First black woman WH reporter gets Newseum statue

Washington: The first black woman to be credentialed to cover the White House is getting a statue in the Newseum. Alice Allison Dunnigan made history when she received White House press credentials in 1947 and became part of the White House travelling press corps to cover President Harry Truman re-election campaign in 1948. Dunnigan, as Washington bureau chief for the Associated Negro Press, would go to cover Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy before taking a job with in the Kennedy and then President Lyndon Johnson’s administration. She died in 1983. AP

Vatican announces historic deal with China on bishops    

Vatican City: The Vatican on Saturday announced an historic accord with China on the appointment of bishops in the Communist country in what could pave the way for the normalisation of ties between the Catholic Church and the world’s most populous country. Beijing immediately said it hoped for better relations, while Taiwan said its ties with the Vatican were safe despite the deal with China. The Vatican has not had diplomatic relations with Beijing since 1951, two years after the founding of the communist People’s Republic. AFP