Islamabad, Jan 21: The United States has negotiated new supply lines for allied troops in Afghanistan through Central Asia after the Pakistan Taliban attacked and torched supplies passing through the Khyber Pass.

US CENTCOM chief General David Petraeus said: "Pakistan is the sole route through which NATO and American supplies pass at present. This has caused resentment in sections of Pakistani society and supply trucks passing through the northwest have been attacked and raided on several occasions."

Detroit - The long-awaited cleaner, greener version of the Mercedes M-Class off-roader is due to go on sale this autumn, the German carmaker revealed at the Detroit car show which lasts until January 25.

The M-Class hybrid mates the familiar 3.2-litre, low-emission Blue Tec diesel engine to a 4x4 transmission incorporating twin electric motors. Mercedes says the combination will cut fuel consumption by 30 per cent compared to the standard model. Carbon dioxide emissions are set to be under 200 gm/km.

Detroit  - US carmaker Fisker plans to offer a four-seat drophead version of the ground-breaking Karma hybrid, the company announced at the Detroit car show which lasts until January 25.

The Karma Sunset cabriolet on the firm's show stand shares the petrol-electric drivetrain with the closed model, but is slightly shorter. It features an electrically-powered roof which retracts into a compartment behind the seats. The car is due to go into production in 2011, Danish-born former BMW and Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker told journalists.

Cologne/Detroit  - While other US car companies are busy slashing the gas-guzzlers from their model lines, Ford is showing the next generation of its Ford Mustang - a sports coupe famous for anything but frugality.

The redesigned Shelby Mustang GT500 graces the Ford stand at the Detroit car show which lasts until January 25 and is set to reach the showrooms by early spring. Power is provided by a supercharged version of the hardy V8 engine with stump-pulling 540 horsepower.

London  - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Tuesday hailed US President Barack Obama as a leader with the determination "to solve the world's problems."

In a statement marking Obama's inauguration Brown said it heralded a "new chapter in both American history and the world's history."

Brown praised the new US President as a "man of great vision and moral purpose" who would tackle the global financial crisis and other problems such as the environment.