May 17, 1988

LEAD: The Surgeon General of the United States warned today that nicotine was as addictive as heroin and cocaine and recommended the licensing of those who sell tobacco products and tougher laws prohibiting their sale to minors.

LEAD: The Irving Bank Corporation defeated a hostile takeover bid by the Bank of New York Company in a proxy fight whose results were announced yesterday.

LEAD: A $55 million redevelopment proposal that would add a performing-arts amphitheater and water rides to an oceanfront Queens park has been thrown into doubt because of vehement opposition from community and environmental groups.

LEAD: FOR decades the costly field of controlled nuclear fusion has been rocked by ups and downs, promise and problems. But scientists are now confident enough of success to embark, albeit cautiously, on building a new generation of machines that would ignite fusion fuel for the first time, releasing controlled bursts of energy.

LEAD: The Two Faces of Lying Psychologists find that specific kinds of lies are linked to personality problems, but that lying also plays a positive role. Science Times, page C1. Murder Charged in Crash The driver of a pickup truck that crashed head-on into a church bus in Kentucky was charged with 27 counts of capital murder.