DHAKA - SHEIKH Hasina Wajed was sworn in for her second spell as Bangladesh's prime minister on Tuesday, restoring democracy to the impoverished country after almost two years of rule by an army-backed regime.

President Iajuddin Ahmed gave the oath at the presidential palace here in a ceremony broadcast live on television, as thousands of supporters gathered outside and around giant screens set up around the capital.

NEW DELHI - INDIAN Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accused Pakistan on Tuesday of acting irresponsibly, saying November's Mumbai attacks must have had support from some of its nuclear-armed neighbour's official agencies.

Mr Singh's comments were the latest in almost daily government criticism of Pakistan, and a sign that New Delhi has become increasingly frustrated at what it sees as Islamabad's slowness at identifying and arresting the attack's planners.

BEIJING - A CHINESE naval convoy arrived on Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden on a landmark mission to protect the country's shipping from Somali pirates and escorted its first four vessels, state media reported.

The four ships escorted were Chinese merchant vessels, including one from Hong Kong, Xinhua news agency said in a dispatch filed from aboard the destroyer Wuhan.

SIX days since the start of means testing for hospital patients seeking subsidised treatment, more than 90 per cent of those opting for B2- and C-class wards are getting the maximum subsidy.

The 8 per cent who are getting less than this comprise patients with no income but who live in expensive homes, and workers who earn more than the $3,200-a-month cut-off for full subsidy.