Milestones

Ten years ago: Lithuanian officials, facing a Kremlin deadline to back away from their declaration of independence, acknowledged that an economic blockade threatened by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev could result in huge layoffs.

Five years ago: The UN Security Council gave permission to Iraq, still under sanctions for its invasion of Kuwait, to sell $2 billion dollars’ worth of oil to buy food, medicine and other supplies (Iraq rejected the offer). Actor-singer Burl Ives died in Anacortes, Wash., at age 85.

One year ago: Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr told Congress the Watergate-era law that gave him the power to probe actions of executive branch officials was flawed and should be abolished. at age 67.