Obama girls look forward to 'cool' White House

Barack Obama's daughters have already said life in the White House will be "cool" - and they think dad talks too much.

Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven, have followed their father at times on the campaign trial, bringing water pistols to entertain themselves.

Their appearances have entertained journalists and the public and have provided some of the highlights of the exhausting campaign to get their father elected.

The girls will be the youngest children in the White House since nine-year-old Amy Carter in 1977 and will face intense scrutiny as children of the first black American president.

Their importance was highlighted by Mr Obama as he promised them a puppy at the start of his victory speech.

"I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House," Mr Obama told the girls at the start of his victory speech.

His remarks were seen as a recognition of the huge electoral asset his family have been during the campaign to get him elected.

Mr Obama's wife, 44-year-old Michelle, is believed by many to have been crucial in clinching his victory.

When he had to break off the campaign just days before the election to visit his dying grandmother, Mrs Obama stepped in for him at events he had to miss.

The couple were married 16 years ago after they met at a law firm in Chicago. She has described her husband as the "love of my life".

Mrs Obama, a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, was brought up in a poor neighbourhood on the south side of Chicago.

Beyond the US, the election result has also been a cause for pride and rejoicing in Kenya.

Mr Obama's late father was Kenyan, and his 86-year-old step-grandmother, "Mama Sarah", still lives in Kogelo, a tiny village near the border with Uganda.