News Roundup: Sudan Progress?, Massive Orchestra, and 10-Minute Hit Song

Deal Returns Sudan’s Prime Minister, Protests Go On

On Sunday, the leaders of a military coup in Sudan announced a new 14-point “power-sharing” deal that would bring back prime minister Abdalla Hamdok. Mr. Hamdok was removed from power in a coup led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan in late October. The military has been holding Mr. Hamdok since the coup. The new deal does not completely undo the coup, which stopped the country from changing over to a civilian government.

On Sunday, the leaders of a military coup in Sudan announced a deal that would bring back prime minister Abdalla Hamdok (above). Mr. Hamdok was removed from power by the coup in late October. The military has been holding Mr. Hamdok since the coup.

People in Sudan have been protesting since the coup began and have continued in spite of a violent crackdown on protesters by the government. But if the coup leaders expected the deal with Mr. Hamdok to satisfy the protesters, they were wrong. Many protesters now say they no longer trust Mr. Hamdok. They say the only thing that will satisfy them is a government not controlled by the military at all.

It’s too early to tell what might happen in Sudan. Many outside countries see the military’s recent moves as progress. But serious protests continue inside the country. On Thursday, thousands of people protested in the capital Khartoum and the city of Omdurman.

People in Sudan have been protesting since the coup began, and continued in spite of a violent crackdown on protesters. They say the only thing that will satisfy them is a government not controlled by the military at all. Above, a protest in Omdurman yesterday.

Venezuela Sets Record With 8,573 Player Orchestra

On November 13, thousands of young musicians took part in a massive concert in Caracas, Venezuela. The concert – an attempt to break the world record – was put together by El Sistema, a nation-wide collection of youth orchestras. Though the ages of the musicians ranged from 12 to 77, most were young people. The music they played was called “Slavonic March” by Tchaikovsky.

On November 13, thousands of young musicians took part in a massive concert in Caracas, Venezuela. The concert – an attempt to break the world record – was put together by El Sistema, a nation-wide collection of youth orchestras. Over 12,000 musicians showed up.

Each musician had to play for at least five minutes, and they weren’t allowed to share instruments. The conductor, Andres David Ascanio, encouraged the musicians to keep playing, no matter what. “If you break a string, don’t stop.” he told them.

Two hundred and fifty people were spread among the performers to make sure the rules were followed. Over 12,000 musicians showed up. In the end, Guinness World Records counted 8,573 of them, enough to set the record. The previous record was set in Russia, where an orchestra of 8,097 musicians played the national anthem.

Each musician had to play for at least five minutes, and they weren’t allowed to share instruments. The conductor, Andres David Ascanio, encouraged the musicians to keep playing, no matter what. “If you break a string, don’t stop.” he told them.

Taylor Swift’s 10-Minute Song Sets New Record

Another kind of musical record was set this weekend when Taylor Swift’s song “All Too Well” hit #1 on the charts. Ms. Swift has had many number one songs, but this one was a little unusual, since it’s over 10 minutes long.

Taylor Swift set a record when her song “All Too Well” hit #1 on the charts this week. The song is over 10 minutes long – the longest song to make #1. Above, Ms. Swift at the opening of a movie of the same name earlier in November.

Before this, the longest song to make #1 was “American Pie” by the songwriter Don Maclean. American Pie was eight minutes and 42 seconds long. Mr. Maclean said he was glad his record had been broken by “another great singer/songwriter”.

Reaching number one with the song is especially sweet for Ms. Swift. She originally recorded the song in 2012, but lost the rights to the recording. That meant she wasn’t making money when the song was played or sold. Ms. Swift has gone back and re-recorded all of her songs so that she now owns the rights to the new recordings.