We assume that in our hyper-connected world, we can always access the information we need and track down the people we want to find.

But the tragedy at Grenfell Tower has thrown up a further horrible reality - two weeks on, the exact number of people who died is still unknown.
On Wednesday, Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack announced that the number of dead and missing had risen to 80.
She also gave the most detailed account yet of how the police are trying to establish numbers.
Why is it so hard to arrive at a figure? Many of the details of the current investigation are being kept close to officials' chests, but we can combine what we do know and look at past incidents.
The first step is to set up a casualty bureau - a phone line the public can use to report people missing. The one for Grenfell Tower is on 0800 0961 233.
Police have been urging members of the public who know of people who are missing to get in touch and to put aside any reservations they may have about contacting the police.
But what about the people who aren't reported missing? This is much harder and in the case of Grenfell Tower the police say they are reviewing information from "all imaginable sources" to try to establish who was in the building that night.
The Tenant Management Organisation gave the police a list of tenants which turned out to contain inaccuracies. But in any case, it wouldn't have included visitors, many children or anyone illegally subletting. The electoral roll also helps to provide a picture, but again, not everyone living in the building or in each flat will be listed.
So the police turned to schools, nurseries, government agencies, even fast food delivery outlets. They asked residents about their friends and neighbours. And they used recordings of 999 calls made on the night of the fire.
Social media provides another source of intelligence. But this is like a jigsaw puzzle with so many people posting information about the missing.
With all these sources, if names are spelled differently or personal information is inaccurate, this can lead to confusion, delay and double-counting.
There is also often an international element, so the police will work with embassies according to a process supported by Interpol.
The lack of clarity over the number of bodies still inside Grenfell Tower has caused great distress among the local community, with many questioning why this is the case.
The police say they have done a full visual search of every flat on every floor. However, they say, "utter devastation" in the building is making a full forensic search difficult.
"It will be dusty, they will be witnessing harrowing things and of course there are no working lifts, so you have to climb up by foot," said Colin Sutton, a former police senior investigating officer.
The ferocity of the fire itself makes it harder to recover remains and it is the police's view that there may be people who will never be recovered or identified.
Where it's possible, identification will take place at the scene, using visual identification and DNA.
It is the local coroner who leads the investigation and decides what evidence is required to identify people.
Police are unwilling to estimate what the final number for those who died in Grenfell Tower will be, although Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said he hoped it wouldn't be triple figures.
This has frustrated families, friends and residents who think the number will be much higher than the current number of confirmed missing and dead.
In previous serious incidents, British authorities have overestimated numbers and a senior police officer has told the BBC they are now careful not to do this.
After the Paddington rail crash in October 1999, police said they thought 61 people were dead, however the final figure was 31. And two weeks after the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, the government said 453 people were "highly likely" to be lost. The final number of Britons confirmed dead was 149 (and thousands of others).
Overestimating numbers can cause undue alarm to families waiting to hear about loved ones and it can damage confidence in the police.
The media has also been criticised for simply repeating the police figures, which is common practice.
On the day the fire broke out, BBC News and other news organisations began to gather their own information to independently verify the numbers of victims and survivors.
On 16 June when the police said the official number of confirmed dead was 30, the BBC estimated the number of dead and missing to be more than 70.
Police say the search and recovery process at Grenfell Tower will take at least until the end of the year and the identification process will take even longer.
So far, they say they have spoken to at least one person from 106 of the 129 flats in the building. But there are still 23 flats where they "presume no-one survived".


European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has told a conference in Italy on the EU that "English is losing importance in Europe".

Amid tensions with the UK over looming Brexit negotiations, he said he was delivering his speech in French.
"Slowly but surely English is losing importance in Europe and also because France has an election," he said, explaining his choice of language.
He called the UK decision to leave the EU "a tragedy".
Laughter and applause greeted his comment about the English language, and he could be seen smiling wryly.
"We will negotiate fairly with our British friends, but let's not forget that it is not the EU that is abandoning the UK - it is the UK that's abandoning the EU, and that makes a difference," he said.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has accused some EU officials of trying to influence the UK's 8 June parliamentary election.
English v French
The Commission's chief Brexit negotiator, French ex-commissioner Michel Barnier, has given a speech on Brexit in which he stressed the UK must agree to "crystal-clear guarantees" to protect the rights of EU citizens.
He was speaking at the same EU conference in Italy on Friday - called State of the Union, at Florence's European University Institute (EUI).
EU leaders say the UK cannot simply "cherry-pick" membership terms that it wishes to keep. A Brexit deal cannot be better than full EU membership, they stress.
France holds the decisive second round of its presidential election on Sunday. Top EU officials say they want liberal independent Emmanuel Macron to beat his nationalist rival, Marine Le Pen.
The atmosphere between Mrs May's government and the Commission soured after Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published an account of her dinner with Mr Juncker in London last week.
Mr Juncker reportedly said he was leaving "10 times more sceptical than I was before". Mrs May hit back later, calling the reported remarks "Brussels gossip".
Mrs May has made it clear that she does not want leaks about the Brexit negotiations, but many doubt that such secrecy is achievable when Brexit issues affect the interests of 27 other EU countries.
Among the many potential sticking points are the size of the UK's departure bill. UK Brexit Secretary David Davis accused the European Commission of "trying to bully the British people".
A "line was crossed", he said, when stories suggested the UK could face a â‚¬100bn (Â£85bn; $110bn) bill from the EU.
European Council President Donald Tusk has warned that "the stakes are too high to let our emotions get out of hand".
The negotiations are expected to start soon after the UK's 8 June election.
The EU wants to sort out the UK's bill and other key aspects of Brexit before any talks on future relations but the UK government is anxious to start negotiating trade terms.
Mrs May hopes the snap election will boost the Conservatives' mandate for Brexit by increasing their parliamentary majority.
In his speech, Mr Juncker stressed that "Europe is more than just money, just a market" - distancing himself from the Eurosceptic view of the EU as little more than a trade bloc.
"There's not enough solidarity in Europe... Italy from the first day of the migration crisis has done everything it can - it is saving the honour of Europe," he said, drawing strong applause from the Florence audience.


Championship side Birmingham City have signed defender Dan Scarr from non-league neighbours Stourbridge.

Scarr, 22, who starred in Stourbridge's run to this season's FA Cup third round, has signed on a two-and-a-half year contract, for an undisclosed fee.
He becomes the sixth signing made by Blues in the January transfer window.
On top of the pre-arranged completion of striker Lukas Jutkiewicz's move from Burnley, new boss Gianfranco Zola has now made five more signings.
As well as bringing back Craig Gardner from West Bromwich Albion, he last week signed Middlesbrough full-back Emilio Nsue, Cheick Keita from Italian Serie B club Virtus Entella, and winger Kerim Frei from Turkish side Besiktas.
Stourbridge boss Gary Hackett said: "We have agreed terms with Birmingham. We have accepted we won't have Dan with us moving forward and good luck to him. He deserves the opportunity."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.


Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova shocked world number one Angelique Kerber to win her fourth Monterrey Open title in Mexico.

The world number 16 won 6-4 2-6 6-1 to secure the ninth title of her career.
Pavlyuchenkova, 25, took the opening set with the only break and, after Kerber levelled, raced into a 5-0 lead in the deciding set before winning in one hour and 55 minutes.
Germany's Kerber is yet to win a title in 2017.
Meanwhile, two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka has announced she will return to the WTA Tour in July, seven months after giving birth to her first child.
The 27-year-old former world number one, who has not played since retiring from the French Open in May last year, announced her pregnancy in July.
The Belarusian has used the hashtag "don't call it a comeback" on social media.


Scottish actor and comedian Sanjeev Kohli is to join the cast of BBC Scotland drama River City in the autumn, it has been announced.

Kohli, who is best known for his role as shopkeeper Navid in Still Game, will play a new character called Amandeep 'AJ' Jandhu.
The actor said he was looking forward to setting up home in Shieldinch.
He said: "River City is a Scottish institution and I'm chuffed to bits to be joining the cast."
Kohli added: "To be honest, I've been waiting for the call to join for quite some time now. I even bought a special phone - which I've been staring at for seven years - and it finally rang."
The 43-year-old Glaswegian will play the role of local lad made good.
AJ is a former banker who returns to Shieldinch to rediscover his roots and start up a small business venture along with his wife and son.
The casting of Kohli's on-screen family will be announced in the coming weeks.
They will debut on the screens in October.
Another new face joining the cast in the autumn is Gayle Telfor Stevens (Scot Squad, Sketchland) who will play Caitlin McLean, the older, but not wiser, sister of Ellie (Leah MacRae).


Two men have been injured after being seriously assaulted by four men in Glasgow city centre after a night club altercation.

The men, aged 18 and 20, were attacked in Holland Street at about 03:00 on Sunday after leaving Bar Budda in Sauchiehall Street.
They were taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary for treatment.
The suspects, who were white and in their late teens to early 20s, ran to Sauchiehall Street after the incident.
Most of the suspects were wearing dark clothing, though one was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt.
Det Con Graham Morrison said: "There are several bars and clubs in this area so I'm sure there will have been lots of people milling around despite the hour.
"I am appealing to motorists, taxi drivers and anyone else who was in the area at the time of the incident to contact us.
"In particular, I would ask anyone with any dashcam footage to pass it to police as the footage could provide vital information about the incident or the suspects."


A new picture of actor David Bradley as the first Doctor, William Hartnell, has been released by the BBC.

An Adventure in Space and Time, written by Mark Gatiss, will tell the story of the formation of the sci-fi drama in the early 1960s.
The actor, best-known for his role as caretaker Filch in the Harry Potter films, gave a "wonderfully touching and subtle performance" said Gatiss.
The one-off drama will be shown as part of Doctor Who's 50th anniversary.
Bradley said he was "absolutely thrilled" to be offered the role by Gatiss after starring in a 2012 episode, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
"When he asked if I would interested, I almost bit his hand off!" Bradley said earlier this year.
Scottish actor Brian Cox, will appear alongside Bradley as BBC Head of Drama, Sydney Newman, who was credited with the creation of the show.
Doctor Who was first broadcast on 23 November 1963, with a four-part adventure known as An Unearthly Child.
Hartnell, who died in 1975, starred in the series from 1963 to 1966 before being replaced by Patrick Troughton.
An Adventure in Space and Time is one of a number of programmes that will mark Doctor Who's half-centenary later this year.


The US and regional neighbours of North Korea have condemned Pyongyang's plans to launch a rocket-mounted satellite as an act of provocation.

North Korea will launch the rocket to mark the 100th birthday of its late Great Leader Kim Il-sung in April, state media reported.
The US said the launch would threaten regional security and Russia described the plan as a "serious concern".
The move is seen as violating UN Security Council resolutions.
A spokesman for the Korean Committee for Space Technology said that the launch would take place between 12 and 16 April.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called North Korea's announcement "highly provocative" and urged the country to abide by its international obligations.
"Such a missile launch would pose a threat to regional security and would also be inconsistent with North Korea's recent undertaking to refrain from long-range missile launches," she said in a statement.
A US state department spokesperson said it would be "hard to imagine" giving food aid to North Korea, as previously agreed, if Pyongyang went ahead with the rocket launch.
Neighbour South Korea said such a move would be a "clear violation" of UN Security Council Resolutions passed after a similar launch in 2009.
"It would be a grave provocation threatening the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and north-east Asia," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Japan is particularly concerned as North Korea's April 2009 rocket was launched over the country.
The country's chief cabinet secretary, Osamu Fujimura, told a news conference on Friday that Japan had set up a crisis management taskforce to monitor the situation and was co-operating with the US and South Korea.
"We believe a launch would be a move to interfere with our effort toward a dialogue, and we strongly urge North Korea not to carry out a satellite launch," he said.
Last month, Pyongyang agreed to suspend long-range missile tests.
The agreement was part of a deal for the United States to supply 240,000 tonnes of food aid to North Korea.
It also agreed to suspend uranium enrichment and to allow back UN weapons inspectors as part of the deal.
In the launch three years ago, Pyongyang said the satellite made it into orbit and characterised it as a test of its satellite technology.
The move drew condemnation from the US and South Korea and led to the UN resolutions prohibiting the North from nuclear and ballistic missile activity.
Foreign officials said there were no indications that a satellite had reached space and that the launch was a cover for Pyongyang to test long-range missile technology.
The launch next month of a ''working satellite'', the Kwangmyongsong-3, is an opportunity for ''putting the country's technology of space use for peaceful purposes on a higher stage'', said a North Korean spokesman.
The rocket would be launched from the Solace Satellite Launching Station in Cholsan county, North Pyongan province on the country's west coast.
State media also reported that the North has already launched two experimental satellites.


Highland Council will receive £3m from the Scottish government over two years to build a new Gaelic school in Portree on Skye.

Languages Minister Alasdair Allan said an additional £250,000 would also be made available to develop Gaelic learning in early years at the site.
Highland Council expects work to start in 2015 and the school to cost £8.3m to construct.
Mr Allan said there was "growing interest" in Gaelic in the Highlands.


The number of recorded hate crimes in Wales has risen by more than 20% in the past year.

Home Office figures show that the total increased to 2,259 in 2014-15, compared to 1,877 in the previous year.
Almost 75% of these were classed as race hate crimes - 1,677, a 19% increase on the previous year.
But campaigners say much of the rise is due to better reporting, and communities feeling more positive about coming forward to report incidents.
Chair of the Hate Crime Criminal Justice Board Cymru, Mark Warrender said: "We welcome the increase in recorded hate crimes across the Welsh forces as a positive indicator that communities are feeling confident to report hate crime to us.
"Although initially it may seem alarming that levels have risen, this doesn't necessarily mean that more hate crime is happening.
"We still, however, have work to do.
"Although some of the percentage increases in recorded hate crimes are significant, the actual numbers are still low, particularly for disability, transphobic and religious hate crimes."
In Wales as a whole, the next highest hate crime was for sexual orientation, at 351, followed by disability at 202, religion at 84 and transgender at 38.
The rises in hate crime and race hate crime in Wales were broadly similar to those for Wales and England taken together.
Marking National Hate Crime Awareness Week, the Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner Ian Johnston said the force was encouraging people to report such offences.
"I personally believe the increase in reported hate crime is a result of improved accuracy in recording practices and victims having the confidence to report these crimes to the police and partner agencies," said Mr Johnston.
"My overall priority is that people have the confidence to report these crimes and they can be assured that they are dealt with in the appropriate manner."
The Assistant Chief Constable of the Dyfed-Powys force, Liane James, said it was vital people came forward when they witnessed hate crimes.
"Hate crimes and incidents hurt; they can be confusing, frightening and can leave victims feeling vulnerable and insecure," she said.
BBC Wales has also asked both South Wales and North Wales Police to respond.


A designer store has admitted health and safety offences following the death of a four-year-old boy who was crushed when a 120kg mirror fell on him.

Austen Harrison suffered fatal head injuries at the Hugo Boss shop in Bicester, Oxfordshire, in June 2013.
Hugo Boss UK pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and Management of Health and Safety at Work regulations.
Sentencing is due to take place at Oxford Crown Court on 19 June.
Austen, of Crawley, West Sussex, had been playing with the unfixed steel-framed fitting-room mirror which toppled on to him while his father tried on a suit in the shop at the Bicester outlet village.
He underwent an emergency operation to relieve pressure on his brain but died four days later in hospital after life-support was switched off.
At a hearing at Banbury Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Barry Berlin, prosecuting on behalf of Cherwell District Council, requested the case should be sentenced at Oxford Crown Court where fines of Â£100,000 or more could be imposed, rather than the Â£20,000 possible at a magistrates court.
An inquest jury at Oxford Coroner's Court earlier this year returned a narrative verdict.
Austen's death was an "accident waiting to happen", the coroner said.


The date for an appeal against a controversial waste incinerator on the outskirts of Belfast has been pushed back.

ARC21, the group behind the Â£240m development in a former quarry in Newtownabbey, is appealing the decision to deny it planning permission.
The facility had been intended to deal with black bin waste from six councils.
The refusal is being reviewed by the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC).
The hearing had been due to take place in May, but has now been rescheduled for October.
The PAC agreed to the new date after being told that a report on the environmental impact of the project needed to be reviewed.
Planning consultants for ARC21, representing the councils involved in the project, said surveys on newts and bats needed to be looked at again.
The head of ARC21 had also written to the commission saying it couldn't complete "due process" with its constituent councils in time.
ARC21, is the umbrella waste management group for the six councils, but there's a dispute about the appropriateness of the appeal.
The chief executive of Antrim and Newtownabbey Council, a member of ARC21, has written to the Planning Appeals Commission to say ARC21 has "no authority to proceed with the appeal" unless the council approves.
That approval has not been granted.


Graeme Murty says his spell as interim boss at Rangers is teaching him whether he has the "temperament" to be a first-team manager.

Under-20s coach Murty, 42, has been in charge of the Ibrox first team since Mark Warburton's departure this month.
He has won one and lost one of his two games in charge.
"The feeling will be and has been that I'm going to take this period to assess whether I am cut out for it or not," Murty said.
"I don't mean in terms of tactical or technical knowledge, just in terms of temperament, whether this is an environment I want to operate in or whether I want to be more of a developmental person.
"But I will take my own time in assessing that."
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Murty was animated on the touchline as Rangers lost 2-1 at Dundee on Sunday, seven days after beating Greenock Morton by the same scoreline in the Scottish Cup.
At one point, the former Scotland defender crouched to the ground and ended up standing on his head as he bemoaned a missed chance.
"I normally transition out of that into a handstand and it normally looks quite smooth," he joked.
"I was certain we had just got back to 2-2, and I kind of wanted just to curl up into a ball and hide, and it didn't turn out that way.
"Personally, I am absolutely mortified but professionally I think I have larger concerns than how I looked on the sideline.
"If you ask any football person, this game grips you. It gets you deep in your soul, and the way you express that depends on the person.
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"At that moment in time, that's the way it came out. As I grow more experienced and I decide whether I want to do this full-time or not, I'm sure I will have much better control over it.
"Imagine what would have happened if we had scored?"
Rangers, who visit Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Friday, have reportedly held interviews to fill both the manager's job and a director of football post.
And Murty explained: "They [the club] have not put any timescale or any pressure on me, the only communication I have had from all members of the board is: 'Keep doing what you are doing, can we help you at all?' So that's been great.
"If it's tomorrow that it changes, if it's next week, whenever it is, I will just be continuing on and making sure I do the best for the players.
"It's a great opportunity for me to take my coaching to another level."


Gareth Bale says Wales will be stepping into the unknown on Sunday when they attempt to beat Israel in Cardiff and seal their place at Euro 2016.

The Real Madrid forward headed the vital goal in Cyprus as Wales won 1-0 in Nicosia and stay top of Group B.
With the top two qualifying for France, three more points will be enough to seal Wales' place at a major finals for the first time since 1958.
"We've never done it so I'm guessing it's going to be hard," Bale said.
"But this group is focused, we really know what we need to do and hopefully we can deliver on Sunday.
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"It would probably be the best thing we've achieved. If we can get across the line it'll be an amazing thing, not just for us but the whole nation and the whole of Welsh football.
"We know what's coming. All out attention has been focused on the Cyprus game, we haven't thought about the Israel game at all.
"That's the good thing about this team, we haven't taken our eyes off the ball once."
Wales had not won in Cyprus since 1992 and as chances came and went in Nicosia on Thursday it seemed as though they would be denied once again.
But with eight minutes remaining on the clock, Jazz Richards picked out Bale and the 26-year-old met the ball with a thumping header that gave the excellent Antonis Georgallides in the Cyprus goal no chance.
"I've not scored too many better [headers] and at a vital time, which was important," added Bale.
"Obviously it wasn't our best performance in terms of attacking but we defended well as a unit and showed again what a good team we are.
"We try to defend as a team from front to back, but the backline were incredible. In the end we deserved to win, we created the better chances."
Wales boss Chris Coleman said that Joe Ledley remained a "huge doubt" for Sunday's match against Israel with the hamstring problem that saw the Crystal Palace midfielder miss out in Cyprus.
But West Bromwich Albion defender James Chester has a chance of playing after his hamstring injury kept him out in Nicosia.
West Ham United's James Collins is another option at the heart of defence.
But after the performance of skipper Ashley Williams, Chris Gunter and Ben Davies in Nicosia, Wales manager Chris Coleman may be unwilling to tinker with his winning formula.
Former Wales captain Kevin Ratcliffe: "We kept it nice and tight at the back and weren't chasing things.
"Cyprus had a lot of possession in the second half but never really got in behind us and hurt us.
"I was a little bit concerned down the left-hand side on one or two occasions and I think a better side might have exploited that.
"We've got to rectify that for the next game, because Israel would have seen that we're lacking left-sided players with the nous to get across the pitch on a consistent basis. We are lacking that with Joe Ledley not in the squad.
"But we are resilient at the back: Chris Gunter and Ashley Williams were immense along with Jazz Richards, who was so comfortable in that position.
"One goal is enough the way we defend."


Sale number eight Josh Beaumont is out with his long-term shoulder injury, so Mark Easter replaces him.

Jonny Leota, Will Addison, Ross Harrison and Andrei Ostrikov also come into the Sharks team.
Former England fly-half Charlie Hodgson will captain Saracens against his former side.
Hooker Jared Saunders replaces suspended Schalk Brits and Jacques Burger returns as flanker in two of seven changes for Sarries.
Marcelo Bosch, Nick Tompkins and Ben Spencer come into the back line, with Titi Lamositele and Kelly Brown also back in the pack.
Kieran Low and Henry Taylor are in line to make their debuts from the bench for the north London side.
Sale Sharks: Haley; Addison, James, Leota, Arscott; Cipriani, Stringer; Harrison, Taylor, Cobilas, Evans, Ostrikov, Neild, Seymour (capt), Easter.
Replacements: Briggs, Lewis-Roberts, Mujati, Mills, Ioane, Cusiter, Ford, Jennings.
Saracens: Ransom; Ellery, Bosch, Tompkins, Wyles; Hodgson (capt), Spencer; Lamositele, Saunders, Du Plessis, Smith, Hamilton, Brown, Burger, Wray.
Replacements: Porecki, Barrington, Figallo, Low, Rhodes, Taylor, Mordt, Earle.


The family of a man who "vanished into thin air" after leaving a pub 15 years ago is still trying to come to terms with his disappearance, police said.

Lyndon Nowell, 28 when he went missing, was in the Coronation pub on Childwall Valley Road, Liverpool between 20:00 and 20:45 on 24 January 2002 before leaving in his silver Ford Focus.
His burned-out car was found hours later in Swinton, Greater Manchester.
Anybody with information about the father-of-two is asked to call police.
Mr Nowell had left his home in Kirkdale, Liverpool at about 17:30 GMT.
His car was discovered in Blantyre Road, Swinton in the early hours of 25 January.
Det Insp Nick Price said Mr Nowell's disappearance was "sudden and unexpected" and his family was still suffering.
He added: "The question still remains as valid today as it was on 24 January 2002 - Why would a man of his age with a young family and no apparent problems walk out of a pub and vanish into thin air?
"It has previously been suggested that Lyndon may have gone to visit someone in Manchester on the night he disappeared."
Anyone who knows where he went after leaving the Coronation pub, or anyone who saw the silver Ford Focus in the Swinton area shortly before 01:00 on 25 January 2002, is urged to contact police.
Mr Nowell, who would now be 43, is described as black, 6ft 3in tall and well built.
He was last seen wearing beige Armani trousers and a red or maroon top.


China has accused 11 government and port officials of negligence over the massive explosions that killed 139 people in Tianjin earlier this month.

It remains unclear whether they have been taken into custody.
However 12 company executives have now been formally detained, mostly from Ruihai International Logistics, which owned the warehouse that blew up.
The 12 August chemical explosions sent a huge fireball in to the sky and destroyed hundreds of homes.
At least 34 people are still missing since the blast, more than 500 are still in hospital and thousands have been unable to return home.
The explosions sparked concerns about the storage of dangerous chemicals and planning regulations.
At least three residential complexes were found to have been built within a 1km-radius of the warehouse, which flouted Chinese law.
The 11 officials include the head of Tianjin's transportation commission Wu Dai, and Zheng Qingyue, the boss of Tianjin's port operator, a statement released through the Xinhua state news agency said.
Prosecutors said the government officials were variously suspected of approving Ruihai's bid to build a hazardous chemical warehouse in the port despite knowing the location broke safety regulations, and of helping the company to pass safety checks even though it did not meet the required standards.
Port officials were also negligent in their supervision of Ruihai's operations, said the statement, failing to detect "illegal activity" and safety issues around its handling of hazardous materials.
Prosecutors have also named all 12 company executives who had been formally detained.
Among them is Ruihai's chairman, Yu Xuewei, and vice-chairman Dong Shexuan, as well as managers from the safety, finance, and operations departments.
Zeng Fanqiang, an evaluator from Tianjin Binhai Haisheng which conducts safety checks, was also detained.
The statement said the 12 executives were suspected of "being heavily responsible for the incident and of illegally storing hazardous chemicals".
The BBC's Celia Hatton in Beijing says the owners of the logistics company are thought to have used personal connections to illegally obtain licenses that allowed them to store hazardous chemicals close to a residential area.
News of the accusations comes days after China's work safety regulator Yang Dongliang was sacked for "serious breaches of discipline and the law".


Nicola Adams says she is aiming for a unique treble of titles ahead of the European Olympic qualifiers in Samsun, Turkey.

"I want to qualify at the Europeans next week," Adams told BBC Sport. "To think that I could be European, world and Olympic champion in the same year is absolutely epic.
"It's that little piece of history that is my motivation."
The tournament begins on Saturday, with Great Britain sending 13 athletes.
There are 36 qualification places for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro available - 30 for men and six for women.
Female boxers who miss out have a second chance to qualify at the World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan in May.
"I want to do it first time round, I don't want to mess about," Adams added.
Full Great Britain squad for European Olympic qualifier:
Men: Galal Yafai, Muhammad Ali, Qais Ashfaq, Joe Cordina, Pat McCormack, Cyrus Pattinson, Antony Fowler, Joshua Buatsi, Lawrence Okolie, Joe Joyce.
Women: Nicola Adams, Chantelle Cameron, Savannah Marshall.


Ireland won a pulsating Test against Australia to clinch victories over the 'big three' southern hemisphere teams in the same year for the first time.

Tries from Iain Henderson and Garry Ringrose helped the hosts to a 17-0 lead but the Wallabies fought back with three touchdowns to move into the lead.
Keith Earls' score proved decisive but it was the Irish forwards who laid the platform in a breathless encounter.
The result ended Australia's hopes of a Grand Slam over the home nations.
They had defeated Wales, Scotland and France and will face England in the final match of their northern hemisphere tour next week.
Dane Haylett-Petty scored the tourists' first-half try, with Tevita Kuridrani and Sefa Naivalu crossing the line after the interval.
Paddy Jackson kicked two penalties and three conversions for injury-ravaged Ireland, with Bernard Foley contributing 12 points with the boot for Australia.
The battling triumph made it a successful November Series for the Irish, Joe Schmidt's men having already beaten New Zealand in Chicago, seen off Canada in Dublin and then losing a bruising encounter to the All Blacks at the Aviva Stadium last week.
Ireland were led out by skipper Rory Best, who joined an elite band of players to win 100 caps, following Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara and Paul O'Connell and John Hayes in reaching the significant milestone of a century of appearances in the green shirt.
Australia, who also lost when the nations last met on Irish soil two years ago, made nine changes for the match, bringing back key men like Israel Folau and Michael Hooper, who sat out last weekend's 25-23 win over France.
In the end though, it was Joe Schmidt who came out on top over Michael Cheika in the battle of the former Leinster coaches, both of whom had led the Irish province to European Cup success.
The home side enjoyed sustained periods of pressure in the first half, bossing territory and possession with accurate crisp passing and domination up front and at scrum time, but Australia defended resolutely for the most part, despite infringing repeatedly and conceding a series of penalties.
Jackson's first successful kick was scant reward for his side's early supremacy, but Ireland took advantage of Dean Mumm's 10-minute absence in the 'sin bin' for a tip tackle on Tadhg Furlong.
Henderson crashed over for the opening try after a fine grubber kick by Simon Zebo, which Earls collected smartly, before off-loading to the Ulster second row.
Despite losing Rob Kearney and Andrew Trimble to injuries, the Irish continued to have the upper hand.
Exciting centre Ringrose showed enterprise and invention to increase the lead when he weaved and ducked his way through an admittedly porous-looking Wallabies defence to score beside the uprights.
Haylett-Petty completed an exquisitely executed passing move by touching down under the posts in the final minute of the opening half to reduce his side's arrears to 10 points at the break.
Ireland's growing injury woes - with Johnny Sexton, Robbie Henshaw ruled out during the week and Sean O'Brien just over an hour before kick-off - were exacerbated when Jared Payne, a pre-match fitness doubt, failed to appear for the second half.
The subsequent reshuffling of the Irish backline left Connacht scrum-half Kieran Marmion to enter the fray on the right wing, another replacement, Leinster fly-half Joey Carbery, having earlier slotted in at full-back as Irish resources were stretched to the limit.
Cheika's resurgent side came out with renewed intensity and Henry Speight had a try disallowed for a forward pass, before Kuridrani dived over in the corner in the 46th minute, with replacement Naivalu repeating the feat 10 minutes later as the visitors nudged ahead for the first time.
Ireland regained the lead when Earls finished clinically for a score in the 66th minute and Joe Schmidt's men showed indomitable spirit to retain their advantage in a fiercely contested finale, repelling all Australian attacks to celebrate a memorable success over another southern hemisphere giant.
Captain Best rounded off his special occasion by leaving the field to a standing ovation in the closing minutes, while Foley's late yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Devin Toner had little impact on the final outcome.
Ireland displayed outstanding character and resilience throughout to end 2016 on a high by winning their 12th Test of the year in heroic fashion, with the odds seemingly stacked against them, last week's defeat by the All Blacks having taken a hefty toll in the treatment room.
The highlights of 2016 were a first away win over South Africa, and a first victory over New Zealand after 111 years of trying.
They continued the form which saw them rise into the top four of the world rankings, a position they will hope to retain by performing well in the Six Nations, as they bid to secure a high seeding for May's draw for the 2019 World Cup.
TEAMS
Ireland: Kearney; Trimble, Payne, Ringrose, Earls; Jackson, Murray; McGrath, Best, Furlong; Henderson, Toner; Stander, O'Brien, Heaslip.
Replacements: Cronin, Healy, Bealham, Dillane, Van der Flier, Marmion, Carbery, Zebo.
Australia: Folau, Haylett-Petty, Kuridrani, Hodge, Speight, Foley, Genia; Sio, Moore (capt), Kepu; Arnold, Simmons; Mumm, Hooper, Pocock.
Replacements: Latu, Slipper, Alaalatoa, Douglas, Timani, Phipps, Cooper, Naivalu.


Tourism is the main source of income for St Lucia and the industry is its biggest employer.

The tropical eastern Caribbean island boasts beaches, mountains, exotic plants and the Qualibou volcano with its boiling sulphur springs.
Before the visitor influx, banana exports sustained St Lucia, especially after 1964 when it stopped producing sugar cane.
Crops such as mangoes and avocados are also grown, but bananas are the biggest source of foreign exchange after tourism.
Most St Lucians are the descendants of African slaves, brought in by the British in the 19th century to work on sugar plantations.
Although St Lucia is a former British colony, the French settled in the 17th century. Their influence lives on in the patois spoken in the country.
Population 178,000
Area 616 sq km (238 sq miles)
Major languages English (official), French patois
Major religion Christianity
Life expectancy 72 years (men), 78 years (women)
Currency  East Caribbean dollar
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a Governor-General
Prime Minister: Allen Chastenet
Allen Chastenet was sworn in as St Lucia's sixth prime minister in June 2016 after his United Workers' Party (UWP) beat the ruling Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) in the general election.
An economist and hotelier, Mr Chastanet previously served as tourism minister.
During his election campaign, he pledged to tackle unemployment and scrap an unpopular sales tax.
St Lucia's newspapers and broadcasters are mainly privately-owned and carry a range of views. The government operates a radio network.
Some key dates in St Lucia's history:
1501 - St Lucia sighted by Christopher Columbus.
1635 - The French establish a colony on St Lucia.
1660 - The French sign a treaty with the indigenous Carib people.
1814 - France cedes St Lucia to Britain following the Treaty of Paris; Britain proclaims the island a crown colony and brings in African slaves to work on the sugar cane plantations.
1834 - Slavery abolished.
1967 - St Lucia becomes fully self-governing in internal affairs, with Britain remaining in charge of external matters and defence.
1979 - St Lucia becomes independent.


The overall student loan debt for Welsh students has reached £3.7bn, new figures show.

Data shows that the total tuition fee and maintenance loan balance is up 12% on the previous year's figures.
Graduates start repaying their debt once their income reaches £21,000 but after 30 years outstanding debt is written off.
For those repaying loans in 2017 the average sum owed at the start of repayment was £19,280.
That compares with £32,220 for English students, £20,990 for Northern Irish students and £11,740 for Scottish students who do not pay fees if they study in Scotland.
The figures come from the Student Loans Company and cover 2016/17.
Welsh domiciled students have been able to claim a grant towards their tuition fees since 2012-13 - a sum of £4,954 in 2017-18.
But the grants are due to be scrapped from 2018-19 with help for maintenance costs introduced instead, under plans unveiled last year.
At the end of 2016-17 there were 304,900 borrowers of higher education student loans in Wales, with 191,100 liable for repayment.
As of the end of April 2017 there are 41,430 borrowers who had fully repaid, amounting to 16.4% of the overall total.
The data covers Welsh domiciled students studying in higher education in the UK and EU students studying in Wales.


Heavy rain over the weekend left thousands of homes in Cumbria without power and some schools and hospital services closed.

As Storm Desmond swept across parts of the UK, people have been sharing their experience with BBC News:
Sarah Whitby sent in this photo from the River Rothay in the Lake District on Saturday.
Robin Newton, from Keswick, spoke to the BBC on Sunday. He said he had had no supply of water all day.
"I live near to the River Greta. We have been flooded, but the majority of Keswick is out of water. The local fire station has been handing out bottles of water, but they have now run out. I walked a quarter of a mile away into town this morning - the devastation has been unbelievable. The river was a raging torrent, and it had breached all the new flood defences. At the back of my house, I can hear the roar of the river."
Ravi Uppoor lives close to the River Eden in Carlisle. He described how the river flowed over the flood defences on Sunday.
"About 15 houses near to my house are flooded. One of my neighbours, who is in her 90s, said she had never seen anything like this in the last 40 or 50 years. There is no power supply, no fire alarm or heating, so we have had to make alternative arrangements for our children. The rain was unprecedented. I grew up in India with a lot of flooding, but I have never seen anything like this."
John Chadwick was evacuated from his home in Carlisle on Saturday, as the River Caldew burst over the flood barriers.
"The waters were 2in [5cm] deep, and I got out by dinghy. I live alone and have severe mobility problems including osteoarthritis and mild epilepsy - I just had time to grab some medication. I have nowhere suitable to stay as I need ground-floor accommodation with disabled access. My friend drove near where I live, but he couldn't get through. I have nothing insured."
Ben Freke, a student at Lancaster University, said the power had gone out at 23:00 GMT on Saturday on campus. The next day, everyone was given two hours to evacuate the building.
"As a lot of students are unable to go home - some are international students - the only place to go was to the Great Hall on campus. When my dad arrived to pick me up today, it was pandemonium - people tried to get on coaches to Preston, and some had to wait for hours."
Some of you have been sharing video clips from around affected areas:
Many people tried to help via social media over the weekend:
Compiled by Sherie Ryder


Mortgage lenders have recorded the highest quarterly number of first-time buyers in Scotland for nine years.

First-time buyers also borrowed more in the third quarter than in any other three-month period since records began, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
They borrowed £940m, up by 3% on the second quarter and by 6% on the third quarter last year.
This equated to 8,600 loans, a year-on-year increase of 5%.
The typical amount borrowed by first-time buyers remained unchanged from the previous quarter at £100,000, compared with £134,900 in the UK overall.
The typical average household income of a first-time buyer increased slightly from £33,600 to £33,700.
Overall, Scottish home buyers borrowed £2.2bn for house purchases, 5% less than a year ago but 5% up on the previous quarter. A total of 17,100 loans were taken out.
Home movers borrowed £1.3bn, 11% less than a year ago.
CML Scotland chairwoman Carol Anderson said: "First-time buyers continue to be a key driver in the market with more loans advanced to new home-owners than any quarter since 2007.
"This quarter also saw a four-year high in remortgage activity and quarter-on-quarter growth in home movers so all lending types have performed strongly over the summer months.
"This is the first quarter post the EU referendum and the market appears resilient so far.
"It may take time to fully gauge the full impact but currently the Scotland market is in good shape and open for business moving forward."


Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos suffered a knee ligament sprain during Spain's World Cup qualifying win over Albania on Sunday.

The 30-year-old was replaced in the 80th minute after he fell awkwardly.
The club have confirmed that the Spanish captain sustained a grade two tear of his medial collateral ligament.
Ramos is reported to be out for a month, which could see him miss four La Liga matches, including a clash against local rivals Atletico Madrid.
He would also miss both Champions League group stage matches against Legia Warsaw and be a doubt for Spain's World Cup qualifier against Macedonia on Saturday 12 November.


The GAA have unveiled proposed Football Championship changes which include the replacement of the All-Ireland quarter-finals with two round-robin groups.

Under the changes, the four provincial winners would be joined in the two groups by four qualifiers.
This would mean the provincial winners having to play three group games as opposed to just one in order to secure an All-Ireland semi-final place.
Kerry have made the All-Ireland semis this year after beating only two teams.
The Kingdom defeated Clare and Tipperary in the Munster Championship before meeting Clare again in the All-Ireland quarter-finals last weekend.
A GAA statement said the proposed changes would "provide a more exacting pathway to the All-Ireland final".
"This will have the effect of ensuring that the finalists will have been equally tested and that the two best teams in the country contest the All-Ireland final," said the GAA.
"Both All-Ireland semi-finals would be played over the one weekend which should generate greater excitement and also ensure both teams have the same period of time to prepare for the All-Ireland final."
The proposals also include a provision for Division Three and Four teams being granted home advantage in games against Division One or Two sides in the opening three rounds of the qualifiers.
The round-robin groups would see each county having one home game and one away match plus a game at Croke Park and an overall increase of eight matches in the championship.
If teams are level on points at the conclusion of the two groups, the result of the game between the sides would be used to separate them or in the event of a draw, the higher scorer in the table would be given the verdict.
If the changes are adopted, extra-time will be played in the event of a draw in all football championship games while the National Football League semi-finals will be abolished.
The current championship structure has been in place since 2001.


Labour says it will give a new regulator power to remove energy firms' licences, if it wins the next election.

It says the new rule would apply in cases of "repeated instances of the most serious and deliberate breaches of their licence conditions".
The party claims their pledged action would protect consumer interests.
But the current regulator, Ofgem, said it already had the power to remove licences from energy firms in certain circumstances.
"Where firms fail to meet standards there must be tough and decisive action," said Caroline Flint, the shadow energy secretary.
Labour has already promised to abolish Ofgem, and put a new regulator in place.
An Ofgem spokesman said it already had powers to revoke licences in "specific circumstances, including where companies have failed to comply with particular enforcement orders."
However, a Labour spokesman said the current rules meant a firm could repeatedly break the law as long as it paid the fines issued by Ofgem.
"That's the kind of regulatory gap we want to address," he said.
Energy UK, the trade body for the industry, said it already had strong penalties for companies found to be in breach of licence conditions.
"Having a strong set of licence conditions is essential for the protection of consumer rights," it said.
Labour also revealed figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, which it said showed 16 energy companies faced probes into mis-selling, poor customer service and other bad practices.
Ms Flint said the figures showed that the current government had "presided over a broken energy market".
"On David Cameron's watch, energy bills in Britain have risen twice as fast as inflation, four times faster than wages and faster than almost any other country in the developed world," she added.
In response, a Conservative spokesman said the government was already taking action to address the issues raised, including forcing energy firms to simplify bills.
"We're carrying out a full, independent inquiry to fix the broken market we inherited," he added.


A would-be suicide bomber revealed his plan to target Londoners during an online chat with an undercover investigator, a court has heard.

After Mohammed Rehman, 25, discussed possible targets on Twitter under the name Silent Bomber, an investigator contacted him.
Mr Rehman allegedly told him he was planning a martyr operation.
He and his wife Sana Ahmed Khan, 24, both of Reading, deny charges of preparing terrorist acts.
About two weeks before their arrest, Mr Rehman's Twitter account came to the attention of anti-terrorism authorities.
He argued with and taunted other users after asking whether his target should be a "Westfield shopping centre or London Underground".
Mr Rehman allegedly wanted to carry out an attack on the 10th anniversary of the 7 July bombings.
Prosecutor Tony Badenoch QC told an Old Bailey jury an undercover investigator, who used the name Abu Mohammed, then engaged Mr Rehman in a private conversation.
He said: "Silent Bomber revealed his true intentions, asking 'how dumb these Kuffar are lol'."
Mr Rehman also told the officer he was "preparing against them" before his account was suspended, but he reactivated it under slightly different details a week later, the court heard.
"He told the undercover investigator that he was preparing for a Istishaadi (martyr) operation," Mr Badenoch said.
"The level of commitment to an atrocity was perfectly clear, as Mohammed Rehman also asked the undercover investigator if he wanted to join him in a joint operation or whether he preferred to follow the lone-wolf route."
He is also charged with possessing an article for terrorist purposes.


Volleyball was designed as a gentle alternative to basketball in the 19th century but is now one of the fastest and most energetic sports at the Olympics.

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Jonathan Legard, BBC Sport
"It's just as well Earls Court is used to staging some of the world's biggest music acts because volleyball is one of the biggest international sports and will raise the roof as much as Led Zeppelin, Oasis or Kylie Minogue ever did. Great Britain, the lowest ranked nation in the competition, will make their debut at this level. Jason Haldane is a vastly experienced player for the men, while women's captain Lynne Beattie is an inspirational figure. China's women's team four years ago attracted TV audiences as high as 370 million. Expect them to feature strongly again as well as Brazil and the USA, the 2008 finalists. Francesca Piccinini is a pin-up in her native Italy and is set to compete in her fourth Games. The Russian men will be top drawer. Star player Maxim Mikhailov is known as 'The Machine Gunner'."
Russia are the most successful nation in the history of Olympic indoor volleyball with a total of seven golds, four by the women and three from the men. In Beijing, however, they were overshadowed by their old foes the United States in the men's event and Brazil were on top of the podium in the women's tournament.
London 2012 marks the first time Great Britain will have volleyball entrants at the Olympics.
Both a women's and men's team will appear after the British Olympic Association confirmed that the two squads had satisfied their requirements that they could deliver a "credible performance and meaningful legacy".
Both squads have struggled to make an impact at world level and in recent times, however. The men's team only just scraped into the top 100 of the official world rankings - finding themselves ranked along with minnows Belize, St Kitts and Anguilla.
The energy expended playing volleyball for an hour burns approximately 780 calories. This helps lower the body fat percentage of those that take up the game.
Striking the ball strengthens the upper body, arms and shoulders, while the movement around the court builds the thigh and lower leg muscles.
As players have to strike the ball while it moves at speed through the air, volleyball improves hand-eye coordination and develops faster reflexes.
As it is a team game, it is an excellent way to develop communication skills and learn to work effectively with other people.
Volleyball clubs also offer a variety of social events beyond simply playing the sport.
Volleyball is an exciting, competitive team game that forces you to think tactically. It is played regularly by more than 50,000 people in gyms, leisure centres, schools, colleges and universities throughout the United Kingdom.
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You can get a casual game going almost anywhere, be it the park, the beach, your back garden, university or even a swimming pool; all that is needed is a net and a ball.
For more regulated play, clubs throughout the UK run training sessions and leagues for players of all abilities.
There are no specific pieces of kit required to play volleyball, with most people choosing to wear a t-shirt, shorts and trainers.
Some players choose to use knee pads and elbow pads to provide protection from falls when playing on an indoor court.
Volleyball England's Go Spike campaign is currently putting on taster sessions for the sport which anyone from complete beginners to experienced players can take part in. Visit the Go Spike website to find out when events are being run close to you.
For people outside of England, visit the Northern Ireland Volleyball,Scottish Volleyball Association and Volleyball Wales websites to find out what schemes are available in your country.
More on the British Volleyball website
'Join In Local Sport' aims to get as many people as possible to turn up and take part in activities at their local sports facilities on 18/19 August, 2012 - the first weekend between the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The aim of the initiative is for every sports club and community group in the UK to put on a special event in a bid to encourage more people to get involved as members, supporters or volunteers.
More than 4,000 local sports clubs will be opening their doors to host events and show people just how they can get involved.
As well as tips on playing sport there will be information on coaching, supporting and how to help out.
Find an event near you.
More on the London 2012 website
There are six players in a volleyball team. They are allowed a maximum of three touches of the ball between them before it must cross the net.
Crucial is the set and spike, in which a player feeds the ball (the set) for a team-mate to smash it into the opposition's side of the court (the spike).
The Netherlands claimed their first Olympic volleyball gold medal with a thrilling 3-2 victory against Italy at the Atlanta Games in 1996
Matches are played over the best of five sets. Each one of the first four sets is completed when a team wins 25 points, with a lead of at least two points over the opposing team.
The fifth set is completed when one team wins 15 points, having a lead of 2 points over the opposing team.
A point is awarded after every rally, regardless of which team serves. If the serving team wins a rally, it continues to serve. If the receiving team wins a rally, it serves next.
Only the three players at the net can spike or block near the net. The back-court players can only hit the ball over the net from the back half of the court.
In a major change from the Beijing Games in 2008, teams can now earn bonus points whether they win or lose, depending on the scoreline. Previously it was two points for a win, one point for a loss.
Now, a team will earn three points for a win by 3-0 or 3-1 or two points for a win by 3-2. The losing team earns a point if they win two sets (i.e. lose the match 3-2).
More on the Team GB website
Team GB's men are rank outsiders. Nonetheless, captain Ben Pipes thinks they can reach the last four.
The women lost all five of their games at the Olympic test event but did enjoy notable wins over Argentina and Peru last year. They are aiming for a top-eight finish.
Brazil's men entered the year as the top-ranked side, although they only won bronze at the 2011 World Cup behind winners Russia. The USA beat Brazil to win Olympic gold in 2008.
The USA's women topped the early rankings this year, but Brazil and Italy are the reigning Olympic and World Cup champions respectively.
Volleyball was created in 1895 by William G. Morgan, athletics director of the YMCA training school in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
The sport's popularity soared in Europe after the US military sent 16,000 volleyballs to its troops and allies in France to boost morale during the First World War
He invented the sport, which he called 'mintonette', for older members of the YMCA club. It took the name volleyball the following year.
It has been part of the Olympics since 1964 and the International Volleyball Federation is currently the largest international sporting federation in the world, with 220 members.
Cuba won gold in the women's volleyball at three consecutive Olympic Games from 1992 to 2000
More on the IOC website


At first it seemed that the protest movement, building in Macedonia for months, was heading for an anti-climax on what was supposed to be its big day.

Zoran Zaev, leader of the opposition Social Democrats, had talked up the possibility of a crowd numbered in six figures angered by covert recordings that appeared to show ministers plotting vote-rigging and covering up a murder.
But half an hour before the start, only a few hundred people had gathered in front of government headquarters.
Then, with just minutes to go, the influx began.
They came from all directions - over the Stone Bridge in front of Skopje's controversial new neo-classical riverfront; past the main post office, a brutalist 1960s lotus flower overseen by Japanese master-planner Kenzo Tange.
There were curious juxtapositions in the crowd as well.
Not just in the mix of young and old or male and female - but in the collection of flags the participants were waving.
The Albanian eagle flew next to the Macedonian sun; the Turkish crescent alongside the spoked wheel of the Roma people.
Macedonia's ethnic groups have not always rubbed along happily.
A brief but violent insurgency in 2001 resulted in improved rights for the country's large ethnic-Albanian minority.
And a deadly shoot-out earlier this month between police and an armed ethnic-Albanian group in Kumanovo, Macedonia's third city, was an unwelcome reminder of those times.
But, by standing together at the rally, people from different ethnic groups were sending a message that they were united in their aim to force the resignation of long-serving Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.
"No matter what religion or political party, we're here - to give support to the opposition and people who think about more than money," said Vladimir, a young protester who had travelled with his friends from Valandovo, a small town about 130km (80 miles) from Skopje.
They held small placards printed with articles of the Macedonia constitution, which the protesters claim the government has violated.
Macedonian protesters vow to continue
Macedonia's power struggle
Macedonia's makeover divides nation
"If we claim to be democratically-conscious citizens, then it's our responsibility to protest against a non-democratic and criminal government," said Ivana, a protester from Ohrid.
"We don't protest only for them to resign, but because we want criminals to go to jail."
Placards portrayed Mr Gruevski behind bars or crossed out in red, like a prohibitory traffic sign. Some simply read: "Goodbye, Nikola."
But the prime minister has so far shown no willingness to leave.
His responses to the protests and the scandal caused by the release of the covert recordings have been defiant, promising to "face down" demonstrators, who he says are trying to destabilise a democratically-elected government.
The authorities made a point of their own on Sunday by allowing the rally to go ahead in front of government headquarters, complete with temporary stage, big screen and massive sound system.
Policing was restrained and no serious incidents were reported.
"It's a democratic right to assemble and protest, a constitutional right to express your views - and when that happens in a non-violent manner it's very good, because that's how democracy works," Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki told the BBC.
But he insisted that the governing coalition had won last year's general election fairly - and should not be expected to stand aside because of the protests.
"We gained a strong victory at the election - people put their trust in us to run the country and we have to follow that path. The opposition's job is to challenge the government - but it has to be within institutions and in a peaceful manner."
The government is planning a rally of its own on Monday evening - an attempt to show that the protesters do not speak for everyone in Macedonia.
Meanwhile, a number of anti-government activists are planning to camp out in front of government headquarters until the government resigns.
Whatever happens to Mr Gruevski, long-term solutions for Macedonia remain elusive.
A seemingly farcical dispute with Greece over the very name of the country has had serious consequences: Macedonia's bigger neighbour has repeatedly vetoed its prospects of joining the EU or Nato.
Diplomats acknowledge that is a disincentive to make reforms - for whichever party takes power in the future.


The funeral of County Fermanagh schoolboy Oisin McGrath has heard him described as "a natural, unaffected young lad".

The funeral took place at St Patrick's Church in Holywell, just outside the village of Belcoo.
Oisin, who was 13, died in hospital on Thursday after being injured in an incident at St Michael's College, Enniskillen, on Monday afternoon.
He had been on a life-support machine since the incident.
A 17-year-old boy, a sixth former at the school, was detained following the incident. He was later released on bail pending further inquiries.
Hundreds of schoolchildren lined the route of the funeral. Some of them wore GAA jerseys in tribute to the 13-year-old, who played Gaelic football in Belcoo.
Fr Seamus Quinn said Oisin was "a people person".
"He was quiet and easy to be with, with the kind of smile that drew the best out of you, whether you were young or old," he told mourners.
"While Oisin was a leader, he was not at all an egotist.  He wasn't in love with the position of leader and, in fact, Oisin would always take time and make place for people who might not have found it as easy to achieve as he did himself.
"He had the ability to found friendships with those who didn't share his own passions and interests."
Fr Quinn said that when the primary 7 pupils were leaving St Columban's Primary School they were asked to take a private empty page and write words to describe each other.
"These are the words that Oisin's classmates used to describe him as: 'Generous, helpful, giddy, funny, cool, good at football and music and a great friend'," he said.
Earlier this week, Fr Quinn said Oisin's organs are to be used to help five other people
On Friday evening, his body was brought back to his home village of Belcoo.
People lined the streets as the cortege slowly made its way through the village.


The owner of a dog that mauled an 11-month-old baby to death has been found guilty of owning a banned breed.

Ava-Jayne Corless was attacked while sleeping at a house in Blackburn, Lancashire, in February 2014.
Lee Wright, 27, had denied the claim his pet, called Snoop, was a banned pit bull-type that contravened the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
At Blackburn Magistrates' Court, Wright was warned he was facing jail and will be sentenced later.
District Judge Gerald Chalk asked for a pre-sentence report to be obtained.
The judge agreed there was no evidence to suggest Wright had known the dog was of a prohibited breed.
He said both expert witnesses had relied on the American Dog Breeders Association as standard in making their assessment of the dog, but said it was "comment rather than definitive".
Wright had disputed the pet was a banned pit bull type dog in contravention of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, saying he believed it to be an American pit bull.
Ava-Jayne was killed in February 2014 at the defendant's house on Emily Street, Blackburn, as her mother Chloe King and Wright - her then-boyfriend - slept.
They believed the dog was in the kitchen blocked in by a speaker and a golf bag stand.
Police said at the time the dog - which was destroyed after the attack - had been identified by experts as a pit bull terrier-type.
During the two-day trial, expert witness Peter Olsen, a retired veterinary surgeon, had examined the dead dog and concluded it shared a "substantial number of characteristics" with a pit bull.
But veterinary surgeon and animal behaviourist expert Elizabeth Kendal Shepherd said she was "unable to form any reliable opinion" about the dog's breed.


Caernarfon Castle will host a major sculpture of thousands of ceramic poppies remembering the dead from World War One in 2016.

It comes from the iconic installation at the Tower of London which attracted more than five million visitors.
The Weeping Window is taken from the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red exhibit of 888,246 poppies which represented deaths in the British and colonial forces between 1914 and 1918.
It will be on show from next October.
Deputy culture minister Ken Skates said he was delighted Caernarfon Castle has been chosen to host the poignant display over some key dates in 2016, including Remembrance Sunday.
The Weeping Window is currently on show in Liverpool.
Wrexham council has lost out on its bid to host an exhibit called Wave, a sweeping arch of bright red poppy heads which is currently on show at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Council leader Mark Pritchard said: "I am, of course, very disappointed that the poppies will not be coming to Wrexham next year."


Detectives investigating the murder of an Aberdeenshire man want to trace the author of a letter given to police which had information about the death.

Brian McKandie, 67, was attacked and killed at Fairview Cottages, Rothienorman, on Friday 11 or Saturday 12 March 2016.
The letter was sent to a police station later that month.
Officers are also trying to identify a man seen walking near Mr McKandie's home at 01:00 on the Saturday.
Mr McKandie was beaten with a heavy weapon and police believe he may have known his killer. His body was found on 12 March.
Det Ch Insp Iain Smith said: "In late March an anonymous letter was received which provided some information regarding the death of Mr McKandie.
"I would like to appeal to that person to come forward and identify themselves as we believe they may hold information which will assist us with the investigation into his death."
The officer added that the "lone man" seen near the cottage was walking towards Rothienorman.
He is described as about 6ft tall, of average or medium build, wearing dark clothing and possibly a hat.
Det Ch Insp Smith said: "At that time of day in that area, where there is no footpath or street lighting, it would be unusual to see someone in the roadway.
"If that person was you or you know who it was, we would like to hear from you."
Police are still trying to trace two men seen in a burgundy or maroon estate car at Mr McKandie's home between 13:30 and 14:00
The detective said: "These men and the vehicle may have been at the address for perfectly legitimate reasons. Mr McKandie was well known throughout the wider community and a large number of people visited him over many years in relation to his business."
Crimestoppers has been offered a Â£10,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction.


Britain's Lorraine Ugen and Shara Proctor beat Olympic champion Tianna Bartoletta in the long jump in the first post-Rio Diamond League meeting.

Olympic 400m hurdles finalist Eilidh Doyle finished second behind Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad in Lausanne.
And high jumper Robbie Grabarz, fourth in Rio, was runner-up to Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim.
The meeting also saw Jamaican double Olympic sprint gold medallist Elaine Thompson back on the track.
The 100m and 200m gold medallist in Rio won the 100m with ease in a time of 10.78 seconds, while Britain's Desiree Henry was fourth in 11.17 seconds.
Long jumper Ugen might have beaten American Bartoletta with a leap of 6.71m but had to settle for the runner-up spot behind Serbia's Ivana Spanovic.
Team-mate Proctor was fourth (6.48m) - a place ahead of last week's gold medallist.
Doyle, meanwhile, leads the Diamond League 400m hurdle standings.
Djibouti's Ayanleh Souleiman set the fifth-fastest time ever to win the men's 1,000m in 2 minutes 13.49 seconds, with American Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz sixth.
Two American bronze medallists from Rio won their events, with LaShawn Merritt posting 44.50 seconds in the 400m, and Sam Hendricks setting a pole vault meet record of 5.92m.
While world-record holder Kendra Harrison  - who failed to make the US squad for Rio - took the 110m hurdles in 12.42, a time that would have been good enough for gold in the Olympic stadium, as Britain's Cindy Ofili matched her fourth place in Rio.
Joel Fearon, the bobsledder who is Britain's fastest man this year but did not qualify for Rio, finished third in the men's 100m race in 10.05 seconds.
Compatriot Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was eighth (10.43) in a race won by Asafa Powell in 9.96 - the Jamaican's 97th legal sub 10-second time in the event.
Lynsey Sharp produced her third fastest time of the year (1:58.52) to finish third in the 800m.
The Diamond League series continues in Paris at the Stade de France on Saturday, 27 August.


Two Tanzanian peacekeepers with the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been killed in an ambush near the city of Beni, the UN has said.

Thirteen others were wounded in the attack by suspected Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces Islamist rebels.
It was second attack on UN forces in the eastern North Kivu region in 48 hours after a helicopter carrying for the force's commander came under fire.
The UN has promised a "robust" military offensive in response.
Earlier, the Congolese army said it had killed 16 Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels during fierce fighting over the weekend.
The ADF was formed in late 1990s by a puritanical Muslim sect in the Ruwenzori mountains of western Uganda.
The army launched an offensive against the group - one of many based in the mineral-rich east of DR Congo - after they were accused of hacking more than 200 villagers to death near Beni in a series of massacres late last year.
The UN peacekeeping convoy came under attack on Tuesday near the village of Kikiki, about 50km (30 miles) north of Beni.
Four peacekeepers have also been reported missing following the ambush.
"I won't tolerate any more of these repeated attacks against blue helmets in Beni territory," Martin Kobler, head of the UN mission Monusco, said in a tweet in French.
"Monusco will carry out robust offensive operations," he said.
In a statement, the spokesman for UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the killings and the "continuing atrocities perpetrated by the ADF against defenceless civilians in the Beni area".


Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton says he has been "lucky" with injuries after returning from his latest lay-off in Saturday's win against France.

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Sexton, 31, missed the opening two Six Nations games with a calf problem, which came soon after hamstring and shoulder injuries.
He kicked 11 points in a superb display in the 19-9 victory in Dublin.
"I've never had a nine-month injury - it's not as bad as it is made out to be," said Sexton.
Ireland coach Joe Schmidt heaped praise on Sexton after the win over the French, which leaves his team second in the standings.
Sexton was sidelined for five weeks with the calf injury, sustained in a European Champions Cup match against Castres.
"The longest I've been out is for a shoulder injury at the end of last season," he added.
"When I came back from that I was moving badly, carrying the shoulder still and that's why I got a couple of hamstring niggles and the calf.
"I've been fortunate - I'm surrounded by guys that have had their career cut short by injury or been out for a year."
However, Sexton admits it was difficult to cope with being out for the start of the Six Nations campaign.
He said: "There's no-one more frustrated and upset when I'm injured - it was a really difficult time after all the work I had done before Christmas.
"You get stronger from these things and find out about a lot of people around you and yourself.
"It's important to bounce back. You are going to have setbacks and I'm sure I'll pick up more injuries in my career.
"It's just the nature of the game but I'll do everything I can to stay as fit as possible.


Exeter City boss Paul Tisdale says his side's form should continue to improve as more of his established players return to fitness.

Centre-back Troy Brown made his first start in three months in the 0-0 draw with Luton, and Ryan Harley was on the bench for the first time this season.
City also expect to have Lee Holmes back for their next League Two game.
"We've got a chance to start putting a run of games together because we should have a full squad back," Tisdale said.
City were hit by a host of injuries at the start of the season and have yet to see summer signing Troy Archibald-Henville take the field.
Ryan Harley has not featured since September and Jordan Tillson and Tom McCready are also out.
Exeter have taken four points from their last two games to move out of the League Two relegation places - and went close to beating current leaders Carlisle before eventually going down 3-2 at Brunton Park earlier this month.
"Troy (Brown) has been out a long time, been training very hard, but he hasn't played a reserve game or even done much off the bench," the Exeter boss told BBC Radio Devon.
"He and Jordan Moore-Taylor looked like they were back to their partnership of old and they looked after the attack of Luton really well.
"It's great to have Ryan Harley back on the bench, so gradually we're getting backing to full fitness."


Bristol City goalkeeper Frank Fielding will miss the rest of the season after being sidelined with an ankle injury.

The 28-year-old former Derby County keeper, who played 22 times for City earlier this season, suffered ligament damage in an under-21 match on Monday.
As a result, teenager Max O'Leary has been recalled from his loan spell at non-league Kidderminster Harriers.
"I feel really sorry for him (Fielding)," head coach Lee Johnson told the club website.
"He's gone from being an ever-present in last year's success to his injury troubles which have thwarted his season this time around."


A Turkish prosecutor and two gunmen who took him hostage have been killed after a shootout at a courthouse in Istanbul.

Gunshots were heard and smoke was seen rising from the scene after special forces stormed the building.
Mehmet Selim Kiraz was apparently taken hostage because he had headed an inquiry into the death of a boy during anti-government protests in 2013.
A banned Marxist revolutionary group is said to be behind the hostage taking incident.
A statement posted online had said the prosecutor would be killed if the group's demands were not met.
Istanbul's police chief Selami Altunok said that police had negotiated with the gunmen for six hours, but eventually stormed the courthouse "because of gunshots heard from inside the prosecutor's office".
The two gunmen died during the operation, while Mr Kiraz was badly wounded and later died of his injuries, officials said.
The gunmen had released dramatic images of a gun being held to the head of Mehmet Selim Kiraz as the hostage crisis unfolded.
The Turkish government banned live TV coverage of the incident, citing security concerns.
Sukriye Erden, a lawyer negotiating with the hostage takers, told the BBC that they had demanded that the police announce the names of four members of the security services whom they said were connected to the death of the boy, Berkin Elvan.
Elvan, who was then 14, was struck in the head by a police tear gas canister in June 2013 as he went to buy bread during mass demonstrations that began in Istanbul and spread across Turkey.
He died in an Istanbul hospital last year, after spending nine months in a coma.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, now Turkey's president, inflamed passions shortly after the teenager's death when he said the boy had been carrying a slingshot and had been "taken up into terrorist organisations".
Suspected members of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) took the prosecutor hostage on the sixth floor of the Caglayan court house.
The DHKP-C is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and US. It said it carried out a suicide bombing in February 2013 at the US embassy in Ankara, where a security guard was killed.
In January, a man linked to the banned Marxist group was arrested near the prime minister's offices in Istanbul, reportedly after throwing two grenades that failed to explode.


Defending Lancashire have signed New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill for their T20 Blast campaign.

The 29-year-old will move to Old Trafford after his stint at Indian Premier League side Mumbai Indians.
Guptill, who has spent time in England with Derbyshire, holds the record for the highest score at a World Cup - 237 not out against West Indies in 2015.
He will be part of the Red Rose squad that will look to defend the T20 Blast title they won last season.
"Martin is a formidable batsman, particularly in white-ball cricket, and is currently ranked as the world's third best batsman in T20 cricket," said cricket director Ashley Giles.
"He's got the ability to take games away from the opposition very quickly once he gets going and I'm sure our fans will really enjoy watching him play."


Actress Maxine Peake has joined the annual Peterloo massacre commemorations in Manchester City Centre.

At least 10 people were killed and hundreds injured in 1819 when troops charged a crowd at St Peter's Field who were demanding political reform.
Talks are ongoing about creating a permanent memorial, the Peterloo Massacre Campaign said.
Ms Peake, from Bolton, said the event highlighted the importance of "democracy and liberty".
More than 60,000 people, who were reported to be unarmed, attended a meeting on 16 August 1819 that called for voting rights for working men.
But local magistrates sent in an armed cavalry through the crowd to arrest speakers, including the political reformer Henry Hunt.
The consequent carnage, dubbed Peterloo after the battle at Waterloo a few years earlier, inspired the protest poem The Mask of Anarchy by the English Romantic writer Percy Bysshe Shelley and the birth of the Guardian newspaper in Manchester.
Ms Peake, famous for her roles in Silk and Dinner Ladies, said: "I think we should never forget events like this. It is not just about remembering... a historical event. It is about how it affects our future and how in some ways things haven't changed that much and in some ways they have.
"But it's about the importance of protest, the importance of people having a voice. The importance of democracy and liberty, it is something that should never be forgotten and the fact that Manchester is a really progressive city and it should be really proud of that."
Organiser Martin Gittins said: "It is one of the most significant events in political history, and in the story of democracy in the world, it happened here. Three years before the bi-centenary we are hoping and expecting there will be a suitable memorial in place in  time for that."


Financial services group Scottish Friendly is set to double in size after announcing it is close to securing the takeover of Marine & General Mutual.

The two mutuals expect the transaction to complete in the second quarter of this year, subject to approval from members, regulators and the High Court.
The deal will be the largest takeover by Scottish Friendly to date and will double its assets to about Â£2bn.
Scottish Friendly said M&GM was the UK's oldest active registered company.
It has traded as a mutual society since 1852.
Glasgow-based Scottish Friendly's chief executive, Fiona McBain, said: "This announcement is a tangible outcome of our strategy to diversify and grow the Scottish Friendly group.
"The overall efficiency of Scottish Friendly's business has resulted in our ability to competitively tender to take over existing financial services companies and run them more effectively and more efficiently.
"We are particularly proud of having secured the opportunity to double in size.
"The takeover of M&GM will give us additional economies of scale that can drive further efficiencies and increased value to all of our policyholders, including those transferring from M&GM."
M&GM chief executive David Gulland said: "As we explained to our policyholders and members in our strategic report for 2013, we have been seeking to secure the long-term future of our customers through a transfer to another organisation.
"This involved a thorough process considering a number of potential operations and we were delighted to select Scottish Friendly."


Hibernian boosted their hopes of overhauling Falkirk for second place in the Championship with an exciting if error-strewn victory over Rangers.

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The hosts were 2-0 ahead inside 20 minutes via Jason Cummings' 24th of the season and an own goal by bewildered Rangers goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.
Rangers pulled a goal back before half-time when Jason Holt punished a lapse from Hibs keeper Mark Oxley.
Niklas Gunnarsson's volley made it 3-1 before Barrie McKay's rocket late on.
That made for a nervy finish for a Hibs team that desperately needed the win as opposed to Rangers, who have already secured the title.
They saw it out, but only after Mark Oxley saved a Holt shot from close range, a moment that had the home fans beside themselves with worry.
Hibs are now just three points behind Falkirk in the chase for second in the Championship. They also have a game in hand over Peter Houston's side, although their goal difference (+19) is inferior to Falkirk's (+26).
In a dress rehearsal for the Scottish Cup final on 21 May, Rangers made just one change to the team that conquered Celtic at Hampden on Sunday - Michael O'Halloran coming in for Dean Shiels - but in every other way, for large parts of the night, they were a different team.
In the Scottish Cup semi-final they came up against a passive Celtic and out-played them. Here, they assumed that subdued, error-prone role themselves in the early moments. Hibs had an edge to them, a hunger to get into second place and avoid those two extra play-off games.
And inside five minutes they had the lead. The first of the defensive calamities came when Rangers fell asleep at a throw-in and Cummings galloped through their disorganised defence to smash the opening goal past Foderingham.
That was quickly followed by the second - and this was even softer with a touch of comedy added on top. Anthony Stokes put in a cross from the right and Foderingham lost the plot in trying to deal with it. Instead of catching it or putting it out for a corner, the goalkeeper pawed into his own net.
Things stated to get tricky for Hibs when Cummings was booked, correctly, for diving in an attempt to win a penalty. Three minutes later, their lead was halved when James Tavernier dinked a cross goalwards. Oxley, taking over from Conrad Logan, the big polar bear of Hampden, should have dealt with it, but he failed.
Oxley pawed it onto his crossbar but Holt buried the loose ball. It was now about Hibs' character. Last midweek, they lost a 2-0 lead to Falkirk in the dying minutes at Easter Road and the memory of it almost hung in the air above the home support.
Hibs, though, scored a third early on the resumption. Again, the Rangers defence was sluggish, failing to clear the danger after a corner met by Paul Hanlon and allowing Gunnarsson the freedom to wait for the ball to drop to him inside the box before rifling his shot past Foderingham.
The visitors pressed without joy until McKay's beauty from 25 yards set up that frenetic finish.


A trial date has been set for ex-Commons deputy speaker Nigel Evans MP to face sex offence charges.

Mr Evans has been accused of two counts of indecent assault, five of sexual assault, and one of rape against seven male alleged victims.
A provisional trial date of 10 March next year was set for the 55-year-old MP by Preston Crown Court.
Mr Evans was bailed and is due to appear next at Preston Crown Court on 24 January.
The indecent assaults are alleged to have been committed between 1 January 2002 and 1 January 2004, the sexual assaults allegedly between 1 January 2009 and 1 April 2013, and the alleged rape between 29 March and 1 April 2013.
The MP for Ribble Valley in Lancashire resigned as deputy speaker of the House of Commons after being charged in September.
Mr Evans was a Conservative MP before becoming deputy speaker, a politically neutral role, but he has not sought to return to the Conservative fold in the Commons and will continue to represent his constituents as an independent.
He has been MP for the Ribble Valley constituency since 1992.


Aberconwy Conservative MP Guto Bebb has claimed in the House of Commons the business partner of fellow north Wales Tory David Jones is behind a blog that has "harassed, abused and bullied" people.

Mr Bebb said a private investigator had traced the "Thoughts of Oscar" blog to a home in Deganwy and the office of David Jones Solicitors in Llandudno.
Clwyd West MP Mr Jones said he would issue a statement on Wednesday.
The website has since been closed.
Mr Bebb said it was "a rather vicious and nasty local blog", with an added interest in politics that had targeted individuals.
Opening a short debate in the Commons, Mr Bebb named local businessman Nigel Roberts and Dylan Moore, who is a director of David Jones Solicitors.
Mr Bebb said he would not name a third person identified by the private investigator.
Mr Roberts said on the blog on Tuesday that he was its sole contributor.
Former Welsh Secretary Mr Jones and Mr Moore are expected to give their response to the claims on Wednesday.


The brother of Wales' double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones has been signed up by the sport's Great Britain academy.

Luke, 18, is one of 14 successful candidates from the 282 youngsters who entered the Fighting Chance scheme.
GB Taekwondo chief Gary Hall said that, like his sister Jade, the teenager is "a good character".
Hall added: "He hasn't got the tactical game finesse his sister has but he has a lot of the basic ingredients."
The 14 who made the cut will undergo a three-month training regime before fighting at the Austrian Open in June.
Performance director Hall added: "This group is really strong. We have done [the Fighting Chance scheme] four times and this has got to be one of the strongest intakes we have had.
"They will go on a three-month programme, including participation in the Austrian Open, to see how they perform.
"If they are really making progress in the system then we will continue with them."
Find out how to get into taekwondo in our special guide.


An appeals court in Bahrain has increased from four to nine years a prison sentence imposed on the country's main Shia opposition leader.

Sheikh Ali Salman was convicted in 2015 of inciting hatred and disobedience and insulting public institutions.
His al-Wefaq bloc says the ruling is "unacceptable and provocative" and that it would worsen a political crisis.
The Sunni-ruled Gulf state has grappled with sporadic unrest since putting down mass Shia-led protests in 2011.
Sheikh Salman's original sentence drew condemnation from human rights groups, as well as the United States and Iran.
He had been found guilty of charges relating to "publicly inciting hatred, an act which disturbed public peace, inciting non-compliance with the law and insulting public institutions", Bahrain's state news agency BNA said at the time.
His lawyers appealed, saying that evidence presented by prosecutors included parts of speeches that had been taken out of context, Reuters news agency reported.
Prosecutors responded with their own appeal, and asked the court to reverse an earlier acquittal on more serious charges of seeking to overthrow the political system by force, the news agency added.
The court extended Sheikh Salman's sentence as a result.
His arrest in December 2014 triggered protests across the country.
Shia-dominated demonstrations have been continuing sporadically for the past four years.
In 2011, dozens died when the government moved to quash protests. The demonstrators were demanding more rights and an end to discrimination against the majority Shia community by the Sunni royal family.
The government denies any discrimination against Shia Muslims and regularly accuses Shia-led Iran of interfering in the country's internal affairs.


Dozens of fish have died after a fish kill in the Six Mile Water river in County Antrim.

The fish were discovered dead on Tuesday near Ballyclare. The cause of their deaths is not yet known.
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) was notified and has begun an investigation.
Jim Gregg, of the Ballynure Angling Club, said the fish kill was "devastating" and had occurred at the ideal spawning time.
"The anglers were made aware of this at approximately 10 o'clock this morning," he told the BBC.
"We've removed approximately 30 to 40 fish that we have found in the shallows, lying dead.
"The water levels are quite significantly high, to suggest that there are an awful lot more fish dead that we can't see and that have possibly been washed further downstream."
The NIEA is an government agency within Northern Ireland's Department of Environment (DoE).
In a statement, a DoE spokesperson said the incident was reported to the agency via its water pollution hotline at 11:15 GMT on Wednesday.
"A NIEA water quality inspector was immediately tasked to the area to investigate the report and determine the environmental impact. The NIEA investigation has not yet identified any immediately obvious source or symptoms of pollution," the statement added.
"Investigations are on-going to determine whether there has been any polluting discharge to the watercourse, including collected samples from potential sources of pollution in the area."
Staff from the Department for Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL)'s Inland Fisheries Group were also called to the site to assess the number of fish affected.
Approximately 50 dead fish have been recovered so far, but the DoE warned the number could rise.
In 2011, hundreds of fish were found dead in the Six Mile Water river.


Nestle India has challenged a ban imposed by India's food safety regulator on its popular Maggi noodles.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India says tests have found instant noodles "unsafe and hazardous" and has accused Nestle of failing to comply with food safety laws.
Nestle said on Thursday that it had gone to the high court in Mumbai seeking a judicial review of the order.
The company insists the noodles are completely safe.
In a statement, Nestle India said it had approached the court "as part of the effort to resolve" the matter and was "raising issues of interpretation" of India's food safety laws.
The company said it was also challenging a separate order from the government of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital.
Last week, Nestle began withdrawing the Maggi brand from stores, after regulators said they found higher-than-allowed levels of lead in some packets.
On Thursday, it said it was continuing to withdraw the product from store shelves despite the court action.
Nestle's global chief executive Paul Bulcke has asked to see the results of the laboratory tests and promised to return Maggi to store shelves soon.
Several states have also been testing the noodles for the chemical monosodium glutamate, widely known as MSG.
The instant noodles arrived in India in 1983 and can be found in corner shops across the country.


Phil Mickelson came from five strokes back to clinch his first Open title and fifth major on a dizzying final day at Muirfield.

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The 43-year-old American triumphed by three shots from Sweden's Henrik Stenson, with English pair Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood four back, alongside Australia's Masters champion Adam Scott.
Mickelson surged to the third leg of a career Grand Slam of all four majors with a stunning five-under 66 to finish three under.
"What an unbelievable round by Mickelson. He almost made it look simple. He played with such freedom. The second shot he hit to 17 was absolutely majestic and then he went on to birdie the last, which was the sign of a true champion. He was the best guy out there this week.
"The only disappointment was Lee Westwood's round today. He played a poor round and only he knows why. It's not his last chance, but this one will hurt. Fortunately he is extremely resilient and he will fight back."
The left-hander, who won the Scottish Open last week, birdied four of the last six holes and was in tears on the final green as he hugged caddie Jim 'Bones' Mackay.
The mercurial Mickelson's Open record had been modest up to now, despite a third place at Troon in 2004 and second at Royal St George's in 2011, as he slowly got to grips with a style of the game he initially "hated".
But a play-off victory over the Castle Stuart links in Inverness last week, and now his first Claret Jug, should make amends for his devastation at recording a record sixth runner-up spot in the US Open behind Justin Rose last month.
"This is such an accomplishment because I never knew whether I'd be able to develop my game to play links golf," said Mickelson.
"I played arguably the best round of my career, and shot the round of my life. It's such a difficult six-hole finish, I putted so good. It feels amazing."
He added: "The range of emotions I feel are as far apart as possible after losing the US Open. But you have to be resilient in this game. These last couple of weeks, these last couple of months, I've played some of the best golf of my career."
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Mickelson, who won the Masters in 2004, 2006 and 2010 and the US PGA in 2005, continues the list of illustrious former champions at Muirfield, which includes such greats of the game as Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo (twice) and Ernie Els, who was defending champion this week.
American Mickelson becomes the third consecutive player in his 40s to win the Open, after Els and Darren Clarke.
Westwood, seeking a first major title at the 62nd attempt, led by two going into the final day and moved serenely into a three-shot lead after five holes. But he took two to get out of a pot bunker on the short seventh and from then on was always struggling for momentum in a 75.
"I didn't play that badly, my round came unstuck at seven, eight and nine," said Westwood.
"Phil must have played really well. To birdie four out of the last six here on any day is good going. But to do it today on a breezy day with the flags blowing and in the Open Championship is exceptional."
Stenson carded 70 for his best finish in a major, while Ryder Cup hero Poulter surged from eight strokes back with a brilliant 67 on an overcast, breezy day in contrast to the heat and sunshine of the rest of the week in East Lothian.
Scott, who blew a four-shot lead to finish runner-up to Els last year, hit the front at one stage on a topsy-turvy afternoon that saw the lead change hands numerous times, but the 32-year-old faltered late on with a 72.
Tiger Woods began two behind Westwood and in prime position to strike for a 15th major title and first since 2008. But he went backwards from the first and ended with a 74 for two over.