The commander of the main Western-backed rebel group fighting in Syria said Friday he hoped that U.S. weapons will be in the hands of rebels in the near future, saying it will boost the morale of the fighters on the ground.

The comments by Gen. Salim Idris to Al-Arabiya TV followed a decision by President Barack Obama to authorize sending weapons to Syrian rebels, marking a deepening of U.S. involvement in Syria's two-year civil war.

Syrian troops and rebels fought the heaviest battles in months Friday Aleppo, Syria's largest city, a day after U.S. officials said Washington has authorized sending weapons to opposition fighters for the first time.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes concentrated in the eastern rebel-held neighborhood of Sakhour, calling the fighting "the most violent in months." It said troops attacked the neighborhood from two directions but failed to advance, suffering casualties.

The head of Europe's bailout fund says the region should eventually aim to do without help from the International Monetary Fund.

Klaus Regling's comments in Friday's edition of Germany's daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung add to recent hints from other European policymakers that the bloc should aim to handle future emergencies on its own.

Something was clearly wrong with Tiger Woods in the opening round of the U.S. Open and it showed every time he had to deal with the treacherous high grass at Merion.

It therefore appeared merciful when play was halted for darkness Thursday evening with Woods at 2 over through 10 holes.

David Warner heaped more embarrassment on Australia's embattled cricket team ahead of the Ashes when the hot-headed batsman was suspended Thursday and fined for the second time in a month after punching England player Joe Root in the face in an alcohol-fueled late-night bar incident.

Warner escaped being sent home in disgrace from the tour of England and can return from his ban in time to play in the first Ashes test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, starting July 10.

Miami's LeBron James scored 33 points while making the impact everyone expects of the four-time Most Valuable Player, leading the Heat to a 109-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday that leveled the NBA Finals at two games each.

James also had 11 rebounds and four assists and finally got some much-needed help from his struggling All-Star teammates. Dwyane Wade scored 32 points, Chris Bosh had 20 points and 13 rebounds and the defending champions made sure the series will head back to South Beach.

Flamengo said it has hired former Brazil coach Mano Menezes.

The club made the announcement on Thursday, saying that Menezes will sign a contract until the end of 2014.

Scientists with the Smithsonian Institution have discovered at least one new fish species at a deep reef off Curacao while conducting a yearlong project to gather data on temperature and biodiversity for monitoring climate change effects in the Caribbean.

The discovery occurred in recent weeks off the southern edge of the Dutch Caribbean island as scientists used a submarine to explore depths up to 1,000 feet (305 meters).

Wanted: A jester. Wallflowers need not apply.

It's no joke. An Austrian hotel is advertising for a modern-day court fool, who is communicative, extroverted, musical, creative and imaginative.

President Barack Obama has authorized sending weapons to Syrian rebels for the first time, U.S. officials said Thursday, after the White House disclosed that the United States has conclusive evidence President Bashar Assad's government used chemical weapons against opposition forces trying to overthrow him.

Obama has repeatedly said the use of chemical weapons would cross a "red line," suggesting it would trigger greater American intervention in the two-year crisis.