The heads of state and government of different countries around world have praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership. On Saturday, May 6, through a press briefing on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's presence at the coronation ceremony of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey, Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem said, "All the heads of state and government who have spoken to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have shown their respect to her. In this context, she mentioned the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's body language and respect to Bangladesh PM Hasina. The High Commissioner said, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has received tremendous respect from everyone. At the inauguration ceremony, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh interacted with the Presidents of Egypt and Rwanda, Prime Ministers of Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Gambia, Namibia and Uganda." She added, "World leaders highly appreciated the continued leadership of Bangladesh Prime Minister and the remarkable economic growth of Bangladesh under her (Sheikh Hasina) leadership.  Everyone mentioned about it (the economic growth of Bangladesh) and global leaders want to know how Bangladesh has maintained the high economic growth."

Md Jashim Uddin, President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said, "Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh flourish in achieving the goals." On Saturday, March 11, he made this statement at the inauguration ceremony programme of the Bangladesh Business Summit-2023 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center. Jashim Uddin said, "The business summit will assist to expand the country's business including the capacity of Bangladesh economy, new investment window." To make this business summit successful, the FBCCI President asked for everyone's cooperation. The three-day long conference will continue till March 13. 17 seminars and 3 plenary sessions on various sectors of Bangladesh will be held at the summit. More than two hundred international brands, businessmen and investors will participate in it. 12 international company CEO including UK, Saudi Arabia, China, Bhutan, United Arab Emirates and more than 200 foreign investors, business leaders from 17 countries around the world will participate in this summit. Many have already participated. CNN is the international media partner of this summit and. RTV, the Bangladeshi satellite and cable television channel owned by Bengal Media Corporation is also one of the media partner of this summit.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will not be running to become Conservative Party leader once again. He insisted that he had secured the support of 100 MPs required to run, without having to prove it. Boris Johnson announced late on Sunday that he would not be standing for the leadership of the Conservative Party, and by extension another stint as British prime minister. This put Johnson's former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak seemingly in prime position to seek the job. Sunak is one of two politicians, along with Penny Mordaunt, to have officially expressed a desire to run, and the only candidate who had more than 100 public endorsements from Conservative lawmakers, the minimum threshold to qualify for the role.   What did Johnson say?  Johnson said that he had been "overwhelmed by the number of people who suggested that I should once again contest the Conservative Party leadership" in the last few days, following Liz Truss' resignation after just a few weeks in office.  He said he believed he was "uniquely placed to avert a general election now," and that he had cleared the "very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder" required to qualify for the contest. "But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can't govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament," Johnson said.   He said he would therefore not allow his nomination to go forward and said he would commit his support to "whoever succeeds," suggesting he did not intend to endorse anybody else.  He appeared to leave the door open for some later return, concluding the message to supporters: "I believe that I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time." Path cleared for Rishi Sunak? Mordaunt still in contention Johnson's announcement adds further weight to the leadership bid of bookmakers' favorite Rishi Sunak.  Sunak is one of two candidates to have declared, and the only one who more than 100 Conservative MPs have publicly backed. He sought to strike a conciliatory tone after his rival's announcement.  "Boris Johnson delivered Brexit and the great vaccine rollout," Sunak wrote on Twitter. "He led our country through some of the toughest challenges we have ever faced, and then took on Putin and his barbaric war in Ukraine. We will forever be grateful to him for that."  Sunak went on to say, "Although he has decided not to run for PM again, I truly hope he continues to contribute to public life at home and abroad." One of Johnson's higher-profile public backers to declare on Saturday had been Nadhim Zahawi. He had a brief but memorable tenure as Johnson's finance minister following Sunak's resignation back in July, before himself calling on Johnson to quit roughly 48 hours after his appointment. Late on Sunday, he took to Twitter once more to say he would now switch his support from a Johnson comeback to Sunak.  "A day is a long time in politics," Zahawi wrote. "Given today's news, it's clear that we should turn to Rishi Sunak to become our next prime minister."  He said Sunak would have his "full support and loyalty."  Why all this talk of 100 lawmakers' support? The high threshold of 100 MPs' support is a new rule the party has introduced, changing its existing leadership election standards in a bid to avoid continued division in a party that has now toppled two of its own prime ministers in a matter of months.  There are 357 Conservative MPs, however, meaning that in theory, the other candidate Penny Mordaunt might be able to secure enough support to contest the leadership with Sunak. As of Sunday evening, Mordaunt had 24 declared backers. If more than one person qualifies by the 2 p.m (1300 UTC/GMT) deadline on Monday, the Conservatives plan to hold an online members' vote to pick a winner. Johnson said that he had held talks with both Sunak and Mordaunt "because I hoped that we could come together in the national interest," but said "we have sadly not been able to work out a way of doing this."  Shades of June 2016 Sunday's statement had echoes of June 30, 2016, barely a week after the Brexit referendum. At the time, Johnson was seen by many as a likely candidate to run to succeed David Cameron having been the front man for the "Leave" campaign.  Johnson went through a furious process of drumming up support for a campaign, only to hold a press conference in which he said he had come to the conclusion that "that person cannot be me." Why aren't there just new elections?  It's extremely common in Britain for prime ministers not to rise or fall at the ballot box. No British prime minister since Edward Heath (1970-74) has entered and left 10 Downing Street as the direct result of elections. Labour's Gordon Brown was the last politician to lose the job at the ballot box, in 2010.  Given that the prime minister is appointed by a majority of MPs, it's possible for parties to seek to change leaders during a term in office.  Opinion polls currently suggest that if elections were held right now, as the opposition Labour Party says they should be, the Conservatives would fare very poorly after a tempestuous few months, no matter who was leading the party.  Assuming they can maintain a stable government in the mean time, elections do not have to take place until January of 2025 at the latest.   

The fourth industrial revolution is knocking at the door. To cope in this era, one must enhance knowledge through the use of information technology. Humane use of information technology is required. In this era, no invention or policy should become inhumane. In this era, building a smart country will require the use of modern technology, indigenous innovation, and good governance. There is no alternative to education, research, and development in this industrial revolution to become efficient and competent. This requires the use of skilled manpower. And as this skilled manpower is available, splendid leadership can be provided by Public Administration students, which was the focus of a conference at Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University yesterday. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, the Mayor of Mymensingh City Corporation, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Open University, the Project Director of a2i, and department teachers spoke at the meeting. The speech addressed the issue of how to move forward in the face of the Fourth Industrial Revolution while also leading Bangladesh into the future. We must contribute to the growth of this country through a technological revolution. The speakers expected teachers, students, and researchers to contribute to the country's development by implementing the excellence of the fourth industrial revolution through their talent, creativity, and efficiency.

Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Tuesday released a book titled 'Men of Steel' on leadership in the armed forces. The book 'Men of Steel' is a collection of essays that examine leadership in the armed forces and provides categorical recommendations to sustain the effectiveness and ethos of the military, according to a press statement. It is comprehensive and offers valuable insights into several aspects of this unique domain. Spread across 15 chapters, all authors have systematically contextualized the role of military leaders, while covering the nuances of leadership at the strategic, operational and tactical levels in the back-drop of challenges of 21st-century warfare and afford further policy recommendations to make the organization more dynamic and effective. As the title suggests, 'Men of Steel' envisions a structured approach to having directive leadership, quality and visionary leaders and subordinates in the armed forces for achieving the highest standards of skills needed to deal with the challenges of modern conflict. According to the statement, the book brings to the fore high values and perspectives on critical strategic and operational aspects wherein military leaders must play an effective role in shaping the nation's security and destiny. These postulations reinforce the fact that strategic leaders must have a long-term vision of creating an environment of trust and ownership, which would eventually lead to optimum effectiveness and battle worthiness of the armed forces. The Indian Armed Forces have earned the trust of the country with their professionalism, commitment, sacrifice, and courage - being the custodian of the nation's security and well-being. Now, they need to adopt and adapt to the rapid changes in warfare, technology and the complex nature of threats.   It has been recommended that the leadership training in the academies must be reoriented to sustain our superiority despite these challenges, and to shape the most competent, capable and dedicated leaders that would carry our armed forces into the future, thereby retaining the cutting edge that the organization demands. Trust however remains the key to engaging the team and the onus lies entirely on the leadership qualities one possesses. The organization must learn, grow and encourage innovation with an exploration of opportunities that promote the development of leadership. These two principles go hand-in-hand. While dealing with some of the biggest strategic and territorial threats, it has been noted that India must focus on robust intelligence gathering by paying much-needed attention to inadequacies in institutional and organizational domains and providing a dynamic approach to developing able leaders. These actions will facilitate faster decision-making skills while dealing with unprecedented situations. An able leader must build and nourish effective teams to flourish in any organization. Selecting people not only for their skills but also for their attitude, shared values, learn ability and ability to adapt to the organizational culture. It is important that they collectively build strong fundamentals; therefore leadership must be the "core business". Leadership is a domain which can be learnt or simplified through mentoring by a capable leader. The book goes on to describe that at a time when the Indian Military is at the cusp of transformation, in a complex and uncertain security environment, due diligence and perception of the long-term consequences of these changes require all organs of the state and military to function as a well-knit team. An effective promotion methodology thus remains at the heart of military effectiveness. In summation, the book highlights the complexities and challenges in the armed forces and recommends reforms to ensure a future-ready military that is prepared to deal with a fast-paced and rapidly mutating global security environment. It stressed producing efficient leaders who are steadfast and visionary and measure up to the highest standards and requirements of skills required to deal with the ordeals of modern warfare conditions. 'Men of Steel' is a timely read to understand how the military must prepare future-ready - efficient leaders and draws lessons from the past to provide insights and recommendations to enhance efficacy through a wide array of lessons from experience, anecdotes and cutting-edge technological innovations. The book is a guide for a better understanding of military leadership through compelling essays compiled by the authors.   Source: ANI  

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the squads for T20 international and ODI matches against Zimbabwe on Friday, naming Nurul Hasan Sohan as the captain. He was given the captaincy for the Zimbabwe T20 series only as the original T20 captain Mahmudullah Riyad was given a break. Mahmudullah, however, made the way into the ODI squad, which was also simultaneously announced for Zimbabwe series. Even though Sohan was given captaincy for just one series, the BCB seemed to have a special plan regarding his leadership once the senior players will retire from this format. No senior players, however, were included in the T20 squad for the Zimbabwe series. "You can say it's a new brand of Bangladesh team. Sohan will lead the side, which we informed Mahmudullah. No senior players were included in T20 squad for Zimbabwe series. Shakib took a break from the series earlier, Tamim retired from this format while Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim were given break," BCB's Cricket Operations Chairman Jalal Younus said after a closed-door meeting with Mahmudullah regarding T20 team and its plan on Friday. "We actually want to see how the new players perform without any senior players. Let's see what will happen," he added. Bangladesh will play three T20 Internationals and same number of ODI matches in this series. All the matches will be held at the Harare Sports Club. Experienced batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, who was granted a leave for the recent tour of the West Indies, returned to the national side for the ODI series while pacer Hasan Mahmud, who last played an international match 16-month ago, made his way into both squads after regaining full fitness from an injury. Youngster Parvez Hossain Emon, who is still uncapped, made the cut in the T20 squad. The three T20 matches are scheduled for July 30, 31 and August 2 while the ODIs are slated for August 5, 7 and 10. The T20 matches will begin from 5 PM (Bangladesh Time) and ODI matches start from 1.15 PM (Bangladesh Time). The T20 team will leave the country on July 26 while the ODI squad will leave on July 30. T20 Squad: Nurul Hasan Sohan (Captain), Munim Shahriar, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Liton Das, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Parvez Hossain Emon ODI Squad: Tamim Iqbal (captain), Liton Das, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat and Taijul Islam. Source: BSS AH

Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has been conferred with 'ASOCIO Leadership Award-2021' for his contribution to bringing unprecedented change in the country's ICT sector.   On behalf of Sajeeb Wazed Joy, State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak received the award today on the second day of World Congress on Information and Technology-2021 (WCIT-2021) in the capital, said a press release.   The Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO), an ICT federation organized by ICT associations representing from 24 economies throughout Asia Pacific, conferred the award on Sajeeb Wazed Joy.   The then Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad received the award in 1997, then Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2004 and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2010.   On behalf of ASOCIO Chairman David Wong Nan Fay, immediate past chairman Bunrak Saraggananda handed over the award of this year.   ASOCIO former chairman Abdullah H. Kafi announced the award while Bangladesh Computer Samity President Shahid Munir was present, among others.   Computer Services Limited, Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), Development of National ICT Infra Network for Bangladesh Government (info-sarker), Boighar and Jatiya Shasthaya Batayan received ASOCIO award in different categories.   Besides, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Vietnam were among the list of award winners. Source: BSS AH

The United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres has highly appreciated the development miracle of Bangladesh under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He lauded the Bangladesh Premier and her apt leadership to advance the country with overall development as he had bilateral talks with Sheikh Hasina at Lotte New York Palace in New York on Thursday afternoon (BD time this morning). Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen later briefed the media about the Prime Minister’s scheduled events on the day ahead of her UNGA address today. At the outset of the meeting with Sheikh Hasina, Guterres warmly welcomed her. He said the United Nations gave prominence on the priorities of Bangladesh. “The priorities of Bangladesh are the priorities of the United Nations whether it is climate change or sustainable development goals,” Guterres said. During the talks, Sheikh Hasina urged the UN Secretary General to engage more personnel of Bangladesh armed forces in the higher ranks of the UN peacekeeping mission. Replying to a query about UN Secretary General’s response to the PM's call, the Foreign Minister said Guterres was seen positive to the call as he wanted to do more for Bangladesh.   In this context, he said the UN Secretary General also mentioned that Bangladesh has earned reputation and has a success story in the UN peacekeeping mission. Dr Momen said, “The UN has acknowledged Bangladesh was a ‘role model’ as it was turning into ‘a vibrant economy’”. Guterres has also commended Bangladesh for its leadership in all UN’s achievements, the Foreign Minister said.   The Prime Minister also had meetings with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Vietnam President  Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohammad Solih at the UN headquarters. The Netherlands Queen Maxima during a bilateral talk with Sheikh Hasina said, “They are mulling over introducing insurance for checking the loss and damages caused by the natural calamities”. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim and Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN Rabab Fatima were present. Speaking about the meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohammad Solih, Dr Momen said the two countries are working on commercial ship operation between Male and Chattogram. During the meeting with Vietnam President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc , Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested him to exert pressure on the Myanmar authorities so that “they take back Rohingyas to their homeland”. Source: BSS AH

The Taliban movement's inner workings and leadership have always been largely shrouded in secrecy, even during its rule of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. As the hardline Islamic group appears to be on the brink of regaining power, here is a rundown of what little is known about its leadership. Haibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada was appointed leader of the Taliban in a swift power transition after a US drone strike killed his predecessor, Mullah Mansour Akhtar, in 2016. Before ascending the movement's ranks, Akhundzada was a low-profile religious figure. He is widely believed to have been selected to serve more as a spiritual figurehead than a military commander. Akhundzada was tasked with the enormous challenge of unifying a militant movement that briefly fractured during a bitter power struggle following the assassination of his predecessor, and the revelation that the leadership had hid the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar for years. The leader's public profile has been largely limited to the release of annual messages during Islamic holidays. Mullah Baradar, the founder Abdul Ghani Baradar was raised in Kandahar - the birthplace of the Taliban movement. Like most Afghans, Baradar's life was forever altered by the Soviet invasion of the country in the late 1970s, transforming him into an insurgent. He was believed to have fought side by side with one-eyed cleric Mullah Omar. The two would go on to found the Taliban movement in the early 1990s amid the chaos and corruption of the civil war that erupted after the Soviet withdrawal. Following the Taliban's collapse in 2001, Baradar is believed to have been among a small group of insurgents who approached interim leader Hamid Karzai with a letter outlining a potential deal that would have seen the militants recognise the new administration. Arrested in Pakistan in 2010, Baradar was kept in custody until pressure from the United States saw him freed in 2018 and relocated to Qatar. This is where he was appointed head of the Taleban's political office and oversaw the signing of the withdrawal agreement with the Americans. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Haqqani Network Sirajuddin is the son of the famed commander from the anti-Soviet resistance, Jalaluddin Haqqani. Sirajuddin doubles as both the deputy leader of the Taleban movement while also heading the powerful Haqqani Network. The Haqqani Network is a US-designated terror group that has long been viewed as one of the most dangerous factions fighting Afghan and US-led Nato forces in Afghanistan during the past two decades. The group is infamous for its use of suicide bombers and is believed to have orchestrated some of the most high-profile attacks in Kabul over the years. The network has also been accused of assassinating top Afghan officials and holding kidnapped Western citizens for ransom, including US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who was released in 2014. Known for their independence, fighting acumen, and savvy business dealings, the Haqqanis are believed to oversee operations in the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, while holding considerable sway over the Taleban's leadership council. Mullah Yaqoob, the scion The son of Taleban founder Mullah Omar. Mullah Yaqoob heads the group's powerful military commission, which oversees a vast network of field commanders charged with executing the insurgency's strategic operations in the war. His lineage and ties to his father - who enjoyed a cult-like status as the Taleban's leader - serves as a potent symbol and makes him a unifying figure over a sprawling movement. Source: AFP EK

In the country 53.5 percent voters think that the upcoming eleventh national parliament election will be fair and impartial. Besides, 68.3 percent educated young voters are satisfied with the leadership of incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The information was delivered at a press conference at the Reporters Unity on Saturday based on the result publication of a research and survey on young voters conducted by research institution Call Ready.  Australian immigrant researcher Dr. Abul Hasnath Milton said at the press conference, in the country of the total voters 10 percent are young voters. Of them 68.3 percent young voters are satisfied with the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 30.2 percent voters want change and 18.5 percent voters have not taken any decision yet. He said, the research survey was conducted among 1 thousand 186 student voters aged between 18 to 24 years in 21 educational institutions of 12 districts in the country including 10 educational institutions in the capital like Dhaka University. Total 21 focus groups conducted the survey and research in the educational institutions from October 22 to 30. It was said in the press conference that the research and survey was conducted by the research team members over questions on 18 different subjects. AH