After a lobbying effort by Chicago-area Latvians, U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama has become a co-sponsor of a proposed Senate resolution honoring Latvia on the 90th anniversary of its independence. Obama, a Democrat who is one of two senators from Illinois, added his name Sept. 8.

The resolution, S.Con.Res.87, also calls on the president to ask Russia to acknowledge that the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states was illegal.

Obama added his name after Jānis Vilciņš and Artis Inka of the United Latvian Associations of Chicago sent the senator a letter asking that he consider becoming a cosponsor, Inka said in a Sept. 12 press release. The senator also received a petition signed by Illinois Latvians and friends of Latvia. Obama’s representatives also met with Valdis Pavlovskis, public affairs director for the American Latvian Association.

The resolution was introduced June 9 by Republican Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon and Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois. It was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations on the same day, but has seen no action since.

So far, only four other senators have signed on as co-sponsors to the resolution, according to the Library of Congress THOMAS service. Besides Obama they are Democrats Robert P. Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and Carl Levin of Michigan.

A similar resolution was introduced July 31 in the House of Representatives by Rep. John Shimkus, a Republican from Illinois. However, the House version does not ask the president to press Russia for an acknowledgement that the Soviet occupation was illegal.

The House resolution, which was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, has three co-sponsors: Republican Rep. Elton Gallegly of California, Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler of Florida.

Latvia’s Aigars Apinis has added another medal to his collection, earning silver in the men’s shot put and setting another world record during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Apinis, 35, hurled the shot 10.02 meters in the Sept. 12 final in Beijing’s National Stadium, setting the record in the F52 class.

The gold medal went to Kamel Kardjena of Algeria, who set a world record in the F33 class, according to the official Web site of the Beijing Paralympic Games. His best result was 11.54 meters. Kyle Pettey of Canada took the bronze.

Apinis on Sept. 8 won the gold medal in the men’s discus throw, setting a world record in the F52 class. The class is for athletes “in [a] wheelchair with spinal cord injuries and amputation,” according the Paralympic Games site.

The Paralympic Games continue through Sept. 17.

Latvia has slipped three spots in the latest World Bank ranking of the ease of doing business, but still is in the top 30 of the 181 economies included in the survey.

The World Bank’s “Doing Business 2009” report, released Sept. 10, ranks Latvia 29th, down from 26th last year.

Still, Latvia was among countries singled out in the World Bank’s report, which noted the nation last year was among those making it easier to register property and to close a business.

Latvia also served as a model for officials in Azerbaijan, who visited the country to learn about regulatory reform. Azerbaijan was credited as the top reformer in the world last year and soared in the rankings to 33rd, up from 97th last year.

The World Bank noted that regulatory reforms are gaining momentum around the world, but especially in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

The annual report ranks economies on 10 indicators of business regulation “that record the time and cost to meet government requirements in starting and operating a business, trading across borders, paying taxes, and closing a business,” a World Bank spokesperson said in a press release.

The top three economies for ease of doing business remained Singapore, New Zealand and the United States. Russia ranked 120th, down from 112th last year. At the bottom of the list, ranked 181st, is the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Estonia also slipped, down to 22nd from 18th, while Lithuania remained unchanged at 28th.