A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.

Reuters Tiger Woods, 33, world's best golfer and a leading force in sports marketing, was hurt in a car accident in Florida and released from a hospital in good condition after treatment. The accident happened about 2:25 am as Woods pulled his car out of his driveway. Local media said the crash was under investigation and charges are pending.

tmz.com Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Tiger Woods' early morning accident came right after an argument with his wife, Elin Nordegren. We're told Elin told cops about the argument at the scene of the accident and Tiger gave the same story to authorities at the hospital where he was treated. One Florida law enforcement official called it ''a domestic issue.''

entertainmentandshowbiz.com Can this be true? Is Tiger Woods cheating on his wife? We don't know but according to the National Enquirer, Woods is having an affair with a girl named Rachel Uchitel. The Enquirer caught up with Uchitel at an Australian hotel when Tiger Woods was there playing in the Australian Open. Coincidence? They think not.

timesonline.co.uk The spectre of 'Financial Crisis 2' continued to loom over global markets after Dubai's revelation that it may not be able to meet its debt obligations. Stock markets in Asia and the US fell sharply while the dollar and Japanese yen rose as investors shifted their money to perceived safety. British banks were also revealed to be the biggest lenders to the United Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai.

cnn.com The government-owned holding company Dubai World is at the center of Dubai's thrust to diversify its economy into property, leisure and investment, both locally and globally. Dubai World was established in March 2006 under a decree ratified by the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sheikh Mohammed also holds a majority stake in the company.

theepochtimes.com The Dubai government last week signaled that it needed at least a six month deferment on a $60 billion note Dubai World and Nakheel owes. Nakheel is the company's real estate investment arm.

Phuketwan Analysis Phuket may be struggling a little to recover its poise in tourism and property but the island can heave a collective sigh of relief today. None of those grand plans to emulate Dubai's fanciest real estate developments with offshore artificial islands ever left the drawing board. We made the point at the time that those schemes were environmentally wasteful and unlikely to bring a return on investment. Some people on Phuket were tempted.

theglobeandmail.com Nowhere is the rush to acquire Western cachet as intense as in Malaysia. It wants to buy an entire Western city. Malaysia is paying the United Arab Emirates to, essentially, clone the UAE. A group of investors from the Emirates are catalysts in building thousands of upmarket homes, self-styled six-star hotels, a financial centre and leisure parks in an economic development zone called Iskandar, in the south of the Malaysian peninsula.

lasvegassun.com Experts are saying Las Vegas Sands' Marina Bay Sands will likely be the more visible and more enduring property of two that will open in Singapore in 2010's first quarter. Singapore reversed a 40-year ban on gambling in 2005. The $5.4 billion Marina Bay Sands on Singapore's waterfront will include three 55-story towers housing 2500 suites, capped by a rooftop terrace. Marina Bay's competitor will be the $4.2 billion Resorts World at Sentosa, by Malaysia's Genting Group.

Associated Press Indonesia has rejected a push by the resort island of Bali for rare turtles to be legally slain in Hindu ceremonies, siding with conservationists of the protected reptiles against religious advocates. Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika enraged environmentalists by advocating a quota of 1000 green turtles be killed each year, strictly for ceremonial purposes. Turtle is a traditional delicacy.

bangkokpost.com Combined passenger throughput in October at six Thailand airports rose 13.88 percent to 4.82 million, according to statistics by Airports of Thailand. While the growth rates look impressive on the surface, analysts said October's figures compared with a low base last year when air traffic was affected by the aftermath of last August's blockades of southern airports, including Phuket, by anti-government protesters.

Associated Press A bloody pirate attack off Benin's coast is raising concerns that Nigerian pirates, operating on the opposite side of Africa from Somali pirates, are extending their reach and shows that the waters off West Africa are almost equally dangerous. Pirates attacked an oil tanker this week, killing a Ukrainian sailor and wounding at least two crew members on the Liberian-flagged Cancale Star.

voanews.com A marine engineering company in Singapore has signed a multimillion dollar contract to lay pipeline off the shores of Burma next year. Swiber Holdings Limited announced that an undisclosed Burmese oil company has agreed to pay the firm $77 million to lay 150 kilometers of gas pipelines. Swiber says preparations for the project will begin next month.

irrawaddy.org An official said tourism at the beginning of the 2009-10 season was up over the previous year. ''Inbound tourists have increased by at least 30 percent. Last year, over 260,000 tourists visited the country, earning $ 165 million,'' he said, adding Burma's tourism is returning to normal after Cyclone Nargis in May 2008. The boost has been confirmed by travel agencies.

smh.com.au Thailand continues to struggle after protests, Fiji has an uphill marketing battle, but after being at the centre of H1N1 Mexico is ''letting the world know that we are ready to welcome back travellers and continue to offer the beauty, culture, history, gastronomy, and pristine beaches our country is known for,'' said Mexico Tourism Board CEO, Oscar Fitch. Visitors can fly from Sydney for under AUD$1300, placing it on par with Phuket and Bali in peak season.