The approval rating of Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding is staying stable despite the Caribbean nation’s economic struggles, the BBC reports. Nearly half – 47 percent – of people who took the survey think Golding is doing a good job, according to the Jamaican Gleaner poll. His administration recently made the controversial decision to ask for aid from the International Monetary Fund, and Golding has also imposed a freeze on the wages of public workers. But Golding has “earned” his approval rating because of his achievements in the past, a pollster told the BBC.  Goldman’s Jamaican Labor Party is coming up on its second year in office.

The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank have cancelled most of the debt from struggling Caribbean nation of Haiti, the BBC reports. That move subtracts $1.2 billion from the country’s total debt of $1.9 billion. The debt relief was given because Haiti has begun to reform its economy and execute new measures to reduce poverty, according to the World Bank and IMF.

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.