Mexico's leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he discussed the issues of migration and job creation in a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
The issue came to the fore last month when a caravan of about 7,000 migrants arrived in the Mexican border city of Tijuana and some attempted to enter the United States.
"In respectful and friendly terms, we spoke about the migration issue and the possibility of implementing a joint programme of development and job creation in Central America and our country," Mr Lopez Obrador wrote on Twitter.
The Mexican president has called on the United States to join in a "Marshall Plan" effort to commit about $20 billion (72bn) in public and private investment in Central America to create jobs, so people there will not have to emigrate.
Despite their differences in background and policy, the relationship between the two leaders has been quite cordial. Mr Lopez Obrador, who took office December 1, has said he hopes to make migration a choice, not a necessity, for poor people of the region.
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Read more:
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Earlier on Wednesday, Mexico's top security official said the government would stop illegal entries at its southern border with Guatemala.
Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero said the new administration would end undocumented or illegal crossings over the Suchiate River, which marks much of the border between Mexico and Guatemala.
"In the south there will be only one entry, on the bridge," she said. "Anyone who wants to enter illegally, we are going to say: 'Get in line and you can enter our country.'"
She offered no details on how that would be done.
In late October, Mexican authorities briefly tried to block a migrant caravan from crossing the river with ranks of police and military personnel, a helicopter and boats but the migrants crossed anyway.
Ms Sanchez Cordero said the migrant caravan was "no longer an issue".
"Do you know why it is no longer an issue? Because in five days this administration solved the issue, five days," she said, referring to the first week since Ms Lopez Obrador took office. "The United States was impressed."
The new administration has mobilised material and equipment to improve conditions at the migrants' shelter in the northern border city of Tijuana, but problems continue because the Central Americans there are frustrated by the slow pace at which US officials are processing asylum requests.
Ms Sanchez Cordero said Mexico would promote a "Christmas at home" campaign to encourage many of the migrants to return to their home countries for the holidays.
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
Results
5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
