The Rev. Jesse Jackson – no stranger to negotiating the releases of hostages from hostile lands – is proposing to go to Iran to try and win the freedom of a jailed American journalist. Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old South Dakotan who has been living in Iran since 2003, was accused of spying and sentenced to eight years in prison. “I would be anxious to travel with a delegation to Iran, if we are permitted, and make an appeal for her freedom,” the longtime civil rights activist said at a peace conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. “Whenever we’ve brought people out of captivity, whether in Syria, Cuba, Iraq, or Yugoslavia, or Liberia, it’s always opened a diplomatic door to reduce tensions.” President Obama has denounced the Iranian courts for the one-day, closed-door trial that led to the sentence. Saberi’s attorney has promised to appeal the verdict. Jackson has a history of success in winning the release of American hostages. In 1984, he secured the release of a Navy pilot held in Syria; in 1991, he helped get 500 “international guests” freed from custody in Iraq; and in 1999, he convinced Yugoslavia to release three U.S. soldiers held there during the Kosovo conflict. Saberi has freelanced for several news organizations, including National Public Radio; she was also writing a book about Iranian culture.

Kenyan Gang Riot Leaves 24 Dead Clashes between a violent Kenyan street gang and locals have left 24 dead and injured three others, reports CNN. According to police, the fighting began Monday, when residents resisted the gang’s efforts to remove people from the town of Karatina who are from nearby community. Police have arrest 37 people in connection with the violence and have confiscated several weapons. Some accuse the gang Mungiki (which means “multitude” in English), also known as the Kenyan mafia, of being one of the driving forces behind the country’s post-election violence in 2008 that killed thousands. Mungiki gang members have terrified many neighborhoods in the nation, shaking down locals and business owners alike, reports CNN.  People who resist them usually suffer horrific deaths at the hands of the gang.   

Is Guadeloupe At Risk of a Tsunami? The French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe is at risk of having a tsunami, according to a scientist from the United Kingdom, reports the BBC. The environmental disaster could be caused by the collapse of a volcano, called Morne aux Diables (Devil’s Peak) in nearby Dominica due to a landslide set off by a large earthquake. As a result, according to geologist Dr. Richard Teeuw, chunks of rock would fall into the sea which would cause the tsunami waves. Residents of the island would hardly have any time to escape to safe ground.  

Mom of Alleged Pirate Seeks Obama’s Help

The mother of an alleged Somali pirate who faces trial in New York wants President Obama’s help in freeing the boy. Abde Wale Abdul Kadhir Muse, 16, was spared last week when three other young men were shot to death by Navy snipers after allegedly hijacking a United States ship. Read more. 

Rev. Jackson: Help autoworkers. It’s a good idea to bail out automakers, but any good plan must protect the jobs of autoworkers, says the Rev. Jesse Jackson. “The terms of the loan are unfair to UAW [United Auto Workers], said Jackson of the Bush administration’s $17.4 billion loan to car manufacturers – financed with taxpayers’ dollars. Ultimately, said Jackson, who was in Detroit Sunday, the loan could force members of the union, who already made serious sacrifices on their contracts over the past three years, to be squeezed even more. It’s “unconscionable that they must sacrifice once again,” Jackson said, adding that “automakers, suppliers, dealers, bondholders and unions” must work together to save the industry.