PRESS DIGEST- New York Times business news - March 5

March 5 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to take the first steps toward issuing more than $100 billion in potential tariff refunds, ratcheting up a legal battle over a roster of sky-high duties that the Supreme Court deemed illegal.

- Banijay Entertainment said it will merge with British producer All3Media in a deal that will create the world’s largest independent production company, valued at $8 billion including debt.

- The United States is expected to increase tariffs on global imports to 15 percent this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, as the Trump administration works to replicate some of the punishing duties struck down by the Supreme Court.

- Beth M. Hammack, head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, says it is too early to gauge the economic impact of the Iran war and backs holding interest rates steady for “quite some time.”