MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A multibillion dollar offer by Mexico’s Carlos Slim to raise his stake in a Dutch telecoms firm may mark the start of a push to expand his reach into Europe, where a debt crisis is opening up opportunities for the world’s richest man.

Slim’s principal cash cow, telecoms group America Movil, said on Monday it aimed to buy up to 28 percent of Dutch company KPN, to give the Mexican a base for future expansion in Europe.

MEXICO CITY, May 6 (Reuters) – Mexico’s presidential
front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto was forced onto the defensive on
Sunday by his rivals who accused him of corruption, lies and
being a pawn of the media during televised election debate.

Pena Nieto, of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary
Party (PRI), has led opinion polls for months and his two main
opponents repeatedly turned on the 45-year-old, albeit without
airing any new accusations against him or his party.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s presidential hopefuls square off in a televised debate on Sunday with the trailing candidates seeking to land heavy blows against hot favorite Enrique Pena Nieto to spoil his chances of victory in the July 1 election.

Polls show Pena Nieto, of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), is heading for a comfortable victory, and could capture as many votes as his two main rivals combined.

MEXICO CITY, May 6 (Reuters) – Mexico’s presidential
hopefuls square off in a televised debate on Sunday with the
trailing candidates seeking to land heavy blows against hot
favorite Enrique Pena Nieto to spoil his chances of victory in
the July 1 election.

Polls show Pena Nieto, of the opposition Institutional
Revolutionary Party (PRI), is heading for a comfortable victory,
and could capture as many votes as his two main rivals combined.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s federal comptroller’s office said on Wednesday it would open an investigation into allegations that the Mexican unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc bribed officials to expand its business in Mexico.

The office said it has begun checking the federal paperwork and permits Wal-Mart de Mexico, known as Walmex, obtained to open and operate its stores in Mexico.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Whether you are the world’s No. 1 retailer or a humble street vendor, paying public officials a bribe may be the quickest way to get your business growing in Mexico.

The New York Times reported this weekend that Wal-Mart Stores Inc investigators probing its Mexican operations found a paper trail of hundreds of suspect payments worth more than $24 million made to grow its business there, and that the company then quashed the investigation.

MEXICO CITY, April 11 (Reuters) – Mexico’s ruling
conservatives have stepped up attacks on presidential
front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto in an effort to help their
struggling candidate, who is slipping back toward third place.

A new TV spot by the National Action Party, or PAN,
describing Pena Nieto as a “liar” began to circulate just as a
poll showed support for PAN contender Josefina Vazquez Mota
falling to its lowest level since the campaign began.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s presidential front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto pledged on Monday to create a new police force made up of former soldiers to fight drug gangs and said ending violence would take priority over battling narcotics trafficking if he wins the election.

Pena Nieto, of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), is the hot favorite to win the presidency on July 1, a contest that has been dominated by concerns about drug violence and the need to create more jobs in Mexico.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A month after taking office, President Felipe Calderon stood in military fatigues before a group of soldiers in western Mexico and pledged to put a stop to drug-related violence.

Turf wars between drug cartels were spreading deep into Mexico, beyond the smuggling hotspots on the U.S. border; extortion was a growing menace, and hitmen had resorted to new levels of brutality, dumping severed heads in public.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – In his campaign to be Mexico’s next president, Enrique Pena Nieto has struggled to name a single book he has read, upset some women with a sexist remark and had to admit he fathered two children outside marriage.

But none of that has seriously threatened his hopes of winning the election on July 1.