Obama Defence Secy to step down

Washington: US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel will step down from his post after coming under pressure from President Barack Obama, The New York Times reported on Monday. The removal of Hagel — the sole Republican on his national security team — is the first cabinet-level casualty of the collapse of Obama’s Democratic majority in the Senate. Obama’s decision to remove Hagel, 68, also stems from the recognition that the threat from the Sunni radical group Islamic State would require a different kind of skills than those that Hagel possesses.