The hottest news at the White House on Tuesday was the long-awaited arrival of Bo, the first family's new dog.

Bo, a six-month-old curly-haired Portuguese Water Dog, has excited a media frenzy in the United States, with TV networks, newspapers and websites closely tracking the Obamas' search for a dog. Media outlets competed to be the first to reveal the identity of the "first dog," one of the most closely kept secrets in Washington since President Barack Obama disclosed on Election Night that he had promised daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven, a dog.

Bo, a gift from Senator Edward Kennedy and suddenly the world's most famous puppy, appeared to take his newfound celebrity in stride as the Obamas took turns walking it on the lawn of the White House.

"I finally got a friend. It took some time," Mr Obama joked, referring to former President Harry Truman's famous line, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."

Man bites python

A Kenyan man bit a python which wrapped him in its coils and hauled him up a tree in a struggle that lasted hours, local media said yesterday.

Farm manager Ben Nyaumbe was working when the serpent struck.

"I stepped on a spongy thing on the ground and suddenly my leg was entangled with the body of a huge python," he said. When the snake coiled itself round his upper body, Mr Nyaumbe resorted to desperate measures: "I had to bite it."

The python dragged him up a tree, but when it eased its grip, Mr Nyaumbe said he was able to take a mobile phone out of his pocket and phone for help. When his supervisor came with a policeman, Mr Nyaumbe smothered the snake's head with his shirt, while the rescuers tied it with a rope and pulled both man and snake down.

Inbreeding brought Habsburgs down

Rare inherited genetic disorders worsened by repeated inbreeding may have brought down the powerful Spanish Habsburg dynasty, Spanish researchers have said.

Checks of genealogical charts and analysis of King Charles II's reported health problems suggest he may have had two rare conditions called combined pituitary hormone deficiency and distal renal tubular acidosis. While the occasional marriage of close relative such as first cousins is harmless, repeated intermarriages can make genetic flaws more common. This appears to have happened frequently among the Habsburgs between 1516 and 1700 as they sought to keep power.

"The last king of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty was Charles II. He was physically disabled, mentally retarded and disfigured," the researchers wrote.

When Charles II died in 1700 the line of the Spanish Habsburgs died with him and a new dynasty - the French Bourbons - was installed in Spain.

13-year-old accused of robbing bank

A 13-year-old boy who police say was caught red-handed a block away was accused on Tuesday of robbing a bank in Peoria, Illinois, US.

The unidentified boy was charged with felony armed robbery in juvenile court, accused of threatening a teller with a gun and demanding cash.

He was found hiding in a nearby garage about 30 minutes after the robbery, stained red from a dye pack that had been placed in the bag of money.

"It's the youngest person I can remember," said Sheriff Michael McCoy, a four-decade veteran of the sheriff's office.

Don8 to church

Text messages may allow worshippers in Finland to donate money to their church without having to attend services.

Under current laws, the Church cannot raise funds by texts in Finland but Dean Matti Pikkarainen of Oulu Cathedral said he aimed to raise the issue at a nationwide church meeting next month.

Dean Pikkarainen said, "It depends more on Parliament than the church... I believe the church is ready for this kind of modernisation this year."

Dean Pikkarainen added parishioners could use their phones to donate money after the end of church services, so as not to disturb other worshippers. Text messages would also give people more freedom to donate as they would not have to come to church.

"If you're listening to the service on the radio, TV or internet, you can do it from home too. People nowadays are not always in church," he said.

At the end of 2008, about 80 per cent of Finns were registered members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

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