GENEVA (AP) – World Economic Forum head Børge Brende said Thursday that he is stepping down after facing pressure over his contacts with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister, said in a statement that he had decided “after careful consideration” to step down as president and chief executive of the forum.

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) – Islamic militant groups have stepped up attacks and deepened their presence in border areas of Benin, Niger and Nigeria in West Africa over the past year, a crisis monitoring group said Thursday.

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Ukraine will see less economic growth this year due to extensive destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russia over the winter, an international development bank said Thursday, as businesses struggle to keep going into the fifth year of Russia’s invasion.

Today is Thursday, Feb. 26, the 57th day of 2026. There are 308 days left in the year. Today in history: On Feb. 26, 1993, a truck bomb built by Islamic extremists exploded in the parking garage of the North Tower of New York’s World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000 others, mainly due to smoke inhalation.

HAVANA (AP) – Cuban soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-registered speed boat that had entered Cuban waters and opened fire on the soldiers first, the Cuban government said Wednesday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Kilmar Abrego Garcia is at a Tennessee federal courthouse where his attorneys are trying to persuade a judge on Thursday to throw out human smuggling charges against him.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed his nuclear-armed country could “completely destroy” South Korea if its security were threatened, reiterating his refusal to engage with Seoul, state media said Thursday. However, he left the door open to dialogue with Washington as he concluded a ruling party congress outlining his policy goals for the next five years.