A decision by race organizers to force out injured American rider Ted King for being too slow in the team time trial is causing a stir at the Tour de France.

King's Cannondale team said he missed the cut on Tuesday afternoon by only 7 seconds. Cannondale said its managers appealed without success to the race jury to allow him to continue.

Giorgio Armani seemed to strip the body bare in a classic couture collection Tuesday that came with a twist and was entitled simply, "Nude."

The checkered runway in pearly hues of yellow, pink and beige set the mood for the nude-toned musings for fall-winter 2013. The colors recurred on the 52 creations, all of which were constructed with a delicate femininity.

Syrian government forces were on Wednesday pressing ahead with the battle to take back areas they have dominated throughout the country.

Syrian activists said clashes were underway in the northern province of Aleppo, in the region around the capital, Damascus, and in the besieged city of Homs.

Less drama and more finesse did the trick for Sabine Lisicki, who backed up her victory over Serena Williams by topping Kaia Kanepi 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday to advance to her second career Wimbledon semifinal.

The 23rd-seeded Lisicki, who matched Williams' power in her stunning victory Monday over the world No. 1, came back less than 24 hours later and hit six drop shots for winners in dissecting 46th-ranked Kanepi.

Two years ago, Novak Djokovic figured out the grass at Wimbledon and found himself holding the trophy at the All England Club for the first time.

This year, by his own estimate, "I'm actually playing better tennis on grass than I played two years ago."

Arsenal has signed French youth international Yaya Sanogo on a long-term contract after the striker's release by Auxerre.

Sanogo scored 11 goals in 24 appearances for Auxerre and has represented France in the under-16, under-17 and under-19 age groups.

There is still no deal to send NHL players to next year's Sochi Olympics. But all signs point in that direction, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says "things are moving along."

Bettman, union leader Donald Fehr and International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel met for more than five hours on Monday at league headquarters to work on a deal that would allow NHL players to compete in Sochi. This would be the fifth Olympics for the NHL.

Golden State Warriors first-round pick Nemanja Nedovic has had a dozen different coaches in the last six years. He went through three coaches last season alone playing for Lietuvos rytas of the Euroleague, and he has never had much stability in his life or career moving around with his family.

"It's crazy," Nedovic said on a teleconference from Serbia on Monday. "I don't know if it's good for a young player to change coaches so much. At least I'm used to adapting to new situations."

"Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations" (Simon & Schuster), by Peter Evans and Ava Gardner

"I'm tired of remembering," actress Ava Gardner laments during one of many sessions with the ghostwriter working on her memoir. "I'm sick of trying to explain myself all the time."

There are only a couple of models in the world who own not just the clothes they wear when they walk the runway but, by their sheer magnetic presence, command the entire show and with it the undivided attention of every spectator in the room.

One such model is Naomi Campbell.