Another blast disrupts Laos

The official media in communist Laos says police in the capital Vientiane have arrested five people after a bomb was thrown outside a hotel early on Sunday morning.

No-one was hurt.

It's the latest in a series of explosions in the city although the state press usually provides little if any detail.

A number of people have been injured in previous blasts whose targets have included a tourist restaurant, a market and a bus depot.

Correspondents say the explosions appear designed to embarrass the authorities.

No-one has claimed responsibility and theories about the cause include a rift in the government or local business disputes.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service