Mexico City - Mexican Labour Minister Javier Lozano rejected Tuesday the "alarmist" outlook of Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim, who has warned of impending economic doom for the country.

"It frankly alarmed me to see the way that he goes about his outlook," the fuming minister said in an interview with Mexican television channel Televisa.

Lozano and Slim both atteended the same "Mexico before the crisis" forum on Monday that was sponsored by Mexican legislators.

Mexico City  - Experts from 31 teams of private financial analysts have estimated that Mexico's GDP is set to shrink by 1.16 per cent during 2009, the country's Central Bank said Tuesday.

The same group, consulted by the Mexican Central Bank last month, estimated 1.62 per cent negative growth for the quarter ending in March.

In early January the bank estimated that the Mexican economy would shrink by 0.8-1.8 per cent this year, amid the severe global financial crisis.

Mexico City  - A rockfall in a Mexica

Mexico City  - A Mexican beauty queen arrested last December on suspected connections to illegal drugs was Friday released without being charged, the prosecutor's office said.

Laura Elena Zuniga, 23, who is Hispanic America Queen 2008 and was to represent Mexico in the Miss Universe 2009 pageant, was suspected of membership in a criminal organization, possessing illegal weapons and criminal violations of public health.

But prosecutors said Friday that they had not found any evidence that she was involved in criminal activity.