Three anti-doping advisers to Fina have resigned, saying swimming's world governing body ignored a call to ban some Russian athletes from Rio 2016.

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Professor Andrew Pipe has left his role as chairman of the body's doping control review board, as have two other members of the eight-strong panel.
Seven swimmers competed despite bans from the board for doping violations.
Fina said it gave the advice to the International Olympic Committee and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The federation added it was not responsible for the final outcome.
Those banned by the board included Yulia Efimova, one of 37 Russian swimmers at Rio, who won two silver medals in the women's 100m and 200m breaststroke events.
She was banned initially by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) because of two failed drug tests.
Each sport's governing body had to determine whether Russian athletes linked with past doping offences or state-sponsored doping were eligible for Rio 2016, after the IOC decided against a blanket ban in the wake of a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation.
Pipe, the chairman of Fina's independent doping control review board (DCRB),and two of his colleagues stepped down this week.
In a letter to the governing body, the experts added that "the failure of Fina to enact other recommendations that the DCRB has made in the past, is incompatible with our dedication to clean sport and optimal anti-doping practice."
Fina president Dr Julio C Maglione said: "Fina always co-ordinates with all stakeholders in the sport movement to assure that transparency and zero tolerance in the fight against doping is in place, thus protecting the clean athletes.
"Please rest assured that we will continue the same policy in fighting against doping without any limitation, equally applying the doping control rules to all athletes and all Fina Member Federations."


Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has pressed ahead with plans to create a citizens' assembly to draw up a new constitution.

Mr Maduro issued a decree to convene a constituent assembly amid continuing anti-government protests.
The president says a new constitution will bring peace to Venezuela, but the opposition says it is a ruse to delay holding elections.
More than 50 people have been killed in protest-related violence since 1 April.
Mr Maduro signed the decree at a rally attended by thousands of his supporters.
He said the assembly would be made up of 540 members, some of whom would be elected at local level while the rest would be chosen from various groups such as students, workers, farmers, pensioners, and indigenous people.
The National Electoral Council later said that elections for the constituent assembly would be held at the end of July.
The move was immediately denounced by the opposition-controlled National Assembly.
National Assembly leader Julio Borges called it "nothing more than an evil announcement meant to divide, distract, and confuse Venezuelans further".
He said there would be more "street action" and called for a march opposing the constituent assembly to be held on Wednesday.
Fifty-five people have been killed in protests since the beginning of April.
The unrest was sparked by a Supreme Court ruling on 29 March stripping the National Assembly of its powers and transferring those powers to the court.
The Supreme Court suspended the most controversial paragraphs three days later, but the ruling united the hitherto divided opposition and spurred them into action.
The opposition says the Supreme Court ruling and Mr Maduro's call for a constituent assembly are attempts by the president to cling on to power beyond the end of his term in 2019.
They say that he has become increasingly authoritarian since he was elected in 2013, blocking their attempts to hold a recall referendum and delaying elections for governors.
On Tuesday, National Electoral Council head Tibisay Lucena also announced that the gubernatorial elections would be held on 10 December, a year after they were originally due.
Some Venezuelans reacted on social media saying that they had lost all trust in the electoral body and demanded fresh general elections rather than regional polls.


Actavis UK has been accused of overcharging the NHS for a lifesaving drug by raising the price by more than 12,000%.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has accused Actavis UK of breaking competition law by raising the price for 10mg hydrocortisone tablets from 70p to £88 over eight years.
Hydrocortisone treats life-threatening conditions such as Addison's disease.
Actavis UK's current owner, Teva, said it would defend the allegations.
Between 2008 and 2015, the CMA claims that the NHS's spending on the drug rose from £522,000 to £70m.
Actavis UK acquired the rights to make generic hydrocortisone tablets in 2008 from Merck Sharp & Dohme, which had produced a branded version of the treatment.  De-branded or "generic" drugs are not subject to price regulation.
The CMA compared the price of 10mg and 20mg hydrocortisone tablets that Actavis is charging now to Merck Sharp & Dohme's prices in 2008.
It claims that Actavis UK charged the NHS £102.74 a pack for 20mg pills, whereas the branded version previously cost £1.07 a packet.
Andrew Groves, senior responsible officer at the CMA, said: "This is a lifesaving drug relied on by thousands of patients, which the NHS has no choice but to continue purchasing.
"We allege that the company has taken advantage of this situation and the removal of the drug from price regulation, leaving the NHS - and ultimately the taxpayer - footing the bill for the substantial price rises."
Teva recently acquired the Actavis UK business as part of its deal to buy Actavis Generics from drug firm Allergan.
In a statement, Teva said that competition from the generic medicine market saved the NHS in England and Wales £13.5bn, with its medicines accounting for about £3.2bn of that total.
It added: "Although the pricing of the acquired Actavis product (Hydrocortisone) under investigation was never under Teva's effective control, Teva believes that intervention by the CMA in prices for generic medicines raises serious policy concerns regarding the roles of both the CMA and the Department of Health."
The CMA said that at this stage, its findings were provisional and that no conclusion could be drawn that Actavis UK, which used to be known as Auden McKenzie, had broken competition law.
The competition watchdog has been clamping down on drugs companies for overcharging the NHS.
Earlier in December, the CMA fined Pfizer a record £84.2m for raising the price of an anti-epilepsy treatment by up to 2,600%. It also fined Flynn Pharma £5.2m for overcharging the NHS for phenytoin sodium capsules which prevent and control seizures.
Both companies are to appeal against the decisions.


Egypt head a number of African heavyweights with plenty to do to advance from the second round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.

The Pharaohs suffered a shock 1-0 loss away to Chad in the first leg of their tie last week but will have home advantage on Tuesday to help them erase the deficit.
Ezechiel Ndouassel scored Chad's winner, which also gave new coach Rigobert Song a brilliant start to his reign.
While the odds are against Chad completing the job, former Cameroon midfielder Song will be hoping his side can produce another stunning upset.
Ghana, Algeria and Nigeria also came away from road trips with surprise results as they were all held by opponents they had been expected to beat.
The Black Stars' 0-0 draw with Comoros - the lowest ranked African side still in the qualifiers and 159 places below Ghana - was, perhaps, the most embarrassing result suffered by the continent's big names.
Captain Asamoah Gyan is in determined mood to make amends.
"We know we were not up to the task in the first game so we will make sure we turn things around, " he said.
Algeria, who have only just lost their place as Africa's number one side, also need to put in a strong display with their tie with Tanzania level at 2-2.
The two away goals give the Desert Foxes an advantage but they will have been disappointed that their defence was breached twice.
Tanzania had taken a two-goal lead in the first match only for Islam Slimani to rescue Algeria with a brace. The striker will want to finish the job in Blida.
While Nigeria did not concede in their first leg with Swaziland, the Super Eagles will be concerned by their lack of goals.
Coach Sunday Oliseh was rocked by the retirement of striker Emmanuel Emenike last month and he must quickly find a forward line that will provide a cutting edge.
Oliseh played with three strikers against Swaziland and he brought on Obafemi Martins and Kelechi Iheanacho in the second half. It will be interesting to see how he sets his team up for the game in Port Harcourt.
Kenya have hurt their chances of protecting their 1-0 lead over Cape Verde after a row over payments delayed their departure. The Harambee Stars, who have a nine-hour flight, will arrive less than 24 hours before kick-off.
Elsewhere, Mali face a shock elimination unless they can overturn a 2-1 deficit against Botswana. Mali have finished third in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 and 2013 and were heavy favourites to knock out the Zebras.
Senegal should see off the challenge of Madagascar, who achieved a superb 2-2 draw in the first leg but are unlikely to be able to resist the Teranga Lions on their own ground.
The 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists will look to their big names, such as first-leg scorers Mame Biram Diouf and Sadio Mane, to dominate the India Ocean island side.
The 14 overall winners will join the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon,  Guinea, Morocco, Uganda and Zambia in the group stage, which kicks off next October.


Employment in Scotland reached a record level between September and November, according to official figures.

The Office for National Statistics said 21,000 more Scots were in work, compared with the previous quarter, bringing the total to 2,631,000.
Scotland now has the highest employment rate out of the four UK nations, and is outperforming the UK as a whole.
For the first time, employment in Scotland is now higher than it was before the recession.
The rate north of the border reached 74.9% over the quarter - above the level of 74.6% recorded prior to the economic crisis.
Meanwhile, Scottish unemployment fell by 11,000 and now stands at 152,000.
The unemployment rate was down by 0.7% to 5.4% - the largest quarterly fall since the summer of 2014.
The UK jobless rate fell to 5.1% in the three months to November - its lowest rate since the three-month period to October 2005,
The number of people claiming Job Seeker's Allowance also fell by 2,300 from November to 64,300 in December. The figure is 20,400 lower than the same month last year.
Scotland's Fair Work Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: "I am very pleased to note this month's figures, which reinforce the positive longer-term trends in Scotland's labour market, notwithstanding recent and ongoing volatility with Labour Market Statistics."
The SNP minister said: "Employment has continued to rise and unemployment to fall - with more Scots in work than ever before. Youth employment figures continue to be strong, outperforming the UK statistics.
"However, we are not complacent and we recognise that a number of significant challenges remain beneath these encouraging headline figures."
The UK government's Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: "These positive figures mean more people in Scotland are in work, better able to support their families and contributing to our economic growth and security.
"The UK government is delivering the foundations for a stronger and more resilient economy and Scotland is benefiting from that.
"But we know that there is more to do, especially with the serious challenge posed by the fall in the oil price and the effect that will have on the north east of Scotland and the wider Scottish economy."
Scottish Trades Union Congress general secretary Grahame Smith said: "There is no doubt that today's figures are very positive with a significant increase in employment and a similar fall in unemployment.
"It is noteworthy that the employment rate has now achieved its pre-recession peak.
"However, once again, men account for all the growth in jobs and most of the fall in unemployment.
"Given that there's no plausible explanation for the rapidly deteriorating relative position of women in the Scottish labour market, the STUC is concerned at the quality of the gender disaggregated statistics and would encourage ONS to reassess its processes in this respect."
Conor D'Arcy, policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation think tank, said: "Scotland has reached an important milestone this morning, finally returning to the employment rate it experienced before the recession.
"However, with this landmark event coming some 15 months after England closed its 'jobs gap', there is still work to be done.
"The challenge now is to convert today's encouraging signs on employment into a sustained long-term trend. This will be essential if Scotland is to maintain its newly-acquired pay lead over England in the coming years."


The family of Marie Colvin, the American journalist who died in Syria four years ago, is suing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Relatives say they have evidence that she was murdered as part of a policy of deliberately killing journalists.
The wrongful death lawsuit was filed at a district court in Washington DC.
Colvin was reporting from the rebel-held area of Baba Amr, in Homs, in February 2012, when she was killed by government artillery.
Shortly before, she did live broadcasts for the BBC, Channel Four and CNN.
"I watched a little baby die today," she said, talking over pictures of a child who had been hit by a sniper bullet. "That is happening over and over and over."
She told the BBC that President Assad's forces were "shelling with impunity, with merciless disregard for civilians".
She told CNN it was "a complete and utter lie that they're only going after terroristsâ€¦ The Syrian army is simply shelling a city of cold, starving civilians".
The Colvin family believes that the satellite phone used in these broadcasts was traced by Syrian intelligence and used to locate the Baba Amr media centre, where she was based.
According to documents obtained by their lawyers, a government informant then confirmed the location. An attack on the journalists was ordered that night, the lawsuit says.
"The transmissions were intercepted, and they were tracked to their GPS co-ordinates," said one of the legal team, Scott Gilmore.
"On top of that there was a whole web of informants who were already out searching for the journalists. Any journalist in Homsâ€¦ could have been a target".
Marie's photographer, Paul Conroy, had told the BBC shortly after the attack that the incoming rounds were "bracketed" on the media centre, meaning they were being deliberately targeted.
Conroy had served in an artillery regiment in the British Army.
"As an artilleryman, I think that was a good day's work for a for a well-trained team. Nothing smacked of randomness in that situation," he said.
Now the family's lawyers say they have witnesses and documents smuggled out of Syria to prove this.
The lawsuit is the fruit of four years of research by the US-based Center for Justice and Accountability.
The documents are said to show that the artillery strike was approved or ordered by President Assad's brother Maher, commander of the Republican Guards.
The policy of targeting journalists is alleged to have been made by senior officials in the Central Crisis Management Cell, President Assad's war cabinet.
"I'm really proud to be able to bring this lawsuit," said Marie Colvin's sister, Cat. "We know who Marie's killers are now; we want them brought to justice. I want them to be held accountable."
She went on: "I'm very sensitive to the suffering of the Syrian people. I know I'm not the only one who's lost a sister and my mom is not the only one who is mourning the loss of a daughter.
"I'm in a unique position to be able to use the court to be able be bring Marie's killers to justice. I want to give a voice to the Syrian people. I want them to know we haven't forgotten them."
The shelling in Baba Amr was the most intense any of us in the BBC team had ever seen.
The Syrians there were all wondering if this would be another Hama - the town destroyed by the old President Assad's artillery in 1982. Some 10,000-20,000 people were killed - there is still no accurate estimate - but not a single image was published of the carnage.
In the age of the cameraphone and YouTube, that was not going to happen in Baba Amr.
But - we believed - the regime still feared what effect the presence of international journalists would have.
"We could destroy Baba Amr in 10 minutes, if there were no cameras," a regime official is supposed to have said, according to documents and witness statements obtained by the Colvin family's lawyers.
The lawsuit says Marie was deliberately murdered according to orders given by some of the most senior officials in the Syrian regime.
One of those who helped carry out the attack is said to have been rewarded by the Assad family with the gift of a car.
These are allegations, yet to be tested in court. But the murder of journalists is just one war crime among many of which the regime stands accused.
The Colvin family hopes the lawsuit will be a reminder of that - as some in the international community seek to rehabilitate President Assad.


A second 24-hour strike by Southern rail conductors is being "solidly" supported, according to the RMT union.

Hundreds of trains have been cancelled on one of the busiest routes in the UK, causing travel chaos for passengers.
The walkout by union members started just after midnight and is part of a dispute over the role of guards.
The RMT opposes a new on-board supervisor role and plans for drivers to operate doors. Govia Thameslink said the action was "totally unnecessary".
The operator has insisted there will be no job losses or pay cuts, and the proposals would be implemented.
Live updates on the rail strike
The rail company said it was "evolving" the role of conductors so on-board staff would no longer be responsible for closing doors but would have a more visible presence on trains.
Govia Thameslink Railway warned there would be no service on many routes and only a limited service between 07:30 and 1800 BST on others.
However, by 13:00 BST it said the service was operating well with about two thirds of services running.
Chief executive officer, Charles Horton, said: "This pointless and unnecessary action by the RMT causes enormous disruption for the 300,000 people we carry on their commute every day.
"The railway men and women of Britain are overwhelmingly diligent and hard-working, and they care deeply about the rail service they provide.
"But they are being led astray, and misled repeatedly, by trade unions acting in their own narrow, selfish interests and ignoring the interests of either commuters or railway workers themselves."
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Our members have been backed into a corner by this aggressive and unpopular company and have had no option whatsoever but to fight to defend the safety-critical role of the guard on these rammed-out and unreliable Southern routes".
Union members, who staged their first strike action on 26 April, held a protest outside the Department for Transport Rail Industry Day conference in London earlier.
The RMT claims train companies nationally are "hell-bent" on removing train and station staff accusing them of putting profits before safety.
Press Association industrial correspondent Alan Jones said the situation was "properly deadlocked".
"The rhetoric is getting angrier by the day," he said.
"Southern says all they are doing is changing the role of the conductor or guard.
"But the unions are very suspicious that this is part of a wider attempt to get rid of guards altogether, which has happened on a lot of trains.
"And with station staff, there is a separate dispute which may well end up in a strike soon about closure of ticket offices across Southern," he added.
Govia Thameslink's chief operating officer, Dyan Crowther told BBC Surrey the company would now be implementing its proposals.
"Our staff are starting to make preferences on the type of roles they want to do. We will be retaining some conductors on some coastal services.
"Some staff have already opted to do those roles and some have opted to do the onboard supervisor roles," she said.
Southern warned passengers that queuing systems would be in place at many stations, there may be long waits to board trains, and the company could not guarantee to get people to their destinations.
The company said Gatwick Express and Thameslink services would be largely unaffected.
But some services were expected to be extremely busy and some Gatwick Express trains would be unable to call at certain stations.
Passengers can check Southern's live running page, a map of services during the strike and customer information.


A Lancashire detective has been forced to resign after an investigation into the handling of a murder case.

A disciplinary hearing found Det Sgt Jan Beasant guilty of misconduct following a review of the investigation into the murder of Blackpool teenager Charlene Downes.
Iyad Albattikhi was cleared in 2008 of killing her after "grave doubts" were raised around the evidence.
Lancashire Police said Ms Beasant had shown conduct that "let everyone down".
Two other officers who retired prior to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation could not be considered for disciplinary sanctions.
Charlene Downes, 14, disappeared in 2003 and has not been seen since. Mr Albattikhi was arrested for her alleged murder in 2007, following covert surveillance.
A jury at Preston Crown Court was discharged in 2007 after failing to reach a verdict and a subsequent retrial collapsed after the Crown Prosecution Service conceded it had "grave doubts" about the reliability of the covert surveillance.
Ms Beasant had the job of transcribing secretly recorded conversations between Mr Ilbattikhi and another man, spending 2,500 hours over two years listening to 52 audio tapes.
The quality of the covert recordings was criticised during the trial by defence barristers as "poor" with confidence "low" in the accuracy of the transcriptions.
A review by the IPCC concluded the investigating team were guilty of a strategic and tactical failure in the management of the material.
Naseem Malik, IPCC Commissioner for the North West, said it was "abundantly clear" that the covert surveillance was "handled poorly and unprofessionally".
The watchdog recommended Ms Beasant face a disciplinary hearing, one officer should receive a written warning and five others should receive words of advice.
At a hearing earlier this week, Lancashire Police found her guilty of two counts of misconduct and forced her to resign.
Supt Simon Giles said the force "expects the highest professional standards from all our staff and the panel has found this individual's conduct has fallen well short of these standards".
"This sort of behaviour and conduct lets everybody down - not just the police service but those the police serve," he said.
"It is appropriate they have faced the consequences of their actions."


A man has been arrested following an attack on a 26-year-old man in Lincolnshire which left him with life-threatening injuries.

The victim, who was found near the Post Office on Cleethorpes High Street at about 02:45 GMT on Friday, remains in hospital, Humberside Police said.
A 33-year-old man held on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent has been released on bail pending further enquiries until a later date.
Police have appealed for witnesses.
A number of taxi drivers are thought to have been parked nearby at the time.


Vasectomy operations on men in Kenya have been live streamed from a theatre in the capital as part a campaign to promote the sterilisation procedure.

At least 150 men booked in for the 20-minute procedure which involves severing the tubes that carry sperm.
Doctors performed the vasectomies on stage behind a curtain at the Kenyan National Theatre in Nairobi.
Kenyan men considering a vasectomy often fear the stigma of being seen as having lost their masculinity.
The World Vasectomy Day organisation was behind the event, which was broadcast on Facebook and included a panel of experts discussing "the myths and misconceptions about vasectomy".
Campaigners reiterated that it was a safe form of family planning and why it was important in terms of "the country and the planet".
"Many men have this perception that vasectomy causes a man to turn into a woman," Dr Jack Zhang, a Canadian doctor at the event, told the BBC.
"Some men fear that in Africa there's a high mortality rate so they need to have more children."
The BBC's Abdinoor Aden in Nairobi says some of the men who came to have a vasectomy were driven by economic concerns about having a large family.
Others said it was to help their partners.
"The family planning methods my wife was using have had bad effects on her so I opted to go and do vasectomy so that she can be relieved," one man told the BBC.
What is a vasectomy?
Source: World Vasectomy Day


Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty was written with a deliberate lack of clarity - it does not say whether it can be revoked once it has been triggered.

The claim: Prime Minister Theresa May says there is no turning back from the triggering of Article 50, which starts the process of leaving the EU.
Reality Check verdict: The government is clear that it respects the result of the referendum, so it argues that any debate is theoretical. However, the question of whether Article 50 is irrevocable is the subject of legal dispute.
As a result, the UK government has been unable to make any definitive legal statements on the issue.
The Justice Secretary, Liz Truss, has said "My understanding is that it is irrevocable," while the Brexit Secretary, David Davis, said in December 2016: "Is it irrevocable? I don't know."
In the recent UK Supreme Court case on Article 50, both sides assumed that it was irrevocable and the court judgement concluded: "We are content to proceed on the basis that that is correct, without expressing any view of our own."
So this is not an issue that has been formally tested in a UK court.
But European Council President Donald Tusk has said that he believes Article 50 can be reversed.
When asked if the UK could unilaterally withdraw its Article 50 notification during the next two years, he said, "Formally, legally, yes."
Lord Kerr - the former British ambassador to the EU, who helped draft Article 50 - agreed.
"You can change your mind while the process is going on," he said.
He acknowledged that this might annoy the rest of the EU, and be seen as a huge waste of time.
"They might try to extract a political price," Lord Kerr said, "but legally they couldn't insist that you leave."
The distinction between political and legal opinion on this issue is critical. The politics might become way too complicated if the UK tried to change its mind.
But who might have the final legal say on what could yet become a critical question?
Article 50 is a piece of European law, so the ultimate arbiter on this issue is the European Court of Justice.
There is an ongoing case in Dublin at the moment that is seeking to refer the question of irrevocability to the European Court to get a definitive answer.
One other point is worth bearing in mind: everyone is talking about a two-year period for negotiating under Article 50, at the end of which the UK would leave the EU.
But Article 50 does provide for that two-year period to be extended, if all 28 EU countries, including the UK, agreed.
No-one is advocating that, but it remains a legal possibility.
The argument that Article 50 cannot be reversed once it has been triggered has not been tested in court.
The rest of the EU has said it does not want the UK to leave, but - politically speaking - it would be very difficult to revoke notification of Article 50, and the current UK government says it has no intention of doing so.
Read more from Reality Check


A court in Istanbul has released a leading Turkish newspaper editor arrested during raids on media offices at the weekend.

Ekrem Dumanli, editor-in-chief of Zaman, was among eight suspects freed after being held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.
Four others, including a TV station boss, have been kept in custody.
It comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cracks down on supporters of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The raids at the weekend took place a year after corruption allegations against allies of Mr Erdogan emerged. He said it was a plot orchestrated by Mr Gulen's supporters to topple him - something Mr Gulen denies.
The chairman of Samanyolu TV, Hidayet Karaca, was among those detained. A court in Istanbul ordered on Friday that he and three others continue to be held.
Samanyolu TV is among the media organisations with close ties to Mr Gulen, the spiritual leader of the Hizmet movement and a rival of Mr Erdogan.
Some 23 people - including journalists, producers and scriptwriters - were arrested during the raids on accusations of forming an illegal organisation and trying to seize control of the state.
Critics say the police operation is an attempt to silence free press.
Turkish media reports said on Friday that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of Mr Gulen.
Earlier this year there were moves to extradite him from the US, where he has lived in self-imposed exile since 1999.


Tributes have been paid to Scottish rugby great Hugh McLeod, from Hawick, who died on Monday at the age of 81.

The Scottish Rugby Union said it was "saddened to learn" of the death of the former Scotland and British Lions prop.
He made his international debut against France in 1954 and won 40 consecutive caps for his country.
Mr McLeod, dubbed the "Hawick Hardman" due to his strength and fitness, was inducted into Scottish Rugby's Hall of Fame last year.
As well as playing for the British Lions in 1955 and 1959, he played 14 times for the Barbarians between those years.
His last international was a draw against England in March 1962.
Off the field, he worked in the building trade and went on to own a sports shop.
He played all his club rugby for Hawick, went on to be president, and was named in the club's greatest ever team.
Current Hawick president Rory Bannerman said: "He was the consummate professional and a legend throughout the rugby world.
"He will be a well-missed figure cycling up and down the High Street in Hawick where you didn't want to get in his way just like on the field.
"Hugh was probably the greatest ever player to pull on the green jersey for Hawick."


A Bill described as "a bonfire of child protection rights", which would let councils opt out of key legal duties to children, was debated on Tuesday.

The Children and Social Work Bill would let local councils apply to set aside children's rights and checks on care to try out innovative ways of working.
The government argues it is a bold approach to removing red tape.
But campaigners say allowing councils to opt out of these long-standing duties is risky and unnecessary.
The legal duties affected by the Bill relate to nearly all the social care services children receive from local authorities laid down in numerous acts of Parliament.
These include statutory rights on child protection, family support, children's homes and fostering, support to care leavers and services for disabled children.
About 50 organisations publicly oppose the proposed exemptions - including the British Association of Social Workers, The Care Leavers' Association, Women's Aid, Liberty and the National Association of People Abused in Childhood.
They have banded together to form a group called Together for Children to oppose the Bill, which was debated by a House of Lords committee on Tuesday.
The organisation said: "Children's social care laws have evolved over many decades, often in response to failures in care and protection but also because of new knowledge and understanding."
Carolyne Willow, director of independent children's rights organisation Article 39, said: "More than 107,000 members of the public have signed a petition opposing the plan.
"With such a radical and unprecedented change to children's law, it's not unreasonable to demand a Green and White Paper consultation.
"We have been unable to find any example of any other country which allows councils to opt out of their duties to very vulnerable children and young people, including those the state is directly responsible for by law."
If the Bill becomes law, local authorities would be able to apply to the Secretary of State to be exempted from one or more legal duties for a period of three years, initially, so it can try out new ways of working. This could then be extended for a further three years.
The government argues this would allow children's services departments to pilot new ways of working and potentially achieve better outcomes. It also insists no-one would be put at risk.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Local authorities should have the freedom to work with social workers so they can develop new and effective ways of supporting the vulnerable children in their care.
"We know that over-regulation can get in the way of good social work practice and the power to innovate will allow us to test new approaches in a carefully controlled and monitored way. To suggest it would place children at risk is simply wrong."
It comes after a government-commissioned review of social work suggested departments were tied up in procedural knots and tick-box regulations.
But children's groups, as well as peers who debated the bill, argue there is no need to scrap key planks of primary legislation which guarantee children's rights, to allow innovation.
They argue that it is more the rules, regulations and guidance attached to that legislation that could be set aside.
The Bill has seen significant sections defeated by crossbench and Labour peers in the Lords, but these have largely been reinstated in new clauses.
Shadow children's minister Emma Lewell-Buck said ministers had turned a deaf ear to reasoned objections, by reintroducing these proposals with minimal amendments.
"This legislation breaks with the post-war consensus of protecting the most vulnerable children in our communities, by removing the obligations on local authorities to carry out a series of measures which benefit them.
"It could allow local authorities to fail to provide accommodation to looked-after children, remove the requirement to assess the needs of disabled children as they approach adulthood and even prevent children in care having reasonable contact with their parents."
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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered officials to open up to civilians the heavily-fortified area of Baghdad known as the Green Zone.

The 10km (four miles) sq area housing government buildings became off-limits to the public as a security measure in the wake of the 2003 US occupation.
It is the latest in a series of steps by Mr Abadi to ease sectarian tensions and crack down on corruption.
Baghdad has seen weeks of protests over poor services and abuses of power.
Earlier this month, in a rare show of unity, the Iraqi parliament backed Mr Abadi's programme to abolish top government posts and cut spending.
On Friday, the prime minister issued instructions to lift restrictions on the Green Zone. It is not clear when the plan will be implemented.
The compound, in the Karkh district on the west bank of the Tigris, is surrounded by concrete walls and heavily guarded by checkpoints and tanks.
It houses former palaces of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and was the administrative headquarters of the US occupation authorities. Several foreign embassies, including those of the US and UK, are situated there.
Most Iraqis have been excluded from the Green Zone unless they have special permission, and large bribes have been paid to get round stringent entry procedures, according to AFP news agency.
The zone has been targeted by bombings and rockets over the years, and the fortification measures were aimed at making it more secure, although attacks in Baghdad are still commonplace.
Mr Abadi also ordered the removal of barriers and checkpoints set up on main roads and sidestreets in Baghdad and elsewhere by prominent figures and militias.
The order to lift the restrictions is part of a series of measures to defuse tensions and root out corruption. A panel will also be set up to recover state property appropriated by elites which are found to have been illegally obtained.
In recent weeks, thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets in Baghdad and other cities to protest against the failure to provide basic services and against corruption.
They have been backed by Iraq's preeminent Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and powerful Shia militia leader, Moqtada Sadr.


Robin Hood has hailed the decision to award Nottingham Castle with £14m of lottery funding.

The money will go towards a £30m revamp of the castle which will showcase 1,000 years of Nottingham's history.
Tim Pollard, the city's official Robin Hood, read from a scroll delivered on horseback announcing the securing of the Heritage Lottery Fund money.
Nottingham City Council hope the project will attract 40,000 visitors in the first year.
In a special event at the castle, Mr Pollard, dressed as the famous outlaw, said: "A message has arrived from the Heritage Lottery Fund, my friends, I can now announce that we have been successful."
Nottingham City Council said the money will help transform the castle and make it a "source of pride" for the people of the city.
Many tourists say they are disappointed when they see the building, which was substantially demolished in the 17th Century.
While there will be an interactive Robin Hood gallery, displays will also be themed around industry and rebellion in Nottingham.
Jonathan Platt, head of Heritage Lottery Fund East Midlands, said while the castle will always be linked to Robin Hood there were many other stories linked to "political rebellion, riots and intrigue".
He said: "This extraordinary historic building will once more become a focal point for Nottingham."
As well as new galleries, works include restoration to the gatehouse and galleries, a remodelling of the grounds, a new visitor centre and better access to the caves.
About £5.5m of the total cost of the revamp will come from council taxpayers, the authority has confirmed.
The council expects to attract 40,000 visitors in the first year and claims the scheme would boost the local economy by more than £90m over 10 years.


Aston Villa have signed former Chelsea and England captain John Terry.

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The 36-year-old defender, whose contract at Stamford Bridge expired on 30 June, has signed a one-year deal with the Championship club.
Terry said he turned down offers to carry on playing in the Premier League for more money because he did not want to play against Chelsea.
He won 78 caps for England, played 717 games for the Blues and won his fifth Premier League title in May.
Villa finished 13th in the Championship last season but Steve Bruce's side are among the favourites to win automatic promotion to the top flight in 2017-18.
Birmingham City manager Harry Redknapp said in June that his club had made an offer to Terry, who announced in April that he would be leaving Chelsea.
Terry has played for only two other English clubs - Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, with whom he had a short loan spell in 2000.
Terry, who made his debut as a late substitute in a League Cup tie against Villa in 1998, said he had lots of offers to play abroad as well as remain in the top flight.
But he said: "The mental side of playing against Chelsea was too much to get over for me. I was there for 22 years at the football club. I am very proud of that but this is a new chapter in my life and career.
"My thoughts are 100% here and the ambition is to get us back to the Premier League. It's a huge club. Villa Park is one of the finest stadiums in the country and there's a good group of players here.
"I can't wait to get started now and look to help the squad achieve something special this season. It's a club that deserves to be in the Premier League and I still want to continue playing.
"I am hungry to still play with a team and manager that has the same ambition as me to get promoted."
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Pat Murphy, BBC Radio 5 live
The key to Terry's decision to join Villa is his high regard for Bruce and Steve Round.
Villa did not offer the best financial deal but there is a massive mutual respect between the player, Villa's manager and the director of football.
Round forged a close working relationship with Terry when he was assistant to England head coach Steve McClaren and Terry was the highly influential captain. When Fabio Capello succeeded McClaren, Terry lobbied in vain for Round to be kept on England's coaching staff. Terry always hoped he would work with him again at club level.
The package offered by Villa is a very handsome one. He could clear around £4m next season if all the incentives are achieved, especially promotion, but he would have earned a lot more if he had joined other clubs - including several from the Premier League, China, the United States or Turkey's Galatasaray.
Terry knows his own worth. He was never going to come cheap. But this move to Villa is more about professional ambition and the value of good contacts. It is a coup for Bruce and Round, who stayed doggedly in the inside track, keeping Villa's nose ahead.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


There would "almost certainly" be a second independence referendum if the UK votes to leave the EU and Scotland does not, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The SNP leader said she hoped the situation did not arise, but said there would be "overwhelming" support for a second poll in the event of a Brexit.
The power to call a referendum is reserved, so any new vote would need permission from Westminster.
Opposition parties said Scotland should "move on" from the issue.
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland programme, Ms Sturgeon said that she would be "campaigning very hard" for a Remain vote in Scotland, but she said it was "very highly likely" there would be a fresh independence referendum if Scotland voted to remain while the UK voted to leave.
She said it would be a "democratic outrage" if Scotland were "dragged out of Europe against our will", and said there would be "overwhelming demand" for a fresh referendum.
She said: "It would depend on circumstances, on the narrowness of the results overall.
"I'm hoping the scenario doesn't arise, which is why I'm reluctant to get dragged into it. But given the centrality of the EU issue to the Scottish independence referendum and the fact those campaigning then for the No vote said we'd get chucked out of Europe if we voted Yes, to now get dragged out of Europe against our will I think would lead to many people saying it's time to think again.
"If we are taken out of the EU against our will I will want to give the people of Scotland the opportunity to protect our EU membership by looking again at the issue of independence."
Pressed on whether this meant she planned to hold a referendum as soon as polls show she is likely to win it, Ms Sturgeon said it would be "democratic" to let the people of Scotland decide, adding that it would be an "affront to democracy" should this be blocked.
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, who previously said it was "not unconceivable" that she could vote for Scottish independence in the event of the UK leaving the EU, insisted on the same programme that she would reject independence "in every scenario".
She said: "I was very proud to vote No, and I would do so again.
"There will be a very clear commitment in the Scottish Labour manifesto, that we oppose a second independence referendum.
"In every scenario I would vote No again, because I believe the economic case for independence has fallen apart."
Ms Dugdale would not be drawn on whether Labour MSPs would be allowed to campaign for independence, saying Scotland needed to move on from the issue.
She also insisted she would not resign as leader if the Conservatives beat Labour into second place and said she was aiming to win May's election, adding: "It's not enough to aspire to lead the opposition."
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said she did not think there should be a second referendum.
Speaking to Sky News, Ms Davidson said Ms Sturgeon was seeking a second referendum "as soon as she thinks she can win one".
She said: "I'm sorry, constitutional politics doesn't work like that. I for one will be standing in her way and saying I want to speak up for the two million people who voted to remain part of the United Kingdom and to stand up for the decision she made, the agreement she signed with the UK government that she'd respect the result.
"Starting a new campaign for independence doesn't sound like respect for me.
"This was all discussed at the time of the independence referendum. And I don't think there will be a British exit from Europe - I think we've seen this week that as people have turned their attention to it in other parts of the UK, the gap is growing for that."
Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said the SNP "should not be jumping at any opportunity to find ways to justify a second independence referendum".
He said: "We had one of the biggest democratic experiences in our lifetime, with a massive turnout, and people said very clearly that we want to stay in the United Kingdom.
"The SNP said they would respect that result, but are planning a new referendum campaign after the summer. I think we need to move on and focus on the next five years, on making Scotland the best again.
"The SNP seem to be stuck in the past, reliving the argument about independence over and over again. Lets just move on."
Green co-convenor Patrick Harvie said "many people" would call for a second referendum in the scenario described by Ms Sturgeon.
However, he said the best chance of winning a new referendum would be "in the context of us all voting to stay in".
He said: "If we vote to stay in the EU, I think we'll be in a far stronger position to continue to build the case for independence.
"If we care about Scottish independence, if we think the case for Scottish independence is still strong, the clearest way to make a context for us to win that referendum is for us to vote to stay in the European Union.
"We should only have the referendum when the people of Scotland are ready for it."


More than 30 Dalit have tried to take their own lives recently in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

They say it was a protest against the public beating of four low-caste Dalit men by cow-protection vigilantes, but psychiatrists have said their extreme response could be a case of mass hysteria, as BBC Hindi's Vineet Khare reports.
A recent video of the four men, believed to be tannery workers, being stripped and beaten with sticks, allegedly by members of a Hindu hardline group in Gujarat's Una town, sparked massive protests by Dalit groups.
The men had been trying to skin a dead cow. Many Hindus consider cows sacred and their slaughter is banned in many Indian states.
As the video gained traction online, some Dalit youth decided to kill themselves as an extreme form of protest.
Dalit groups told the BBC that one man died, but the rest were saved by relatives or friends.
Among them was Jagdeesh Bhai, a daily wage worker who earns about 400 rupees ($6; Â£4.50) a day.
"I did it for my community. We want justice. We don't get justice", he told BBC Hindi.
Mr Bhai was found by members of his family who immediately rushed him to hospital, where he is receiving treatment.
"Images from the video had been circulating in my head. They hit our brothers," he said, adding that he did not know what else he could do.
Suicide as a means of protest has been employed across the world, most notably in recent times by Tibetan monks who have set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese rule.
But the action taken in Gujarat has been called "unprecedented" by Indian experts, who say that the extreme step shows the sheer desperation of the community.
"I have not met any of those who have attempted suicide but it looks like a case of mass hysteria, a need to be noticed," psychiatrist Himanshu Desai from the Gujarat city of Ahmadabad told the BBC.
"These people have fewer opportunities to come up. They are also impacted by how the media has covered the incident and put the spotlight on the condition of the community."
This is compounded by the fact that there are no mental health facilities or resources available to the community.
The Gujarat village Mr Bhai belongs to, for instance, has no access to mental health facilities, and the government hospital he is receiving treatment in has no psychologists or senior counsellors.
The only people attempting to comfort the troubled men in the hospital beds are their friends and family members.
A relative of Dineshbhai Rajabhai Vegda gestures at the man lying immobile in bed.
"Doctors say he is fine but I don't think so. He repeats words, he slurs, he has no control over his actions. Sometimes he begins to laugh and then breaks into sobs. He has become like someone who is mentally ill," he said.
"The video of this incident has had a psychological impact on him. Sometimes he uses so much force it's difficult to control him."
The father of Mahesh Raja Rathore, another Dalit man who attempted suicide, says he does not believe his son did the right thing.
"Yes it is true that we are discriminated against. To this day, we cannot eat along with members of the upper caste from our village. But how will this solve anything?" he told BBC Hindi.
His son says he consumed poison in an attempt to get the "culprits" in the video punished.
"You would have seen in the papers how badly the Dalits are treated in Gujarat. These incidents refuse to cease.  When I saw the video, I felt what's the use of this life?" he said.
Similarly, Kishorebhai Solanki, said he attempted suicide because he "felt angry", but is now more hopeful that the uproar created by the video will translate into some justice.
"I saw on TV that Mayawati [Indian Dalit leader] is coming over. I think something for the Dalits will happen. The culprits should be sent to jail for at least 15 years," he said.


Adam Sandler has topped Forbes' list of Hollywood's most overpaid actors for a second consecutive year.

The comedian came ahead of Johnny Depp and Ben Stiller, who complete the top three, to pick up the honour.
The rankings were decided by the magazine after comparing actors' estimated pay with the budget and revenue of the last three films they starred in before June 2014.
Animated films and cameos were not included in the list.
Although Sandler's latest film Grown Ups 2 took $246m (£158.4m) at the global box office, it didn't make up for the more disappointing takings of 48-year-old's previous releases, Jack and Jill and That's My Boy.
It's estimated that for every $1 (64p) Sandler was paid, he returned an average of $3.20 (£2).
By comparison, Emma Stone - who topped Forbes' 2013 best actors for the buck list - returned an estimated $80.70 (£51.94) for every $1 she was paid for her last three movies.
Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp is second on the 2014 overpaid list, returning an average of $4.10 (£2.64) for each dollar he was paid.
The 51-year-old's average was lowered by recent films The Lone Ranger and Dark Shadows.
Comedian Ben Stiller, whose film Night at the Museum: Secrets of the Tomb was released in the UK earlier this month, is number three on the list.
His estimated return of $4.80 (£3.09) owes itself to Tower Heist and The Watch not performing too well at the box office.
The top five is completed by Ryan Reynolds, with a return of $4.90 (£3.15) for each dollar paid, and Oscar winner Tom Hanks, who pulled in a $5.20 (£3.35) return.
According to Forbes, Cloud Atlas - which sees Hanks taking on six roles - was an expensive flop for the actor.
Will Ferrell ($6.60, £4.25), Channing Tatum ($6.70, £4.31), Denzel Washington ($6.90, £4.44) and Ben Affleck ($9.37, £6.03) also appear in the top 10.
Sandra Bullock is the only actress to appear on the list, coming in ninth with a return of ($9, $5.37).
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


Two Americans have been killed and a further three have been injured after a gunman opened fire on a military base in Kabul, Afghanistan, officials say.

A service member and a civilian were killed in the attack, which Afghan officials are calling an "insider" job.
Two civilians and a service member are in a stable condition, a Nato military alliance statement said.
The gunman has been killed. No insurgent group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Americans were said to be conducting duties as part of their mission to  train, advise and assist Afghan forces when they came under attack.
"Anytime we lose a member of our team, it is deeply painful," said General  John Nicholson, the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan. "Our sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and the units of those involved in this incident."
Dawlat Waziri, a spokesman for the Afghan defence ministry, said the ministry had launched an investigation into the incident.
The US ended major combat operations in Afghanistan at the end of 2014.
There are currently about 9,000 US soldiers in the country, with a mission to train Afghan forces and support operations against the Taliban and other militant groups.
US troops were to be reduced to 5,500, but President Barack Obama subsequently announced a slowdown in the US military withdrawal in July, saying 8,400 soldiers would stay there into next year.


Transport officials in Washington DC have blocked plans by an American free speech pressure group to have a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad displayed on the subway.

The American Freedom Defense Initiative wanted to display the cartoon, which won first prize at an event in Texas.
Two gunmen were shot dead by police outside the event earlier this month.
Washington transport authorities on Thursday banned political, religious and advocacy adverts on the subway.
The transport authority in the US capital voted unanimously to suspend advertisements it describes as "issue-oriented".
AFDI founder Pamela Geller strongly criticised the decision to ban the advert, describing it as an attack on free of speech.
Ms Geller commented on her website that "rewarding terror with submission is defeat, absolute and complete defeat.
"These cowards may claim that they are making people safer, but I submit to you the opposite. They are making it far more dangerous for Americans  everywhere."
The advert calls for Americans to support free speech and features a bearded, turban-wearing Muhammad waving a sword and shouting: "You can't draw me!"
In reply, a cartoon bubble portrays an artist grasping a pencil and saying: "That's why I draw you."
Ms Geller insists the cartoon is a "political opinion" which does not contain any violence.
Her organisation, described by critics as a hate group, has run controversial adverts on subways and buses in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco as well as in Washington's Metro in 2012.
Pamela Geller: America's 'bigoted blogger'


A baby girl in the US born with HIV and believed cured after very early treatment has now been found to still harbour the virus.

Tests last week on the four-year-old child from Mississippi indicate she is no longer in remission, say doctors.
She had appeared free of HIV as recently as March, without receiving treatment for nearly two years.
The news represents a setback for hopes that very early treatment of drugs may reverse permanent infection.
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told US media the new results were "obviously disappointing" and had possible implications on an upcoming federal HIV study.
"We're going to take a good hard look at the study and see if it needs any modifications," he said.
By James Gallagher, Health editor, BBC News website
There was huge hope that the "Mississippi baby" would live a life free of the HIV.
Antiretroviral drugs can keep the virus in check in the bloodstream, but HIV has hiding places - known as reservoirs - in the gut and brain.
If treatment stops, then the virus emerges from its reservoirs and begins its assault afresh.
Doctors had hoped that starting drug treatment within hours of birth would prevent the reservoirs forming.
This seems not to have been the case.
This case was never going to lead to an HIV-cure for infected adults, who begin treatment months or years after infection.
The Mississippi baby has become a reminder of how difficult HIV is to defeat and how distant a cure really is.
BBC News: A cure for HIV?
The child, nicknamed the "Mississippi baby", did not receive any pre-natal HIV care.
Because of a greater risk of infection, she was started on a powerful HIV treatment just hours after labour.
She continued to receive treatment until 18 months old, when doctors could not locate her. When she returned 10 months later, no sign of infection was evident though her mother had not given her HIV medication in the interim.
Repeated tests showed no detectable HIV virus until last week. Doctors do not yet know why the virus re-emerged.
A second child with HIV was given early treatment just hours after birth in Los Angeles in April 2013.
Subsequent tests indicate she completely cleared the virus, but that child also received ongoing treatment.
Only one adult is currently believed to have been cured of HIV.
In 2007, Timothy Ray Brown received a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that resists HIV. He has shown no signs of infection for more than five years.


Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has warned students about online pornography in a talk at the Oxford Union.

She spoke alongside Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, an American author, TV host and public speaker.
The pair recently warned that consuming porn could have "corrosive effects on a man's soul" in a Wall Street Journal article.
At the union, Anderson said she feared the "numbing effect" of pornography.
She said: "I'm worried about how violent pornography can lead to violence against women.
"I'm just trying to encourage intimate, loving relationships which are safe and inspiring."
Rabbi Boteach told the Oxford Union Anderson was a woman of 'courage', and that it is not easy for somebody in her position to speak about the way women are treated.
He said pornography was damaging relationships: "There is a portrayal of women that actually subverts lust and creates complacency."
Rabbi Boteach argued it had  killed off "marriage, female sexuality, female libido and finally sex itself" because it broke the connection between lust and love.
In their Wall Street Journal article the rabbi and Pamela Anderson wrote: "Porn is for losers - a boring, wasteful and dead-end outlet for people too lazy to reap the ample rewards of healthy sexuality."
It was not Anderson's first visit to the Oxford Union - in 2010 she spoke to students about vegetarianism.


Transport officials from the Scottish government have held talks on the possibility of extending the Borders Railway beyond Tweedbank.

Infrastructure minister Keith Brown has confirmed that officers have discussed a feasibility study on linking the rail line with Carlisle, through Hawick.
News of the discussions emerged in response to a parliamentary question tabled by MSP Jim Hume.
The new 30-mile Borders Railway is expected to open in September.
In answer to Mr Hume's question, Mr Brown said the government had played an active part in taking forward the Borders Railway Blueprint for the Future.
He added: "Transport Scotland officials have already met with partners and offered initial advice on a scoping document which will explore the possibility of extending the Borders railway towards Hawick and Carlisle."
The announcement was welcomed by the Lib Dem MSP for the south of Scotland.
Mr Hume said: "I have no doubt that such a project would greatly benefit communities not just in the Borders but also in Dumfriesshire, and would draw even further on the already clear tourism opportunities from the line reaching Tweedbank.
"Local campaigners such as the Campaign for Borders Rail have kept the focus on this issue and this positive response from the Scottish government must now be the building blocks for progress on an extended rail link.
"I will continue to encourage Ministers to drive the initiative forward."


Israel's shadowy international spy agency, Mossad, is seeking to bolster its ranks with more women, launching its first recruitment drive specifically targeting females.

"Powerful women needed," ads published in national newspapers say alongside the face of a woman obscured in shadow.
Mossad already has a staff that is 40% female, with 24% of them in key senior roles, local media report.
Women have been praised as better secret agents by a former Mossad chief.
Tamir Pardo said in 2012 that female agents "have a distinct advantage in secret warfare because of their ability to multitask" and they "suppress their ego in order to attain goals," according to the Jerusalem Post.
"Contrary to stereotypes, you see that women's abilities are superior to men in terms of understanding the territory, reading situations, spatial awareness. When they're good, they're very good," the then-agency chief said.
The Mossad website tells would-be female recruits: "It's not what you've done, it's who you are."
Have you got what it takes to be a spy?
Listen to BBC Radio 4 documentary 'The Mossad' (2010)


Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett is to run in the London Marathon to raise money for a meningitis charity, just two games from the end of promotion-chasing Blues' season.

Rowett will be running the 26.2-mile course on 24 April, less than 24 hours after play-off hopefuls Blues' Championship fixture at Huddersfield.
He will be running with Becky Doyle, wife of ex-Blues keeper Colin Doyle.
They will raise money for the Liam's Smiles charity, set up by Mrs Doyle.
She founded the charity to support other families who see their children go through the same life-threatening condition as her son Liam, now five, who was only weeks old when he contracted meningitis.
Doyle is no longer at the club, having left to play for Blackpool last summer, but the former Blues goalkeeper's son's progress is sufficient incentive for Rowett to keep on running.
"When you see children suffering from these illnesses, you realise there are a lot more important things in life than just football," Rowett told BBC WM. "I've got four kids, they're all healthy, and God help it stays that way.
"This is something I've wanted to do for a while. When you're in a public position where people listen to you, sometimes you have to use that for the benefit of something.
"I know there are a lot of good charities out there, but we could make a real difference.  It's a cause that we're close to. If we had 20,000 there for a game at St Andrew's and 16,000 of them are Blues fans, if every fan gave a quid, then you're talking about £16,000 just from one game."
Rowett's only problem is to keep his training programme as well timed as his side's promotion bid, which had been progressing nicely with a six-match unbeaten league run until Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday.
That was Blues' first defeat since losing on Boxing Day, also against the Owls, dropping his side back to eighth in the table.
"I have to make sure I don't take my eye off what we're doing here. But I've got up to 16 miles now," said Rowett, 41.
"I did the Leicester one four years ago and I'm a little bit ahead of that, but I did my 16-mile run on Sunday and it was hard going. I got to 12 and crumbled for some reason.
"But I remember coming in one day and saying how sore my knee was and Becky telling me a few more stories and I just thought I'd better shut up, stop moaning and get on with it."
As a former Derby County player, highly-rated Rowett was quickly linked with the managerial vacancy created by Paul Clement's surprise sacking by the Rams on Monday.
He has already been the subject of media speculation following similar vacancies this season at two other Championship sides, Fulham and Charlton Athletic.
"To see Gary Rowett's name linked with the Derby vacancy is absolutely inevitable," said BBC WM's Richard Wilford.
"He played there for several seasons, he lives near the city and his son is a big-time Rams fan. He will also have impressed the Derby hierarchy with the manner of Blues' 3-0 triumph there last month.
"However, Rowett may well feel obliged to see out the season at St Andrew's, not least given his squad's continuing flirtation with the play-off places, and given his pledge to stay on after considering the Fulham job."


A woman whose daughter died just hours after birth had a "perfectly normal" labour with "no known risks", her midwife told a fatal accident inquiry.

Nevaeh Stewart died three-and-a-half hours after she was born at Montrose Royal Infirmary's community midwife unit on 30 September 2012.
The hearing has previously heard the unit described by the baby's father  as an "emergency response blackpot".
The inquiry into Nevaeh's death is being held at Forfar Sheriff Court.
The baby's mother Kimberley Stewart went to the unit after going into labour at her home in Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire, on 29 September and gave birth the following morning.
The fatal accident inquiry heard that midwives called doctors at Ninewells Hospital to alert them to Nevaeh's "pale and floppy" appearance within ten minutes of Nevaeh's birth at 05:10.
Thirty minutes later midwives noted that a neo-natal transport team was "en-route" from Dundee, 32 miles away, but that they did not  arrive until 07:15.
By that time the two midwives working at the unit had begun CPR after they lost Nevaeh's pulse.
Sandra Menzies, who retired after 30 years working at Montrose Royal Infirmary three months after the tragedy, told the inquiry that the midwife-led maternity unit was the only part of the hospital in operation overnight with no doctors anywhere in the building.
She told how she and fellow midwife Suzanne Knox were "concerned" that Nevaeh might die when she was born pale and floppy and was not breathing
Ms Menzies said: "She was marked as low-risk care. When baby was born she needed to be resuscitated.
"I opened her airway and gave her five ventilation breaths - her chest was moving which was a good sign.
"Suzanne called Ninewells and before the call even ended baby was breathing spontaneously."
However, despite Nevaeh having a normal heart rate and breathing on her own, she remained pale, floppy and non-responsive.
Fiscal depute Nicola Ross asked: "Would it be an unusual situation for baby to have a heart rate and have respiratory effort - and look to be in that condition?"
Ms Menzies replied: "Yes - it was very unusual. The numbers looked good. The baby did not."
In earlier evidence, the baby's parents have criticised the emergency response available to mothers at community maternity units.
The inquiry continues and is scheduled to be held over seven days between now and September.


The Nigerian military has made six arrests after four soldiers and a policeman were killed in an attack by suspected pirates in the oil-rich Niger Delta on Friday.

Security forces also recovered a cache of arms and ammunition in the raid on their camp, the army said.
Gunmen in four speed boats targeted the military checkpoint in southern Bayelsa state on Friday, authorities said.
Piracy and organised crime linked to oil theft are common in the region.
Soldiers destroyed the camp in neighbouring Rivers state and are now trying to track down others who escaped, according to a statement from the Joint task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta.
Other items recovered included three speed boats, communication gadgets and generators, it said.
Danger zone: Chasing West Africa's pirates
Has Nigeria's Niger Delta managed to buy peace?
It is not yet clear who was behind the attack.
Most of Nigeria's oil wealth comes from the Niger Delta, but it remains poor and underdeveloped.
An amnesty in 2009 for tens of thousands of oil militants - who receive a monthly stipend from the government - stemmed the level of violence in the region.
But some of the former militants have turned to piracy.


We're in week two of Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, and - thanks to a New York Times article about a yet-to-be-released book - her family's financial interests are under increased scrutiny.

The book in question is Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich - and it's fairly clear from the title exactly what conclusions author Peter Schweizer draws.
He alleges that while Mrs Clinton was secretary of state, her family's non-profit organisation, the Clinton Foundation, was accepting donations from foreign interests and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was bringing in six-figure fees for speeches overseas in exchange for special considerations and favours.
Questions about the propriety of the foundation's donation policy aren't new. The International Business Times, for instance, has published a series of articles digging deep into the Clinton family's relations with Colombian petroleum company Pacific Rubiales and its founder, Canadian-born billionaire Frank Giustra, who sits on the Clinton Foundation board.
Word of this book has been bubbling in conservative circles for a while - Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has been alluding to the "big news" ever since he launched his presidential bid in early April.
But the New York Times article, which calls Schweizer's work the "most anticipated and feared book" of the presidential cycle so far, has boosted interest in the topic.
So what can we make of all this? Here are five questions to get us started.
Schweizer's book isn't scheduled to be released until 5 May, so the quotes being circulated have been provided by Amy Chozick of the New York Times, who has seen a preview copy.
According to the Times, Schweizer writes: "We will see a pattern of financial transactions involving the Clintons that occurred contemporaneous with favourable US policy decisions benefiting those providing the funds."
Some of the "hundreds of large transactions" that the Clintons have made during Mrs Clinton's time in public service, he writes, "have put millions in their own pockets".
While Mrs Clinton was secretary of state, Schweizer writes, her husband was being paid by foreign interests as much as $500,000 (Â£335,000) to give speeches. In 2011 he gave 54 speeches for $13.3m "the majority of which were made overseas".
Schweizer contends that Mrs Clinton backed a free-trade agreement with Colombia that benefitted a donor's South American "natural resources investments" (presumably a reference to Giustra), had conflicts of interest in the recovery efforts after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and received "more than $1 million" from a Canadian bank that was funding the proposed Keystone XL pipeline through the US while the State Department was considering whether to approve the project.
The State Department review in question has not yet been concluded, it should be noted, more than two years after Mrs Clinton left office.
Clinton Cash is published by HarperCollins, a mainstream US house - not a more partisan imprint like Regnery, which has made a small fortune from anti-Clinton books. Critics will be quick to point out that HarperCollins is owned by conservative media magnate Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, however.
Schweizer is a former speechwriting consultant for Republican President George W Bush, a fellow at the conservative California-based think tank the Hoover Institution, president of the Government Accountability Institute and a senior editor-at-large for Breitbart.com, a right-wing news and opinion website.
He's written two other books, Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes and Line Their Own Pockets and Throw Them All Out: How Politicians and Their Friends Get Rich Off Insider Stock Tips, Land Deals and Cronyism That Would Send the Rest of Us to Jail.
In Extortion, Schweizer accuses members of Congress, Republican and Democratic, of running a glorified protection racket, where they shake down donors under the threat of adverse legislation.
"Pay me money, and I will promise not to make your life miserable," is how he describes it to the National Journal. "Fail to pay, and bad things will happen to you."
It was enough to stir the ire of Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner, who said Schweizer was making "bogus and salacious claims to sell books".
Others have defended Schweizer's work.
"Schweizer is no hack," tweets Scott Lincicome of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. "He's written several great books on DC corruption."
Not surprisingly, many on the right are heralding the book as further evidence of Clinton malfeasance - and a possible major blow to Mrs Clinton's presidential ambitions.
"She's in big trouble," tweets Commentary's John Podhoretz.
It is yet further evidence of Mrs Clinton's secrecy and corruption, they contend - in what has become an early line of attack on candidate Clinton.
In an ironic twist many of the same commentators who regularly bash the New York Times are now citing its article as evidence supporting the seriousness of the charges against the former secretary of state.
"Dems attacking the messenger, but even the NYT admits his [Schweizer] reporting is solid and documented," writes Guy Benson, political editor of the conservative website Townhall.
Others on the right are less hopeful that the story will have a lasting impact, given the enthusiasm with which reporters covered Mrs Clinton's recent van tour of Iowa.
"Remember who we are dealing with here," writes Pocket Full of Liberty's Jay Caruso. "The spectacle of a bunch of professional journalists chasing after Hillary's Mystery Mobile like a gaggle of screaming teenage girls hoping to get a glimpse of a New Direction group member should give anybody pause to think they're going to ask any hard questions."
Now that Mrs Clinton's campaign is fully up and running, expect a robust defence of the Clinton Foundation, praising its global effort to address childhood obesity, Aids and poverty.
"The Clinton Foundation is a philanthropic organisation that funds programs to help people throughout this great nation and all over the world," says Adrienne Watson of Correct the Record, a liberal group supporting Mrs Clinton, in a press statement. She adds that if Republican candidates "think attacking the foundation for its work to stop the Aids epidemic in Africa is an electoral strategy, then bring it on."
The campaign will also likely attempt to paint Schweizer's book as just another right-wing attack on a woman who has been targeted by political hotheads and conspiracy theorists for decades.
"Schweizer is a partisan right-wing activist whose writings have been marked with falsehoods and retractions, with numerous reporters excoriating him for facts that 'do not check out', sources that 'do not exist' and a basic failure to practice 'Journalism 101'," writes David Brock of the liberal group Media Matters for America.
Brian Fallon, a Clinton campaign spokesperson, also offers an opening shot, as quoted by the Times: "It will not be the first work of partisan-fueled fiction about the Clintons' record, and we know it will not be the last."
The trick with any "appearance of impropriety" allegation is that, without concrete proof of corruption, the seriousness of the charge is in the eye of the beholder.
Will the book be able to make a connection between donations and official actions? That's a difficult task, and the Times article gives no indication that the book provides direct evidence.
This could, then, end up being treated like many of the other stories unfavourable to Mrs Clinton - trumpeted by her critics and dismissed by supporters.
According to Chozick, however, the Times - as well as the Washington Post and Fox News - have entered into "exclusive agreements" with Schweizer "to pursue the story lines found in the book". If these news outlets can unearth details of a quid pro quo, Mrs Clinton's political outlook could darken quickly.
Then again, it could lead some Clinton supporters to turn on the Post and the Times. In fact, it already has.
"The partnership between HarperCollins, Fox News and the nation's two leading newspapers amounts to an open declaration of war in a presidential election, and the consummation of an alliance with a totally disreputable 'news' conglomerate," writes the National Memo's Joe Conason. "This is the journalistic equivalent of the Hitler-Stalin pact."
At the very least Republican candidates for president will prominently feature Clinton Foundation references in their campaign stump speeches.
Mr Paul has added a form to his website asking visitors to provide "additional information" on foreign contributions to the foundation.
The risk for Republicans who want this story to gain traction is that the more this gets turned into another partisan football, the more it will fade into the growing din of campaign politics and hot air - whether it deserves to or not.


Wilfried Bony has thanked Swansea City and the club's fans after signing for Premier League rivals Manchester City.

The Ivory Coast striker, 26, has agreed a four-and-a-half-year deal at Etihad Stadium in a deal that could be worth up to £28m for the Welsh club.
Bony joined Swansea for a club-record £12m from Vitesse Arnhem in 2013 and scored 34 goals in 70 games for them.
"I'm going to really miss Swansea - the club and its people," Bony told the Swansea website.
"But it's a big challenge that I had to take, one I'm excited about.
"I'd like to thank everyone at Swansea from my playing colleagues, the coaches, medical team and the kit staff through to the chairman [Huw Jenkins], who has been great with me. There are too many people to mention.
"The fans are up there at the top, though, because they've also supported me from the very first day I arrived, even when things weren't going so well for me.
"They've kept singing my name at the Liberty which has meant so much to me.
"They would even sing the Wilfried Bony song when I walked down the street, which is unbelievable. We would have a good joke about it.
"I only have good things to say about life in Swansea and the people because they've always shown me warmth - on and off the pitch. I'm going to miss everyone."
Swansea and Premier League champions Manchester City agreed the terms of the transfer at the weekend, with £25m cash up front and a further £3m in performance-related add-ons.
The deal makes Bony one of the most expensive African footballers in history.
Bony is on international duty with Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations and could potentially have to wait until mid-February before he can make his City debut.
But the striker maintains that south Wales was the right place to start his Premier League career.
"I still believe that Swansea was the right club for me to join when I left Holland for the Premier League. I have no regrets, although it's going to be strange coming back to the Liberty to play against Swansea," Bony added.
"But now was the right time for me to gain more experience and challenge myself with Champions League football and to try and win trophies.
"I have spoken to the coach [Garry Monk] today and he has wished me good luck for the future. I would also like to thank him, not just as the coach but also when he was a player last season, because he has helped me a lot.
"I will also speak to Ash [Swansea and Wales centre-back Ashley Williams] later to thank him as captain and to pass on my gratitude to the rest of the squad.
"It's a good squad that will continue to do well this season. I have no doubts about that."


A grizzly bear has been captured filming herself and other bears after taking and trying to eat the camera of a University of Cumbria student.

John Kitchin, a visual ecologist, was filming the bears on a bridge in Knight Inlet in British Columbia, Canada.
While he was interviewing a bear biologist on a platform below the bridge, a female grizzly spotted his camera and took it.
Mr Kitchin said as soon as she smelt the camera she made a "beeline for it".
The up-close and personal encounter with the bear shows her stealing and chewing the camera, as well as capturing shots of other bears on the bridge.
Mr Kitchin said: "A young female grizzly was being very curious, chewing on the bridge, peering over at us, while her mother and sibling were on the other side of the bridge watching some other bears in the river below.
"But as soon as she smelled the camera she made a beeline for it. She actually dropped it but came straight back and then took it to the other side of the bridge to have a little chew on it.
"The point of view is just incredible: her roving eye, the dexterity of her nose, her family peering to see what she hasâ€¦ and her claws, legs and fur as she walks along. The footage is the closest I've ever been to a grizzly bear."


Owain Doull has won Wales' first gold of the 2016 Olympics as  he helped the Great Britain men's team pursuit defend their cycling title in Rio.

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Doull emulated fellow Welshman Geraint Thomas, who won at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, by helping Great Britain win team pursuit gold in world record time.
The 23-year-old joined record-breaking Sir Bradley Wiggins, Steven Burke and Ed Clancy to beat the world champions.
"That was just surreal, it feels dreamlike" said the Cardiff rider.
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"We've been in situations like that before when we've been so close and have lost so to pull it off now is unbelievable."
He had previously won silver medals at the 2015 and 2016 World Championship - this year to the Australian team - but Doull earned Olympic redemption to add to the four Welsh silver medallists in Rio.
"I've dreamt of this moment for so long," added Doull.
"It's what gets you out of the bed in the morning. I've pictured crossing that line first and winning the Olympics and to finally be here and do it, it's just surreal. It's a culmination of four years of hard work."
Swimmer Jazz Carlin, rower Victoria Thornley and rugby sevens players Sam Cross and James Davies had already enjoyed podium finishes before Doull secured Wales' seventh gold in the last three Olympics.
Wales had not won an Olympic title in 36 years when Nicole Cooke stormed to women's road race gold in 2008 - the first Welsh cycling medal ever at an Olympics.
But since Cooke's win in Beijing, Wales have won three more cycling gold medals - and could win a fifth on Saturday when Elinor Barker will help the British world record holding women bid for team pursuit gold.
Doull - who started cycling at the Maindy Fliers club in Cardiff like Thomas and Barker - had helped the Great Britain team to lower the world record in their heat demolition of New Zealand.
But Team GB were quickly behind in Friday's final as Australia led by 0.7 seconds at the halfway mark, before GB reeled them in and then pulled away in the final 500m to win the 4km race by 0.83 seconds - in a world record time of three minutes, 50.265 seconds.
Doull's team-mate Wiggins became the first Briton to win eight Olympic medals - five golds, one silver and two bronzes - as GB won a third successive team pursuit Olympic title.
"It gives you such confidence....you've got Brad on my right behind me and I've got Burke and Ed down below me," said Doull.
"It's Burke's second Olympic title in his discipline, it's Ed's third and he's the most decorated Yorkshireman, so he keeps telling me, so to have that calibre of team is just massive and it gives you such confidence."


US Secretary of State John Kerry has begun talks in Afghanistan, which are expected to focus on a stalled security agreement between the two nations.

Mr Kerry and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are discussing the deal which would allow the presence of US troops after the 2014 Nato troop withdrawal.
But disagreements remain over key issues, including how much the US would defend Afghanistan if it is attacked.
Mr Karzai has accused Nato of failing to bring stability to Afghanistan.
"On the security front the entire Nato exercise was one that caused Afghanistan a lot of suffering, a lot of loss of life, and no gains because the country is not secure," he told the BBC Newsnight earlier this week.
Mr Kerry began talks with his Afghan counterpart shortly after arriving on an unannounced visit to Kabul on Friday.
Washington wants the deal done before Afghanistan's presidential election campaign opens next month.
"(US) President (Barack) Obama and President Karzai reaffirmed both back in January that the goal here was to complete the BSA (Bilateral Security Agreement) in October," a US state department official travelling with Mr Kerry was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
"Uncertainty about an incomplete BSA could erode the resolve among Nato allies, makes (it) more difficult to plan for the US," the official said.
But there is deadlock over how much the US would defend Afghanistan if it is attacked, with Washington not wanting to be committed to defending the mountain passes of the east against infiltration from Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Kabul wants an end to raids on its soil and is demanding that the US hand over intelligence instead.
During his visit Mr Kerry will hope to bridge what looks like a wide gap between the two sides, the BBC's Afghanistan correspondent David Loyn reports.
But he adds that US officials are now talking about the possibility of a "zero option" - no troops in Afghanistan after the end of 2014.
Mr Karzai told the BBC's Newsnight this week that he was in no hurry to sign a pact.
"If the agreement doesn't suit us then of course they can leave. The agreement has to suit Afghanistan's interests and purposes. If it doesn't suit us and if it doesn't suit them then naturally we will go separate ways."
He also claimed that Nato had incorrectly focused the fight on Afghan villages rather than Taliban safe havens in Pakistan.
Mr Karzai has had troubled relations with his Western backers in recent years for openly criticising Nato, whom he has accused of having no respect for Afghan sovereignty.
He is concerned about his legacy, not wanting to be remembered for losing Afghan sovereignty, our correspondent adds.


Children's exposure to air traffic pollution could increase their risk of insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes in adults, suggests a study in Diabetologia.

German research on 397 10-year-olds found that living close to a major road increased resistance by 7% per 500m.
Air pollutants are known to be oxidisers that can impact on lipids and proteins in the blood.
But some experts say the results should be treated with caution.
The children in the study were invited for blood sampling at the age of 10, and glucose and insulin measurements were taken.
Their level of exposure to traffic pollution was estimated using air pollution figures from 2008-09 for their birth address neighbourhood.
The results were adjusted to take into account birth weight, body mass index (BMI) and exposure to second-hand smoke at home.
The study concluded that levels of insulin resistance were greater in children with higher exposure to air pollution, such as nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter.
It also found a larger effect in children with higher BMIs.
Elisabeth Thiering and Joachim Heinrich, who led the research at the German Research Centre for Environmental Health in Neuherberg, said the link between traffic pollution and insulin resistance could be explained.
"Although toxicity differs between air pollutants, they are all considered potent oxidisers that act either directly on lipids and proteins, or indirectly through the activation of intracellular oxidant pathways," said Dr Heinrich.
"Oxidative stress caused by exposure to air pollutants may therefore play a role in the development of insulin resistance."
But Prof Jon Ayres, an expert in environmental and respiratory medicine, of the University of Birmingham, said the results were not clear-cut.
"As the authors point out, their measurements of fasting blood insulin levels and estimations of air pollution levels were not taken at the same time.
"Therefore, these results should be regarded with caution, and a larger and methodologically more secure study needs to be done to confirm the possible link between air pollution from traffic emissions and insulin resistance in children."
Previous studies have shown links between air pollution and other chronic conditions, such as atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Yet to date, epidemiological studies that have examined associations between long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and type 2 diabetes in adults are inconsistent, and studies on the effect of air pollution on insulin resistance in children are scarce.
Frank Kelly, professor of environmental health at King's College London, said children were particularly vulnerable.
"They have a larger lung-to-body volume ratio, their airway epithelium is more permeable to air pollutants, and the lung defence mechanisms against particulate matter pollution and gaseous pollution are not fully evolved."
"Breathing the same pollutant concentrations, children may have a two to fourfold higher dose reaching the lung compared with adults.
"It is of interest that this new study demonstrates that both particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are linked to increased risk of insulin resistance in children. This finding is especially relevant for cities in the UK such as London, which regularly exceeds current EU limit values for nitrogen dioxide."


Shrewsbury Town have re-signed striker Andy Mangan from National League side Tranmere Rovers on an 18-month contract for an undisclosed fee.

Mangan, 29, joined Rovers on a one-year deal in July after leaving Shrewsbury, who had offered him a new contract.
But, after an early season run of seven goals in 22 games, he lost his starting place following injury and has not scored since 6 October.
"At 29, I want to be playing 90 minutes on a regular basis," he said.
"The gaffer (Gary Brabin) could not guarantee that I would get that at Tranmere.
"Shrewsbury made an approach for me and offered an 18-month contract and the chance to be involved in League One.
"I had a long chat with the gaffer about it and he agreed that he would not stand in the way of me going. Any talk of there being a fall out is absolute nonsense."
Shrewsbury boss Micky Mellon is in the middle of a mid-season shake-up, aimed at addressing their worrying position of 20th in League One, a point clear of safety.
He has already seen two strikers leave. Top scorer James Collins has gone out on loan to Northampton Town, while former million pound man Tyrone Barnett has joined Southend United for the rest of the season - and skipper Liam Lawrence is about to tie up a move to League Two side Bristol Rovers.
"The bottom line is we need to find a way of scoring more goals, especially the front men," said Mellon.
Shrewsbury, who re-signed defender Jack Grimmer from Fulham earlier this week, are also in advanced talks with a League One side to bring in another striker - a deal that could be completed in the next 24 hours.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


A retiring police chief has warned against confusing extremism with religious conservatism, when tackling terrorism.

Chief Constable Chris Sims is retiring from his post at West Midlands Police after six years.
He said damaging views had affected investigations into the so-called Trojan Horse plot about an alleged Muslim takeover of Birmingham schools.
"It would be utterly wrong to label everything as extremism," Mr Sims said.
Updates on this story and more from Birmingham & the Black Country
"We need to be really careful that in using this term 'extremism' we don't alienate the vast majority of law-abiding Muslim people in the West Midlands, who want to go about normal lives with normal aspirations.
"We absolutely need their support to combat the tiny minority of violent extremists who are their enemies and our enemies and who collectively we need to work to combat."
He said the force was able to respond effectively to a terror attack, despite cuts of about Â£130m in the five years since the government's 2010 Spending Review.
"It's very difficult to be ahead of it," said Mr Sims. "Even in Paris with the huge numbers of officers and troops that they had on the ground. But we've got very skilled armed officers, we've got good plans as to how to deploy them and we would put on a very effective response."
Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC) has rated West Midlands Police as 'outstanding' in its preparation for policing to 2020 and beyond.
Mr Sims, 57, received an OBE in 2003 and Queen's Police Medal in 2010 for "distinguished police service".


A man has been seriously injured after he was knocked down by a vehicle close to Belfast International Airport.

He was walking on the Ballyrobin Road, Aldergrove, when the collision took place shortly before 16:40 GMT on Saturday.
A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said the pedestrian was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
Ballyrobin Road has been closed from the airport to Tully Road roundabout.
Diversions are in place and police have advised motorists travelling to the airport to leave extra time for their journey.


More should be done to protect former missing children whose names and images remain online long after they are found, a report says.

The study by Portsmouth University and Missing Children Europe raises concerns about the "digital footprint" left over from publicity appeals.
Portsmouth University's Dr Karen Shalev-Greene said she wanted the UK government to take notice.
The report surveyed staff from 19 missing children's hotlines in Europe.
It said information about missing children was increasingly being shared online and on social media.
It suggested missing children who had returned should be given legal help to ask technology firms to remove online material about them.
This is already offered in Belgium, where a missing child hotline, Child Focus, helps children assert a "right to be forgotten" online.
In 2014, the European Court of Justice ruled people had the right to be forgotten, which involves removing search engine links to web pages about them.
The report's authors - who surveyed people from 19 countries, including Austria, Greece and the UK - said at least 250,000 children were reported missing each year in the EU.
Dr Shalev-Greene said the study was the first of its kind and that its intention was to "raise the issue" and prompt debate.
She said: "A public appeal for a missing child is always launched without the child's consent.
"Yet, once found, the child must live with the consequences of their image being in the public domain."
She added that once a picture had been released, the child did not seem to have the legal right "to control the use of those images".
The mother of a girl who is now 18, who went missing as a younger teenager, told the researchers: "We are concerned because two and a half years after my daughter's disappearance, whenever she searches for her name on the internet, she finds websites where she is still mentioned."
The mother said that her daughter "feels that the information about her disappearance exposes her in a negative way".
Dr Shalev-Greene said parents "would do anything" to find their children and that if one child was found out of 1,000 whose information was made public online, that would be a success.
But she added: "We need to understand the impact it has, both good and bad. We're saying, 'Be more aware of the downside and support the children and their families once they come back.'"
Dr Shalev-Greene also suggested that missing child appeals could just use a child's first name and picture, and not a surname, which would help safeguard their privacy upon their return.
Her co-author, Delphine Moralis, secretary-general of Missing Children Europe, said: "Better strategies must be developed to prevent these negative consequences."
She added that further evidence was needed on the effectiveness and impact of appeals.
Dr Shalev-Greene said of her call for the UK Parliament to address the issue: "We would like to see it discussed at that kind of level. It is something we've not seen discussed before.
"I think we're catching up with the reality of the practice."