Bahrain appointed Shaikh Muhammad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa as Energy Minister on 3 June, replacing ‘Abd al-Husain ‘Ali Mirza. He immediately faces the challenge of coping with the withdrawal of the key Awali oil field’s operators. Ambitious expansion plans at the onshore field were already fast receding into the distance and this is a further blow.

Mr Mirza had held the job since 2006, while the new minister was CEO of Nogaholding, the investment arm of Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority (Noga). (CONTINUED - 972 WORDS)