A senior official for the 2022 Qatar World Cup again downplayed suggestions that the tournament should be moved from the fierce heat of summer for player and fan safety.

Hassan al-Thawadi, general secretary of the Qatar 2022 supreme committee, told the Associated Press on Friday "we always knew about it ... we know there is an issue with the heat."

Iran, North Korea and Syria blocked adoption of a U.N. treaty that would regulate the multibillion-dollar international arms trade for the first time, saying it fails to ban sales to terrorists, but other countries refused to let the treaty die.

The treaty's adoption required agreement by all 193 U.N. member states, but some countries said Thursday they would ask Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to bring the final draft before the General Assembly for adoption by vote as soon as possible. Observers said that could be as soon as Tuesday.

Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby will be out for up to nine months because of a knee injury.

The Premier League club said the France international tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at a training session on Wednesday.

An inquest into the death of Piermario Morosini during a Serie B match last year has blamed four medics for their inadequate treatment of the footballer.

Morosini, who was on loan from Serie A team Udinese, collapsed and died during Livorno's match at Pescara on April 14 due to a heart attack.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday it approved a new drug from Biogen Idec to control multiple sclerosis in adults with hard-to-treat forms of the disease.

The twice-a-day capsules, called Tecfidera, offer a new option for multiple sclerosis, a debilitating disease in which the body attacks its own nervous system. U.S. -based Biogen Idec already sells two other drugs for the disease, but both require injections.

Israel on Thursday fully reopened its border crossings with the Gaza Strip that were closed following militant rocket fire during President Barack Obama's visit to the region last week, the military said.

Hours before the U.S. leader visited the West Bank, Palestinian militants fired two rockets from Gaza into a southern Israeli city, causing damage but no injuries. The attack prompted Israel to close its only border crossing for commercial goods with the coastal territory, and to restrict its only civilian crossing to humanitarian cases only. It also limited the stretch of the sea where Gaza fishermen were allowed to fish.

As Sebastian Vettel has established himself as the most dominant Formula One driver of his generation, racing fans have come to see him as the boyish, fun-loving face of the glamorous sport.

But after his victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, a more complex image of the German has emerged — that of a ruthless, cunning driver who will do whatever it takes to win a race and possibly his fourth consecutive drivers' championship.

The Miami Heat's bid for NBA history ended Wednesday when their 27-game winning streak was ended by the Chicago Bulls 101-97, setting off a raucous celebration inside United Center.

Miami finished six short of the 33-game record held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

The grunts were long and loud in the final game, as if Maria Sharapova was pushing a couch across nearby Crandon Beach.

Trying to winning the Sony Open must feel that way to Sharapova, a four-time runner-up. She returned to the semifinals Wednesday despite a patchy performance, beating Sara Errani 7-5, 7-5.

Barcelona forward Pedro Rodriguez will be sidelined for 10 days and miss the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals after injuring his leg while playing for Spain in a World Cup qualifier.

The Catalan club said Wednesday that "tests have confirmed that the player has small muscle fiber tears" in his left leg.