Australian sports groups have been told to end a longstanding practice where male athletes enjoy better travel standards than female counterparts.

The government said there was "no defensible reason" for this, and it could affect their future funding.
It is a move that comes after a 2012 public furore over the better treatment of the men's national basketball team.
They flew business class to the London Olympics while the more successful women's team flew economy.
The warning came in a letter sent this week to the top 30 funded sports organisations in Australia by federal sports minister Sussan Ley and Australian Sports Commission (ASC) chairman John Wylie.
"In 2016, we can think of no defensible reason why male and female athletes should travel in different classes or stay in different standard accommodation when attending major international sporting events," they said.
The letter said the ASC was "now proposing to make gender-neutral travel policies for senior major championships a condition of investment".
The commission is providing A$134m (Â£65m, $94m) a year currently.
Ms Ley told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: "Quite frankly, I was shocked and surprised to find that in every sport it isn't always the case that the guys and the girls fly and are accommodated at the same level of travel.
"I am prepared to tie the funding to compliance with this but I don't expect it to come to an argument - I know it won't, in fact."
Professional Footballers Australia told Reuters news agency that it welcomed the move and that it was "long overdue", while Cricket Australia said it still had different travel standards for men and women but it was "committed" to addressing discrepancies.
Following the 2012 controversy, Basketball Australia changed its travel policy and its women's team, known as the Opals, now also get to travel in business class to overseas events.


Two men were trapped in a disused bank vault in Cardiff for over four hours before being freed by firefighters.

Specialist rescues teams were called to the building at Wood Street in the early hours.
Air supply to the vault was limited and firefighters drilled a hole so they could speak to the men as they worked.
The pair, who were believed to be at the building for a function, were freed uninjured at 06:45 BST, according to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.


Bydd S4C yn cael benthyg hyd at £10m gan Lywodraeth y DU i helpu gyda chostau adleoli'r sianel yn y dyfodol.

Bwriad S4C yw symud eu pencadlys i ganolfan newydd Yr Egin, sy'n cael ei sefydlu yng Nghaerfyrddin gan Brifysgol Cymru Y Drindod Dewi Sant.
Maen nhw hefyd yn bwriadu rhannu cyfleusterau darlledu gyda BBC Cymru yng Nghaerdydd.
Byddai unrhyw arian sy'n cael ei fenthyg gan y sianel yn mynd at hwyluso'r adleoli.
Mae'r sianel hefyd wedi derbyn £350,000 o arian cyfalaf ychwanegol am 2017/18.
Mewn datganiad, dywedodd llefarydd ar ran S4C: "Mae S4C yn croesawu ymrwymiad y Llywodraeth i sicrhau dyfodol S4C, a'r pecyn o fesurau a gyhoeddwyd heddiw, gan gynnwys benthyciad ariannol ar gyfer S4C.
"Bydd y benthyciad o £10m, a gaiff ei ad-dalu dros gyfnod gan S4C i DCMS, yn cael ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer dau bwrpas penodol: i gyfrannu tuag at gostau offer technegol ar gyfer cynlluniau arfaethedig S4C i rannu gwasanaethau darlledu gyda BBC Cymru yn eu pencadlys newydd yng Nghaerdydd yn 2019 ac yn ogystal i ddarparu ariannu dros-dro er mwyn caniatáu taliad rhent ymlaen llaw S4C i Brifysgol Cymru, Y Drindod Dewi Sant ar gyfer les yr Egin yn 2018 hyd nes y bydd pencadlys presennol S4C yn Llanisien wedi ei werthu.
"Bydd gweddill y benthyciad yn cael ei ad-dalu o arbedion fydd yn deillio o'r ddau gynllun."
Bydd Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd yn cyfrannu £3m at y gwaith o adeiladu yr Egin.
Mae disgwyl y bydd £3m arall yn dod o Fargen Ddinesig Bae Abertawe, gafodd ei harwyddo ddydd Llun.


People living in a village on Exmoor have been left an "amazingly generous" £700,000 by a former resident.

Susan Taylor, of Hawkcombe, died in her late 90s in December and left her money to the recreation ground in Porlock.
Residents of the Somerset village are now being asked to come up with ideas on how to spend the bequest.
Mike Lynch, from the recreation ground, said: "It is an amazing amount of money and we wanted to see what the main view was from the community."
The Porlock Recreation Ground currently offers a "well equipped" children's playground, two football pitches, a cricket pitch, a floodlit tennis court and multisport court as well as a large pavilion.
In her will Mrs Taylor said she wanted the funds "to be spent for the benefit of Porlock's residents and visitors who use the recreation grounds".
She had lived in the village for many years and her family is said to "fully support" her wishes.
Mr Lynch, chairman of the Porlock Recreation Ground management committee, said he found out about the legacy in January but had to "keep it under wraps" until probate was granted.
"The first thing we did was send out a letter to the people in the village and the surrounding villages asking for their ideas," he said.
"We've had around 80 responses - a swimming pool is probably the most mentioned."
He added it would be "several months" before a final decision is made.
"As you can appreciate it's not something we've done before so it's not easy to know how long it will take," he said.


A man who tried to smuggle cocaine into the UK inside a model aeroplane has been jailed for three and a half years.

Steven Thornton, from St Helens, Merseyside, was arrested after customs officers at Stansted Airport intercepted a crate from Venezuela.
Cocaine was also found at properties linked to the 42-year-old, which, along with the model plane drugs, had a street value up to Â£25,000.
He admitted conspiracy to supply drugs in August at Liverpool Crown Court.
The crate had been sent from a fictional person at an address in Caracas and was destined for another fictional person in St Helens, Merseyside Police said, before it was intercepted in April 2014 by the UK Border Force.
Officers found a number of sections for a large wooden model glider, with a large quantity of cocaine and bulking agents within the wings.
It was passed onto Merseyside Police who placed a substitute model inside the crate before delivering it to its destination.
Thornton, of Norton Grove, Thatto Heath, was arrested when he called at the property to collect the package.
Officers then searched various addresses linked to him and found a quantity of cocaine and drugs paraphernalia in a garage in St Helens.
Det Insp Simon Draco said: "Merseyside Police treats all drug production and supply seriously and the sentencing of Thornton today will have disrupted the supply of drugs to our communities."


Unseeded Latvian Jelena Ostapenko became the first teenager to reach the French Open women's semi-finals since 2007 with a shock win against former world number one Caroline Wozniacki.

The 19-year-old lost the first five games of her first major quarter-final before winning 4-6 6-2 6-2.
She will play Swiss 30th seed Timea Bacsinszky, who beat France's Kristina Mladenovic 6-4 6-4.
"I'm really happy, I can't believe it," world number 47 Ostapenko said.
Ostapenko will meet 27-year-old Bacsinszky in their semi-final on Thursday - when both players celebrate their birthdays.
The pair eventually won their quarter-final matches after torrential rain disrupted the first two women's last-eight ties in Paris.
Two rain delays - totalling almost four hours - meant Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic's French Open quarter-finals were postponed until Wednesday.
Ostapenko is the first teenager to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals since Serbia's Ana Ivanovic and the first to book a place in a Grand Slam semi-final since American Madison Keys at the 2015 US Open.
"It was tough because we had to go away two times from the court," Ostapenko said.
"Caroline is a tough opponent, I knew I had to stay aggressive, I lost it sometimes but I found my game."
With pregnant Serena Williams missing and a number of notable early exits, a first-time Grand Slam women's singles champion will be crowned in Paris.
Wozniacki, 26, boasted the best pedigree of the eight players left in the draw, and was tipped by some observers to win her first major title.
The Dane ended the year as world number one in 2010 and 2011 and has reached two US Open finals without success.
The gulf in experience between Wozniacki, who was competing in her eighth Grand Slam quarter-final, and Ostapenko was huge.
The Latvian looked a little nervous as Wozniacki eased into a 5-0 lead in the first set, but pegged her back to 5-4 before Wozniacki broke her serve for a third time to clinch the opener.
Ostapenko took only two of 11 break points in the first set, but was more clinical when the chances continued to come in the second set.
Both players again struggled to hold their serve, exchanging breaks before Ostapenko rattled off three games in a row to lead 5-2.
Ostapenko served out for the set after the first three-hour rain delay, and then grew in confidence in the decider as Wozniacki wobbled.
Ostapenko broke her serve in the fifth game, going on to win the final five games to become the first Latvian women to reach a Grand Slam semi-final in the Open Era.
After beating defending champion Garbine Muguruza in the previous round, the home fans had hoped Mladenovic could end France's 17-year wait for a home winner at Roland Garros.
Both players struggled in the blustery conditions in the first part of the match but the French 24-year-old in particular lacked the intensity and power of her Muguruza win.
Mladenovic fought off a break point immediately after the first rain delay at the start of the second set, and broke serve in the following game, but Bacsinszky came back to win in one hour 49 minutes on court.
The win puts the 27-year-old Swiss into the French Open semi-finals for the second time, having been beaten in the last four by Serena Williams in 2015.
Bacsinszky almost quit tennis under the pressure of what she called a "control freak" father in 2013 but is now a win away from her first Grand Slam final.
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent at Roland Garros:
"The rain delays - one of which lasted over three hours - did Mladenovic no favours. She loves to work the crowd and after a sequence of emotional and narrow victories in earlier rounds, it all fell a bit flat on the Philippe Chatrier Court.
"Much of that was down to Bacsinszky, who was the superior player, and now a semi-finalist for the second time in three years.
"Ostapenko was magnificent in the other completed quarter-final. She makes a lot of unforced errors, but hit 38 winners to Wozniacki's six as she coped so well with her first taste of a Grand Slam quarter-final."


Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust has admitted failings over the fall of a mental health patient from a roof.

The man suffered serious neck injuries after falling from a low roof at Melbury Lodge, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in December 2015.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) brought the prosecution against Southern Health, who run the Winchester hospital.
District Judge Philip Gillibrand adjourned for sentencing in October.
Paul Spencer, representing Southern Health, entered a guilty plea at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court to the offence of failing to provide safe care and treatment and failing to assess risk to patients at the unit.
The court heard the patient, named in court as "AB", had already climbed onto the roof during an earlier stay at the unit.
Paul Greaney QC, prosecuting for the CQC, said Southern Health had failed to take action to prevent patients from gaining access to the low rooftop between 2010 and 2016.
"The trust was aware of that dangerous state of affairs but did nothing sufficient to stop it until late April 2016," he added.
Judge Gillibrand said Southern Health faced an unlimited fine for the offence.
He added: "It's clearly a case of considerable public interest and concern."
Southern Health has previously been criticised over its failure to properly investigate the deaths of hundreds of patients in its care between 2011 and 2015.
The Melbury Lodge unit at the hospital treats people with severe mental health problems.


A "heartless and wicked" man who raped and brutally assaulted two women over a 35-year-period has been jailed for nine years.

James Gunn, from Thurso, attacked the women, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at various Caithness locations between July 1980 and August 2015.
The 54-year-old had pleaded guilty to two charges of rape and two charges of assault earlier this year.
Judge Michael O'Grady said Gunn had a "brazen contempt for women".
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Gunn raped his first victim on an occasion between July 4 1980 and May 1992.
He also subjected the woman to several beatings during the same time period.
He sexually assaulted his second victim on an occasion between 30 October 2002 and 30 November 2010.
He also repeatedly assaulted the woman on various occasions between October 2002 and August 2015.
Defence advocate Shelagh McCall QC told the court her client accepted responsibility for his actions.
She added: "He is realistic about the disposal in this case."
Passing sentence, Judge O'Grady added: "I have rarely had the misfortune to encounter a man such as you.
"You have a brazen contempt for women. You strike me as being heartless, wicked and dangerous and you will understand that a lengthy custodial sentence is inevitable."
Det Insp Muriel Fuller, of Police Scotland's Domestic Abuse Task Force, said: "James Gunn was controlling and physically and sexually abusive towards his victims. The suffering he inflicted on them over a period of time is deplorable.
"The Domestic Abuse Task Force carried out a protracted inquiry into his offending and I hope his conviction and sentence today demonstrates that Police Scotland will robustly and sensitively investigate domestic abuse related crime no matter the passage of time.
"It is certainly no barrier to justice."
She added: "I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the bravery and courage of his victims who assisted with this inquiry and helped us ensure a conviction was secured.
"Although it does not change anything that happened, I hope that they can take some comfort from the verdict and continue to move forward with their lives."


Rio Tinto chief executive Sam Walsh is to retire in July after just three years in the top job.

He will be succeeded by the firm's coal and copper head Jean-Sebastien Jacques, who used to be a strategy director at Tata Steel Group.
The world's second-largest miner has been struggling to maintain profits amid a slump in commodity prices.
Under Mr Walsh, Rio undertook a major cost-cutting programme and dropped its progressive dividend policy.
Shareholders will no longer see payouts maintained or raised each year after the mining giant reported a 50% drop in underlying annual earnings last month.
In a statement, Rio Tinto said the latest announcement was "the culmination of comprehensive and deliberate executive succession process".
"Jean-Sebastien is the right person to lead Rio Tinto in an increasingly complex world filled with both challenges and opportunities for our industry."
Mr Jacques will receive a base salary of Â£1,080,000 and various bonuses once he takes over on 2 July.
Mr Walsh, a 66-year-old Australian, spent two decades in the car industry before joining Rio Tinto in 1991.
He replaced Tom Albanese as chief executive in 2013 after his predecessor was ousted following expensive and unsuccessful acquisitions in aluminium and coal.
"The board appointed Sam as chief executive at a challenging time for our company and I am very grateful for his tremendous leadership," Rio chairman Jan du Plessis said.
"Against the backdrop of a volatile economic environment, Sam and his team have transformed the business, removing more than $6bn in costs, strengthening the balance sheet and returning more than $13bn to shareholders."
Shares of Rio Tinto closed 2.4% higher in Sydney on Thursday before the announcement was made.


A collection of photographs of Diana, Princess of Wales has gone on show in Denbighshire to mark the 20th anniversary of her death.

Amateur photographer Colin Edwards, 75, from Ruthin, took more than 200 pictures of the princess at public events.
She died, aged 36, on 31 August 1997 in a car crash in Paris.
The exhibition of 124 photographs is being held at St Peter's Church, Ruthin, until 29 July.
Mr Edwards - a retired civil servant who spent much of his spare time capturing pictures of the Royal Family - said: "'I met Diana at many of her walkabouts and became a familiar face.
"I would talk to her about her boys, her charities and her foreign visits; conversation was always very easy with Diana.
"In 1998, the year after her death, I held exhibitions of my photographs of her in several towns and cities and was deeply moved by the reactions of visitors."


The results of the 2017 general election have put the Democratic Unionist Party in the role of kingmakers.

The Conservatives fell short of a parliamentary majority of 326 seats, but can achieve it with the support of the DUP's 10 MPs.
The DUP is now set to support Theresa May in forming a new government.
So who are the DUP's 10 MPs?
The son of long-time party leader, its founder and former Northern Ireland First Minister Ian Paisley, Mr Paisley succeeded his father as North Antrim MP in 2010.
He is a member of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, which his father led.
Following the resignation of the late Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness earlier this year, Mr Paisley paid tribute to the Sinn FÃ©in leader and former IRA member.
He said Mr McGuinness' "remarkable journey not only saved lives, but made the lives of countless people better".
Mr Paisley has said he has no ambition to follow in his father's footsteps to lead the party.
Earlier this year, Mr Paisley said that US President Donald Trump had accepted his invitation to visit Northern Ireland for the Open golf championship at Portrush in July 2019.
Last year, Mr Paisley told the BBC:  "I first met Donald Trump, along with my father, in 2006 and I've kept that relationship going. I've met him every year, bar one, since then."
In a 2007 interview, Mr Paisley expressed his views on same sex marriages. He told Hot Press magazine he was "pretty repulsed" by gay people and lesbianism.
Mr Paisley later went on to defend his comments on BBC Newsnight saying he was "repulsed by many things".
A former lord mayor of Belfast, Sammy Wilson has been MP for East Antrim since 2005.
Known for his often outspoken views, Mr Wilson's 2008 appointment as Northern Ireland environment minister was criticised by environmental groups and members of the NI Assembly's environment committee because of his views on climate change.
He said he was sceptical that all climate change was caused by CO2 emissions and described some campaigners' views as an "hysterical pseudo-religion".
Mr Wilson has also served as Northern Ireland finance minister.
He was also an environment minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, and told the Belfast Telegraph the world had been "conned" into spending billions on climate change.
Mr Wilson said politicians feel under pressure from lobby groups and "go along with the flow".
"I don't care about CO2 emissions to be quite truthful because I don't think it's all that important," he was quoted as saying.
Paul Girvan won the South Antrim seat at his first attempt in this general election, defeating outgoing Ulster Unionist Danny Kinahan by more than 3,000 votes.
He was first elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2003, but was deselected by the DUP in South Antrim in 2007.
He returned to the assembly in 2010 when he was selected to replace Rev William McCrea following his resignation.
Mr Girvan is a former mayor of Newtownabbey.
Nigel Dodds is the deputy leader of the DUP and its leader at Westminster. He has been North Belfast MP since 2001,  taking the seat from Ulster Unionist Cecil Walker.
In 2015, Mr Dodds who studied law at Cambridge University, ruled himself out of the race to succeed former party leader Peter Robinson.
In 1996, a police officer guarding Mr Dodds while he visited his critically ill son in hospital, was shot and injured by the IRA.
A former Belfast lord mayor, Mr Dodds' wife Diane is one of Northern Ireland's three MEPs.
In 2013, Mr Dodds was expelled from the Commons chamber after accusing the Northern Ireland Secretary, Theresa Villiers, of "deliberate deception".
He claimed she had been deceptive when answering questions about her powers in respect of a controversial Orange parade ruling.
Gavin Robinson won back the East Belfast seat for the DUP in 2015, which former party leader Peter Robinson (no relation) had lost to the Alliance Party's Naomi Long.
He was re-elected this time around, defeating Mrs Long by more that 8,000 votes.
Educated at Queen's University, Belfast, Mr Robinson read Law and attained a Masters in Irish Politics before starting work as a barrister.
He is another DUP MP who has served as lord mayor of Belfast.
Emma Little-Pengelly bounced back from losing her Northern Ireland Assembly seat in South Belfast in March, by winning the constituency's Westminster seat in June, defeating the SDLP's Alasdair McDonnell.
It marks a rapid rise for Mrs Little-Pengelly, who first stood for election for the DUP in the 2015 assembly election.
She is married to Richard Pengelly, who is a top civil servant in the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.
During the campaign, she received the endorsement of the three biggest loyalist paramilitary organisations.
Although the DUP said it did not accept their support, in her acceptance speech, Mrs Little-Pengelly thanked those who came out to vote for her, singling out several loyalist working class areas such as Taughmonagh and Donegall Pass.
Her father Noel Little was one of three men arrested in Paris in April 1989, along with a South African diplomat and an arms dealer.
Little was given a suspended sentence and fined for his part in a loyalist intelligence plot.
Mrs Little-Pengelly has said she has "unconditional" love for her father and that "just because someone may have a past should not mean you cannot have a future".
From Kilkeel in County Down, Sir Jeffrey began his political career with the Ulster Unionist Party and was part of the UUP's negotiating team for the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
He announced his resignation from the party, along with current leader Arlene Foster, in December 2003 in protest against Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble's policies; both joined the DUP the following month.
Sir Jeffrey was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 2016.
A former member of the Ulster Defence Regiment, two of Sir Jeffrey's cousins - police officers Alex and Sam Donaldson - were murdered by the IRA during the Troubles.
Jim Shannon increased his majority in Strangford by 9,000, securing 62% of the vote.
He was first elected to the constituency in 2010.
Mr Shannon served in the Ulster Defence Regiment in the 1970s and earlier this year he broke down in tears in the House of Commons as he discussed the IRA murder of his cousin Kenneth Smith.
In 2011, he laughed off a website rating naming him as the least sexy MP in the UK.
In 2016 he was ordered to repay almost Â£14,000 in mileage expenses claims.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority found Mr Shannon was the highest claimant for staff constituency mileage during 2015, but it put the incorrect claims down to "a number of errors" and said there was no fraud.
David Simpson was first elected as MP for Upper Bann in 2005, taking the seat from Ulster Unionist leader and former Northern Ireland first minister David Trimble.
He had lost out to Mr Trimble in 2001.
In 2007, Mr Simpson used parliamentary privilege to accuse Sinn Fein's Francie Molloy - the current MP for Mid Ulster - of involvement in his cousin Frederick Lutton's murder and of being a police informer.
Mr Molloy denied both allegations and challenged Mr Simpson to make them outside Parliament.
Mr Simpson also spoke in the Commons against same-sex marriage, stating: "In the garden of Eden it was Adam and Eve, it wasn't Adam and Steve."
He has lobbied to have creationism included in the science curriculum in Northern Ireland.
Born in Londonderry, Gregory Campbell joined the DUP in the 1970s and was first elected to Derry City Council in 1981.
In 1985, the BBC Real Lives documentary At the Edge of the Union focused on Mr Campbell and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness.
The documentary showed Mr Campbell loading his legally held gun, interspersed with pictures of him addressing a rally.
It was temporarily blocked by direct government intervention from then-Home Secretary Leon Brittan. This led to a one-day strike by the National Union of Journalists to defend the independence of the BBC.
Mr Campbell initially contested the Foyle constituency held by SDLP leader John Hume, but in 1997 was transferred to the more unionist East Londonderry. He was elected there in his second attempt in 2001, defeating sitting MP William Ross of the Ulster Unionist Party.
In 2014, Mr Campbell was barred from addressing the Northern Ireland Assembly for a day for failing to apologise for parodying the Irish language during an address to the assembly.
Mr Campbell has previously supported the reintroduction of the death penalty, during a 2009 Commons debate on a world-wide ban on capital punishment.
When the Commons voted on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill in 2013, DUP MPs Gregory Campbell, David Simpson, Jim Shannon, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Ian Paisley Jnr, Sammy Wilson and Nigel Dodds all voted against it.
The bill was eventually passed 400 votes to 175.


Dundee residents who were forced to move out of their homes two years ago after a wall collapsed have finally been allowed to move back in.

The collapse of the retaining wall in December 2013 caused a landslip next to the flats at 2 Gardner Street.
The block was evacuated after fears the collapse could affect its "structural stability".
Repairs to the wall have cost almost Â£777,000. Residents will be allowed back in on 7 December.
Dundee City Council said councillors had approved the work to repair the wall in March 2015.
Ken Guild, convener of the council's policy and resources committee said: "I am delighted that residents will be able to get back into their homes.
"When no one took responsibility for the necessary work, the council stepped in to carry out permanent repairs which has proved to be a success.
"Now that we have reached a conclusion, residents can get settled as soon as possible."
The council said work still needed to be done in the rear garden of the property.


Tens of thousands of people gathered in St Peter's Square for an Easter Mass led by Pope Francis.

After leading the ceremony that marks the holiest day in the Christian calendar, Pope Francis delivered his traditional blessing and address.
He prayed for peace in Syria and Ukraine and "an end to all war and every conflict".
And he also prayed for those people around the world suffering from hunger, poverty, disease and neglect.
This is the second Easter mass and "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message 77-year-old Francis has delivered as Pope.
The avenue leading up to the Vatican was filled with 35,000 flowers donated by the Netherlands.
"Help us to overcome the scourge of hunger, aggravated by conflicts and by the immense wastefulness for which we are often responsible," Pope Francis prayed.
He appealed for more medical attention for those suffering from the deadly Ebola virus in west Africa and also prayed for the protection of the most vulnerable members of society.
He asked God to "enlighten and inspire the initiatives that promote peace in Ukraine so that all those involved... will make every effort to prevent violence and, in a spirit of unity and dialogue, chart a path for the country's future".
"We pray in a particular way for Syria," he said, expressing the hope that the "defenceless civil population" will be protected from the violence and get the aid they need.
In reference to Syria, he urged the international community to "boldly negotiate the peace long awaited and long overdue".
His message came as Syria's President Bashar al-Assad marked Easter by visiting the ancient Christian town of Maalula.
State television said President Assad inspected a monastery damaged in the fighting that enabled his troops to recapture the town from the rebels.


More free childcare would make little difference to reducing poverty or getting more women back to work, a report for the Welsh government says.

Labour and Plaid Cymru both pledge to raise it from 10 to 30 hours a week.
The Public Policy Institute for Wales (PPIW) said this would have no "substantial impacts on net income, poverty or work behaviour".
Labour said it would help working parents, employers and the economy.  Plaid said children were its priority.
The report said an extra 20 hours free childcare for three to four-year-olds would not have "substantial impacts on net income, poverty or work behaviour for families with children".
It said this was because a "relatively small proportion" of families with children of this age use formal paid childcare and those that do "tend to pay moderate amounts".
Any savings on childcare costs would be partly offset by reductions in other benefits, the report found.
Lead author Dr Gillian Paull said: "If the aim is to encourage women to return to work, or to help more disadvantaged families with the costs of childcare, our analysis suggests that extending free childcare for three to four-year-olds from ten hours to 30 hours will not achieve this to any significant degree."
PPIW deputy director Dan Bristow said the findings raised "serious questions" about Welsh ministers' funding for additional free childcare.
"They show that it has no significant impact on the number of mothers entering paid employment and spending by the Welsh government simply displaces the UK government's spending on benefits," he said.
But Labour's Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister Lesley Griffiths responded: "We are very clear that people who are working hard to provide for their families deserve a helping hand.
"Wherever I go in Wales, hard-working parents of young children tell me childcare costs and availability are a major problem for them."
Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas said:  "The main aim of childcare is to provide additional support to children, not the economy.
"We know that there is already an attainment gap of up to nine months for children from deprived backgrounds compared to their better-off peers. This was not investigated in the PPIW report."
The PPIW was established in 2014 to give Welsh ministers fresh ideas on how to improve Wales' public services.


A teacher who abused a young girl nearly 50 years ago has been jailed after senior judges overturned an "unduly lenient" suspended sentence.

Gordon Gamble, 64, of Filching Road in Eastbourne, East Sussex, has now been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Gamble was found guilty of acts of gross indecency with a child between March 1967 and March 1970, beginning when he was 15 and the girl was nine.
The Court of Appeal said he should have been been jailed in November.
The judge who imposed a two-year suspended term at London's Snaresbrook Crown Court referred to a number of factors including that the offences were committed when Gamble was a teenager.
He was also acquitted of seven of the original 10 counts, had no previous convictions and had worked as an "exemplary teacher of distinction".
Jailing Gamble, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas said judges sentencing in historic cases must guard against any temptation to make decisions because of what had happened in the intervening years.
Referring to the victim, he said: "She has lived with this matter for close on half a century.
"It has clearly had a most devastating effect on her life."


Satellite images of the ancient ruins of Palmyra in Syria have revealed the extent of the destruction there caused by Islamic State militants.

Temples, burial towers and now the Arch of Triumph at the desert oasis dating back more than 2,000 years have been deliberately set with explosives and blown up by the jihadists, who believe shrines or statues are idolatrous.
The United Nations' cultural agency Unesco has condemned the wanton destruction as a war crime. But experts also suspect the militants are looting the site to sell artefacts on the international antiquities market.
The destruction also seems to serve as IS propaganda - the group has also blown up visible, symbolic structures such as the North-West Palace at Nimrud in Iraq and other pre-Islamic sites, as well as several Islamic shrines, in Iraq and Syria.
In Palmyra, the Temple of Bel - the great sanctuary of the Palmyrene gods - was, until its destruction in August, one of the most important religious buildings of the 1st Century AD in the East.
In its heyday, Palmyra was one of most important centres for trade in the region.
From around 2000BC, the site was almost continuously occupied - as a key oasis on the Silk Road meant it offered a shortcut across the desert without having to travel up through fertile regions to the north.  It continued to thrive until the 3rd Century AD when it was razed to the ground by the Romans following the rebellious rule of Palmyrene Queen Zenobia.
The connection between East and West is reflected in Palmyra's unique and distinctive art and architecture - combining Eastern with Western traditions. The Temple of Bel, with its unique reliefs, looks like an Eastern temple but also has columns like a Western-style Roman building.
But that symbolism also seems to have been its downfall in the eyes of IS.
A huge explosion rocked the site at the end of August this year and satellite images subsequently showed the main structure had been reduced to rubble, as well as a line of columns beside it.
Analysts at McKenzie Intelligence Services say either the remains of the shrine were pulverised during demolition, or were removed as there is no indication of large spoil piles. All that remains of the shrine is the archway that formed the western entrance.
Dr Mark Altaweel, of the UCL Institute of Archaeology in London, believes IS wants to show its audience that it is doing its religious duty by destroying "unreligious" objects.
"That is the symbolic value of the destruction of these things," he says. "They are not blowing up the entire site - they are picking specific spots."
He says the loss of such sites is sadly ironic.
"One sad thing is that these structures and art try to reflect the integration of Eastern and Western cultures that were mixing at the time. Now we are having this great conflict within and it is almost the opposite and that is why they are being destroyed."
A short distance from the main temples and once grand colonnaded streets is an area known as the Valley of Tombs.
The tower tombs built on higher ground are a distinctive feature of Palmyra. The towers have several floors, often with a subterranean burial chamber below.
But the resting places of ancient families made rich by trade have also  become a target for IS explosives.
Professor Kevin Butcher, of Warwick University, says it would appear that burial spots in the tombs could once be bought and the builders may have seen them as investments, not just as burial places for family members. The dead were often mummified before being placed in the tombs - where fragments of cloth wrappings, including Chinese silks, and Palmyrene imitations of Chinese silks, have been found.
The Tomb of Iamblichus - named after is founder and built in around AD38 was well preserved. It boasted ornately carved on the lintels around the entrance, inside were niches  to house the dead called "loculi", each sealed with a portrait of the deceased, carved in limestone. The Tomb of Iamblichus and others nearby have been reduced to rubble.
In total, Islamic state have destroyed at least six tower tombs, including the Tomb of Elahbel - also built as a burial tower, around AD103 - and the nearby Tomb of Atenatan.
Professor Butcher says the Tomb of Elahbel was the best preserved of the Palmyrene tower tombs.
"It would appear from satellite images that most of the well-preserved tower tombs have now been destroyed," he said. "The loss of these structure is highly significant; there is nowhere else where such buildings have been fully preserved."
Changing beliefs among the people living at Palmyra meant the dead were later buried in tombs below ground.
Local antiquities experts reported the plunder of tombs even before IS took control of the area from Syrian government forces in May this year. Funeral busts, statues and head stones were stolen or damaged. But there are now suspicions that the antiquities are being sold abroad to help fund IS.
Dr Altaweel says looting helps the group fund its operations on the ground, permitting looters to come in and start digging and then taking a cut.
"Things that are not visible, they don't blow up - but if they have value, they will loot," he says, adding that some pieces can fetch anything up to and beyond $20,000-30,000 (Â£13,100-19,700) on the international black market.
There have been efforts to stop the artefacts and treasures of Palmyra falling into IS hands - but with tragic consequences. The 81-year-old archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, who looked after ancient ruins for 40 years was beheaded by Islamic State in August, after he reportedly refused to reveal where treasures had been hidden.
Local archaeologists told the BBC's Jeremy Bowen how they helped smuggle 400 antiquities out of the site as Islamic State fighters approached.
Another of the great structures of Palmyra was the Temple of Baalshamin, whose oldest parts dated to the 1st Century AD. Swiss archaeologists uncovered the temple in 1954-56 and the almost pristine site had been visited by millions of people until the arrival of IS.
Unesco described the destruction of the temple in August as "an immense loss for the Syrian people and for humanity".
Not far from the ancient ruins is the modern-day town of Tadmur.
One of the first things Islamic State militants did when they seized Palmyra was blow up the local prison - Syria's most notorious jail.
The prison was built by the French in the 1930s. But during the rule of Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafez, between 1971 and 2000, thousands of supporters of leftist and Islamist groups were detained, tortured, and executed there.
In 1980, a day after a failed assassination attempt on Hafez al-Assad, soldiers carried out a massacre of inmates. They went from cell to cell killing prisoners with machine guns. A 2001 Amnesty International report estimates that 500 to 1,000 people were murdered in just a few minutes - most of them were members or suspected supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.


One of the treats in store for 2016 is the government's much-anticipated announcement on human rights reform.

The Conservatives promised in their election manifesto to "replace the Human Rights Act with a UK bill of rights" as long ago as 2010 - but they were unable to reach agreement with the Liberal Democrats during the coalition government of 2010-15.
Even so, the Tories promised to produce their own draft Bill of Rights by the end of 2014.
Although that failed to materialise, there was a commitment in their 2015 manifesto to "scrap the Human Rights Act".
And reporters were told after the Conservatives won a majority in May that plans would appear within the government's "first 100 days".
By September, ministers were promising to publish a consultation paper "towards the end of the autumn".
Human Rights Act versus a British Bill of Rights
In December, though, the justice secretary told the House of Lords Constitution Committee that his plans had been put back. "I expect that any consultation document that we produce will now be produced in the new year," Michael Gove said.
This was to allow consideration of an entirely new issue.
Mr Gove said he had been asked by David Cameron "to think hard about whether we should use the British Bill of Rights in order to create a constitutional longstop similar to the German Constitutional Court and, if so, whether the Supreme Court should be that body".
This longstop was not intended to deal with rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which are not directly binding on the courts of the United Kingdom.
It was aimed instead at the entirely separate EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
"The German Constitutional Court can, in certain circumstances, say that rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union may pose problems for their constitution," Mr Gove said.
This was an enormously complicated area, he told peers, and one in which the government had to tread with care.
At this stage, ministers were simply considering questions they might ask in a consultation paper.
But from what the justice secretary was saying, he seemed to be considering how judges in the UK could block rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
That idea was first outlined by the prime minister in his EU reform speech at Chatham House on 10 November.
"We need to examine the way that Germany and other EU nations uphold their constitution and sovereignty," David Cameron said.
"For example, the Constitutional Court in Germanyâ€¦ reserves the right to review legal acts by European institutions and courts to check that they remain within the scope of the EU's powers - or whether they have overstepped the mark. We will consider how this could be done in the UK."
That would be a major change, because some EU laws have direct effect in the UK and the EU court has always had the last word on how they should be interpreted.
But Prof Guglielmo Verdirame, of King's College London, predicted that the EU might back down rather than confront judges, government and Parliament.
For the government's plans to work, however, the UK might need to adopt a codified constitution - which would itself be a major undertaking.
The UK, Israel and New Zealand are the only democracies not to have fully written constitutions.
Lord Neuberger, president of the UK Supreme Court, suggested in 2013 that a written constitution "would presumably have primacy over decisions of the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg and even those of the EU Court in Luxembourg".
"Accordingly," he added, "where those decisions appeared to be inconsistent with any fundamental constitutional principles, those principles would prevail."
Even if the government's objectives can be achieved in a single statute rather than by codifying the entire constitution, the legislation will take a long time to think through.
So if human rights reform is linked to reforming the UK's relationship with the EU, the Human Rights Act 1998 may remain in place for a long while yet.


The BBC has announced details of Mary Berry's first show since leaving The Great British Bake Off.

She will sample the culinary histories of stately homes and create new recipes inspired by her visits in Mary Berry's Secrets From Britain's Great Houses.
In September, she announced she would not remain as a judge on Bake Off when it moves from BBC One to Channel 4.
In a statement, she said she was "so excited" to be doing the new six-part series with the BBC.
"I have always had an enquiring mind so I know I will be inspired by the great houses we visit," she said.
BBC director of content Charlotte Moore said: "This series will be a real treat for BBC One viewers to go behind the scenes with Mary Berry and explore Britain's great houses through her love of cooking."
Berry will reveal the workings of the houses and visit the kitchens, gardens and private rooms - as well as meeting the current custodians - in each 30-minute episode.
The 81-year-old made her name as a cookery writer and has judged The Great British Bake Off with Paul Hollywood since its launch in 2010.
The most recent series, which finished last week, was the last series to be seen on BBC One.
However Berry, Hollywood and hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc will be seen in two Bake Off Christmas specials, which have already been filmed.
Tanya Shaw, managing director at Shine TV, which is producing Berry's new series, said: "I can't think of anyone more perfect to tell the stories of these great households and to bring us such a unique insight into Britain's rich culinary past."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


A conman who duped people into thinking he was a bona fide legal professional has been jailed for 14 years.

Giovanni di Stefano was convicted on Wednesday of 25 charges, including deception, fraud and money laundering between 2001 and 2011.
Di Stefano, 57, of Canterbury, is known as the "devil's advocate" for representing high-profile criminals.
He says he worked with train robber Ronnie Biggs and Saddam Hussein's legal team.
Di Stefano, an ex-Dundee football club director, also claimed his clients included serial killer Dr Harold Shipman and Slobodan Milosevic, the late Serbian leader who died on trial for war crimes at The Hague.
Judge Alistair McCreath, the Recorder of Westminster, told Di Stefano he recognised that he did not seek out those who he defrauded - instead they came to him. But he had caused real distress - and years of misery and frustration - to many people.
The judge said: "There is more than one kind of predator. Some predators hunt down their victims, others lie in wait for them.
"Your victims in this case were all desperate people and people who, because of their desperation, were vulnerable.
"You had no regard for them nor for their anguish. Your only concern was to line your own pockets."
Di Stefano's crimes were "planned and persistent", the judge added, and some of his attempts to defend his behaviour in court amounted to "breathtaking cynicism".
On Thursday Di Stefano pleaded guilty to two further counts of fraud, including stealing Â£150,000 compensation that should have gone to man who had lost an arm in a car crash. A further three counts were ordered to lie on file.
During the trial, Southwark Crown court heard the 57-year-old had fooled clients out of millions of pounds by presenting himself as a lawyer, despite having no legal qualifications and not being registered to work as an advocate in the UK or Italy.
As part of this pretence, he used the Italian word "avvocato" on business cards, letterheads and documents to ensure his clients and the judiciary were given the impression he was a lawyer.
A jury of eight women and four men took four hours and 10 minutes to reach a verdict.
It found Di Stefano guilty of nine counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception, eight counts of fraud, three counts of acquiring criminal property, two counts of using a false instrument, one count of attempting to obtain a money transfer by deception, one count of obtaining property by deception and one count of using criminal property.
During the trial, the court was told about Di Stefano's links with President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe, al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, and his "friendship" with the daughter of Slobodan Milosevic.
A BBC documentary from 2004 was also shown to the court, in which Di Stefano spoke of Iraqi leader and war criminal Saddam Hussein as a "nice guy".
During the film, he boasted of being asked to defend killers including Shipman, Jeremy Bamber, Kenneth Noye and Linda Calvey.
Di Stefano, who was born in the small Italian town of Petrella Tifernina, moved to Britain as a boy and attended school in Wollaston, in Northamptonshire.


Ministers are warning of at least 10 years of "uncertainty" if the UK votes to leave the European Union.

A government analysis says the economy, financial markets and the rights of Britons living overseas could be affected during a complex negotiation to "unravel" the UK's membership.
But Commons Leader Chris Grayling, who is campaigning for a UK exit, said the 10-year claim was "ludicrous".
He accused the government of running a "relentless campaign of fear".
Meanwhile Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who wants to remain in the EU, warned David Cameron against fighting a "miserable, negative, fear-based" referendum campaign.
Such accusations were rejected by Cabinet Office Minister Matt Hancock, who told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government's analysis was "a cautious assessment".
He said it was "incumbent" on the Leave campaign to explain what would happen if it wins the referendum, adding: "There are real consequences of this for jobs and for livelihoods."
The government's assessment of the exit process warns of a "complex negotiation" involving the 27 remaining EU member states, saying it would be difficult to complete a successful withdrawal inside the official two-year window.
It says about two million Britons living in other EU countries have access to pensions, healthcare and other public services.
"There would be no requirement under EU law for these rights to be maintained if the UK left the EU," it adds.
"Should an agreement be reached to maintain these rights, the expectation must be that this would have to be reciprocated for EU citizens in the UK."
But Mr Grayling told the BBC: "Why on earth would we think it would take twice as long as the Second World War to be able to sort out our trading relationships with Europe and elsewhere?"
He said EU states had more to lose, because "they sell far more to us than we sell to them".
Tamara Kovacevic, BBC News
There is no precedent for a country leaving the EU.
Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty sets out the process: negotiations would last two years and after that the UK would cease to be a member of the EU, unless the other 27 states unanimously decided to extend the negotiations.
When Greenland voted to withdraw from the European Community - the organisation that preceded the EU - in 1982 (after gaining a high level of internal autonomy from Denmark in 1979) a deal was reached three years later, after difficult and protracted negotiations, mainly over fisheries.
A deal for the UK is likely to be more complicated and the negotiations lengthier, especially if the UK wanted to retain full access to the single market.
The other 27 EU countries would be in charge of the timetable and a new deal for the UK would have to be approved by the European Parliament and the remaining 27 EU countries by qualified majority voting.
The UK would remain a member of the EU, under the current terms, for as long as the negotiations are ongoing.
BBC EU referendum reality check
London Mayor Boris Johnson also accused Remain of scaremongering, writing in the Daily Telegraph: "They want us to go to the polls in such a state of quivering apprehension that we do the bidding of the Euro-elites, and vote to stay in the European Union."
The cabinet is split over whether to remain in the EU, with 17 full members in favour of staying in the EU and five wanting to leave.
On Monday afternoon Conservative MPs lined up in the House of Commons to criticise restrictions placed on official information given to those ministers backing an EU exit.
Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood's guidance says ministers opposing the official government line should not be given access to government papers on the referendum or Prime Minister David Cameron's EU renegotiations - apart from ones they had already seen.
Responding to an urgent question from Tory MP Bernard Jenkin, Mr Hancock said government was "functioning as normal" and that the restrictions would only apply to the specific in-out EU debate.
But backbenchers attacked the move. Michael Fabricant said it would appear "petty and vindictive" to voters, ex-defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth called it a "constitutional outrage", while former children's minister Tim Loughton suggested ministers would have to submit Freedom of Information Act requests to their own departments.
Earlier Employment Minister Priti Patel said Sir Jeremy's action was "unconstitutional" and accused him of jeopardising the political impartiality of the Civil Service.
"Secretaries of state are responsible for their departments. For an unelected official to prevent them being aware of the information they need for their duties is wrong," she said.
Prime Minister David Cameron told an audience of students in Ipswich the row had "got slightly out of proportion" and the public should focus on the bigger issue of the merits of staying in or leaving.
The government is not neutral on the issue, he said, adding that ministers who back EU exit should not expect to see documents making the government's case for staying in as he would not expect to see papers prepared by campaign groups opposing EU membership.


Matt Coles took the first hat-trick of this summer's T20 Blast but ended up on the losing side as Middlesex beat Kent by 16 runs.

The seamer had James Franklin and John Simpson both caught at long-on, and then bowled Tim Southee in the final over of Middlesex's 179-8.
Brendon McCullum smashed six sixes in his 51-ball 88 for Middlesex before Kent stumbled to 163-8.
Elsewhere, Leicestershire won at Durham while Sussex beat Hampshire.
Former New Zealand captain McCullum had only scored 36 in his previous four innings for Middlesex this summer and made the most of being dropped by Kent captain Sam Northeast on 19.
He brought up his half-century in 30 balls and also struck nine fours before he was bowled by Calum Haggett.
McCullum's innings overshadowed that of Dawid Malan, who celebrated his call-up to England's squad for next week's third Test against South Africa by making 33 before becoming the first of Coles' four victims.
His final-over heroics saw him become the third Kent bowler to take a T20 hat-trick, following on from Ryan McLaren in 2007 and Wahab Riaz in 2011, as he finished with 4-32.
Kent's reply got off to the worst possible start as they lost the in-form Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly to slump to 2-2.
Northeast hit 59 and Jimmy Neesham 52 to give Kent hope but they fell short in front of Middlesex's record outground crowd of 4,107 at Richmond.
Leicestershire made it four wins from four to stay top of the North Group with an impressive 27-run victory over Durham.
After Luke Ronchi (32), Cameron Deport (29) and Mark Cosgrove (33) laid a strong foundation, the Foxes lost their way as they collapsed from 100-2 to 144-8, Paul Collingwood taking 4-24.
But their attack defended a score of less than 150 for the third successive game as they reduced Durham to 39-5 before the hosts mustered only 117-8 from their 20 overs, with 20-year-old slow left-armer Callum Parkinson taking 3-20.
Jofra Archer starred for Sussex as they picked up their first win of the competition by ending South Group leaders Hampshire's 100% record.
The 22-year-old paceman, from Barbados, ripped through Hampshire's top order to finish with 4-18 as the home side could only post 126-9.
Reece Topley trapped Luke Wright leg before with the third ball of Sussex's reply but they cruised to their target with 16 balls to spare to win by six wickets.


The North American Soccer League kicks off its "fall", or autumn, season on Saturday accompanied by a new nationwide TV deal that it hopes will help spread the popularity of football and the division in the US.

The NASL is a famous sporting brand name, thanks to the Pele-led razzmatazz days back in the 1970s, when the New York Cosmos were the big name in a pioneering drive using global superstars to woo American sports fans.
The present-day NASL, and indeed the current Cosmos, are different entities to their predecessors, and rather than leading the charge this time around, the league is now the second tier in the US, the equivalent of the Championship in England.
But the current regime is not content to play second fiddle to the top tier Major League Soccer (MLS) and has expansion plans; in terms of team numbers, geographical spread, broadcast reach, and sponsor deals.
The NASL hopes that the new deal with CBS Sports Network, starting on 2 July with nationwide coverage of the game between Oklahoma City-based Rayo OKC and Canadian club FC Edmonton, will kick-start additional fan interest.
"This is a tremendous development and opportunity for us," says league commissioner Bill Peterson, who points out that CBS was the NASL broadcast partner 40 years ago, during the Pele and George Best heyday.
"Television is very important for our experience and growth, it means we move to a higher level of sports awareness across the country.  It means NASL will be seen by 90 million additional viewers a week. "
Peterson says that as well as the 12-game TV schedule with CBS, a deal signed with BeIn Sports - formerly Al Jazeera Sport - during the spring football season, will continue during the autumn season. BeIn is currently in about 17 million US homes.
Meanwhile, NASL also has a broadcast partnership with ESPN's streaming service ESPN3.
That exposure, it is hoped, will in turn lead to business benefits too, as potential new entrepreneurs emerge.
"We continue to see a lot of interest throughout the US and Canada from people looking to potentially bring soccer to their city," Peterson.
"These people are very serious, and we have half a dozen instances of potential owners wanting us to go through and outline with them the processes involved in being admitted.
"We have explained to them exactly what is needed to become involved, about how we expect our clubs to engage with their local communities, local business and politicians."
Three new teams have emerged so far this year: in Miami media mogul Riccardo Silva of M&P Silva and Italian legend Paolo Maldini are co-owners.
In Oklahoma, Rayo Vallecano of Spain's La Liga is a partner with a local businessman; and in Puerto Rico the new club owner is NBA star Carmelo Anthony.
The NASL has also admitted a team in San Francisco for next year, and the Carolina Railhawks has a new owner, Stephen Malik, a local healthcare entrepreneur.
However, on the downside the league has lost the Atlanta Silverbacks (ceased operations) and San Antonio Scorpions (to the third-tier United Soccer League), and also looks set to lose Minnesota United to the top-tier MLS.
With regard to Atlanta, Peterson says "we feel for fans of clubs that don't continue", and on the other two changes, adds "it is something that comes with the structure and newness of soccer in the USA, it is still a little bit of a Wild West out there".
Unlike the centralised MLS, the NASL is not a "single-entity" structure, nor does it have a salary cap, which gives owners the freedom to build a franchise as they see fit.
"Our business model has established itself," says Peterson. "Our plans now are to continue expansion until we come to 18 or 20 teams."
He says that since its emergence in 2011, the new NASL has allowed the process of franchise growth to happen organically, having waited for towns and cities to approach them, rather than going out with a masterplan to cover the entirety of the country immediately
"With San Francisco coming on board, we now have a presence on the West Coast," says Peterson.
"Of those six instances of interest that I mentioned, four would be also considered West Coast. So before the end of the year we could have another club out there. That would help with our national footprint, and also help attract potential sponsors."
At the moment the league does not have a title sponsor, but Peterson believes that will come about when the league reaches 18 to 20 teams.
"In the meantime we are talking to a lot of other different companies about coming into supporting the league as partners, and how we can help their firms by spreading awareness of their brands through the NASL."
He points to the deal signed with US sports kitmaker Under Armor, to provide the official league football, as proof that they are getting big names on board.
On the playing side, names familiar to British football fans are Joe Cole at Tampa Bay, and Georgios Samaras at Rayo OKC.
"But we do not just recruit former big-name players from overseas," he says. "We now have a mix of more and better US players, appearing together with better overseas players."
One thorny issue the NASL is in constant contact with the US Soccer Federation about is promotion and relegation between the MLS and NASL.
"There is a lot of promotion and relegation in football around the world. But for club owners in the US that can be a scary prospect," says Peterson.
"There are advantages and disadvantages, and we are in discussions about it, which would not have happened a couple of years ago. If it is not for today then it might be for the future."
As for the future growth of soccer in the US, he says the size of the country means there is scope for dozens of new teams, and thousands of new fans.
"There is a huge untapped interest out there," he says. "We have barely scratched the surface so far."


Labour has retained control of Exeter City Council with an increased majority in the local elections.

The party made gains from the Conservatives as it won 30 of the 39 seats on the council.
Councillor Andrew Leadbetter said he was "considering his position" as Conservative group leader of the council.
Control of Plymouth City Council hangs in the balance as no party managed to win a majority.
Labour gained four seats in Exeter while the Conservatives lost four, leaving them with eight and the Liberals Democrats with one.
Among the winners for Labour were four Exeter University students, Dan Gottschalk, Rose Ashwood, Luke Sills and Lewis Keen, all first-time councillors.
John Chilvers, president of Exeter Labour Students, said: "It's a great testament to our hard work, it is just a shame about how the party performed nationally.
"People should come to Exeter to see what wining is about and how to do it.
"There are no safe seats for Labour so if you didn't work hard you would not achieve this."
Mr Leadbetter said: "Obviously I'm disappointed.
"There is something special about Exeter that seems to make them want to have Labour candidates - they've had a Labour MP here for a long time so it's continuity."
Former Exeter city centre manager John Harvey, who had been standing as the Conservative candidate in the Alphington ward, tweeted that he was "absolutely devastated" at the result.
Labour and the Conservatives hold 27 seats each in Plymouth after Labour lost a seat and the Conservatives gained one.
Decisions will have to be made over the next few days over who will lead the city council.
Counting in the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner is due to start later.
Across England, elections are taking place for more than 120 councils and to elect mayors in Bristol, Liverpool, London and Salford.


The divergent paths of the Scottish and UK jobs market are mirrored by other indicators we've had in recent days.

The Purchasing Managers Index, one of the best guides to private sector behaviour, showed output down in September, and new orders were down too.
On the positive side, managers told the Bank of Scotland survey they are continuing to recruit.
Whisky and engineering led the way down in manufacturing exports during the second quarter of this year. That has a lot to do with troubled emerging markets, a strong pound and the global problems for the oil and gas industry.
The most recent figures for total output from the economy, covering April to June, were barely into positive territory, and far behind those of the UK as a whole.
As I noted last week, if it weren't for construction, another quarter like that and we'd be in recession.
We also learned from the Office for National Statistics that house prices in Scotland were down 0.9% in the year to August, while English ones rose 5.6%. Even outside the heated south-east, English prices were up more than 4%. (A reminder: falling house prices are bad for owners, good for buyers and renters.)
Some indicators are on the up.
Airport passenger numbers have continued to rise, though Aberdeen's fell sharply last month, despite the huge Offshore Europe event - down 6.2% while helicopter movements fell 14%.
One reckoning is that those who benefit from lower oil prices - energy intensive industries as well as car-owning households - are yet to feed that through in boosts to investment and to consumer spending. It's worth noting that many of the numbers cover what was happening several months ago, so things may already be different.
With average pay (across the UK) up by 3% in the latest ONS figures, and with prices falling by 0.1% on lower energy and food costs, that ought also to boost the feelgood factor.
But if that lagging effect does not feed through in the next few months, Scotland's sluggish, if not stalled economy could become a more prominent issue in next year's Holyrood elections.


A Cardiff jihadist who was one of three men from the city to have joined a group in Syria was killed by the RAF.

Reyaad Khan, 21, died on 21 August, along with another man, in a "precision airstrike" in Syria, the Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday.
He said Khan was plotting "barbaric" attacks on UK soil and he was killed in an "act of self-defence".
The jihadist's death was first announced at the Jalalia mosque in Riverside.
It is the first time an RAF drone has been used to attack a British national in a country in which it is not at war.
Addressing MPs, Mr Cameron said: "Both Junaid Hussain and Reyaad Khan, were British nationals based in Syria who were involved in actively recruiting ISIL sympathisers and seeking to orchestrate specific and barbaric attacks against the west including directing a number of planned terrorist attacks right here in Britain, such as plots to attack high profile public commemorations, including those taking place this summer.
"We should be under no illusion, their intention was the murder of British citizens, so on this occasion we ourselves took action.
"In an act of self-defence, and after meticulous planning, Reyaad Khan was killed in a precision airstrike on 21 August by an RAF remotely operated aircraft while he was travelling in a vehicle in the area of Raqqa in Syria."
Following the announcement in the Commons, Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan said Khan's death was a "sad inevitability".
"But the house will have been surprised to find that the manner of his death has been by a drone strike against a British citizen in Syria and therefore there will be many questions that the house will have, and I will have as his constituency MP," he added.
Mr Brennan said he wanted Mr Cameron to explain the "nature of the threat" Khan posed.
The PM responded he would be as "forthcoming as I possibly can be".
He added: "When we're dealing with people who are producing such a tempo of potential terrorist attacks - attacks on police, attacks on members of the armed services attempted attacks on commemorations in our own country... we've got to take action... there's no other way of dealing with it than the route that we took."
Family friend Mohammed Islam said it was "shocking" news for the Riverside community where Reyaad Khan grew up.
Last year, former Cantonian High School and St David's College student Reyaad Khan appeared in a video along with another man from Cardiff urging others to join so-called Islamic State.
He was seen in the 13-minute IS propaganda video in June 2014 alongside his friend Nasser Muthana, also from Cardiff, and Abdul Raqib Amin from Aberdeen.


Firefighters are tackling a huge blaze at a bowling club in Fife.

The blaze broke out at Denbeath Bowling Club in Buckhaven, Fife, at 12:35.
Police are warning people to keep their windows closed due to the amount of smoke in the air. Surrounding roads are closed and police are diverting drivers away from the area.
The bowling club is next to Denbeath Primary School in the town, however there have been no injuries.


Reigning champions Monaco became the first team to win 15 successive matches in France's Ligue 1 after Radamel Falcao earned the club a narrow victory at Metz without Kylian Mbappe.

Mbappe, 18, was left out of the squad amid transfer speculation linking him with a move to rivals Paris St-Germain.
Falcao struck a 78th-minute winner after latching onto Rachid Ghezzal's chip over the home defence.
After finishing last season with 12 successive wins, Monaco have started this campaign by beating Toulouse, Dijon and now Metz.
Colombia striker Falcao's winner saw Monaco pass Bordeaux's tally of 14 wins in a row in 2009.
Mbappe, who has also been linked to Real Madrid and Manchester City, was left out of the squad by manager Leonardo Jardim, who said he was "protecting" the player.
The France forward burst on to the scene last season, scoring 26 goals in all competitions during his first full season as Monaco won the French title for the first time in 17 years and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
Match ends, Metz 0, Monaco 1.
Second Half ends, Metz 0, Monaco 1.
Attempt missed. Gauthier Hein (Metz) left footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Cafú.
Foul by Fabinho (Monaco).
Renaud Cohade (Metz) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. João Moutinho (Monaco) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Thomas Lemar.
Substitution, Monaco. Youri Tielemans replaces Falcao.
Falcao (Monaco) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Moussa Niakhate (Metz).
Attempt saved. Ibrahima Niane (Metz) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Gerónimo Poblete with a through ball.
Attempt missed. Djibril Sidibe (Monaco) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Rachid Ghezzal.
Thomas Lemar (Monaco) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Renaud Cohade (Metz).
Attempt missed. Falcao (Monaco) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high.
Attempt blocked. Rachid Ghezzal (Monaco) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Djibril Sidibe.
Foul by Falcao (Monaco).
Jonathan Rivierez (Metz) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Metz. Gauthier Hein replaces Yann Jouffre.
Goal!  Metz 0, Monaco 1. Falcao (Monaco) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Rachid Ghezzal with a through ball.
Attempt saved. Ibrahima Niane (Metz) header from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Yann Jouffre with a cross.
Substitution, Metz. Ibrahima Niane replaces Nolan Roux.
Corner,  Metz. Conceded by Jemerson.
Attempt missed. Jorge (Monaco) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Thomas Lemar following a set piece situation.
Attempt blocked. João Moutinho (Monaco) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Hand ball by Gerónimo Poblete (Metz).
Substitution, Metz. Matthieu Udol replaces Ablie Jallow.
Guido Carrillo (Monaco) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Fallou Diagne (Metz).
Attempt missed. Kamil Glik (Monaco) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Thomas Lemar with a cross following a corner.
Attempt saved. Kamil Glik (Monaco) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Thomas Lemar with a cross.
Corner,  Monaco. Conceded by Jonathan Rivierez.
Attempt blocked. Thomas Lemar (Monaco) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Guido Carrillo.
Attempt blocked. Falcao (Monaco) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Djibril Sidibe.
Attempt saved. Nolan Roux (Metz) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Renaud Cohade.
Attempt blocked. Rachid Ghezzal (Monaco) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by João Moutinho.
Jemerson (Monaco) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Nolan Roux (Metz).
Substitution, Monaco. Rachid Ghezzal replaces Adama Diakhaby.
Attempt missed. Falcao (Monaco) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Djibril Sidibe with a cross.
Jonathan Rivierez (Metz) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.


The cortege route for Cilla Black's funeral in Liverpool on Thursday has been announced.

The family of the entertainer, who died on 1 August, has asked those wishing to pay their respects to line a two-mile stretch of Woolton Road.
The funeral will be held at St Mary's Church, in the suburb of Woolton, at 13:00 BST (12:00 GMT).
More than 3,000 people signed books of condolence in Liverpool, the star's home city, following her death.
The funeral cortege will start at the junction of Woolton Road and Church Road North, and will travel to the junction with Blackwood Avenue before continuing to the church.
The family said the public would not be able to access the church grounds and asked people not to travel to Woolton village as "as this may compromise the funeral party and invited guests from attending".
After the funeral, the entertainer's body will be laid to rest at a private ceremony in Allerton Cemetery, where her parents are buried.
Some parking and traffic management restrictions will be in place on the day:
Black, who made her name as a pop singer in the 1960s before becoming the host of hit TV shows Blind Date and Surprise Surprise, died after a fall at her villa in Estepona on the Costa del Sol.
A coroner ruled last week that the 72-year-old died from an accidental traumatic head injury.
The star made a posthumous comeback to the UK music charts last week when her greatest hits collection, The Very Best Of Cilla Black, rose to number eight in the UK albums chart.
Her former number one single Anyone Who Had A Heart, first released in 1964, returned to the charts at number 41.


Venezuelans went to the polls on Sunday to elect all 167 members of the National Assembly amid tension caused by the country's worsening economic decline.

The MUD opposition coalition won a majority of the seats.
But it will now face a long catalogue of economic problems.
Not only has Venezuela been hit hard by the continuing low price of oil, its main export, it also has the continent's highest inflation rate and is suffering from chronic shortages of some basic goods.
President Nicolas Maduro blames the poor state of the economy on an "economic war" waged against his government by the opposition, a foreign axis of shadowy players based in Miami, Madrid and Bogota, and private firms intent on toppling his administration.
The opposition meanwhile say the economy has been run into the ground by government mismanagement and the administration's imposition of price and currency controls.
Daniel Gallas looks at five key issues troubling the economy.
Venezuela's economy is closely linked to the price of oil - which accounts for more than 90% of the country's export revenues.
As prices tumbled in the past months - from $115 (Â£69) a barrel in June 2014 to below $50 last month - the country's GDP took a nosedive.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that the economy will contract 10% this year and a further 6% in 2016.
President Maduro has been pressing the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) - of which Venezuela is a member - to decrease production and push barrel prices up to at least $88.
However, most Opec countries are interested in maintaining prices relatively low, so as to disincentive shale-gas projects.
Caracas is bracing itself for oil prices to stay low.
Last week, the National Assembly approved the 2016 budget which predicts a price of $40 per barrel next year.
For the past two years, going to supermarkets in Venezuela has been a time-consuming affair.
A study by polling firm Datanalisis suggests that Venezuelans spend on average five hours per week buying groceries and visit up to four different stores to find products.
Outside each major store, there are long queues and it takes hours for customers to get inside.
Chronic shortages of a number of products mean many have to go home empty-handed.
The hardest items to get hold of are the 42 staples the prices of which the government controls. Among them are milk, rice, coffee, sugar, corn flour and cooking oil.
Moreover, the Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation estimates that there is a shortage of 70% of medication in most pharmacies across the country.
Food companies complain that with regulated prices, some items are just not profitable to produce.
The government accuses producers of deliberately stockpiling products in order to drive prices up.
Venezuelan-based broadcaster Telesur recently alleged that the shortages were a "concerted effort by the opposition to create psychological distress in the country ahead of elections".
With shortages and queues, prices for essential goods are skyrocketing in the black market, driving up the cost of living.
The IMF predicts annual inflation of 159% in Venezuela this year - the highest in any country in the world. In 2016 it could be upwards of 200%, according to the Fund.
Venezuela has not released any official inflation data this year, but President Maduro recently stated that figure for 2015 was likely to be 85%.
The government tries to tackle rising inflation with price controls; recently it fixed the price for a carton of 30 eggs at 420 bolivares.
But not all sellers stick to the fixed prices. Consumers reported paying almost three times as much on the black market, according to Huevo Today (Egg Today), a Twitter account on which Venezuelans share information on the prices of eggs.
Venezuela has three official exchange rates and an illegal black market rate.
The first two are used for importing goods which the government considers essential, such as food, medicine or household items. The third one is for Venezuelans who do not have the authorisation to buy dollars at the preferential rates.
But the black market rate is the one which many Venezuelans use as it is hard to get approval to exchange money at the official rates.
The disparity between the first rate and that of the black market is enormous. One dollar will buy you 6.3 bolivares at the lowest official rate, while on the black market it will fetch a whopping 800 bolivares, according to the widely used website DolarToday.com website.
The government introduced currency controls in 2003 to stem the flow of capital out of the country, but instead they have been a driving factor in pushing up inflation.
Importing goods can be prohibitively expensive and companies are forced to find local alternatives.
For 10 months, fast food chain McDonald's replaced its French fries with yuka fries - made with local cassava - because importing potatoes had become too dear.
French fries only returned to its menu last month when McDonald's finally managed to source potatoes locally.
One of the proudest achievements of Chavismo - as the politics of the late President Hugo Chavez and his successor in office Mr Maduro are known - is its record in reducing poverty and inequality.
Poverty levels were halved between 2003 to 2011 and Venezuela's Gini co-efficient, which measures inequality, improved greatly.
Social programmes sponsored by the government helped boost real income, but many fear that in a recession some of those gains are at risk of being reversed.
A recent study by three Venezuelans universities suggested that poverty had already increased massively. The study suggested 73% of the population now lived in poverty - up from 27% in 2013.
The government dismissed the study, saying that not only had poverty not risen but that extreme poverty had fallen in 2015.
Officials also said that unemployment had fallen to a historic low of 6.7%.


On the surface, their lives appeared to be very different - radio DJ, civil servant and retired police officer, bus driver, cabaret singer and publican and businessman.

There did not appear to be any obvious link between them, but the group of five were indeed connected - by a dark, despicable secret.
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, they operated an "abhorrent" predatory paedophile ring in the Wrexham area of north Wales.
They targeted and preyed on vulnerable children aged between 10 and 15, in a "systematic and devious manner" before repeatedly abusing them and passing them from one abuser to the next.
"On some occasions, victims were given alcohol before the abuse took place," said Ed Beltrami, chief crown prosecutor for Wales.
"That's the whole nature of a paedophile ring; they pick on people who have vulnerability, they don't necessarily have a very stable home life and people looking after them so they are prey to offenders of this nature.
"Once they're into the ring then they are passed around from one offender to the other. "
The five men - two other defendants; retired teacher Roger Griffiths, 76, from Wrexham, and ex-slaughterman Keith Stokes from Farndon, Cheshire, were cleared of all charges - must have felt confident they would never be held to account for the young lives they had broken.
After all, they remembered a time when sex abuse claims against men, often in positions of influence, were routinely dismissed out of hand and not taken seriously.
But the two-month trial at Mold Crown Court is a reminder of how things have changed.
Now, complaints of abuse - no matter how long ago - are treated differently. They are taken seriously.
Rumours of a paedophile ring in Wrexham were nothing new. They had been circulating for years.
In 2000, the Waterhouse inquiry into physical and sexual abuse in north Wales children's homes acknowledged its existence.
"Twenty-five years ago, when I was first involved in digging this up, there was almost like a wall of silence," said Malcolm King, a Wrexham councillor who has been instrumental in exposing abuse of children in care.
"There was almost a disbelief that this sort of evil could be going on in our midst without us ever knowing about it."
"So breaking that dam of disbelief has been one of the important things that has happened over the past quarter of a century.
"But there's still much more to be done because the evidence is that there are hundreds and hundreds of people who've been abused that have never come forward, often abuse within their own families.
"But nevertheless, people remain silent with the most terrible things having been done to them."
Mr King and officers on the National Crime Agency's Operation Pallial team - set up in 2012 after Home Secretary Theresa May ordered an investigation into claims of previously overlooked child abuse in north Wales - have repeatedly paid tribute to the five victims.
The stress of facing their nightmare past, raking up excruciating memories and of being branded liars by the very men who brutalised them, can only be imagined.
"There is no forensic evidence - it's far too late for that," explains Mr Beltrami.
"No phone evidence, no CCTV, the usual supporting evidence is not available in a case of this nature so it comes down in the end to the oral testimony of the witnesses and of course the defendants have their say and it's for the jury to make up their mind whether they can be sure on the evidence they hear."
The victims told the jury how they had been abused mostly at the home of Gary Cooke - also known as Mark Grainger - who has a string of sex convictions.
At the time, he worked as a professional wrestler and ran a sex shop. He was also the ringleader of the gang of paedophiles.
He had taken in two lodgers - Neil Phoenix and local radio personality Roy Norry - who exploited his local celebrity status to ensnare his victims.
Together with civil servant Edward Huxley, they met former singer David Lightfoot who ran a bar in the town centre called Snowy's.
Here, the gang also gathered young boys to abuse.
The grooming tactics adopted by the abusers have been described as "carefully planned and single minded" and continued over their victims' childhoods.
"They were clearly vulnerable young people," said Ian Mulcahey, senior investigating officer with the National Crime Agency.
"They were targeted because of that reason. They were taken into this network of people and it's been difficult to escape that cycle."
Verdicts
He added: "They accessed their victims in a variety of ways. Some by chance meeting, then they've groomed them and  built up levels of trust.
"They've plied them with alcohol, they've given them attention. These were very vulnerable young boys. They've played on that vulnerability."
The men took them on car trips, provided pornography, drugs, drink and sometimes money. Some of the boys would then introduce their friends to the men.
"I think the victims are incredibly brave," Mr Beltrami added.
"They have suffered over a very long period of time.
"It's not easy to come along and give evidence of sexual offences that have been committed against you in your childhood, particularly going through the criminal process with someone else coming along with suggestions that you're making it up. That's a hard process."
"Whilst the criminal justice process cannot put right the wrongs committed by these individuals, we hope that the victims will take some solace in knowing that their abusers have been brought to justice."
So the latest chapter in the scandal of child abuse in north Wales, both inside and outside the care system in the 70s and 80s, comes to a close.
Connections with some of these men can be made with other known paedophiles.
Cooke once worked for notorious paedophile John Allen, who ran children's homes in north Wales and was jailed for life in 2014.
There is evidence that they preyed on the same victims.
As talk of conspiracies and establishment cover-ups continue, and as Operation Pallial presses on with its quest to expose historical child abuse in the region - it is fair to say this is unlikely to be the last we hear of this episode of north Wales's dark and shameful past.


The number of pedestrians walking through towns in the Borders has dropped by almost a third since 2007, according to a new report.

Footfall fell by an average of 32% in nine town centres surveyed for Scottish Borders Council.
Channel Street in Galashiels was the busiest in the region, with 16,600 pedestrians recorded over a week.
However overall footfall in the town has fallen by 18% since a similar survey in 2007.
The towns were surveyed over two days in September and October last year.
Researchers found that footfall in Melrose and Hawick dropped by 71% and 40% respectively in the last year.
However they have cast doubt on the "extreme results" and suggested that further monitoring would be needed to establish whether the figures were accurate.
Disregarding Melrose and Hawick, footfall increased by 3% between 2013 and 2014.
The report found that the decreasing pedestrian numbers matched a fall in the number of occupied buildings in the region.
The statistics also followed the pattern of the wider UK economy.
The report said: "The UK economy has been weak through most years since footfall monitoring began, and this is reflected in results.
"Although the UK economy has slowly returned to growth, this is yet to translate to the revitalisation of our town centres."


Burnley have posted a net loss of £3.7m for the year to June 2016, which the club has attributed to funding their Championship promotion campaign.

Sean Dyche's side were promoted to the Premier League last summer - having been relegated 12 months previously - which cost the club £11.3m in bonuses.
During the stint out of the top flight, turnover fell from £79m to £40m.
"We managed to strike a balance between risk and reward," said chairman Mike Garlick.
"We are in a stronger position to be more competitive this time in the Premier League.
"We have a clean slate and aim to give manager Sean Dyche and his team the best possible chance of consolidating our place in the world's most competitive and exciting league."


Meet Puffy the Chinese Crested Powder-puff.

30 March 2017 Last updated at 12:54 BST
Sadly Puffy was hit by a car and now her back legs don't work very well.
But thanks to her own doggy pedal cart she's back on the move.
She's also having hydrotherapy to help her get better.
Her owners say they are "overwhelmed" by the generosity of the people who have helped to pay for Puffy's new wheels,
Watch her use pedal power to get around!


Stevenage produced a professional display to beat struggling Leyton Orient in League Two at a wet Broadhall Way.

The hosts dominated the opening exchanges and it was no surprise when an unmarked Ben Kennedy headed home Jobi McAnuff's cross in the 18th minute.
It was 2-0 four minutes later when Nicky Hunt dragged Luke Wilkinson down in the area and Matt Godden smashed the penalty into the top corner.
Orient responded almost instantly when Paul McCallum headed Michael Collins' expert free-kick into the corner.
Danny Webb's team pushed for an equaliser but it remained 2-1 at the break - although not for long.
Stevenage needed only three second-half minutes to extend their advantage when Wilkinson headed in McAnuff's cross.
Tom Pett made it 4-1 just past the hour mark after good play on the left despite Sam Sargeant getting a hand to his shot.
Although Orient pushed for a consolation, it was comfortable for Stevenage, who moved up to seventh in the table.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Stevenage 4, Leyton Orient 1.
Second Half ends, Stevenage 4, Leyton Orient 1.
Attempt missed. Josh Koroma (Leyton Orient) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt blocked. Josh Koroma (Leyton Orient) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner,  Leyton Orient. Conceded by Ben Kennedy.
Corner,  Leyton Orient. Conceded by Henry Cowans.
Gavin Massey (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ben Kennedy (Stevenage).
Josh Koroma (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Fraser Franks (Stevenage).
Josh Koroma (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Michael Tonge (Stevenage).
Corner,  Leyton Orient. Conceded by Fraser Franks.
Foul by Ryan Loft (Stevenage).
Nicky Hunt (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Stevenage. Ryan Loft replaces Matt Godden.
Foul by Steven Alzate (Leyton Orient).
Charlie Lee (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Gavin Massey (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Henry Cowans (Stevenage).
Steven Alzate (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Michael Tonge (Stevenage).
Foul by Victor Adeboyejo (Leyton Orient).
Luke Wilkinson (Stevenage) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Leyton Orient. Victor Adeboyejo replaces Paul McCallum.
Substitution, Stevenage. Kaylen Hinds replaces Jobi McAnuff.
Hand ball by Ben Kennedy (Stevenage).
Foul by Myles Judd (Leyton Orient).
Connor Ogilvie (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Stevenage. Henry Cowans replaces Tom Pett.
Corner,  Stevenage. Conceded by Sam Sargeant.
Attempt blocked. Matt Godden (Stevenage) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Callum Kennedy (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Tom Pett (Stevenage).
Foul by Michael Collins (Leyton Orient).
Tom Pett (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Tom Pett (Stevenage) because of an injury.
Corner,  Leyton Orient. Conceded by Connor Ogilvie.
Foul by Josh Koroma (Leyton Orient).


A Belgian biker is in a serious condition in hospital following a crash in the Highlands.

The 55-year-old man was part of a group travelling around the north of Scotland.
He was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after the collision with a blue Mazda 6 car on the A87 near the Cluanie Inn at Glenmoriston at about 16:50 on Saturday.
The driver and passenger in the car were not hurt.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police Scotland can confirm a motorcyclist is being treated for serious injuries in hospital following a two-vehicle collision on the A87 near the Cluanie Inn.
"Inquiries are being carried out by officers from the Road Policing Unit in Fort William, and they are appealing for any witnesses who have not already been spoken to by police to contact them."


A police officer who Tasered a petrol-soaked man who then caught fire and died will not face criminal charges.

He was being investigated for gross negligence manslaughter and misconduct in a public office over Andrew Pimlott's death in Plymouth last year.
Mr Pimlott, 32, who had poured petrol over himself, appeared to being holding a lit match at the time he was Tasered.
There was "insufficient evidence" to prosecute the officer, the CPS said. He still faces police disciplinary action.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said there was a case to answer for gross misconduct. If this was proved, the officer would lose his job.
IPCC associate commissioner Tom Milsom said: "This has been a complex investigation.
"We felt there was sufficient evidence to refer a file to the CPS but, in light of their decision, we have informed Mr Pimlott's family of our findings."
Sally Walsh, of the CPS special crime division, said: "Whilst we cannot know whether Mr Pimlott intended to set himself alight, seeing him douse himself in petrol and holding what appeared to be a lighted match, it was reasonable for the officer to conclude that he intended to.
"It appears from the evidence that the officer did the best he could in what were clearly very difficult circumstances and that he was faced with a choice of either standing back to allow Mr Pimlott to set himself alight or taking the somewhat lesser risk of applying the Taser in an effort to stop him doing so.
"We have advised the IPCC that no further criminal action should be taken."
Two Devon and Cornwall officers were called to the house at about 21:00 BST on 18 April 2013 after reports from a member of the public about a man with a can of flammable liquid.
The IPCC said a Taser, which delivers a 50,000-volt electrical charge into targets to incapacitate them, was fired during the incident. Mr Pimlott died in hospital five days later.
Nigel Rabbitts, chair of Devon and Cornwall Police Federation, said: "Every police officer has to make split decisions. It's always better to do something, than nothing."
Devon and Cornwall Police said it would "progress an internal disciplinary procedure".


Work is under way to repair a major road through the Lake District which partially collapsed during floods.

A section of the A591 was impassable between Dunmail Raise, north of Grasmere, and Thirlmere, after Storm Desmond hit in December.
The damage was so extensive that a temporary bypass had to be built nearby so children could get to school.
Now construction workers for Highways England have begun repairing the route. Work is expected to take four months.
The A591 is the only major route through the central Lake District.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "We are determined to reopen the A591 as soon as possible, and I am pleased the people of Cumbria can see we are making progress.
"Tourism is a vital part of the local economy, so fixing this road will make a real difference to the region."
Highways England spokesman Andy Withington added: "We are acutely aware of the need to get the A591 north of Grasmere open again as soon as possible, and I would like to reassure local communities and businesses that the main construction work is now beginning.
"Preparatory work and some preliminary construction work are already underway, and we are starting work this week to reconstruct the collapsed part of the road at Dunmail Raise.
"We will continue to work closely with Kier Highways, Cumbria County Council and its contractors to do all we can to get the A591 repaired and re-opened."


A major public consultation has been launched to canvass views on how Edinburgh's world heritage site should be protected.

The city's old and new towns have held Unesco status since 1995 and are among six world heritage sites in Scotland.
The aim is to gather feedback for the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh World Heritage, and Historic Environment Scotland.
The consultation will close at the end of July.
Ian Perry, convener of the City of Edinburgh Council's planning committee, said: "Our World Heritage Site is of crucial importance to the future vision and development of the city.
"This consultation process is an opportunity for everyone to have their say on how the site is being run.
"We would like as many people as possible to let us know what they think is working well, and where we can make improvements.'
Adam Wilkinson, director of Edinburgh World Heritage, said: "The management plan consultation may sound like a theoretical exercise, but the plan is a living document that provides the base from which the partners in the management of the World Heritage Site guide change.
"Its review is an important opportunity for the communities of the World Heritage Site and the city in general to ensure their voice is heard.
"We would urge everyone to get involved and take part in this consultation process."
Barbara Cummins, of Historic Environment Scotland, said: "As partners in the Management Plan, we welcome the launch of the consultation - this provides an opportunity to gather suggestions and ideas from those who live, work and visit Edinburgh on how we manage and celebrate the Old and New Towns World Heritage Site."


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