Ed Sheeran

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has announced he is "taking a break" from social media because he is fed up with spending so much time looking at his mobile phone or iPad. The international superstar has 16 million followers on Twitter and another 5.5 million on Instagram. He has been active in keeping his fans up to date on his personal life but now wants to have a rest. He wrote on his Instagram account: "Hello all. I'm taking a break from my phone, e-mails and all social media for a while." He went on to explain: "I've had such an amazing [time] over the last five years but I find myself seeing the world through a screen and not my eyes."

Sheeran has been touring the world since August 2014 giving dozens of sellout concerts. He apologised to his friends and family for his upcoming online absence. He said he wanted to see the world instead of continually working and touring. He wrote: "I'm taking this opportunity of me not having to be anywhere or do anything to travel the world and see everything I missed." The singer will also use his time off to get surgery for a burst eardrum he got while doing a concert. He also had good news for his millions of fans. He announced that his third album is on its way and that it is the best thing he has produced so far. He thanked his fans and said he would be back next autumn. (Breaking News English)

Count on me

A nice song, just for pleasure or maybe to practise the first conditional. Anyway, enjoy it!

What is the Eurovision Song Contest?

Hundreds of millions of people tune in every year for a live extravaganza of multi-cultural entertainment - the Eurovision Song Contest.

Every year countries from all over Europe - and some from outside Europe - send a song and performers to entertain a worldwide audience.
The contest is hosted by the country that won competition the year before. The 2013 show will be held in Sweden.

When did it start?
Eurovision started in 1956 when just 14 countries took part. In 2008, there were a record 43 countries.
The contest was created by the European Broadcasting Union - an organisation of TV companies in and around Europe.
The idea originally came from an Italian song contest and it was also a chance to test out early live TV technology.

How does it work?
Many countries hold a national competition to select their entry. In the UK, the BBC chooses an act to send.

Most competitors then sing in a semi-final to win a place in the grand final - but some countries go straight into the final.
Last year's winner always gets a place in the final - along with the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. They give the most money to the EBU and get a guaranteed place.

How's the winner decided?
A combination of viewer phone votes and the opinions of an expert jury are used to score the countries.
Each country that enters gives points to their favourite song. The song with the most points wins!
Sometimes countries end up scoring nothing and getting the dreaded "nul points".

Political voting?
Some people think some countries just vote for their neighbours and friends instead of voting for the best song.
For example, Greece and Cyprus usually give each other points, while the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland) often exchange votes.
Organisers reintroduced the expert juries in 2009 to try and combat this. (CBBC Newsround)

My Wish

This is also "my wish" for all of you.

Gangnam Style

South Korean smash Gangnam Style has beaten Justin Bieber's Baby to become the most viewed YouTube video EVER!

It was confirmed PSY's Gangnam Style had notched up 805 million views, compared to Baby's 803 million, on Saturday.
Amazingly, Gangnam Style only went online in July and it's still being watched 7-10 million times a day!
It's also the most liked YouTube video, with over 5.4 million likes as of Monday.
The horse-dancing hit has been number one in 28 countries, including the UK.
It's sparked tonnes of copycat videos and the dance has lit up dancefloors across the world! (CBBC Newsround)

What is the Eurovision Song Contest?

Hundreds of millions of people tune in every year for a live extravaganza of multi-cultural entertainment called the Eurovision Song Contest.

Eurovision what?

The Eurovision Song Contest is probably better known for its colourful costumes and dodgy dancing than its music!
Every year countries from all over Europe send a song and performers to fight it out for Eurovision glory.
It's hosted by the country that won the year before.

When did it start?

Eurovision started in 1956 when just 14 countries took part. In 2008, there were a record 43 countries.
The contest was created by the European Broadcasting Union - an organisation of national broadcasters in and around Europe.
The idea originally came from an Italian song contest and it was also a chance to test out early live TV technology.

How does it work?

There are two semi-finals and a final. The top 10 countries from each of the semi-finals go through to the final.
They join the nations that are automatically qualified - last year's winner, along with the 'Big Five' (UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy), the nations that give the most money to the contest.

How's the winner decided?

A combination of viewer phone votes and the opinions of an expert 'jury' are used to score the countries.
Each country that takes part can give points to 10 other countries - 1 to 8 points and then 10 and 12 for their top two countries.
All the points are totted up as we go along to decide the winner. Sometimes countries end up scoring nothing and getting the dreaded "nul points", as the UK did in 2003. (CBBC Newsround)

When I'm 64

Russian grannies set their sights on Eurovision win

The competition is already heating up in the race to be this year's Eurovision Song Contest champion.

After the UK's surprise selection of Engelbert Humperdinck, Russia has now picked their entry - a group of grannies!
The Buranovo Grannies beat off a lot of glam competition to represent their country at this year's contest in May.
The folk band performed in traditional red dresses and shoes made out of tree bark! (CBBC Newsround)