Jim Ed Brown, a longtime Grand Ole Opry member who had solo and group hits and was a prominent figure on country music television shows, died Thursday. He was 81.

Brown died of cancer at Williamson Medical Center in Franklin, Tennessee, according to a news release from Webster Public Relations. He will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year.

Iranian motocross rider Behnaz Shafiei's passion for hurdling over dirt hills has led her to leap cultural and legal barriers in Iran, where women are banned from riding motorcycles in public.

"When two days pass and I do not ride my motorcycle, I get really ill. Even the thought of not having a motorcycle some day gives me an awful feeling," Shafiei said on the outskirts of Iran's capital, Tehran. "Sometimes, I think to myself, 'How did people in the past live without a motorbike?' Is life without a motorcycle possible?"

A Vermont man has escaped jury duty — by getting dismissed for wearing a prisoner costume.

James Lowe says he was released from jury duty on Tuesday when he showed up at court wearing a black-and-white-striped jumpsuit with a matching beanie.

An experimental solar sail is being called a success three weeks after its arrival in space.

The Planetary Society said Wednesday its test flight resulted in an almost full deployment of the sail — an estimated 90 percent to 95 percent of the 344-square feet (32 sq. meters) light and shiny surface — and has set the stage for a follow-up mission next year.

Five members of Ireland's football coaching staff, including manager Martin O'Neill and assistant coach Roy Keane, have been involved in a road traffic accident outside Dublin.

Britain's Press Association says none of the five were seriously hurt in the incident Tuesday.

Newcastle has released John Carver from its coaching staff, paving the way for a new manager at the English Premier League club.

Former England manager Steve McClaren is the favorite to take charge this week.

Marta scored her 15th career Women's World Cup goal to become the all-time leader in tournament history, leading Brazil to a 2-0 win over South Korea on Tuesday.

In the day's other games, France dominated play and beat England 1-0, Costa Rica and Spain played out a 1-1 draw in a first-ever appearance for both sides at the event, and a late long-range goal gave Colombia a 1-1 draw with Mexico.

Cleveland's chances of taking a long overdue championship rest largely upon the shoulders of LeBron James, and he carried the load impressively Tuesday, scoring 40 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 96-91 win against Golden State, and a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

With Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving out injured, James takes on even more responsibility than is standard for one of the all-time greats, and he and city of Cleveland — which has not won a major sports title for 51 years — now stands two wins from the championship.

Tony Bennett canceled his London show on Tuesday with Lady Gaga due to a flu virus.

The 88-year-old singer apologized to his U.K. fans on social media. A statement from his publicist said ticket holders should "retain their tickets to this event pending more information."

Late one balmy spring night during Havana's 12th Biennial, young working-class men and women lounged on a stretch of sand dotted with folding chairs and umbrellas, an artificial beach created as an art installation on the capital's Malecon seaside promenade.

Meanwhile, at Sotheby's auction house in New York, the beach's 40-year-old creator, Arles del Rio, sold another piece featured at the last biennial for $11,875, more than 40 times the annual salary of an ordinary Cuban. The piece, titled "Fly Away," is made of chain-link fence with a hole in the shape of a jet, making it appear the plane flew right through it.