Nobel Peace Prize

Burma state television announced Monday that reformist President Thein Sein will make a state visit to the United States in the near future, the first by a Burmese head of state in almost 47 years and a sign of warming ties.The visit comes at the invitation of President Barack Obama, said the brief announcement, which gave no exact date.The last leader of Burma to visit the White House was the late dictator Ne Win in 1966.The United States has been a prime mover in urging Thein Sein to introduce reforms after five decades of repressive military rule that ended when he became an elected head of state in 2011.Last November, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Burma, a step in his administration's efforts to end decades of diplomatic isolation of the country also known as Myanmar and to reward its shift from authoritarian rule.The U.S. applied political and economic sanctions against the previous military regime for its human rights abuses and undemocratic rule, but the...

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