Compiled from reports by staff writer Juliet Eilperin and the Associated Press.

                  A House appropriations panel voted yesterday to lift sanctions on sales of
                  food and medicine to Cuba, reopening a difficult political issue for Florida
                  Republicans, where Cuban American exiles form a large voting bloc.

                  Legislation added to an agricultural spending bill would license such sales
                  so long as they are not subsidized by the U.S. government. The measure
                  also would prohibit the president from including food and medicine in
                  future embargoes against other countries without congressional approval.

                  The Senate overwhelmingly approved a similar Cuba measure last year,
                  but it was killed after Cuban Americans objected.

                  Complaining that Moscow continues to spy on the United States from a
                  Cold War listening post in Cuba, another House panel voted to restrict
                  U.S. financial aid to Russia until it closes the installation at Lourdes, just
                  south of Havana.

                  The Clinton administration objects to the bill, citing the installation's
                  potential use in verifying U.S. compliance with arms control agreements.
                  The panel attached a Democratic-supported amendment to give the
                  president the authority to waive the restrictions if he deems it in the national
                  interest.