The old guard from President Barack Obama's first administration thinned out a little more on Friday with the resignation of Steven Chu, a Nobel laureate, as energy secretary, dpa reported. Later Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to bid farewell to staff at the State Department to make room for her successor John Kerry, who is to be sworn in afterwards. Obama's cabinet is being reshuffled as he begins his second four-year term in office. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood resigned Tuesday. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner are also leaving. Obama has nominated Chuck Hagel to head up the Pentagon, but the former senator had a rough outing Thursday in hearings before the Senate armed services committee. -- SPA
