News stories from Saturday December 3, 1977

Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:

The United States plans to give refuge to 10,000 Vietnamese "boat people" who have fled Vietnam and are stranded in Asia. Under emergency steps taken by the State Department, officials said that if, as expected, the formal "parole authority" is granted by the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, nearly 5,000 refugees will be admitted promptly. An additional 5,000 places would be kept open for refugees who may flee Vietnam in the future. The number of Vietnamese fleeing their homeland has risen to 1,500 a month, Washington officials said. [New York Times] A tax package that includes cuts of up to about $300 for individuals and a crackdown on deductions for business meals and dues for membership in clubs is being considered by the Carter administration, officials said. The President has dropped several of the controversial tax "reform" ideas he had been considering, but he is likely, the officials said, to stick to his earlier plan to ask Congress to disallow 50 percent of the cost of business meals and to prohibit deductions for club dues. A tightening of the exemption for corporate profits that are earned and reinvested abroad is under "active consideration." [New York Times] American opinions are shifting to the right, according to a wide sampling of pollsters, political scientists and Democrats and Republicans. They see the shift as subtle but apparent, affecting political opinion on a broad range of social, economic and foreign policy issues. They also find that the new conservative mood is being exploited more effectively than ever before by a new breed of far-right activists. [New York Times] British troops were urgently requested by the Bermuda government, whose curfew has failed to stop the rioting and arson by blacks protesting the execution Friday of two black convicted murderers. The Foreign Office in London said arrangements were being made to send a company of about 100 men. [New York Times] About 280 Americans imprisoned in Mexico are eligible to serve out their Mexican terms in United States prisons under the new prisoner exchange treaty between Mexico and the United States that went into effect last week, and most of them face the prospect of early release. Many of the Americans were arrested in Mexico on narcotics trafficking charges, and American authorities encouraged Mexican officials to impose stiff terms. The treaty will probably result in the release of traffickers sooner than favored by the Drug Enforcement Administration. [New York Times] Europeans prefer early retirement in contrast to the pressure in the United States to extend the mandatory retirement age to 70. Polls in Europe show that a majority favor leaving before 65 provided that income remains adequate. This year, the French passed legislation permitting retirement at 60. The retirement age in Italy has been 60, but labor unions are pressing for 55. Unemployment among the young is one reason why early retirement has found official favor, but there are misgivings among economists who warn that the increase in the pensioned retired is outpacing the growth of the labor force, putting an expensive strain on most European economies. [New York Times]