analysis and student performance assessments to monitor standards across the sector.

Beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, quality assurance activities will place greater emphasis on evaluating the impact of improvement measures implemented by schools during the past two years. The programme will also provide targeted guidance to help schools build on progress and address areas requiring further development.

Two-tier inspection model introduced

Under the revised framework, eligible private schools will be assigned one of two forms of quality assurance visits.

The first category will involve a comprehensive inspection conducted by specialist teams using the UAE School Inspection Framework. Schools undergoing a full inspection will receive a detailed report that includes an overall performance rating. Schools completing their third year of operation in Dubai will automatically be subject to a full inspection.

The second category will consist of shorter monitoring visits focused on specific areas identified through performance data and analysis. These visits will result in concise reports highlighting strengths and recommendations for improvement, although no new overall rating will be issued.

KHDA said schools selected for either type of visit will receive no more than 24 hours’ notice. The approach is intended to ensure inspections accurately reflect the day-to-day reality of school operations, teaching quality, learning environments and student wellbeing.

Building confidence in Dubai’s education sector

Fatma Belrehif, Chief Executive Officer of the Education Quality Assurance and Compliance Agency, said the renewed framework is designed to strengthen confidence among parents while supporting the broader goals of the Education 33 Strategy.

She said the differentiated inspection model recognises that schools are at varying stages of development and enables inspectors to focus on areas most closely linked to student achievement and educational outcomes.

The quality assurance programme will continue to operate under the UAE School Inspection Framework, which was introduced during the 2015-16 academic year. KHDA said it will use a moderated, data-driven methodology to determine the most appropriate type of visit for each school, drawing on performance metrics, self-evaluation processes and other key indicators.

The authority added that the initiative supports Dubai’s ambition to strengthen its position as a global hub for high-quality education by advancing educational outcomes, promoting equity and driving continuous improvement across the private school sector.

The UAE has announced that Monday, June 15, 2026, will be an official paid holiday for employees in both the public and private sectors to mark the Hijri New Year 1448.

The announcement was made jointly by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), confirming that the holiday will apply to federal government entities and private sector establishments across the country.

The decision means employees working a standard Saturday-Sunday weekend will benefit from a three-day break, with work resuming on Tuesday, June 16.

The Hijri New Year, also known as the Islamic New Year, marks the beginning of the new Islamic lunar calendar year and the start of the month of Muharram. It is recognised as an official public holiday in the UAE under the country’s public holiday framework.

The announcement provides clarity for businesses, employers and employees planning operations, staffing and travel arrangements following the Eid Al Adha holiday period.

Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, Anwar Gargash, has called for a firm and unified Gulf stance following Iranian attacks targeting Kuwait and Bahrain.

“In light of the repeated Iranian aggression against the sisterly State of Kuwait and Kingdom of Bahrain, there must be a firm, unified, and cohesive Gulf stance,” Gargash said in a post on X.

“For no Gulf state should be left to face targeting alone, as the security of the Arab Gulf states is interconnected, their interests are shared, and their fate is one.”

He added: “This aggression does not target a specific state, but rather all of us.”

The comments came after Kuwait said one person was killed in an Iranian attack targeting civilian facilities, including Kuwait International Airport and diplomatic missions.

Read more: One killed as Kuwait condemns Iranian missile attack on airport

Kuwait’s foreign ministry said the strike caused damage to several sites, although it did not specify which diplomatic missions had been affected.

According to Kuwaiti authorities, the early morning strike injured several people and caused severe damage to Terminal 1 at Kuwait International Airport, forcing flight diversions and temporary disruptions to operations. Kuwait Airways later resumed flights from Terminal 4 after safety assessments were completed.

The attack followed a broader Iranian missile and drone campaign directed at Gulf states and US military assets in the region.

Earlier on Wednesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said two Iranian missiles fired towards Kuwait either fell short or broke apart mid-flight, while three missiles launched at Bahrain were intercepted by US and Bahraini air defence systems.

CENTCOM also said a subsequent wave of Iranian drones targeting US forces in Kuwait failed to reach their intended targets. The US military later carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island and intercepted additional ballistic missiles and drones.

The latest exchange represents the fourth direct military confrontation between Iran and U.S. forces in the last two weeks.

Despite the repeated flare-ups, the ceasefire announced in April remains formally in place, although tensions across the Gulf have risen sharply amid concerns that further attacks could trigger a broader regional escalation.