Beyonce has a stepmother.

Her father and former manager, Mathew Knowles, got married last Sunday. His representative told The Associated Press on Friday that he has wed former model Gena Charmaine Avery in Houston, Texas. The pair had been engaged for a year and a half.

A U.S. professor who developed a laser to study melanoma has discovered a new use for it: uncovering what's underneath artwork without damaging the pieces.

Dr. Warren S. Warren was at the National Gallery in London, looking at an exhibit on art forgeries, when he realized that the art world used imaging technologies that were 30 or 40 years old. So he began investigating whether lasers could be used to safely uncover the mysteries underneath layers of paint.

Cameras that check around the car for pedestrians. Radar that stops you from drifting out of your lane. An engine able to turn off automatically at traffic lights to conserve fuel.

Technology that saves lives — and fuel — is getting better and cheaper. That means it's no longer confined to luxury brands like Mercedes and Volvo. It's showing up in mainstream vehicles like the Nissan Rogue and Ford Fusion.

Ratings agency Standard and Poor's on Friday downgraded Nokia Corp.'s credit rating, citing the deal this week to buy out Siemens from its Nokia Siemens Networks joint venture for 1.7 billion euros ($2.21 billion).

The agency lowered the Finland-based company's long-term corporate credit rating to B+ from BB-, warning that its strong balance sheet will weaken as a result of the acquisition.

After categorically stating that Wayne Rooney is not for sale, new Manchester United manager David Moyes was less forthcoming Friday about what the striker plans to do ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.

Rooney's future has been mired in uncertainty since he told Alex Ferguson that he wanted a transfer before the manager's surprise retirement in May.

It looked as though nothing could stop Andy Murray after he reeled off five straight games to take control of a Wimbledon semifinal that hadn't been going his way.

Then chair umpire Jake Garner made an announcement: They were going to stop play to close the roof on Centre Court.

Dwight Howard is joining the Houston Rockets, leaving the Los Angeles Lakers after one disappointing season to chase championships with fellow All-Star James Harden.

"I've decided to become a member of the Houston Rockets. I feel (it's) the best place for me and I am excited about joining the Rockets and I'm looking forward to a great season," Howard wrote on Twitter on Friday night.

Barcelona said Brazil striker Neymar and Spain defender Jordi Alba have both undergone surgery on their tonsils.

The Spanish club added that the players will be sidelined for 10 days while they recover after having procedures to treat "the recurring problems of tonsillitis they both had had during recent weeks."

Extravagant displays of Independence Day fireworks lit up the skies around the United States, including 19 single bursts in Arizona to remember the firefighters killed in a wildfire, the Statue of Liberty reopened eight months after it was shuttered by Superstorm Sandy, and President Obama urged citizens to live up to the words of the Declaration of Independence.

Four barges carrying 40,000 shells on the Hudson River on Thursday night unleashed a barrage of brilliant reds, whites and blues — some in shapes and smiley faces — as spectators marveled at the classic New York over-the-top fireworks display, snapping videos and pictures on their phones.

James Gandolfini left the bulk of his estimated $70 million estate to his 13-year-old son and infant daughter.

The late star of HBO's "The Sopranos" left millions of dollars to his wife and relatives.