Gunshots have rung out in the heart of Thailand’s capital in an apparent attack on anti-government protesters that wounded at least two people and increased tensions amid the deepening political crisis.

George Bush has signed an order that stiffens sanctions on Sudan and its oil industry in an effort to persuade the government to accept UN peacekeepers and stop the killing of civilians in Darfur.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged donors yesterday to fund a bigger African force to help end bloodshed in Darfur, where experts say hundreds are still dying daily nine months after the mission first deployed.