Long-serving African Leader Reportedly Dies
The president of Gabon, 73-year-old Omar Bongo, has reportedly died. According to French media reports, Bongo, who has been president of the African nation since 1967, died Sunday after being treated for cancer in Spain, reports the BBC.  Bongo reportedly put off his official presidential activities last month. Though his death is being reported by French media sources (including AFP and a French news Web site) who quoted sources close to Bongo, the nation’s Prime Minister said he’s “very surprised” about the reports. “If such a situation comes about, I would think that the president’s family would naturally get in touch with me,” Prime Minister Jean Eveghe Ndong told a Gabonese television station. Gabon was formerly a French colony, and before his reported death he was being investigated by French officials for embezzling money. Bongo denied the allegations.

Grenada to Receive IMF Money
After a review of the Caribbean nation’s economy, Grenada will receive $6.8 million in U.S. dollars from the International Monetary Fund, reports the BBC. The money will help the nation recover from the negative effects it has suffered due to the global recession. Grenada has been hit hard by a decline in tourism and foreign investment. Officials project a shortfall in the nation’s revenue this year. The money for the aid comes from the group’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility.

World Lens: Kenyans gather to mourn mass tragedy; Zimbabwe opposition is sworn in; and partiers hit the street for carnival celebrations in South America. See pics.
Ghana Soccer Fans Died From Heat
High temperatures and overcrowding appear to be behind the deaths of four Ghanaian soccer fans who died Sunday, reports the BBC. Fans crowded into Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium, which was packed beyond its 40,000 capacity. Many fans fainted in the heat. The four who died were suffocated to death, according to the Ghana Football Association. The match, between the Asante Kotoko and the Hearts of Oak, is a fierce rivalry in the west African nation and many fans had gone to the stadium early in the morning to get a spot. Officials sprayed sections of the crowd with water, to provide relief from the heat, and medical officials treated many fans with heat exhaustion.
 

Grenada’s Unemployment Could Skyrocket
The global economic crisis is hitting the Caribbean island nation of Grenada hard, reports Caribbean Net. One official from the country estimates that unemployment could reach a staggering 30 percent by the end of the year. “Unemployment is rising. Already it is very high in the neighborhood of 23 to 24 percent,” Grenada Finance Minister Nazim Burke said at national economic consultation meeting. “Since the onset of the crisis, we have already seen some layoffs in tourism and the telecommunications industry. We are anticipating that by the end of the year we could see unemployment as high as 30 percent.” His gloomy outlook coincides with news that one of his nation’s largest employers, LIME (a telecommunications company), plans to lay off many Grenadians. By September, 40 percent of the LIME’s workers in Grenada are expected to be out of work.

Grenada cracks down on saggin’ pants.

Officials in Grenada are cracking down on people who wear sagging pants that show their underwear. The move by the Caribbean island nation follows similar bans in a few U.S. cities. The country’s police Commissioner James Clarkson believes the crack-down will bring “back morality into20the country,” reports Caribbean Net News. Some young men have forgotten where their waist is, he added. As another result, women in the nation are doing the same thing; wearing their clothes very low. “Any time you allow lawlessness to start taking effect on your country, you have a problem,” he said. Clarkson, who was appointed in August, said he is looking to form a closer relationship with the press. He also announced that he wants to improve the working conditions for female officers.

Nine in Senegal convicted of homosexuality.

An HIV-prevention activist and eight others in Senegal have been sentenced to prison for allegedly engaging in homosexual acts. The group was arrested in a raid at the apartment of the activist Diadji Diouf, weeks after Senegal hosted an international AIDS conference. Senegal, which is mainly a Muslim country, is among 38 nations that have outlawed acts of homosexuality.