1. GINGRICH ATTACKS OBAMA FOR AFGHANISTAN APOLOGY
GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich criticized President Obama for apologizing to the Afghan government over the burning of Muslim holy books at a U.S. military base outside Kabul. Gingrich said the president “surrendered” in a situation that has been “blown into a huge incident by various fanatics in Afghanistan.” Despite Obama’s apology, violent anti-American protests continued in Afghanistan on Friday. [CBS News]

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2. “FRIENDS OF SYRIA” TO GIVE ASSAD AN ULTIMATUM
Leaders from the U.S., Europe, and Arab countries meet in Tunisia on Friday to hammer out the details of a 72-hour ultimatum demanding that President Bashar al-Assad step down, cease all violence, and allow foreign aid. In advance of the Tunis event, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that if Assad doesn’t cooperate “the pressure will continue to build,” but she ruled out giving direct military aid to the opposition. [Associated Press]
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3. MARYLAND SENATE APPROVES GAY MARRIAGE
The Maryland state Senate has approved a measure legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. The House of Delegates passed the bill last week. It now moves on to Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who has said he will sign it into law, making Maryland the eighth state in the country — and the first on the East Coast south of the Mason-Dixon line — to allow same-sex marriage. [Washington Post]

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4. POLL PREDICTS EASY PUTIN WIN
Despite a drop in popularity after fraudulent December parliamentary elections and large-scale public protests, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin appears headed for victory in the country’s upcoming presidential vote, according to an independent poll published Friday. The poll forecasts that Putin will get up to 66 percent of the vote in the first round of balloting on March 4. A reported 130,000 people gathered at a stadium in Moscow on Thursday in support of Putin. [Associated Press]

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5. SANTORUM BUZZING ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
A new analysis shows that surging GOP candidate Rick Santorum has been leading the Twitter and Facebook conversation since he swept contests in Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado on Feb. 7. This week, 41 percent of posts concerning the Republican field were about Santorum, compared to 32 percent for Romney. [MSNBC]

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