investigators have discovered doctors notes showing that the co-pilot of the airplane that wrecked was not allowed to work. a warm welcome to our viewers around the united states. this is "cnn news room." we start with new discoveries

this hour surrounding the pilot that is suspected of purposely crashing flight 9525. there are reports that andreas lubitz suffered mental illness. a german prosecutor says that they found torp up medical notes in the co-pilots work. for the latest on the investigation i want to bring in fred who has been following this from day one. fred, let's talk about this note that has been found, that they found in his apartment. for the first time we're hearing that he may have suffered from a medical condition.

>> he certainly suffered from a medical condition. what we're hearing is they raided the places that he lived in the opportunity to of montibea montibaur. and that he was seeking medical attention for a mental illness, and also the apparent several sick notes the doctor wrote for him saying he was not fit to go to work. they say, the prosecutor, says those notes were torn up and found somewhere and that strongly indicated he was hiding this illness from his employer. germanwings has come out to say

they have not received any notes. the big problem is what sort of illness was this. the "new york times" and others are reporting it was a mental disorder, possibly depression. the hospital he had been to said they had seen him, and they had diagnosed him, but they would not confirm what they had diagnosed him for. when you look at the biggest newspaper in germany, they claim to have an interview with a former girlfriend and she says he was a very nice man, but he was very troubled. he was someone that would wake up in the middle of the night, or they had flights at certain points. it is, of course, very much unclear what that means in terms

of his medical association, whether he had a mental condition or something. but certainly the media and investigators are digging very zeep this man's life now that find out what caused him to crash that plane in the french alps. >> the girlfriend is someone that everyone is wondering if something was to going on maybe she would have known. we see them carrying papers out of his house, any insight into what else they may have come across? >> they were carrying out boxes of papers out of his apartment until very late in the night, and cnn crews saw them carrying several boxes out. right now they have left the apartment. they're looking for what he may have suffered from and what sort

of a role that may have played in what he did. there is speculation that possibly he feared that at some point he would lose his license to flying. he has been flying since he was a teen. he was at that flying club in his hometown and he was a very passi passionate flier, so they were looking for gig that might kind case he was planning on doing this for a long period of time. he spent time in many places. he stays with his parents and brother. he was half a year in arizona flying there, and here frequently at the germanwings headquarters and working with many flight crews along the way. people will be questioned about

this, colleagues, former friends and former girlfriend. >> he dreamt of flying, isn't it? so it is becoming more and more complex. let's get more on this developing story by is your honoring to myles o'brian. i'm not sure if you heard fred's report there, but i want to ask you how unusual you think it is that a co-pilot had mental health issues, how is it that wasn't known and that he was evaluated with more frequency? >> well the system is not desired very well to catch people like this. basically when you're hired on there is a psychological process

and the interview is part of that process where they try to weed out people that may have problems. and they interview other pilots because who spends more time with them than the other ie lots in the small room with them. pilots have checked each other out. you say you do not want to fly with someone and if you get a lot of do not flies then somebody talks to you. what is interesting about this is you had a brand new pilot, green, only 600 hours of time total. 100 hours on the air bus. he was kind of an unknown quantitity fy tity tity tity --

pilot beside him. >> in the initial assessment do they kaukt doctors to find out more or is it an in-house screening process? >> it is an in-house screening process in germany in particular there is strict rules about releasing medical records. typically what pilots do is ghie for their medical exam for flying to an aviation medical examiner and they have a separate doctor for the rest of thar lif their life. pilots like to have it that way. you're supposed to self-report, but if you self report something on the lines of what we're hearing here you're out of a job, essentially. so you see the inherent conflict of interest. >> we have seen that pilot

suicide -- we're seeing many airlines change the cockpit rules to have two people in the cockpit at all times. do you think it will make flying saf safer? >> it can't hurt and it doesn't cost anything. it is a separate issue here as well. it is probably a good idea to have somebody with him in there just in case something happens, if nothing else just to notify the captain in the lavatory. i think it is a good idea. you don't want the pilot left behind to evaluate who is at the door. i don't see a downside to putting someone in there. there is no real cost to the airline or the operations. >> miles o'brien, great to get your views and perspective on

this. about ten minutes past five in the afternoon. thank you, miles. the scorched mountainside where the plane crashed crews say they're making progress with recovery efforts. officials say it could be weeks before all remains are recovered. we have been hiking for hours and we finally made it to this spot. down in that steep sided valley is where the saddest job is going on. french police and guides are working together, looking around and marking with red flags where they find remains either of

bodies or the main. i don't want to take you any closer down there because that is a crime scene and we don't want to interfere with the work of the recovery teams. their priority is getting the victims back to their families. you see the scorch marks, you see that is where the plane likely hit. it is hard to imagine what went through the passengers minds in the last instants according to the french prosecutor. they were aware the plane was going down and they began to scream. it helps us understand why the process will take so long.

i wonder whether too if it helps the families to take the first step se what is the process in finding a little peace. we'll stay with cnn for the latest on the flash of germanwings flight 9525. you can go to our website for updates from the crews out in the field at cnn.com/germanwings. you are watching "cnn newsroom." coming up we will take you live to egypt. all we need to do now is just put our platter in the oven which we've already prep- hold on, sharon! you can't cook that sea bass in a greasy oven. why not? you'd never cook with pots and pans that dirty..

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or go to lifelock.com/go. try lifelock risk-free for 60 days and get this document shredder free -- a $29 value -- when you use promo code "go." that's promo code "go." call now! now a saudi lead coalition who are attempting to run out rebels. al jazeera says their cameras were stolen. they're focusing on the saudi led campaign. the one busy capital of yemen looks more like a ghost town. i am joined now by our yemen

journalist, how intense were the air strikes? >> unbelievable. very intense. yesterday was by far the most air strikes that took place and very close to the heart of the town. there are nine military bases surrounding the capital and they are being targeted by airstrikes. at times they are not accurate which come closer toward the areas where civilians are located. they were leaning closer. doors were broken, windows were broken from the attack. >> what kind of stories, hakim,

are you hearing? are people leaving the main city? >> yes, they are evacuating families, women, and children were all evacuated. my family is not with me right now. as you said earlier, it's a ghost down. drask is no more. shops are closed. schools are closed. people are also very worried. children who were playing on the streets are no more there. it is different. as of now, the capital itself has been attacked by airstrikes. yesterday a hospital was attacked that belongs to the expresident. the hospital attack and four people were killed, eight

injuries. it is escalating day by day and is turning into the next syria in gradual steps. >> thank you, keep safe, hakeem. now egypt is planning support from arab nations and leaders. becky joins me now. i don't know if you heard the conversation there, but he is saying the war is escalating day by day. leaders meeting there have clearly a lot on their plate, but i'm guessing yemen will take center stage. >> yes. let me just get our viewers to some pictures coming in. this is at the airport, a kilometer or so away from where we are here.

the plane that brought in the new leader of saudi, king solomon, here to join the leaders, the arab pleaders here for this subject. this is the resort, red sea resort town, and this sharm el-. we should expect a resolution of what is a saudi led offensive which is targeting rebels and what happens here could clear the way for a ground invasion if the saudis see fit. they're calling this operation decisive or determination for storm sources on the ground.

as you were talking to hakim, heavy and continuous shelling of what is believe today be weapons sides. an add ministry of defense briefing in the last 24 hours also announcing the saudis have been targeting the land along their southern border where they say rebels were mobilizing. this could be no small war. they're deeply concerned about the area along what is some 2,000 kilometer boarder with yemen. they're concerned about an iran stronghold where the rich oil deposits lie. the uae confirming they've been actively involved in the air. the caveat is that not all countries are supporting this offensive. algeria and iraq may vote

against this action. baghdad saying this will create more attention and violence in the region. ironically, or perhaps not, iran strongly condemning this saudi invasion saying this is providing more opportunities of the ground for deadly acts of terrorism. sources on the ground say while there is near wholesale support now that the offensive in yemen has begun, behind closed door is a sense they have been impatient and a new defense minister coming to mark his space regionally. this is a conflict that could escalate. those gathered here are discussing it and we'll get more in the next 24 hours. becky anderson there putting everything into perspective there.

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just a little before 9:30 in the morning. voters have been registering to take part in today's general election for more than an hour now. they will decide who leads their country as well as three dozen governors. there are 14 fames on the presidential ballot but only two front runners. the polls don't close until the last registered voter casts their ballot. we're watching now. christian, we had nigerian armies talk about it in the northeastern parts of the countries, are you seeing -- >> it is down in the south of the country, and registration voting is just starting behind us.

boko spszharam. as you said there are security concerns. bomb explosions, but criminal and political violence as well across the country and there has been isolated instances but nothing so far. but that is the concern that after the 2011 elections in a similar race there was widespread riots in the north and 800 people killed after what seemed to be an ill legitimate election. the hope is that this will be a credible and peaceful election. and what that means is that for africa's most populous country, oil producer, important not just to nigeria and africa, but that more will come into the world. it should be one of the world's fastest growing economies.

boko spsz haram. and more institutionalized democracy in nigeria after decades of military rule. >> i know you were speaking about the northeastern part, and the fact that people are coming to vote. what is the key issues that play here bttzs security and bo boko haram. is corruption key if many voters? is the economy crucial too? >> there are a miriad of issues. and it has been beset by all

sorts of problems. when you talk to people here, all of these come up. at the moment the economy is under a lot of pressure, but also electricity, security as you mentioned and each person has their own individual thing. they want to make the voices heard. one of the important things to remember is that whoever wins will have to try and fulfill those expectations. >> thank you, now go to mogadishu where at least 20 people are dead after an attack. several gunman entered the hotel

after setting off a bomb at the entrance. now a three-day lock down is under way for the six mill people in sierra leone. that has been nearly 3,000 deaths since the epidemic started a year ago. the numb they hope to have zero cases by the end of april. still to come, we will take you near the germanwings crash sight for more on the recovery efforts there. vuse has changed the game. vuse digital vapor cigarettes designed and assembled in the usa. our smart micro-processor controls heat and power up to 2,000 times a second for superior vapor. and our v-liquid is blended by

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let me bring you up to date with the top stories we're following for you. the co-pilot accused of crashing the german wings plane is said to have hid a mental illness from his employer. and amanda knox has her life back after a murder conviction has been over turned. her exboyfriend was also acquitted. rebels raid tv stations in yemen as they launch a second day of airstrikes. the rebels took their security cameras and damaged other equipment but it appeared no one was hurt. the airstrikes targeted at least 16 locations.

people in nye gear year are opening up. they vote for president as well as three dozen governors. the current president and a former military leader. let's turning back now to our top story, the investigation into why 27-year-old andreas lubitz intentional crashed the germanwings flight. the co-pilot that crashed flight 9525 into the alps had a mental illness that made him unfit for work. >> we found indications that he was declared by a medical doctor

unfit to work. that were found slashed in a waste bin. >> they also found recent doctors notes excusing him from work including from one the day of the crash. the notes had been torn up and thrown away. they say a sick note for this day was not submitted to the company. just a day earlier they had no medical or psychological concerns about 27-year-old lubitz. >> he was 100% set to fly without limitations. >> today they insist he had a clean bill of health adding that we cannot confirm or deny his medical condition for reasons of confidentiality. they have found no religion or

political based motive. lubitz was treated in february and returned for a diagnosis in march just two weeks before the crash. the hospital would not reveal why he was there but said he was not treated for depression at their hospital. let's get to the scene of the plane crash in the french alps for more on the recovery process taking place this hour. yesterday we heard from the captain that said it was such a complicated process, how are the conditions there today? how are the recovery operations going? >> well conditions have improved. authorities are saying they made good progress. there is only two choppers in the sky today as opposed to the five we've typically scene. the weather conditions have improved and they don't need to

rotate around the scene as much. it is in a very remote location. they're trying to possibly build a road to the crash site so vehicles can have access. it is incredibly steep terrain that poses safety concerns for the investigators. each investigator is partnered with a policeman, firefighter, or an expert. the priorities are twofold. they're looking for that other black box. the flight data recorder. they found the casing but the card is still missing and that is seen as potentially important if it is still in tact for clues on how the plane was being flown in the moments before the impact. they're also looking for human remains and that is a very grim process when you consider the

wreckage is heavily fragmented and strewn across hundreds of meters. so investigators are segments off the crash site. when they find human remains they assign a number to the remains and placing them on a chart so they know where all of the body parts originated from. they are placed into black bads and they are lifted up and brought to a nearby valley. they're loaded on to strucks and taken to a dna analysis center. they say the process could take weeks. >> a long and painstaking process. cnn went inside of a flight simulator to find out how the cockpit may have been locked and how it standed. they say what andreas lubitz did

goes against every instinct of a pilot. >> physically locked the door. >> so begins what is the likely decent where pilot buck roger who currently flies with a commercial airline. >> just dialled in an altitude there. >> that motion of hitting 100 in this situation is unthinkable for you. >> voutly. it goes against every grain in my body. >> you know the consequences of that action. >> absolutely. >> if you had to step in his mind, do you think he understood. >> it is very difficult for a high lot. we're here to keep our passengers safe. to keep the airport safe, to keep our crew safe. to go where this young man went, it's hard for know go there. saying i'm fit to fly means i'm

good to go. >> proximately nine minutes later, so now we would pull up and react. yeah, this is not a situation i have ever been in. >> what is happening to your hands after that crash? >> they're sweaty. you can see it. in a of the years i have been flying in a simulator i never saw an airplane hit the ground. we recover it before that happens. >> so that was unthinkable for you. >> roger takes us through a manual scenario explaining that he basically did not do this based on the controls decent. >> it is uncomfortable. >> yes, can we come out of this and just, get out of this, no need to take it through that -- even in a simulator in a scenario we asked him to do for

the purposes of the story, this pilot cannot stand it. >> does it exceed pilot instinct, is it human instinct to pull up the stick? >> yes, i'm thinking about the safety of my passengers. >> is that why this incident has so disturbed the people of your profession. >> it's unthinkable that a pilot would take a plane and drive it into the ground. now amanda knox is speaking out now that hir eight year battle against murder charges is now over. italy's supreme court overturned convictions against her and her former girlfriend pi that but tried, convicted, and eventually convicted of her roommate in italy. once knox returned to the u.s.

they were overturned. they were sentenced to more than 28 years in prison. knox spoke from her home in washington. >> i just want to say that i'm incredibly grateful for what has happened for the justice i received, for the support that i had from everyone from my family, from my friends, to strangers, to people like you, i -- you saved my life, and i'm so grateful. and i am so grateful to have my life back. thank you, and that's all i can say. right now i'm still absorbing what all of this means. and what comes to mind is my

gratitude for for the life that's been given to me. >> what's in the future for you now? >> i don't know, i'm still absorbing the moment which is full of joy. >> we're so grateful. i know that you're all here, but we really need time as a family to digest, and so thankful that everything is right. >> meredith was my friend, and she deserved so much in this life. i'm the lucky one.

>> this closes the case for good, freeing knox to travel to italy again if she chooses too. was someone trying to tap on to a gas line causing the explosion and fire in new york city. the mayor says it could take a week to determine the cause of that blast. now a history making mission is under way in space why si scientists and researches are -- you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. muddle no more™.

now the american astronaut marc kelly is on a record setting trip. we have the details. >> and liftoff. a year in space starts now. kelly on their way towards the international space station. >> a successful lift off on kazakhstan. they are leaving earth for a long, long time. they will spend nearly an entire year in orbit on the international space station.

for 51-year-old kelly the 12 months in space will break a wo record. >> i look forward to the challenge. >> adding to his record of 7:10 days in space, more than anyone, scientists say the three men and their mission will continue the scientific journey to learn why space travel and gravity essentially changing the human body. >> we need to test the capability of a human being to perform such long duration flights. >> about a third of astronauts have a change in vision. also cardiac arrhythmias have been documented along with loss of bone loss. they will talk about how it affects their thoughts and behavior. answers that could be crucial for things like flights to mars.

>> this is the first time we're doing this as an international partnership which is one of the most, i think, one of the greatest success stories of the international space station. >> while scott kelly makes history in space, mark kelly his twin brother, will be on either and they will study both of them when they return. the trio will join three more crew members. others will rotate in an out in the next year. >> now some important research being done by nasa no ensure that we can successfully send humans into deep space. derek van dam joins us on this cosmic adventure.

>> a cosmic ginea pig. we're going to rely on some of this important information and data they collect. breaking cosmic records, these three astronauts are taking off. at about 9:15 they docked with the international space station and they opened the doors about 11:15 p.m. friday night. this is just a few hours ago when, well, the crew members said hello to their new crew mates on the international space station and home for the next year, they're now on board the international space station and they're all safe and sound. cool research, good stuff.

i want to transition now from space back to earth. we have important weather to talk about. this has opinion ongoing for about six or seven this this is just outside of the

atacama desert. this is the driest place on the earth, periods of four years without a drop of rain, bone dry if you ask me, average rainfall is about 15 millimeters which is about half an inch per year. the weather patterns have been different for this part of the world creating significant resi area having to bucket oud muddy water from their homes and also having being forced to traverse across flooded roadways. so we're talking not only space, we're also talking about weather here on earth. so, yeah, all kinds of things here at the world weather center. back to you. >> keeping us on our toes. thank you very much. kentucky derby winner california chrome sets his sites on the world cup in dubai. the richest horse race is in the world, we'll bring you that just

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>> reporter: when its kilometer long stand and five star trackicide hotel, this race course is said to have cost about 1 toit $25 billion to build. if ever there was a track created to host a big prize money meeting, this is surely it. >> the dubai world cup is the richest cup in the world. is it the most presteejts, now it's not. gradually it will become part and parcel of the schedule. and sooner or later, you know, the people who have the best horses in the world will have to gravitate towards it because the money is there. >> reporter: earlier this week we visited the track one morning, long before sunrise to have a look at one of the favorites. 5:00 in the morning here.

i'm sipping my hot coffee alongside media from all around the world. as we watch california chrome. americans love to watch the horses here. $10 million gets everyone's attention we've had a wonderful history of sending champions to dubai. people get excited when a horse like california chrome is here. they want to see how he'll do against the world's top runners. >> reporter: this belief that spending big money is pay off. >> we like to welcome people from around the world. >> reporter: really racing reaches much further than just debut world cup. >> absolutely. we look at it as people spend

money, go to the mall, beach hotels. desert. dubai is selling a package. >> reporter: as well as helping to market a nation. saturday will result in several small fortunes being made. not bad for a day at the races. in dubai, this is for winning post. this does it for this hour. thank you for joining us. i'll be back with another hour of "cnn newsroom" after this short break. don't go anywhere. intercourse that's painful due noboto menopausal changesit... it's not likely to go away on its own. so let's do something about it. premarin vaginal cream can help it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes.

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investigators discover stunning documents about the mental health of a germanwings copilot lubitz. search teams find unfriendly terrain as they try to recover victims from the crash site. amanda knox overcome with emotion after italy's high court overturned her murder conviction. a warm welcome to viewers in the united states and around the world. you are watching "cnn newsroom." begin this hour with new revelations about the co-pilot of germanwings flight 9525. "the new york times" and "the wall street journal" cite that lubitz suffered from