Pakistan takes on India in marquee game at T20 World Cup. Unbeaten West Indies fields against Nepal

MUMBAI, India (AP) — The most-anticipated game of theT20 World Cupis set to attract over a billion eyeballs when India takes on archrival Pakistan at Colombo on Sunday with uncertainty aplenty still surrounding world cricket's marquee matchup.

World Cup-India-Pakistan-Preview

Political and diplomatic tensions between the two nations have often boiled over on to the cricket field. Sunday's game will be the first time the teams have met since last year's acrimonious Asia Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates which was won by Indiaand where players refused to shake hands.

Elsewhere, West Indies aim for its third successive win in Group C as it won the toss and elected to field against Nepal in Mumbai. United States, which lost to bothIndiaandPakistanbefore beating the Netherlands, takes on Namibia in its final Group A game later Sunday.

The win against Nepal will guarantee West Indies a place in the Super 8s after it alreadybeat Scotlandand England. Nepal, playing its third successive game in Mumbai, came close toupsetting Englandbefore first-timer Italy handed it a10-wicket drubbing.

All eyes on Colombo

But Colombo remains the focal point on Sunday where the marquee game of the tournament begins at 7 p.m. local time (1400 GMT).

In the lead up to the match, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said he believed it was up to the Indian players to decide whether they will shake hands with his team before and after Sunday's game.

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, for his part, was non-committal.

"Why are you highlighting that?" Suryakumar asked reporters on the eve of the game. "We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow."

Pakistan's governmentthreatened a boycottof Sunday's match after the International Cricket Council kicked Bangladesh out of the World Cup for refusing to play matches in India, citing security concerns.

Pakistanonly agreed to play after intense discussions with the ICC. The fixture is the major revenue earner for the ICC.

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Tensions running high

Tensions came to a head in the Asia Cup when Suryakumarrefused to shake handswith Agha. Heated moments followed between the two sides throughout the tournament, with Suryakumar and Pakistan's Haris Rauf fined for breaching the ICC's code of conduct.

India went on to win the Asia Cup but refused to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

"The game should be played in real spirit, the way it has been played since it started. The rest is up to them (India), what they want to do," Agha told media on Saturday about the possibility of the players shaking hands.

Political and military tensionshave meant the two teams have not played a bilateral series for years.

India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 and Pakistan visited India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but has since played ICC tournaments at neutral venues.

India has defeated Pakistan 12 times in the 16 T20 games they have played. It also has an impressive 6-1 record in the eight T20 World Cup matches since the first edition in 2007, with one being tied.

Tariq's action

Pakistanspinner Usman Tariq'sbowling action has been the subject of discussion in recent days. The Indian media has questioned whether Tariq's action is legal because he pauses before delivering the ball.

"The guy has been cleared twice and he has done whatever the ICC said, and whatever it requires to bowl in international cricket," Agha said of Tariq. "I don't know why people are saying so many things about him, but the one thing I can assure you, he doesn't care about that because he's very used to this stuff."

AP cricket:https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

byDonna Devi

in

February 14, 2026

Pakistan takes on India in marquee game at T20 World Cup. Unbeaten West Indies fields against Nepal

MUMBAI, India (AP) — The most-anticipated game of theT20 World Cupis set to attract over a billion eyeballs when India ta...

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Milan Momcilovic, No. 5 Iowa State halt No. 9 Kansas' win streak

Milan Momcilovic scored 18 points and No. 5 Iowa State's ferocious defense smothered No. 9 Kansas for a 74-56 Big 12 victory on Saturday in Ames, Iowa, to snap the Jayhawks' eight-game winning streak.

Joshua Jefferson, Tamin Lipsey, Jamarion Batemon and Blake Buchanan added 11 points apiece for the Cyclones (22-3, 9-3 Big 12), who moved into a third-place tie with the Jayhawks (19-6, 9-3). Jefferson and Lipsey each added four assists while Buchanan grabbed six rebounds.

Iowa State made 11 of 30 (36.7%) from long range while forcing 13 turnovers and limiting Kansas to 37.2% percent shooting from the floor.

Melvin Council Jr. paced Kansas with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Flory Bidunga had 11 points and 13 rebounds, but prized freshman Darryn Peterson was limited to a season-low 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting in 24 minutes.

Kansas went up 6-2 during a rugged start as Bidunga, Peterson and Bryson Tiller made baskets, but the home crowd came to life when Buchanan threw down a vicious slam dunk off Lipsey's missed layup at 12:11 to knot it 6-6. Killyan Toure then sank a 24-footer to cap a 9-0 run and give Iowa State its first lead at 11:43.

Council sparked the Jayhawks by canning a trio of three-pointers and adding an alley-oop assist on Bidunga's dunk to give the visitors a 20-16 lead at the 6:41 mark.

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With his team struggling from long range, Jefferson drove past Bidunga on one possession and Peterson on another to make layups while being fouled. Jefferson completed both 3-point plays to make it 29-22 with 3:37 left in the half.

Iowa State forced 10 first-half turnovers and closed the on a 21-7 run to take a 37-27 lead into the break.

Momcilovic, who made 4 of 9 3-point attempts for the day, connected on his first two treys in the opening 90 seconds of the second half before Lipsey hit two from deep for a 49-29 lead at 17:06.

When Momcilovic cashed the Cyclones' fifth straight 3-point attempt to start the second half, Iowa State held a 52-32 lead with 15:56 to go.

Kansas got as close as 68-56 on Council's jumper with 4:22 left, but the Jayhawks didn't score again as Iowa State wrapped up its sixth win in seven games.

--Field Level Media

byDonna Devi

in

February 14, 2026

Milan Momcilovic, No. 5 Iowa State halt No. 9 Kansas' win streak

Milan Momcilovic scored 18 points and No. 5 Iowa State's ferocious defense smothered No. 9 Kansas for a 74-56 Big ...

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Padres sign ex-Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos, pitchers Canning and Márquez, AP source says

The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms with outfielder Nick Castellanos and right-handers Griffin Canning and Germán Márquez, a person with knowledge of the deals told The Associated Press on Saturday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity becausethe Padreshadn't announced the deals, which are pending physicals.

After finishing with 90 wins and making the playoffs for the fourth time in six years last season, San Diego is adding three major league veteransto bolster its depthin the early days of spring training.

Castellanos joins the Padres two days after the Phillies unceremoniously released the veteran slugger, ending a tumultuous tenure. Philadelphia will have to pay nearly all of Castellanos' $20 million salary this season, with the Padres only on the hook for the $780,000 major league minimum.

Castellanos is a two-time All-Star who spent the past four seasons with the Phillies after starting his career with the Tigers, Cubs and Reds. He is a career .272 hitter with 250 homers and 920 RBIs, but his effectiveness declined sharply at the plate last season.

He also admitted this week tobringing a beer into the dugoutafter he was pulled from a game last June. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he was proud of Castellanos for acknowledging his mistake.

After spending his career in the outfield and at third base, Castellanos seems likely to get a shot to play first base for the Padres, who have no set starter at the position after parting ways with Luis Arraez.

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Canning and Márquez both could get a chance to win a job at the back of the Padres' starting rotation, which is currently led by Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Michael King. The final two spots are up in the air, with Randy Vásquez the most likely incumbent contender for a spot.

San Diego will have a new look on the mound after Dylan Cease and closer Robert Suarez left in free agency and Yu Darvish underwent elbow surgery, but its bullpen still looks like one of the strongest in baseball.

Canning could be a candidate to join that group when he returns to Southern California. The Orange County native and UCLA product spent his first six major league seasons with the Los Angeles Angels,who traded him to Atlantain November 2024.

He signed with the New York Mets a month later and went 7-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts last season before rupturing his Achilles tendon in June, an injury that could delay his return to the field this season.

The 31-year-old Márquez joins an NL West rival after spending the first decade of his career with the Colorado Rockies, going 68-72 with a 4.67 ERA. After missing most of the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to Tommy John surgery, the normally durable starter was 3-16 with a 6.70 ERA last season, his career collapsing along with the Rockies' season.

Márquez is joining the Padres on a minor-league deal. Canning is getting a one-year deal.

San Diego also addedveteran slugger Miguel Andujarlast week as general manager A.J. Preller made good on his promise to keep shopping for veteran talent well into February.

___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/MLB

byDonna Devi

in

February 14, 2026

Padres sign ex-Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos, pitchers Canning and Márquez, AP source says

The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms with outfielder Nick Castellanos and right-handers Griffin Canning and Germán M...

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This week on "Sunday Morning" (Feb. 15)

The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.  "Sunday Morning" alsostreams on the CBS News appbeginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.)

Hosted by Jane Pauley

COVER STORY: Gisèle Pelicot speaksIn 2024, Gisèle Pelicot became the public face of sexual abuse as the center of a notorious mass rape trial in France, during which her ex-husband was found guilty of drugging her unconscious and inviting dozens of men to abuse her. In her first U.S. interview, Pelicot opens up to Seth Doane about her horrifying story, recounted in her memoir, "A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides"; her brave decision to testify in public rather than anonymously; and about the inspiring turn her life has taken since.

PREVIEW:Gisèle Pelicot recounts her ex-husband's "unthinkable" crimes in first U.S. TV interview since mass rape trial|Watch Video

For more info:

"A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides"by Gisèle Pelicot (Penguin Press), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available viaAmazon,Barnes & NobleandBookshop.org

ALMANAC: February 15"Sunday Morning" looks back at historical events on this date.

THESE UNITED STATES: How Washington's crossing of the Delaware presaged a changing worldOn the evening of Christmas 1776, Gen. George Washington surprised the King's forces by leading the Continental Army in an unanticipated crossing of a near-frozen Delaware River. Environmental correspondent David Schechter looks at how Washington's watershed military maneuver dramatized both a changing America, and a changing climate.

For more info:

Alex Robb, Washington Crossing Historic Park, Washington Crossing, Pa.Jennifer Brady, senior data analyst and research manager, Climate CentralEric Steig, glaciologist, College of the Environment, University of Washington, SeattleThanks toMartin Froger Silva, University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership, and theU.S. Ice Drilling Program

HEADLINES: Latest on Nancy Guthrie disappearanceJonathan Vigliotti reports.

MOVIES: "Frankenstein," "Wuthering Heights" star Jacob Elordi: "My dream was to play in the movies"At 28, Australian actor Jacob Elordi has earned his first Academy Award nomination for his haunting portrayal of the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein." He talks with Tracy Smith about his love of acting; his latest film, a remake of the Gothic romance "Wuthering Heights"; and why he has no relationship with social media.

To watch a trailer for "Wuthering Heights" click on the video player below:

Guillermo del Toro on "Frankenstein" and remaking a monster("Sunday Morning")

For more info:

Guillermo del Toro's"Frankenstein"is now playing in theaters and streaming on NetflixEmerald Fennell's"Wuthering Heights"opens in theaters and Imax February 13Thanks to theUnited Theater on Broadway, Los Angeles

PASSAGE: In memoriam"Sunday Morning" remembers some of the notable figures who left us this week.

FOOD: Fettuccine Alfredo: A recipe for La Dolce VitaIn Rome, two restaurants vie for supremacy in preparing Fettuccine Alfredo – egg pasta with butter and parmesan cheese – a dish that has entranced Hollywood and Washington royalty since the earliest days of La Dolce Vita. Chris Livesay visits Alfredo alla Scrofa and Il Vero Alfredo, where rival families prepare one of the most popular Italian recipes.

For more info:

Alfredo alla Scrofa, RomeIl Vero Alfredo, Rome

MUSIC: Paul Anka - Still doing it his waySinger and songwriter Paul Anka has remained on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart for seven decades, and has just released his latest album, "Inspirations of Life and Love." A youthful 84, he talks with Lee Cowan about his artistic longevity, leaping from teeny bopper to classic crooner, and how his music still crosses generations.

You can stream the Paul Anka album "Inspirations of Life and Love" by clicking on the embed below (Free Spotify registration required to hear the tracks in full):

For more info:

"Inspirations of Life and Love"by Paul Anka (Green Hill Prod.), on CD, Vinyl and Digitalpaulanka.com (Official site)The documentary"Paul Anka: His Way"is streaming on HBO Max

SUNDAY PROFILE: Stephen A. Smith - Always up for a debateHigh-profile ESPN and SiriusXM commentator and bestselling author Stephen A. Smith is a combative and colorful voice on sports. But now, with a weekly political show, in which he interviews government leaders, he is gaining notice in Washington, too. Smith talks with "Sunday Morning" national correspondent Robert Costa about his journey and whether he might soon be on a debate stage.

For more info:

Stephen A. Smith onESPNandSiriusXM

MILEPOST: TBD

HARTMAN: Inside the bedrooms of school shooting victimsOver six years, the parents of school shooting victims opened their doors to CBS News' Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp, inviting them to see what it's like to live alongside their children's bedrooms, just as they left them. [Originally broadcast Nov. 17, 2024.]

For more info:

The Academy Award-nominated short film"All the Empty Rooms,"directed by Joshua Seftel, is streaming on Netflix

NATURE: Whooping cranes in Texas

WEB EXCLUSIVES:

MARATHON:Winter Olympics on "Sunday Morning" (YouTube Video)Cheer on these classic "Sunday Morning" stories about the history of the Winter Olympics and some of the Games' most notable star athletes. Featured:

Cross-country Skier Bill Koch prepares for the Lake Placid Games (1980)The post-Olympic career of hockey star Jim Craig, goalie for the "Miracle on Ice" Team USA (1982)Dr. Mike Woods – anesthesiologist and Olympic speed skater (1984)Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, a British ski jumper of little form and great daring (1988)A look back at the 1994 scandal involving figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy KerriganBill Geist on events seeking to become Olympic medal sports, from skeleton sledding to snow-shovel racing (1998)A history of the sport of curling (1998)How Salt Lake City prepared for the 2002 Winter Games (2002)Olympian Lindsey Vonn on skiing the comeback trail (2025)

The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET. Executive producer is Rand Morrison.

"Sunday Morning": About us

DVR Alert! Find out when "Sunday Morning" airs in your city

"Sunday Morning" alsostreams on the CBS News appbeginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. (Download it here.)

Full episodes of "Sunday Morning" are now available to watch on demand on CBSNews.com, CBS.com andParamount+, including via Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon FireTV/FireTV stick and Xbox.

Follow us onTwitter/X;Facebook;Instagram;YouTube;TikTok;Bluesky; and atcbssundaymorning.com.

You can also download the free"Sunday Morning" audio podcastatiTunesand atPlay.it. Now you'll never miss the trumpet!

Do you have sun art you wish to share with us? Email your suns to SundayMorningSuns@cbsnews.com.

New details from FBI on Nancy Guthrie kidnapping investigation

Pool maintenance at Nancy Guthrie's home

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byDonna Devi

in

February 14, 2026

This week on "Sunday Morning" (Feb. 15)

The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.  "Sunday Morning...

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Independent Spirit Awards celebrate indie movies and TV in Los Angeles

Ethan Hawke,Rose ByrneandKeke Palmerare just a few of the actors up for prizes at theFilm Independent Spirit Awardson Sunday in Los Angeles. Comedian and "Saturday Night Live" veteranEgo Nwodimis hosting the celebration of independent film and television, which will be livestreamed on YouTube starting at 5 p.m. ET.

Top nominees going into the 41st edition of the show include Ira Sachs' "Peter Hujar's Day," which recreates an interview with the 1970s photographer, played byBen Whishaw; Clint Bentley's lyrical Denis Johnson adaptation"Train Dreams,"with Joel Edgerton; and Eva Victor's"Sorry, Baby,"about life after an assault.

The show, which serves as a fundraiser for Film Independent's year-round programs, is being held at the Hollywood Palladium for the first time, as its longtime beachside perch in Santa Monica undergoes renovations.

The awards sometimes overlap significantly with major Oscar contenders and winners, as it did with"Anora,"and"Everything Everywhere All At Once,"and sometimes not. Organizers limit eligibility to productions with budgets less than $30 million, meaning more expensive films like "One Battle After Another" are not in the running.

Byrne is one of the few actors nominated for both a Spirit Awardand an Oscar, for her performance as a mother on the edge in Mary Bronstein's"If I Had Legs I'd Kick You."In the lead performance category, she's up against the likes of Edgerton ("Train Dreams"), Dylan O'Brien ("Twinless"), Palmer ("One of Them Days"), Tessa Thompson("Hedda")and Whishaw. The organization switched to gender-neutral acting categories in 2022.

Supporting performance nominees include Naomi Ackie ("Sorry, Baby"), Zoey Deutch("Nouvelle Vague"), Kirsten Dunst ("Roofman"), Nina Hoss ("Hedda") and Archie Madekwe("Lurker").

Films nominated in the international category include"Sirāt,""The Secret Agent"and "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.""Come See Me in the Good Light,""My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow" and "The Perfect Neighbor" are also up for the documentary prize.

Hawke, who is nominated for an Oscar for "Blue Moon," is up for a Spirit Award for his leading performance in the television series "The Lowdown," where other nominees include Seth Rogen for "The Studio," Stephen Graham for "Adolescence" and Noah Wyle for "The Pitt."

byDonna Devi

in

February 14, 2026

Independent Spirit Awards celebrate indie movies and TV in Los Angeles

Ethan Hawke,Rose ByrneandKeke Palmerare just a few of the actors up for prizes at theFilm Independent Spirit Awardson Sun...

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Jennifer Lawrence has 1 regret about hosting “SNL” with walking pneumonia that has nothing to do with being sick

Jennifer Lawrencewants a re-do as host onSaturday Night Live,and it's not just because she had walking pneumonia during the show.

Lawrence, who hostedSNLon Jan. 19, 2013, was known for her quirky, relatable attitude during her ascent to the A-list. It was a lot of pressure to keep up with people's expectations, as she was working onThe Hunger Games: Catching Fireand doing press forSilver Linings Playbookat the time. She admitted toAmy Poehlerthat she was "very tired" from all of the activity.

"I would have to like fly, go to a party, shake hands, and then land and, you know, shoot. Like, poor me," she said sarcastically on theGood Hangpodcast.

When she finally got toSNL,she recalled being too nonchalant. At 22, Lawrence said she was a "bad age" for the hosting gig. Now, she's hoping for a second chance to redeem herself on the show.

"You get asked like, 'Can you do any impressions or anything?' And I was like, 'No,'" Lawrence said with an exaggerated affectation of apathy. "Like I don't want to be like, 'And I can do this and I can do that.' I just kind of made everything like everybody else's problem. I was like, 'I don't know how to do that. I can't do that.'

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While Poehler had already left the show by this time, focusing onParks and Recreation,she agreed that it was hard for young people to go onSNL. She asked Lawrence if she would be interested in doing more comedy work now.

TheDie My Loveactress revealed that she has written a screenplay for a comedy that she hopes to direct and star in. Lawrence recently starred in 2023's rom-comNo Hard Feelingsbut has otherwise had few comedic roles.

Check out the full episode ofGood Hangwith Jennifer Lawrence below.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byDonna Devi

in

February 14, 2026

Jennifer Lawrence has 1 regret about hosting “SNL” with walking pneumonia that has nothing to do with being sick

Jennifer Lawrencewants a re-do as host onSaturday Night Live,and it's not just because she had walking pneumonia duri...

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A Kurdish-majority neighborhood in Syria recovers from clashes with hope for the future

ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — A month afterclashes rockeda Kurdish-majority neighborhood inSyria's second-largest city of Aleppo, most of the tens of thousands of residents who fled the fighting between government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have returned — an unusually quick turnaround in a country where conflict has left many displaced for years.

APTOPIX Syria Kurdish Neighborhood

"Ninety percent of the people have come back," Aaliya Jaafar, a Kurdish resident of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood who runs a hair salon, said Saturday. "And they didn't take long. This was maybe the shortest displacement in Syria."

Her family only briefly left their house when government forces launched a drone strike on a lot next door where weapons were stored, setting off explosions.

The Associated Press visited the community that was briefly at the center of Syria's fragile transition from years of civil war as the new government tries to assert control over the country and gain the trust of minority groups anxious about their security.

Lessons learned

The clashes broke out Jan. 6 in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the SDF reached an impasse in talks on how to merge Syria's largest remaining armed group into the national army. Security forces captured the neighborhoods after several days of intense fighting during which at least 23 people were killed and more than 140,000 people displaced.

However, Syria's new government took measures to avoid civilians being harmed, unlike during previous outbreaks of violence between its forces and other groups on the coast and in the southern province ofSweida, during which hundreds of civilians from the Alawite and Druze religious minorities were killed in sectarian revenge attacks.

Before entering the contested Aleppo neighborhoods, the Syrian army opened corridors for civilians to flee.

Ali Sheikh Ahmad, a former member of the SDF-affiliated local police force who runs a secondhand clothing shop in Sheikh Maqsoud, was among those who left. He and his family returned a few days after the fighting stopped.

At first, he said, residents were afraid of revenge attacks after Kurdish forces withdrew and handed over the neighborhood to government forces. But that has not happened. A ceasefire agreement between Damascus and the SDF has been holding, and the two sides have made progress toward political and military integration.

"We didn't have any serious problems like what happened on the coast or in Sweida," Sheikh Ahmad said. The new security forces "treated us well," and residents' fears began to dissipate.

Jaafar agreed that residents had been afraid at first but that government forces "didn't harm anyone, to be honest, and they imposed security, so people were reassured."

The neighborhood's shops have since reopened and traffic moves normally, but the checkpoint at the neighborhood's entrance is now manned by government forces instead of Kurdish fighters.

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Residents, both Kurds and Arabs, chatted with neighbors along the street. An Arab man who said he was named Saddam after the late Iraqi dictator — known for oppressing the Kurds — smiled as his son and a group of Kurdish children played with a dirty but friendly orange kitten.

Other children played with surgical staplers from a neighborhood hospital that was targeted during the recent fighting, holding them like toy guns. The government accused the SDF of taking over the hospital and using it as a military site, while the SDF said it was sheltering civilians.

One boy, looking pleased with himself, emerged from an alleyway carrying the remnant of an artillery shell.

Economic woes remain

On Friday, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi said he had held a "very productive meeting" with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani on the sidelines of asecurity conference in Munichto discuss progress made on the integration agreement.

While the security situation is calm, residents said their economic plight has worsened. Many previously relied on jobs with the SDF-affiliated local authorities, who are no longer in charge. And small businesses suffered after the clashes drove away customers and interrupted electricity and other services.

"The economic situation has really deteriorated," Jaafar said. "For more than a month, we've barely worked at all."

Others are taking a longer view. Sheikh Ahmad said he hopes that if the ceasefire remains in place and the political situation stabilizes, he will be able to return to his original home in the town of Afrin near the border with Turkey, which his family fled during a 2018 Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces.

Like many Syrians. Sheikh Ahmad has been displaced multiple times since mass protests against the government of then-President Bashar Assad spiraled into a brutal 14-year civil war.

Assad was ousted in November 2024 in an insurgent offensive, but the country has continued to see sporadic outbreaks of violence, and the new government has struggled to win the trust of religious and ethnic minorities.

Hopes for reconciliation

Last month, interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a decree strengthening the rights of Syria's Kurdish minority, including recognizing Kurdish as a national language along with Arabic and adopting Nowruz, a traditional celebration of spring and renewal marked by Kurds around the region, as an official holiday. Kurds make up about 10% of Syria's population.

The decree also restored the citizenship of tens of thousands of Kurds in northeastern al-Hasakeh province after they were stripped of it during the 1962 census

Sheikh Ahmad said he was encouraged by al-Sharaa's attempts to reassure the Kurds that they are equal citizens and hopes to see more than tolerance among Syria's different communities.

"We want something better than that. We want people to love each other. We've had enough of wars after 15 years. It's enough," he said.

byDonna Devi

in

February 14, 2026

A Kurdish-majority neighborhood in Syria recovers from clashes with hope for the future

ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — A month afterclashes rockeda Kurdish-majority neighborhood inSyria's second-largest city of Alep...

Read More