Australian amateur prospector finds massive gold nugget

An amateur prospector in the Australian state of Victoria has astonished experts by unearthing a gold nugget weighing 5.5kg (177 ounces).

The unidentified man, using a handheld metal detector, found the nugget on Wednesday, lying 60cm underground near the town of Ballarat.

Its value has been estimated at more than A$300,000 ($315,000: £197,000).

Local gold experts say gold has been prospected in the area for decades, but no such discovery had been made before.

The man had only made small finds before, he said, but was a "person that really deserved it".

Congratulations Mr. Unidentified!

From BBC News

Nasa astronauts to test inflatable space station

An inflatable floating home for astronauts in orbit is to be tested on the International Space Station.

Nasa hopes the balloon-like capsules will be a low-cost way of providing somewhere to live in space.

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) can be squeezed into a tube and easily sent into space where it can be inflated.

They also have more room than the traditional aluminium modules that astronauts currently live in.

The first capsule is due to launch in 2015.

Scale model of inside the inflatable space station

It'll be tested over a two-year period to see how it copes with things like radiation and temperature changes.

Nasa has teamed up with private company Bigelow Aerospace to build the module.

It's hoped this new technology will enable astronauts to spend longer in space as we look to explore faraway places like Mars.

From CBBC News

Beyonce may perform at 2013 Brit awards ceremony

There are reports that Beyoncé will be performing live at the 2013 Brit awards ceremony in February.

It will be her first UK performance in nearly two years.

The singer isn't up for any awards but is promoting a reunion single called Nuclear with her former girl band, Destiny's Child. She's also working on her fifth solo album.

The star has recently gone back to work after giving birth to a baby girl named Blue Ivy last year.

Beyoncé last performed at the Brits in 2004, when she was named best international female solo artist.

One Direction, Muse and Mumford & Sons will also be performing at the event. All three bands have been nominated for 2013 British group.

The ceremony will take place at the O2 Arena in London on 20 February.

From CBBC news

Adele and One Direction in top five US albums of 2012

Adele's 21 has been crowned America's biggest album of the year - for the second year in a row!

It sold 4.4 million copies in the US in 2012, adding to the 5.8 million it shifted in 2011.

One Direction had the third AND fifth top selling albums of 2012 across the pond. Up All Night sold 1.6 million and Take Me Home sold 1.3 million.

The 1D boys even kept Justin Bieber's Believe down in sixth place!

In an amazing year for British music, four of the five biggest albums were by UK artists.

Folk band Mumford & Sons' Babel album was placed fourth.

America's top five albums of 2012

1. Adele - 21 (4.4 million)

2. Taylor Swift - Red (3.1 million)

3. One Direction - Up All Night (1.6 million)

4. Mumford & Sons - Babel (1.5 million)

5. One Direction - Take Me Home (1.3 million)

Source: Nielsen SoundScan