Malaysia's Najib quits as head of coalition, party after poll loss

Malaysia's defeated leader Najib Razak today announced he was quitting as head of the Barisan Nasional coalition and its main party after leading the coalition to a shock loss.

"I have taken the decision to step down as president of UMNO and chairman of Barisan Nasional immediately," he told a press conference. The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) is the main party in the coalition.