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The leader of Syria's main opposition group has some harsh words for Kofi Annan, who was appointed by the U.N. to be its envoy to Syria.

In an interview with the Associated Press Burhan Ghalioun said Annan's comments so far have been "disappointing."

Mitt Romney may consider the pair of primaries in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday an "away game," but Newt Gingrich is claiming a home court advantage.

U.S. and Afghan negotiators appear to have cleared one major obstacle to a Status of Forces agreement that would govern the U.S. military presence in the country after NATO's drawdown in 2014. Friday's agreement resolves a dispute over control of Parwan prison where many Taliban suspects are detained.

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Flip through the channels this weekend and you are bound to see some college students dribbling basketballs. It is March after all. And the final lay-ups, jump shots and dunks are taking place before the madness officially begins next week. NCAA conference championships wrap up on Sunday and then comes the selection of teams for their respective NCAA tournaments. Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis joins us now as he does most Fridays. Hi, Stefan.

STEFAN FATSIS, BYLINE: Hey, Robert.

This story broke Wednesday in the Anchorage Daily News, but it has too much going for it not to pass along.

Monday night while competing in Alaska's Iditarod dog sled race, Scott Janssen's 9-year-old husky Marshall collapsed.

"Janssen raced to the dog," the newspaper writes. "Marshall did not appear to be breathing."

"I know what death looks like, and he was gone. Nobody home," Janssen told the Daily News.

The Department of Education's top civil rights official, Russlynn Ali, speaks with host Michel Martin about a new report. It finds students of color have less access to high-level classes, their teachers are often paid less than those of white students in same district, and suspension rates for black students are disproportionately high.

The solar storm that swept over Earth Thursday didn't seem to cause any major problems, as some had feared.

But the prediction that it would create some beautiful Northern Lights has proved to be quite true. The Associated Press has moved a quite striking photo taken Thursday on the east coast of Iceland.

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