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Today’s headlines
Robert Trigaux
A dream of better lives, a grim ending
It takes only a few moments in the broiling summer sun of Arizona's parched border with Mexico to sense how desperate is the urge of thousands of illegal immigrants. They cross the U.S. border for el norte, the north, to find better-paying work. They risk death evading border patrols by crossing remote parts of the bleak, sometimes 115-degree Sonoran Desert. Across the entire southern U.S. border, more than 2,600 people every day are taken back to Mexico. Some do not make it at all.

Helen Huntley
On money
Some alternatives for retirees in need of income

A lot of nickels and dimes
Struggling airlines may be lowering fares to attract customers, but they're boosting fees on everything from oversized luggage to ticket changes.

Loose change
COMPETITION FROM CHINA: Many of Silicon Valley's movers and shakers are looking over their shoulders to the East. California venture capitalist Michael Moritz tells Business Week magazine China is developing into a high-tech powerhouse. "Over the next 10 years, China will become a ferociously formidable competitor for companies that run the entire length of the technology food chain," Moritz says.

Ten tips
Image-conscious? Buy a scanner that's right for you

Stock analysts cautious after gains
NEW YORK -- It was what investors wanted to see: After hitting five- and six-year lows, the market stages a stunning October rally, raising hopes the month would live up to its reputation as a bear killer.