London Fire Brigade says Rihanna was among 300 people evacuated from a hotel after an early-morning fire in an elevator shaft.

The 24-year-old Barbadian singer tweeted news of the fire early Wednesday to her 21 million Twitter followers, posting a picture of a fire engine and the words: "Roamin da streets since 6am! Fyah in da telly."

Roger Federer gave Prince Charles a bow, then gave Fabio Fognini a royal thumping.

With the Prince of Wales visiting Wimbledon for the first time since 1970, Federer was at his best Wednesday and beat Fognini 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.

Gareth Bale has signed a new four-year contract with Tottenham, tying him to the London club until 2016.

The Wales winger, who joined Spurs in 2007, has been linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs after emerging as one of the Premier League's standout players over the last two years.

The green parrots that live on the tropical paradise of Seychelles fly into the bamboo stalks next to Micheleine Georges' 150-year-old farmhouse at dusk. The birds are small and cute. They are also marked for death.

The eradication of the Indian ring-necked parakeet is the goal so that a Seychelles' national bird — the black parrot — may live, those carrying out the EU-funded project say. The black parrot could be wiped out by a disease that the Indian ring-necked parrot carries.

A representative for 50 Cent says the rapper is out of the hospital after being injured in a car accident in New York on Tuesday morning.

The rep says 50 Cent was taken to New York Hospital Queens where he was treated for "minor neck and back injuries" and is now "doing fine."

Nora Ephron, the essayist, author and filmmaker who thrived in the male-dominated worlds of movies and journalism, has died. She was 71.

She died of leukemia Tuesday night at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, her family said in a statement.

Gunmen have attacked the headquarters of a pro-government TV station, killing three employees, Syria's state-run news agency said Wednesday.

SANA said the attack on Ikhbariya TV in the town of Drousha, about 20 kilometers south of the capital Damascus, occurred early Wednesday.

Coach Joachim Loew has said Germany will give no thought to avenging their 2006 World Cup defeat at the hands of Italy when they face the Azzurri in Thursday's Euro 2012 semifinal, confirming that Bastian Schweinsteiger will be available to play.

Schweinsteiger has complained of a lingering ankle injury and had raised doubts about his fitness.

Archaeologists in Greece's second-largest city have uncovered a 70-meter (230-foot) section of an ancient road built by the Romans that was the city's main travel artery nearly 2,000 years ago.

The marble-paved road was unearthed during excavations for Thessaloniki's new subway system, which is due to be completed in four years. The road in the northern port city will be raised to be put on permanent display when the metro opens in 2016.

Arsenal's striking options have been bolstered by signing Olivier Giroud from Montpellier.

The 25-year-old forward agreed to a reported 13 million pound ($20 million) transfer on Monday, two days after France's exit in the European Championship quarterfinals against Spain.