Trump administration begins transfer of $725m to UN, amid billions owed

UN secretary general has said UN faces imminent financial collapse' due to unpaid contributions from member states

The Trump administration has started the process to transfer $725m to the United Nations, a congressional notification seen by Reuters showed - a move aid experts said was a welcome step towards paying billions in dues owed.

There was no immediate response from Washington DC to questions about the reasons for the payment from an administration that has slashed funding to many UN agencies and blasted the global body for not living up to its potential.