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Eye on the World: Friday, April 20, 2012
New: Border skirmish in South Sudan
South Sudan’s president ordered his troops on Friday to withdraw from Heglig, an oil field located across the border from Sudan. South Sudanese troops captured the field last week, accusing Sudan of using it as a base for bombing attacks; however, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the occupation was illegal.
“A spiritual defense of human rights” explores how our prayers for Sudan and other apparently volatile spots around the world can forestall conflict through the conviction of each person’s totally spiritual nature, and of God’s unifying, uplifting care for His creation.
New: Chinese reaction to missile test
The Chinese government indicated Friday that it wants to cooperate with India, rather than engage in an arms race. On Thursday India carried out a test launch of a nuclear-capable missile that could reach Beijing; China’s foreign ministry spokesman said that the two countries are “not rivals but cooperation partners.”
“The arms race that will bless” was written during the Cold War, when nuclear tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were at a high. The author’s spiritual reasoning can guide our prayers for India and China, and for delicate international relations everywhere.
New: Space shuttle Discovery
The space shuttle Discovery – the most-flown spacecraft in history – is being moved this week from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to its new home, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The shuttle, mounted atop a special carrier plane, will be displayed in New York before it reaches its final home in Virginia.
Discovery made many space “firsts,” but is perhaps most famous for restarting the American shuttle program after the Challenger disaster of 1986 and the Columbia disaster of 2003. “Praying for safer liftoffs and landings,” written shortly after the latter, discusses how a God-centric view of the universe can inspire and sustain space exploration.