William Daley to be Obama's new chief of staff

Former US commerce secretary William Daley, a strong advocate of enhanced Indo-US ties, has been chosen by President Barack Obama as his new Chief of Staff.

Daley, 62, would replace Pete Rouse, interim chief of staff, who would become the counselor to the US President. He will be the long-term successor to former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel,

who left the administration last year in a bid to win election as mayor of Chicago.

Obama is expected to make an announcement in this regard later in the day. Daley is currently an executive with J P Morgan Chase. Daley is considered to be a close friend of India and has been a strong advocate of enhanced Indo-US trade ties. He is also supportive of outsourcing.