A Thai newspaper has reported that an official request to the UAE, for the return of exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawtra, was recently made by Thai authorities.

It was explained by the newspaper yesterday that a plea to UAE ambassador Mohammed Ali Ahmed Omran Al Shamri was made yesterday by Thailand's foreign minister Kasit Piromya.

Last year, Thaksin, who did a major corruption in Thailand, had run away to Dubai.

As per the survey by MasterCard Worldwide, the highest average online shopping spend in the Asia, Middle East and Africa regions was in the UAE, with residents spending an average of $1,048 in the last quarter of 2009.

Yesterday, the director-general of the Finance Ministry told any shock could be absorbed by the banks in the Banks in the UAE as they are in healthy condition to even deal with the impact of Dubai World's debt rebuilding.

Younis Al Khouri said, "The committee, which is headed by our minister, made sure that UAE banks have enough capital to absorb any shock that might come."

The UAE will also not see a federal bond issue in 2010.

The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Ministerial Council once again extended its support to the sovereign right of the UAE over its three Islands occupied by Iran and UAE's rights over the territorial waters, airspace, continental shelf and exclusive economic zone of these three islands.

UAE residents need not to pay extra for getting their Identity Cards as they would now get their ID in just five minute in a very smooth and hassle free process under the ambitious population registration program of the government, according to an official of the Emirates Identity.

Government has proposed new registration centers which are capable to handle 20,000 applications per day as compared to 7,000 applications currently being processed.

Younis Al-Khoori, the Director General of the Finance Ministry of UAE, has ruled out the possibility of the government issuing bonds this year. He expressed commitment to help the banking sector of the country if need arises on liquidity front.

The Sheikha Salama bint Hamadan al-Nahyan Foundation and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation has decided to join hands for establishing new healthy school projects in Abu Dhabi for the overall development of children and to mitigate the rising problem of obesity in the school going children.