Both sides in a wrongful death lawsuit that seeks USD 1.58 million from Latvian Shipping Co. (Latvijas Kuģniecība) have agreed to partially dismiss the case pending an out-of-court settlement.

Attorneys for plaintiff Larisa Gerasimenko of Rīga reached agreement in late February with lawyers representing the shipping company, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She is to receive USD 89,100 as a contractual benefit for the death of her husband.

Gerasimenko sued in September 2009 claiming that Latvian Shipping was in part responsible for the death from hyperthermia of her husband, 51-year-old Vasilijs Gerasimenko, who died in August 2008 while working in the hot engine room of the oil and chemical tanker ship M/T Indra. The shipped was docked in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the time.

Also named in the lawsuit are Liberia-based Cape Wind Trading Co. and LSC Shipmanagement Ltd. Cape Wind is the registered owner of the ship and LSC Shipmanagement is the vessel’s manager, while Latvian Shipping is the group owner of the Indra.

Vasilijs Gerasimenko, an engineer, had to work in the engine room for nearly a day and a half, according to complaint. The temperature in the room reached as high as 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit).

The lawsuit claimed the defendants were negligent, careless and willfully failed to provide safe working conditions, and also did not provide any benefits for Gerasimenko’s widow nor pay for his funeral.

In an order filed Feb. 28, both sides agree that the death benefits part of the case will be dismissed once the settlement is paid. All three defendants, according to the agreement, are to be released from the contractual death benefits claim.

However, Larisa Gerasimenko still is asking for USD 976,800 in income her husband would have earned if he had continued to work for Cape Wind until retirement. In addition, the lawsuit asks for USD 200,000 in damages and more than USD 316,000 in interest.

In their response to the lawsuit, attorneys for the companies argue that the U.S. federal district court has no jurisdiction in the case, that the companies are not at fault and that Vasilijs Gerasimenko may himself have been negligent.

Residents of Latvia who find themselves abroad for a short time are encouraged to be counted as part the country’s 2011 census, Central Statistical Bureau officials say.

However, long-term residents of foreign countries will not be counted as part of Latvia’s population in the census that began March 1 and continues to May 31.

Persons who have lived outside Latvia for more than a year should not complete the census form. They will be counted in whichever country they live when that country holds its census.

Latvian residents who find themselves abroad may use the online census form available at www.tautasskaitisana.lv. The Central Statistical Bureau will have the online form available through March 10.

On March 17, census workers will begin visiting Latvian residents around the country.

Thousands of people used the Web-based form on March 1, although the server at one point was overloaded and users could not gain access, according to census officials.

Results of the census are to be reported to the government by Feb. 1, 2012. It is expected that the census will show Latvia’s population has dropped significantly since the last headcount in 2000, which showed a total of 2.37 million residents, of whom 57.7 percent were ethnic Latvians. Since Latvia joined the European Union in 2004, emigration from the country has increased, with tens of thousands of persons moving to countries such as Ireland and the United Kingdom in search of work.

The Central Statistical Bureau estimates that at the end of February a total of 2.227 million people lived in Latvia.

The sky is the limit for Latvia, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Feb. 22 after a meeting with Latvian Foreign Minister Ģirts Valdis Kristovksis.

The foreign minister met with Clinton as part of a four-day visit to Washington, D.C. During the meeting the two discussed matters of economic development and global security. Among issues addressed were Latvia’s membership in the NATO defense alliance and its continuing mission in Afghanistan, diversifying Latvia’s energy sources and the country’s support for democracy in neighboring Belarus.

Clinton, speaking during a press conference that was overshadowed by events in Libya and Bahrain, said Latvia is “a democracy that is demonstrating by its actions how it can build a better future for its own people.”

“The United States has maintained an unbroken friendship with Latvia throughout its modern history, when it was at war and under occupation and since it acquired its independence from the Soviet Union, and we have long admired the Latvian people’s resilience throughout very difficult times,” Clinton said, according to a transcript of the press conference distributed by the State Department.

She applauded Latvia’s involvement in NATO and said the U.S. remains committed to the security of Europe. Clinton also noted Latvia’s efforts to deal with its economic crisis.

“As we work together for global security, we especially commend the Latvian people for their achievements over the past 20 years as they continue their work toward their own better future,” Clinton said. “Gaining membership in NATO and the European Union took patience and persistence, and when those memberships came they were richly deserved. And after suffering devastating job losses during this last global recession, they have been undertaking stringent cost-cutting measures necessary to begin a sustainable recovery.”

While the meeting with Clinton may not have come with any firm commitments regarding the Latvian economy, Kristovskis told a reporter that he is convinced the U.S. will maintain interest in investing in the country. Latvia wants to learn about America’s experience with producing natural gas from shale deposits, the foreign minister said.

Kristovskis also said he expects that in the future more Latvian entrepreneurs will participate in the Northern Distribution Network, a U.S.-backed project to transport supplies to Afghanistan. One of the main ports involved in the plan is Rīga.

Clinton also noted that the U.S. looks forward to Latvia broadening its commitment to the rule of law by renewing a claims process to return communal property to the Jewish community. According to the Israel-based World Jewish Restitution Organization, in Latvia “well over 200 pre-war communal properties, other than cemeteries, have been identified as belonging to the Jewish community prior to World War II.”

“I believe that the sky is the limit for Latvia,” Clinton added. “We have a shared commitment to values, a view of what is in the best interest of our people.”