Former Malaysian Prime Minster Najib Razak (R front) attends a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 12, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua] KUALA LUMPUR - Former Malaysian Prime Minster Najib Razak said Saturday that he was stepping down as head of his United Malays National Organization and the Barisan Nasional coalition following the defeat in the general elections. The announcement was potentially put forward by the decision of the new government to bar Najib and his wife from leaving the country pending investigation of alleged corruption. As the president of UMNO and the chairman of Barisan Nasional, I made the decision that I am stepping down as president of UMNO and chairman of Barisan Nasional with immediate effect, Najib told a press conference at the UMNO headquarter in Kuala Lumpur. The resignation is to take up the responsibility for the defeat in the general elections, he said. UMNO had led a multi-party coalition to govern Malaysia since the country's independence in 1957 until the election defeat on Wednesday. Former Malaysian Prime Minster Najib Razak attends a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 12, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua] Najib said in a statement earlier in the day that he was leaving the country to take a break. He also promised he would announce a decision related to his post as UMNO and BN chief upon returning to the country. However, it was soon followed by a tweet saying that he had been informed that the immigration department of Malaysia doesn't allow him to leave the country. I respect this instruction and will stay in the country with my family, he said. Mahathir Mohamad, the 92-year-old new prime minister, confirmed later on Saturday that he had instructed the travel ban for Najib and his wife. There are a lot of complaints against him, all of which have to be investigated, he told a press conference. If we found some of the complaints are valid, we have to act quickly because we don't want to settle with the problem of extradition from other countries. Mahathir, with 22 years of premiership as UMNO and BN chief, fell over with Najib since 2015 after accusing Najib of corruption related to the state investment company 1MDB. He subsequently joined the opposition and handed his former camp an astonishing election defeat. Mahathir has vowed to reopen investigation into 1MDB after taking office. rubber braceletscartier rubber braceletrubber wristbandsinspirational rubber braceletscute rubber band bracelets
File photo: Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn] A spokesman for the Chinese mainland said on Wednesday that the mainland has never interfered in elections in Taiwan and that it never will. He was responding to recent comments by island authorities and the United States. Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said, We have always stayed out of the elections in Taiwan. The DPP authorities are used to slandering the mainland and spreading rumors. Last week, the island's leader Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party said she believed the mainland had interfered in the nominating process for the Kuomintang party in the race for the island's top office. The accusation is nonsense and has ulterior motives behind it, Ma said on Wednesday. The DPP is creating cross-Straits conflict and is harming the interests of the Taiwan people, he added. Last week, a senior official of the United States, James Moriarty, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, said in a meeting that Beijing is exerting influence on the upcoming election in Taiwan. He said the US will continue to consult with Taiwan on security issues. In response, Ma said, It is irresponsible for some people in the US to repeat the groundless claims of the DPP authorities. The Taiwan question is China's internal affair. No external interference will be allowed. Taiwan's 2020 election campaign kicked off earlier this year as more politicians from the DPP and KMT announced they would run for the top office. Terry Gou, head of the world's largest electronics supplier, Foxconn, announced last week that he will run in Taiwan's 2020 leadership election. Guo criticized Tsai via social media last week for her administration's hostile policy toward the mainland, saying that the key to Taiwan's participation in regional economic cooperation lies in the mainland. Another potential leadership candidate from the KMT, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu, who gained popularity in the mayoral election last year, said on Tuesday that he is not going to participate in the KMT's primary election. During his first visit to the mainland at the end of March, trade deals worth more than 1 billion yuan ($149 million) were signed, selling the city's agricultural and fishery products to mainland cities. custom made silicone bracelets no minimumnba silicone wristbandsdebossed color filled silicone wristbandbracelet en siliconebuy rubber wristbands<%2fcenter>