Tensions between India and Pakistan are swiftly rising in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks which killed at least 174 people in India’s financial capital. Adding to the already long held bitter rivalry between the South Asian neighbors is the reported confession of the only gunman to be captured in the attacks who is said to have told Indian security services he belongs to the Pakistan based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terror organization with deep involvement in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, a territory whose ownership has long been disputed by India and Pakistan.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has even taken the unusual step of directly appealing to the Indian government for restraint in the wake of the attacks. Zardari made great pains to disassociate his government from having any role in the terror attacks, pointing out that Pakistan has been busy fighting Lakshar allies like the Taliban and Al Qaeda in its Western tribal regions for years. Things however are not always so clear in the murky underworld of South Asian politics. Many security experts around the world view Lakshar as a creation of Pakistan’s infamous ISS intelligence services, however how much ISS is even under government control in Pakistan at this point is unknown given the complicated and turbulent changes in leadership in the country.

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Chhatrapati Shivaji Train Station. The scene of one of the more gruesome attacks.

The turmoil of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai has entered its third day. Army commandos are still battling pockets of resistance from the highly organized and coordinated terrorists throughout India’s financial capital. Meanwhile the official death toll has climbed to 143.

Recent developments in this ongoing saga of violence are the discovery of 24 dead bodies in the Oberoi Hotel which had been painstakingly cleared room by room by the Indian commandos, and the storming of a Jewish Community Center that had been seized by commando forces sliding in from a helicopter. A gun battle ensued throughout the day between the commandos and terrorists inside the center, but there is still no resolution to the operation nor word on casualties within the facility.

The identity of the attackers or what their specific aims are is still not known for certain, but an Indian official has told the press that one assailant captured by government forces was a Pakistani citizen. This news does not bode well for what is probably one of the most dangerous rivalries between nations in the world. India and Pakistan, both of whom now possess nuclear weapons, have had wars and numerous border skirmishes throughout their history of independence from Britain. One positive development however is that the Pakistani government has sent a high ranking intelligence official to India to share information about the possible identities of the attackers.

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Iran has reportedly produced enough enriched nuclear material to make one single atomic bomb according to analysis of reports by atomic inspectors. The figures were analyzed out of reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which has been conducting inspections of the Iranian nuclear plant at Natanz.

The focus on Iran’s progress in developing a nuclear weapon by the IAEA is a little hard to take seriously for several reasons. Chief amongst is the disturbing truth that a nation’s reported nuclear capability has more to do with the diplomatic spin surrounding that country than the actual reality within their military. India and Pakistan both had nuclear weapons years before their “coming out” to the global public about their capability. Israel still hasn’t publicly declared the extent of its own nuclear program as to avoid the diplomatic ramifications of such a disclosure.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Want to learn our top eco-kinky tips for ‘greening up’ your sex life? How about the top 10 ways to take action against AIDS?  Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie:

Annie Lennox & Top 10 Ways to Take Action Against AIDS

Somewhere Over the Rainbow: American Idol & Yip Harburg

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Nicole:

Top 10 Ways to ‘Green Up’ Your Sex Life

Top 10 Global Warming Myths Debunked

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Giulia:

Mortified Makes Movies

What a Bunch of Boobs

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Gina:

Top 10 Immigration Films

Boarding Gate’s Empty Adventure of Capitalism

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Say Hello to Our Guest Bloggers!

Jon Popham wrote:

Young At Heart Hits the Silver Screen

Death and the River

Andy Kondrat wrote:

Top 5 Things You’ll Love About Planet Green

Leonardo DiCaprio Does Everything For the Environment, Ever

Immigration is one of the more complicated issues facing Americans these days and sadly we don’t see or hear about it very often. Below is a list of 10 great films that explore immigration. Some are more serious documentaries while others are narratives that incorporate some of the more human and historic issues of immigration.

So enjoy my list of the Top 10 Immigration Films and if you’re in the mood to see one in theaters this weekend be sure to go see The Visitor, a great little film that explores how an American college professor and a young immigrant couple grapple with the treatment of immigrants and the legal process post-9/11. It opens on Friday (4/11) so check it out and learn more at it’s Takepart website.

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1. Well Founded Fear : An unprecedented inside look at the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), award-winning filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini take their cameras behind locked doors, where bureaucrats decide the fates of thousands of asylum-seekers each year. To be granted asylum, applicants must demonstrate a “well-founded fear” that their lives would be endangered were they to be deported.

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On 60 Minutes last night Murat Kurnaz, an ex-terror detainee, spoke about the torture he received while in Kandahar and eventually Guantanamo. Kurnaz, a German citizen of Turkish descent, was traveling in Pakistan for religious reasons when he was picked up by police and handed over to the Americans.

The story comes roughly a month before the release of Errol Morris’ new film Standard Operating Procedure. I’ve written about the film a lot here on TakePart, both because it’s a Participant Productions film that I’m very proud of and also because I’m simply a huge Errol Morris fan. What’s especially exciting is that the film not only comes at a critical time in terms of the information it presents, but also that the film is getting a lot of praise, including winning the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out our most popular articles of the week on a variety of subjects, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.

Katie:

Dean Karmen Shows Steven Colbert How To Filter Water

St Patricks Day Goes Green with Green Beer: Top 10 Eco Beers

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Nicole:

East Meets West at Dubai Art Fair, But Shadow of Migrant Labor Remains

TakePart’s “I Am Voting For” Campaign Wants You To Vote the Issues

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Giulia:

Simon Cowell Gives Big

Scarlett Johansson Dates For Charity

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Gina:

Top 10 Easter Films

Top 10 Films That Have Helped to Frame the War in Iraq

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Kerry:

Aqua Colbert Massage In a Bottle

Dakota the Mummified Duckbilled Dinosaur Gets Its Rocks Off

East meets West at Art Dubai, the first annual contemporary art fair to take place in this dynamic city, where cultural partnerships and a stimulating dialogue on contemporary art are being fostered and enriched. The fair began on March 19th and will continue to run through March 22nd. Almost 70 galleries in 30 different countries are participating, including those in the Middle East, North America, South America, Africa and Australia. The UAE has already received much attention for being the future second home of the Louvre, and Dubai specifically for its chic cosmopolitan nightlife, glitzy hotels, and opulent skyscrapers.

On the margins of this cultural courting, however, are some headlining South Asian artists who feature themes in their work reminiscent of the UAE’s longstanding issues regarding migrant labor conditions and abuse.

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Who doesn’t love Bollywood? The saccharine romance stories, the epic song and dance routines, and the fantastically gaudy costumes and set designs? Pakistan’s forbidden love affair with Bollywood films may soon be allowed to flourish, with government MPs now considering the removal of the current ban, which dates back to the 1965 war between India and Pakistan. Theater owners are keen on getting rid of the ban, but some Pakistani filmmakers are worried that lifting it might hurt their own industry. Click here to read the full article from the BBC.

You can also do your part to promote open and free media by taking action at Freepress.net:

In the Guardian today, Tariq Ali discusses his relationship with Benazir Bhutto, and the coexistence of despotism and anarchy in Pakistan. Ali argues that military rule in Pakistan has promoted lawlessness rather than create favorable conditions for order. A history rife with unpopular foreign and domestic policies, continuous martial rule, and political assassinations has led to this moment where those in power must address a despairing majority preparing for increased confrontations with the government. His hope for the Pakistan Peoples Party, formerly led by Bhutto, is that it will revive itself in the wake of her death as a modern democratic body dedicated to open and fair dialogue, and the creation of solid proposals aimed and furthering social rights and stabilizing Afghanistan.