 Re: use of the definite article
No - it's just the same as all the other examples : "leader" tells you his position, just like "President" or "Head of Department". So the article is optional.
This type of sentence is typical of journalistic genres - a noun phrase in apposition with (= juxtaposed with and equated to) the name, sometimes with the definite article omitted, sometimes not. Here are some more examples which I found in 2 mins just browsing the BBC News website today :
a) With omission of the definite article
Film critic Roger Ebert said the actor had come across as "sad and pathetic".
Martin Johnson, director of the Thalidomide Trust, told the BBC that ....
Mining Minister Rafael Ramirez said operations could resume within two days of the site being declared safe.
The fighting came as Syrian Prime Minister Wail al-Halqi met Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
b) With the definite article included
The lead researcher Dr Angela Attwood told the BBC...
As you can see, the omission is far more common than the inclusion. |