US election 2016: Live updates as Trump defeats Clinton

5:05pm: This article is now closed for updates. For more coverage of Trump's election win visit our . Also read how the UAE business world reacted earlier . 4:29pm: Slovenia, the birthplace of future US first lady, hopes for improved relations . The president of Slovenia - a small Alpine nation that is the home country of future US first lady Melania Trump - says he hopes relations with the US will further improve during Donald Trump's presidency. President Boris Pahor says Wednesday "we are allied as part of NATO and I will strive for the friendship and the alliance to deepen further." Melania Trump was born as Melanija Knavs in the industrial Slovenian town of Sevnica before working internationally as a model. Prime minister Miro Cerar has also congratulated the Trumps in a Twitter message. 4:22pm French president congratulations Mr Trump in perfunctory manner . France's president Francois Hollande says the election of Donald Trump "opens a period of uncertainty. It must be faced with lucidity and clarity." In brief remarks after the weekly cabinet meeting, he congratulated the US president-elect "as is natural between two heads of state," but showed little enthusiasm. Mr Hollande had openly endorsed Hillary Clinton and said Wednesday he was thinking of her. He said "certain positions taken by Donald Trump during the American campaign must be confronted with the values and interests we share with the United States," adding, "What is at stake is peace, the fight against terrorism, the situation in the Middle East. It is economic relations and the preservation of the planet." 4:17pm: Palestinian president seeks help for two-state solution . Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's office on Wednesday called on US president-elect Donald Trump to work towards a Palestinian state, as peace efforts with Israel have been at long standstill since 2014.. "We are ready to deal with the elected president on the basis of a two-state solution and to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders," spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said, referring to the year when Israel occupied the West Bank. Mr Rudeina said failure to resolve the decades-old conflict would mean "the unstable situation will continue in the region". The Palestinians remain deeply divided, with Abbas's secular Fatah party dominating in the West Bank and Islamist movement Hamas in power in the Gaza Strip. Reacting to Trump's victory, Hamas said it did not expect a change in US "bias" against the Palestinians. "The Palestinian people do not count much on any change in the US presidency because the US policy towards the Palestinian issue is a consistent policy on the basis of bias," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said. "Nevertheless, we hope that US president Trump will re-evaluate this policy and rebalance it on the Palestinian issue." 4:11pm: Israel congratulates a 'true friend' . Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has congratulated Donald Trump, calling him a "true friend of the State of Israel." Netanyahu said Wednesday he believes the two leaders "will continue to strengthen the unique alliance between our two countries and bring it to ever greater heights." _______________________________ US ELECTION: ¦ Rob Crilly in New York: ¦ Live blog: ¦ Opinion: ¦ In pictures: _______________________________ 4:04pm: China's president looks forwards to working with Mr Trump . China's president Xi Jinping sent congratulations to US president-elect Donald Trump and said he looked forward to working with him, state broadcaster CCTV reported Wednesday. "I highly value China-US relations, and look forward to working together with you, and holding fast to mutual respect and non-conflict, non-confrontation," the channel cited Xi as saying. 3:52pm: Saudi Arabia's king hopes for stability . Saudi King Salman expressed hope on Wednesday that US president-elect Donald Trump would bring stability to the Middle East. "We wish your excellency success in your mission to achieve security and stability in the Middle East and worldwide," Salman said in a message of congratulations reported by the official Saudi Press Agency. He praised the relations which are "historic and tight between the two friendly countries, that all parties aspire to develop and reinforce". The United States and Saudi Arabia have a decades-old relationship based on the exchange of American security for Saudi oil. 3:42pm: German chancellor stresses respect for human dignity . German chancellor Angela Merkel has offered US president-elect Donald Trump "close cooperation" on the basis of shared trans-Atlantic values that she says include respect for human dignity regardless of people's origin, gender or religion. Mrs Merkel told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday that the campaign which ended in Mr Trump's victory featured "confrontations that were difficult to bear." She stressed Germany's close historical connection with the United States, saying: "Germany and America are connected by values: democracy, freedom, respect for the law and for the dignity of human beings, independently of origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views." She added: "On the basis of these values, I am offering the future president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, close cooperation." She said the partnership with the US "is a foundation stone of German foreign policy." 3:06pm: Indonesian Islamic scholar calls win 'shocking' . Indonesia's president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo says the world's most populous Muslim nation will work with Donald Trump's new US administration. He says "we will keep good relations, especially in trade and investment as we know the US is one of Indonesia's major investors. I think there will be no change." But, Komaruddin Hidayat, a noted Indonesian Islamic scholar, says Mr Trump's election as US president is "shocking" for many people in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. Mr Hidayat, who is also rector of Indonesia's state-run Islamic University, says Trump has signalled backing for ultra-nationalist, isolationist and protectionist policies that could be harmful. He says "Trump's isolationist policy will certainly harm Americans because in the era of globalization no country can live alone." 3.03pm: Egypt invites president-elect to Cairo . Egypt's president has congratulated Donald Trump on winning the US presidential election, saying Cairo wants to see more "cooperation and coordination" between the two nations to bolster stability and peace in the Middle East. According to a statement by his office on Wednesday, president Abdel Fattah El Sissi telephoned Mr Trump to offer his congratulations. He also invited the next US president to visit Egypt. 3:01pm: Japan's prime minister hopes to strengthen ties . Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has sent his "heartfelt congratulations" to Donald Trump for his election as the next US president. Mr Abe says that "as a very successful businessman with extraordinary talents, not only you made a great contribution to the growth of the US economy, but now as a strong leader, you have demonstrated your determination to lead the United States." In the statement, Mr Abe reminded Mr Trump of the importance of the Asia-Pacific region, saying its peace and stability is "a driving force of the global economy" that also brings peace and prosperity to the US. He also told reporters that the two countries are "unwavering allies" bonded with universal values and that he hoped to further strengthen the ties. Mr Abe said that "I hope to tackle various global challenges together with president-elect Trump." 2.20pm: Problems ahead suggests the German foreign minister... Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned on Wednesday that US foreign policy will become more unpredictable after Donald Trump was elected president, making things "more difficult". "I think that we must expect that American foreign policy will become less predictable for us and we must expect that the United States will be more inclined to make decisions on its own. In other words, and I will not dress it up, nothing will become easier, many things will become more difficult," said Steinmeier. 2.12pm: Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, who has lashed out at Barack Obama for criticising his deadly anti-drug crackdown, has congratulated US president-elect Donald Trump. In a statement read by Mr Duterte's spokesman he said he "looks forward to working with the incoming administration for enhanced Philippines-US relations anchored on mutual respect, mutual benefit and shared commitment to democratic ideals and the rule of law". 2.07pm: Narendra Modi, the Indian PM, joins the chorus of world leaders ... 2.05pm: The British PM has spoken ... British Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated Donald Trump on his US presidential election victory, pledging to build on the two countries' "special relationship" in the years to come. "Britain and the United States have an enduring and special relationship based on the values of freedom, democracy and enterprise. We are, and will remain, strong and close partners on trade, security and defence," she said in a statement. 1.55pm: Bekiz Bozdag, Turkey's justice minister, says a change of presidents in the United States will not make a big difference to the "deep-rooted" relations between the two countries. "In essence our relations are relations between two states and we hope that under the new presidential term the Turkish-US relations will be much better," Mr Bozdag told the state-run Anadolu Agency. "That is our expectation." UPDATE: Turkey's prime minister has called on Mr Trump to extradite a US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen - blamed by Ankara for the failed coup in July - as soon as he is sworn in. Binali Yildirim also said Wednesday that he hoped that the new leadership in the United States would take into consideration Turkey's "sensitivities concerning the fight against terrorism," give priority to policies that would bring peace and stability to the region and advance traditional friendship between the two countries. 1.52pm: And here is Trump's acceptance speech after his success ... 1.46pm: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he "congratulates the elected American president, Donald Trump, and hopes that peace will be achieved during his term". An Abbas aide, Saeb Erekat, said he does not expect US positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to change under Mr Trump. Mr Erekat said the Republican and Democratic parties are both committed to a two-state solution of the conflict and "I think this will not change with the coming administration". 1.44pm: The European Union's foreign policy chief said that the trans-Atlantic ties with the United States go beyond the election of Donald Trump. Federica Mogherini said in a Twitter message that "EU-US ties are deeper than any change in politics". EU Parliament president Martin Schulz said the result "must be respected" as he said that Mr Trump "managed to become the standard-bearer of the angst and fears of millions of Americans". 1.41pm: Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban said Donald Trump's victory is "great news" and shows "democracy is still alive". Mr Orban has been often criticised by the US, including by Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state, for weakening the democratic system of checks and balances. Mr Orban offered his congratulations to Trump on his Facebook page. 1.37pm: Comments from Iran... Iran's foreign minister called on US president-elect Donald Trump to stick to international accords, following comments during the Republican's campaign that he would tear up the nuclear deal with Tehran. "Every US president has to understand the realities of today's world. The most important thing is that the future US president sticks to agreements, to engagements undertaken," Mohammad Javad Zarif said in Romania. 1.35pm: AFP has quotes from Vladimir Putin... Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in US elections, hoping to work with him to improve relations, the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin "expressed hope for mutual work on bringing US-Russia relations out of their critical condition as well as on working out outstanding issues on the international agenda" in his congratulatory telegram, the Kremlin said. "The President of Russia also expressed certainty that building constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington" would "be in the interest of the people of our countries and the entire world community." Putin has tacitly supported Trump during the campaign, while Trump repeatedly flattered and praised the Russian leader and said he was willing to work with him. Russia's parliament on Wednesday broke into applause upon learning of Trump's stunning upset victory over Hillary Clinton, who is seen as anti-Russian by many in the Russian establishment, mostly due to her stint as Secretary of State in 2009-2013. 1.30pm: Reaction is starting to come in from world leaders and officials. A senior ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germany "must also work together as well as possible with Donald Trump as the new US president". Volker Kauder, the parliamentary caucus leader of Merkel's conservative Union bloc, says that a "close trans-Atlantic partnership continues to be of central significance for Germany and Europe in the coming years". 12.52pm: Congratulations from the UAE... 12.40pm: Here's the breakdown of the voting in what has been an extraordinary 12 hours... 12.29pm: More from Trump as he tries to reassure other nations: "I want to tell the world that, while we will always put America's interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone." 12.17pm: If you want the full lowdown in the clearest prose, our foreign correspondent Rob Crilly's take on it all can be found 12.13pm: Take a look out our gallery of Trump's supporters celebrating his victory 12.09pm: "Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country," Trump said during his speech acknowledging a stunning victory in the White House race. "I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all of Americans." 11.48am: We now wait for Trump to address the nation . 11:43am : CNN reports that Hillary Clinton has called Donald Trump to concede. 11.37am: TRUMP WINS: Donald Trump has been elected president of the United States, AP confirms. The Republican nominee won after capturing Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes, putting him over the 270 threshold. 11.33am: Reports are coming in that Trump has triumphed after projections say he won in Wisconsin ... stand by 11:11am: Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta says her campaign will have nothing to say "tonight" about state of race. 10.58am: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has congratulated Donald Trump on Twitter. 10.45am: Pennsylvania can be ticked off! Trump has won its prize of 20 electoral votes. His victory in the key battleground state gives him 264 electoral votes. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, has 215. 10.41am: We're waiting on Missouri, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona. 10.22am: The National's Frank Kane as we wait for the result of Pennsylvania... 10.08am: With Trump in the lead, the Dubai Financial Market has opened down more than 2 per cent. At this moment, 28 stocks are in the red, none green. 10.01am: Closer to home, The National's business correspondent Anthony McAuley is at Abu Dhabi's Beach Rotana hotel: The mood at the US Embassy and AmCham-sponsored election watch gathering at the Beach Rotana Hotel was deeply sombre as the vote hung in the balance. "I don't know what it would mean for business but I'm just worried about what a Trump victory would mean for bringing the country together," said Hallim Droubi, director of sales ar Rotana Group and a native of West Covina, California. 9.58am: From a contact inside the Javits Center in New York where the Clinton party is located: 9.50am UAE: The mood is said to be dark at Hillary Clinton's election night party. Stony-faced supporters were crying and anxiously staring at the big screens showing election results. Some began leaving as the race wore on into the early hours of Wednesday morning. Thousands had gathered at the Jacob K Javits Convention Center in New York City for Clinton's election night party. The glass-ceilinged building was picked as a nod to what aides expected would be the historic election of the first female US president. 9.45am: Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway is describing the mood inside Trump Tower as "buoyant." She tells The Associated Press that the team is hopeful as results continue to roll in. 9.40am: Commentators are saying that it looks like we have 'another Brexit' on our hands. 9.33am: Republicans have clinched continued House control for the new Congress. They'll likely lose seats from their current historic high, but they won enough seats to extend their six-year streak of commanding the chamber. 9.30am: Hillary Clinton has won Nevada and its six electoral votes. Her victory there brings Clinton's Electoral College total to 215. Republican Donald Trump has 244 votes. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Clinton's win in Nevada is the first time since the 1940s that the Democrats have carried the state in three consecutive elections. 9.15am: Read more on the market situation in our business blog 9.12am: As the race comes towards a conclusion, take a look at some images from across America 9.09am: Donald Trump has won Utah. The Republican nominee was awarded its six electoral college votes. He now has 238 electoral votes. His Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton has 209. Utah is normally one of the safest states on the map for Republicans. According to AP, the presence of independent Evan McMullin changed the calculation this year as polls consistently reflected a tight three-way race. 9.05am: From The National's multimedia editor: 8.50am: Associated Pressis reporting thatthe crowd at Donald Trump's election watch party is jubilant as returns continue to roll in putting him closer to 270 Electoral College votes. Supporters packed into a hotel ballroom in midtown Manhattan are breaking into chants of "USA!" and embracing each other in groups. Others are breaking into song, bellowing "God Bless America" at the top of their lungs. 8.36am: Donald Trump has won Georgia. The Republican nominee was awarded its 16 electoral votes. Trump now has 232 electoral votes while his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton has 209. The Democrats had some hopes that changing demographics in Georgia could allow then to flip the reliably Republican state but their efforts fell short. 8.34am: Hillary Clinton has won Washington state and its 12 electoral votes. The victory brings the former secretary of state's electoral vote total to 209. Republican Donald Trump has 216. 8.23am: Donald Trump has won battleground North Carolina and its 15 electoral votes. The victory in Tuesday's elections brings the billionaire's electoral vote total to 216. Democrat Hillary Clinton has 197. North Carolina was one of the hardest-fought contests of the election and is one of the map's newest swing states. -------------------- From our foreign correspondent Rob Crilly in New York: America's torturous election still had one last twist on Tuesday night, as Donald Trump was projected to win the crucial state of Florida leaving the race for the White House too close to call. His unconventional campaign picked up wins in Ohio, North Carolina and a chunk of the Mid West, giving him the advantage over Hillary Clinton. Financial markets reacted in panic and the Mexican peso fell sharply as investors contemplated the chances of a President Trump. The result may now come down to the state of Michigan, long a dependable Democrat state but where Mr Trump had taken an early lead. As nerves grew at Mrs Clinton's "victory party" at a Manhattan hotel, she tweeted to supporters: "Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything." -------------------- 8.15am: Hillary Clinton has won Oregon. The Democratic nominee on Tuesday was awarded its seven electoral votes. Clinton now has 197 electoral votes. Her Republican opponent Donald Trump has 201. Several key battleground states have yet to be won. 8.10am: Hillary Clinton has won California and Hawaii. Donald Trump has won Idaho's four electoral votes. The results in the West bring Clinton's electoral vote total to 190 and Trump's to 201. It takes 270 votes to win the presidency. -------------------- -------------------- 8.05am: Donald Trump has won the key battleground state of Florida. Trump on Tuesday was awarded 29 electoral votes. He now has 197 electoral votes. His Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton has 131. Both candidates have spent an extraordinary amount of time in Florida, one of the most important prizes on the map. Trump calls Florida his "second home" and his campaign acknowledged that a win there is vital to his White House hopes. 7.58am: Hillary Clinton has won Colorado. The Democratic nominee captured its nine electoral votes Tuesday. She now has 131 total electoral votes while her Republican opponent Donald Trump has 168. Colorado has become an attainable state for Democrats in recent years thanks to shifting demographics. 7.53am: Hillary Clinton has won Virginia. The Democratic nominee has captured its 13 electoral votes. Virginia was reliably Republican for decades until Barack Obama won it twice, thanks in part to huge turnout from Washington DC's suburbs. Clinton's running mate, Tim Kaine, is a senator from Virginia, though Trump made a late push in the state. The victory gives her 122 electoral votes. Her Republican opponent Donald Trump has 168. 7.37am: Republican Donald Trump has won the key battleground state of Ohio, boosting his chances of pulling off an upset win in Tuesday's presidential election. CNN, ABC and NBC called Trump the winner over Democrat Hillary Clinton, providing 18 electoral votes of the 270 needed for a majority. 7.30am: Hillary Clinton has won New Mexico and its five electoral votes. That brings her electoral college vote total in Tuesday's election to 109. Republican Donald Trump has 140 votes. Graphic: US polls closing times 6.50am: Victory for Donald Trump in Louisiana extended his Electoral College total in Tuesday's elections to 137, compared with Hillary Clinton's 104. History was on Donald Trump's side in the state. Louisiana hasn't given its electoral votes to a Democrat since Bill Clinton won 52 per cent of the vote two decades ago. All eyes were on the tight race in Florida, a must-win race for Trump, who would find it hard to cobble together a majority without the Sunshine State's 29 electoral college votes. More to follow. -------------------- Read more: Business world reacts: -------------------- * Agencies

US election 2016: Live updates as Trump defeats Clinton

Look back at our live updates as Trump stormed to a dramatic victory over Clinton.