Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa ordered a cabinet reshuffle on 30 September, with Prince Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa reinstated as the country’s prime minister.

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa was also reappointed as the first deputy Prime Minister.

The Social Development Ministry was merged with the labour ministry, while Health Minister Sadiq al-Shehabi was replaced by Faeqa al-Saleh.

The move is understood to be part of Manama’s efforts to better deal with economic challenges amid declining government revenues.

The prime minister hailed the merging of ministries and governmental bodies as a “positive step to save expenditures and enhance efficient performance”.

Meanwhile, Bahraini officials have uncovered 1.4 tonnes of high-grade explosives in an underground vault in Manama, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry.

It is understood this is the biggest find of weapons since anti-government protests started in 2011.