Briefly

UNITED STATES

Court blocks delay for tariff refunds

Importers on Monday learned more about getting refunds for tariffs they already paid that the Supreme Court declared illegal. A federal appeals court has rejected a request by the US administration to delay paying back businesses that successfully challenged the import tax. The decision kicks it to the US Court of International Trade to begin crafting relief measures. The country's highest judiciary declared on Feb 20 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not grant the president authority to impose tariffs. But the ruling did not address the issue of refunds.

Bill Clinton testimony footage released

House lawmakers released sworn testimony on Monday showing former US president Bill Clinton denying knowledge of crimes committed by late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Clinton also said President Donald Trump, "never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein either". Bill Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, were deposed last week by the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

UKRAINE

Kyiv to begin EU accession talks

Ukraine is taking the final steps to begin accession talks with the European Union, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday. He reiterated his call to EU partners to agree on a firm date for Ukraine to join the bloc, saying that would provide an important guarantee for the country's future security as Kyiv negotiates with Moscow to end the conflict. Ukraine became a formal EU candidate country in the early days of the conflict.

Agencies - Xinhua