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• In Syria, humanitarian crisis in Homs as strikes on civilians continue
• Concern rises of threats to Internet as Europe considers ACTA
• Obama offers compromise on birth control mandate, but controversy continues
• Conservative conference focuses on strategy to dismantle organized labor
• Florida farmworkers secure deal from Trader Joe’s to increase pay for tomatoes

• Amid large protests, NYC pushes through school closures
• VA makes it legal to discriminate against LGBT adoptions
• Marine acquitted in suicide hazing case
• Court clears way for ski resort use of snow made of treated sewage water

In Syria, two bomb blasts hit the northern city of Aleppo today, killing two dozen people and bringing the violence raging in other parts of the country to an area that has shown support for President Bashar Al Assad. Syrian State Television showed bodies lined in the street and a bulldozer clearing rubble from shattered buildings. Government officials put the death toll at 28 with 175 more wounded after the bombs went off near a military intelligence building and a security force base. A spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army said their forces were not responsible for the bombings.

Europe is the last place where the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement – known as ACTA – could be stopped. ACTA has drawn attention for what critics say is a threat to Internet freedom. Now that the European public has become aware of the international trade pact, the reaction has been swift – and mostly negative. Hundreds of anti-ACTA demonstrations are planned for Saturday all across the continent and, after growing pressure, even some of the elected officials who voted for ACTA are backing away from it. From France, FSRN's Liam Moriarty reports.

In Washington, President Obama announced changes to the Affordable Care Act’s birth control mandate. Today’s announcement follows weeks of pressure from religious groups and conservative politicians. The President says the compromise will both protect religious liberty, and preserve the right of all women to access free contraception. But the move may not quiet the controversy - both Catholic leaders and women's rights advocates have concerns about the new plan. FSRN’s Alice Ollstein has more in Washington, D.C.

Protesters from Occupy DC and labor unions rallied outside a Washington DC hotel today where the Conservative Political Action Conference is taking place. Inside the conference, Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum made the case for the GOP vote, touting what he called his conservative credentials and criticizing rival Mitt Romney.  The three-day conference, dubbed the “Mardi Gras for the Right,” has focused on criticizing President Barack Obama and celebrating unfettered, free-market capitalism. A recurring theme has been an attack on organized labor.

This weekend the first Trader Joe’s in the state of Florida is set to open its doors and ahead of a grand opening, farmworkers scored a long-sought-after victory with the grocery store chain. On Thursday, Trader Joe’s signed a landmark agreement to pay one penny more per pound of tomatoes picked by immigrant farm workers in South Florida. The deal came a day before planned protests from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. FSRN’s Kelly Benjamin has more.

• Spanish judge who pursued human rights cases disbarred by Supreme Court
• In Gaza, demolitions of homes displace hundreds
• Feds, states reach mortgage deal with banks but many struggling homeowners still not covered
• LA school district could cut entire Adult Education program, affecting hundreds of thousands of students

• Civilian deaths mount in Homs
• Ousted Maldives President facing arrest
• Brazilian police abandon occupation of Bahia legislature
• Prominent Indian politician cleared in Gujarat riot death case
• Washington House approves same-sex marriage bill

The Spanish judge who took on criminal cases against international figures accused of torture and crimes against humanity was disbarred by Spain’s Supreme Court today. Hundreds gathered in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol to protest the decision, according to El Pais. Critics say the sentence is retribution for his high profile pursuit of international law. Judge Baltasar Garzon ordered the arrest of Augosto Pinochet in 1998, arguing that international standards of justice apply across national borders.