oscar pistorius is expected to arrive at the courthouse in pretoria, south africa anytime now for moretestimony in his murder trial. you're actually looking at a live picture there as we await his arrival. the olympic runner broke down on the witness stand tuesday. as he talked about the night he shot and killed his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. her parents there in the courtroom. today will be the third day of testimony for pri store yus. we'll bring you live coverage of the court proceedings, which will get under way in a little less than an hour from now. pistorius broke down in tears on the witness stand tuesday, he was so overcome with emotion, the judge had to stop the proceedings for the day because of that. and new patricia wu asks paul call fn he thought tuesday's testimony helped pistorius or hurt him? >> i would say both. they're going to help him, i think, get acquitted on the intentional murder count. the premeditated murder count, but i think it's going to lead to his conviction on the next count down, which is culpable homicide. and that's a form of a reckless killing of

and we will be live in pretoria south africa. do stay with us. to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. at afraud could meanuld blower credit scores. and higher mortgage rates. it's a problem waiting to happen. check your credit score, check your credit report at experian.com. >>> welcome back. well, it's not clear yet whether an oil slick found in the search area is related to the missing malaysian plane. crews gathered samples which will be tested in the coming days once they get to land. meanwhile, angus houston is down-playing the deployment of that blue fin device. he says it will

. >> we will head live to the courthouse in pretoria, south africa, that's coming up. [ male announcerhis is the cat that drank the milk... [ meows ] ...and let in the dog that woke the man who drove to the control room [ woman ] driverless mode engaged. find parking space. [ woman ] parking space found. [ male announcer ] ...that secured the data that directed the turbines that powered the farm that made the milk that went to the store that reminded the man to buy the milk that was poured by the girl who loved the cat. [ meows ] the internet of everything is changing everything. cisco. tomorrow starts here. >>> welcome back to "cnn newsroom." i'm rosemary church. >> i'm john vause. we'd like it welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. now a check of the headlines this hour -- u.s. president barack obama is urging russian president vladimir putin to press those pro-russian demonstrators to virginia indicate buildings which they've seize -- vacate buildings which they've seized in eastern ukraine. the unrest is only getting worse with ukraine's acting president pro

for "nightline," i'm matt gutman in pretoria, south africa. >> up next here on "nightline," the man whoened our producer on camera, now sits down with abc's chief investigative correspondent brian ross. why this coal boss shouldn't be blamed for the 29 men who died in his mine. le, an antidepressant alone only helps so much and suggested we add abilify (aripiprazole). he said that by taking both, some people had symptom improvement as early as 1 to 2 weeks. i wish i'd talked to my doctor sooner. [ female announcer ] abilify is not for everyone. call your doctor if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking abilify have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor if you have high fever, stiff muscles and confusion to address a possible life-threatening condition. or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements, as these could become permanent. high blood sugar has been reported with abilify and medicines like it and in extreme ca

. >> kelly phelps joins us live from pretoria, south africa.th these text messages, because the prosecution is using them in a very interesting way. he's asking pistorius to explain what reeva steenkamp meant in some of these messages, why she was scared, why she felt teased, why she was disgruntled. >> reporter: he's clearly trying -- well, he was clearly trying to back pistorius against a wall and essentially force him to blame the victim for the fight. this is never a good position for an accused person to be in, and i think he was fairly successful at doing that. but it is important to place this evidence in its legal context. in south africa, character evidence is generally not admissible, and it's only been admissible in this case because the accused himself raised evidence of his good character. so, the judge will be very keenly aware of that and the limited persuasive value that character evidence can have in terms of her overall determination. >> state of mind. they're trying to establish what his state of mind might have been before,

>> interesting. >>> time for a short break. >> when we come back, we'll take you live to pretoria, south africae we're minutes away from the start of another day of testimony in the oscar pistorius trial. wow, this hotel is amazing. oh no. who are you? who are you? wrong answer. wait, daddy, this is blair, he booked this room with priceline express deals and saved a ton. yeah, i didn't have to bid i got everything i wanted. oh good i always do. oh good he seemed nice. express deals. priceline savings without the bidding. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] with five perfectly sweetened whole grains... you can't help but see the good. >>> you're watching "cnn newsroom." hello, everyone, i'm isha sesay. >> i'm errol barnett. we want to welcome our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. here are the top stories we're following for you now on cnn. we begin with the search for flight 370. australian prime minister, tony abbott, says authorities are confident about the approximate location of its black boxes. he warns that's not the same as recovery wreckage from almost 4.5 kilometers under water. mr. abbott

mike taibbi, nbc news, pretoria, south africa. >>> back here in this country the weather is making news tonight. so many people especially east of the mississippi just planting seeds preparing for the garden perhaps for the season to come. now in come temperatures in the 20s as far south as nashville and snow further north. three inches in detroit this morning was enough to set a final record for this season left three inches of snow. let's bring in meteorologist janice huff who is in the weather studio. janice, good evening. >> even in new york city there will be a bit of light snow in the next few hours. temperatures will be dropping fast across the northeast and a lot of people already put away their winter weather gear. you have to dig it back out once again even though the snow will be light. the freeze warning stretch from new york city down to alabama and mississippi. montgomery, natchez, jackson, your temperatures will drop to 32 or below. within this entire region. if you already put your plants out then you got to protect them. 32 degrees in nashville by 11:00 tonight. tomorro

mike taibbi, nbc news, pretoria, south africa. >>> search teams off of australia still scanning in the hopes of picking up another possible electronic signature from the black boxes from the missing malaysia airlines jet. the wreckage is likely three miles down. it's all happening as those pingers are quickly running out of battery life, if they haven't already, which would make this incredibly difficult mission all that much harder. we get our report once again from tom costello. >> reporter: on this 32nd day of sear searching, frustration. after two days the australia american team aboard the ocean she would heard the pings that might have come from the plane's black boxes they have not heard the signals since. >> if we can get more transmissions, we can get a better fix on the ocean floor. which will enable a much more narrowly focused visual search. >> reporter: the pinger locator is working at a depth of 4600 feet. "the washington post" illustrated today at 15,000 feet the ocean depth is a huge challenge. the empire state building stands at50 feet tall. the maximum depth a sperm w

jeff rossen, nbc news, pretoria, south africa. >>> positive results from a new breast cancer drug. its impact on patients. and also what needs to be done to make it available to all. >>> plus, police and firefighters go to blows on the ice. we'll tell you how a charity hockey game turned into a bench-clearing brawl. >>> good morning, sunshine. amazing new video just released by nasa showing a solar flare. it can disturb the layer of the atmosphere where gps and communication signals travel around the earth. but it would have to be many more times powerful than you see here. >> just beautiful. >>> an annual spring break party near uc santa barbara got really out of hand and broke into chaos over the weekend. >> oh, my god! >> this was a scene on saturday night during the annual del it is toppia party. it started just before 10:00 when an officer was hit in the head with a backpack filled with alcohol. they turned on authorities throwing bricks and bottles at officers, even damaging police cars. about 100 people were arrested, about 44 of them went to the hospital, including six offi

. >> reporter: matt gutman, abc news, pretoria, south africa. >>> ukraine is on edge this morning. tempers boiled over and a brawl broke out in parliament while pro-russian partisans seized and torched government buildings in the eastern part of the country. russia claims ukraine has hired american mercenaries to destabilize the country. the u.s. is accusing russia of fueling the violence to justify an invasion. >>> here at home, there's been another shooting on a military base. authorities say a marine guarding the main gate at camp lejeune, shot and killed another guard while on duty. no one else was injured. the shooter is in custody. there's no word on why he opened fire. officials say it's an isolated incident. and the base was never locked down. >>> meanwhile, president obama is making a condolence call at ft. hood today. he and the first lady will attend a memorial service. it's the second time the president has visited the army base after a mass shooting. last week, an argument on that base ended with the deaths of four people. 16 people were injured. the obamas had already

. >>> we have our eyes fixed on the courtroom in pretoria south africa as we have at this time each dayk where oscar pro pistorius is on trial for murder. >> pistorius is expected to be back on the witness stand in just a few minutes. the prosecutor is due to continue his cross-examination. and we'll bring tight you. >> and it has been an emotional three days on the witness stand for pistorius. today looks to be more of the same. and reeva steenkamp's mother, what does she think of pistorius's testimony so far. she told the brit, newspaper "the mirror" quote, i look at oscar to see how he is copying and behaving. i am obsessed with looking at him. it is just instinctive. i can't explain it. he has been very dramatic, vomiting and crying. i think he is just about keeping himself together. i don't know whether he is acting. our legal analyst kelly phelps giving us great context from outside the courthouse in pretoria and joins me now live. kelly, prosecutor, was very aggressive yesterday. talk us through what he accomplished, as far as what his strategy was? well he certainly accomplished

. >> cnn legal analyst kelly phelps is live in pretoria, south africa. some really, really compelling testimony again here this morning, and this time, i mean, this prosecutor is really hammering oscar pistorius, kelly. >> reporter: he absolutely is. i mean, he's going for the jugular in terms of character evidence. but from a legal perspective, i think it's important to place that into context, because this is all character evidence. and we have to remember that had pistorius, in terms of the rules of evidence in south africa, had pistorius not raised evidence of his good character, gerrie nel would never have been allowed to raise any evidence of his bad character. so, while it is very compelling, it's also somewhat surprising that quite so much time and so much of his case in cross examination is being spent on a portion of evidence that he may never have been allowed to raise in the first place. >> how is the demeanor of oscar pistorius now? we know just a couple days ago, the judge adjourned for the day very early, at 2:00 in the afternoon your time

. >> mike taibbi is outside the courthouse in pretoria, south africa, following the trial. what is the latest? >> reporter: hello, alex. oscar pistorius is now at the moment of truth in his account of what happened on february 13th last year, the day and the night before that early morning shooting on valentine's day, the very next day, february 14th, at about 3:00 in the morning. he talked about what had happened in the crse of the day. his own routine for that day. talked about getting home at around 6:00 with reeva steenkamp, his girlfriend, already cooking dinner for them in the kitchen. before this, he talked about the two gun incidents that are also the subject of firearm charges against him. he said about the first one, allegedly shooting through the open sunroof of a car it didn't happen. about the second one, allegedly in tosh's restaurant, he said it was his friend's fault, his friend handed him a gun with a bullet in the chamber and it went off. and he went along with the false story. we're at the point now where this is the moment of truth, where he's going to g

. >>> a fella out for a ride on his scooter in pretoria, south africa, gopro on his helmet but he isinitely an alert scooter rider. pay attention to what he's paying attention to. >> watch this, watch this, watch this. >> that thing was like a runaway train going through what looked like a red light. >> you're absolutely right seeing a coca-cola truck, one of the double trailer trucks. according to reports it lost control as it was going through that intersection and hit two other vehicles. but this guy with the gopro his name is martin jacobs, he actually saw this truck was getting out of shape. he got out of the way but he also springs into action. he quickly gets off his scooter and he runs to help the people in the cars who were hit by this truck and look at some of the damage that it caused. you can see this small silver car was pretty banged up. the guy inside is responding to jacobs as he goes up to check on him. are you all right? >> hold on. >> the coke truck skipped. >> you can tell the driver was shaken up. look at the other vehicle the coca-cola truck hit. the back is sma

i'm matt gutman for "nightline" in pretoria, south africa. >> of course the key will be how does he hold up on cross-examination? thanks, matt. >>> next, from kesha to mindy kaling, body acceptance is having a hollywood moment. but not everybody thinks that's a good thing. why moms are taking sides in the body wars. coming up next. this is jim. a man who doesn't stand still. but jim has afib, atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. that puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. for years, jim's medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but now, with once-a-day xarelto jim's on the move. jim's doctor recommended xarelto. like warfarin, xarelto is proven effective to reduce afib-related stroke risk. but xarelto is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem that doesn't require routine blood monitoring. so jim's not tied to that monitoring routine. [ gps ] proceed to the designated route. not today. [ male announcer ] for patients currently well mana

. >> in other news, oscar pistorius is expected to arrive at the courthouse in pretoria, south africa, within the hour for more testimony in his murder trial. if. >> if you were watching, you saw, or at least heard, as the olympic runner broke down on the witness stand. he talked about the night he shot and killed his girlfriend for the first time publicly. >> court resumes in 90 minutes. the judge had to end proceedings early. here's a look back at the key moments. >> what time did you eat? >> about 7:00 p.m. we sat at the dining room table for a while and then we usually after dinner would have watched tv down stairs, but i think we both had a taxing day and so we decided to go upstairs. i opened the balcony doors. it was a very humid evening. reeva is obviously not sleeping. she rolled over to me and said can't you sleep, my brother? and i said no, i can't tonight. i thought there was a burglar gaining entry into my home. i heard this noise, i interpreted it as being someone was climb into the bathroom. the first thing that ran through my mind was that i needed to arm myself, that

lama hasan, abc news, pretoria, south africa. >>> so we turn to dan abrams. three weeks into the trial, how is he doing? >> based on everything we've seen so far, he's got to be worried. i can't see how the judge isn't going to convict him of at least the lesser crime of culpable homicide. and a lot of evidence against him with the gun charges. he's got to be worried. >> so far, what is his biggest problem? >> he's saying he didn't realize that reeva wasn't in the bed. but he had to get the gun from underneath the bed. the biggest issue for him is, where was he when this all started? he said he woke up, went to the balcony. heard a noise in the bathroom, and realized someone was in there. he said, i concede, i didn't go in the balcony. this is important to evaluate, did he really believe that was an intruder there, or was it a fight? >> a really big change in testimony. some three weeks possibly to go, right? thanks. >>> and last week, we reported on those caring for america's wounded warriors. today, michelle obama and others linked arms to highlight new ini

the weeks ahead, as i say, for viewers joining us, we're waiting for testimony to begin in pretoria, south africa. that's beginning now. we'll take you there live right now. >> you are still under oath, mr. pistorius. >> thank you, my lady. >> thank you. yes, mr. nel? >> mr. pistorius, my lady, i received a request, and that's why i have my cell phone in my hand. from mrs. steenkamp that after the adjournment yesterday, she informed me through her advocate that mr. pistorius did in fact request a meeting with the steenkamp family prior to the trial, but they were not ready for such a meeting. i'm putting that in the record. >> thank you very much. so it's confirmation of what mr. pistorius -- >> said that yesterday, and mrs. steenkamp felt that it was important that it be put in the record. i didn't know about that before yesterday. >> thank you for letting us know. >> you've also heard that, i'm sure, mr. pistorius. >> i have, my lady. >> mr. pistorius, because i went back there, there's one other aspect that i have to deal with. and in your evidence in chief, you indicated how important your re

pretoria. south africa. >>> in news back here at home. we're getting another glimpse of the future. google acquired a company that makes drones. they say they may use drones to bring internet access to people in remote parts of the globe. amazon founder is also investing in drones hoping to use them as a faster delivery service for his customers. >>> a surprising headline for the modern american family tonight. we know about the risks of postpartum depression in new moms. a new study finds that young dads are at risk, too. men who become fathers at the age of 25 show a 68% increase in depression during those early days of parenting. one expert said this is a wakeup call. it's not just new moms who are at risk. >>> now a headline tonight about all of us and daily life. a brand new study has identified a hazard. when you're angry and hungry. there's a new word, hangry. paula shows us how this can create double-trouble in a lot of life. >> reporter: couples looking to take a bite out of conflict resolution, might simply need to take a bite of food. the new study proves what you might h

cnn legal analyst kelly phelps live from pretoria, south africa, this morning.ny indication when he might take the stand? >> reporter: well, there's a very good chance that he'll end up taking the stand today. we expect that he will be the next witness after the pathologist is finished. harry nell has been cross-examining the pathologist for some time already, and he really only has two or three points on which to cross examine the pathologist. he's already covered largely two of those points, so we don't expect that it would take up the whole day for him to finish cross examination, in which case, pistorius may be on the stand by this afternoon. >> and so many people are really interested in what he's going to say, because it's been an emotional time for him in the courtroom. i mean, already, already today we've seen him sort of clasp his hands behind his back -- or behind the back of his head as they've talked about the injuries on reeva steenkamp. how important is it for his demeanor and what he says on the stand here for his defense? >> reporter: the most im

. >> cnn will have continued coverage of that trial in pretoria, south africa. >>> coming up, the latest on the search for the missing malaysian airli airliner. >> including a live report from kuala lumpur on what they're learning of the flight crew. all that next. >>> a warm welcome to our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. you're watching an extended edition of "newsroom." >> here are your global headlines this hour. >> australian prime minister tony abbott says officials have a high degree of confidence that recent signals picked up are from mh-370's flight recorder. there are ten aircraft, four teen ships searching an area of 41,000 square kilometers today. >>> ukraine's interior minister says gunmen have stormed the police building in the eastern of the country. and pro-russia activists there are rejecting the offer of amnesty. officials said they wouldn't be prosecuted if they disarm and leave government buildings. >>> iran calls a decision to deny its choice for u.n. ambassador regrettable. the u.s. refused to greet a visa to this man because of his ties to the 1979 takeove

. >>> so there you have the court in pretoria south africa adjourning for a one hour lunch break withscar pistorius on the stand last three and a half hours being put under relentless pressure being cross examined by him over the death of his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. he's questions oscar's character. he painted a picture of him as a man that bullied his girlfriend. text messages between the couple has been examined as the incident in the restaurant. the athlete claims he did not kill her intentionally. he was not aware the gun he was holding was loaded but insisted he had not pulled the trigger. he was put under intensz pressure by nel, the prosecutor. you fire had the gun, there's no other way that bullet would have been discharged without you pulling the trigger. quote, you are lying. oscar pistorius, i respect mr. nel's comment my lady but i did not pull the trigger on the firearm. you're watching bbc news. stay with us. nature lover... people person. ♪ and you put up with it all... because he also booked you a room... at this place. planet earth's number one accomodation site:

. >>> the trial of oscar pistorius continues in pretoria, south africa. defense witness and forensic expert roger dixon is being cross-examined by the prosecution. 27-year-old pistorius denies murdering his girlfriend reeva steenkamp. he says he mistook her for an intruder. the judge decided today the trial will be adjourned now until after easter. it will resume on the 5th of may. >>> a controversial surveillance program that targets muslim communities has been abandoned by the new york police department. this program involved a special police unit. it sent plain clothes detectives to eavesdrop on conversations and monitor activity. >>> ukraine's prime minister has accused russia of exporting terrorism to his country. he said russia wanted to destroy ukraine's independence. he was speaking of armed men from a group opposed to the government in kiev took control of the city council building in donetsk. ukrainian forces are also on the move after the recapture of the military air base near the town of kramatorsk. they also attempted to enter the town. jame

stay with us for this continuing coverage of the oscar pistorius trial in pretoria, south africa. >> bring the fan in and close the sliding doors. the blinds and the curtains. then i quote from the affidavit. i heard a noise in the bathroom. so you were here on the balcony and you heard a noise on the bathroom and realized somebody was in the bathroom. that's what he said. that's what he said. but that's not your version today, is that so? >> it's not his version today. it was not his version then. in all fairness, what was the version then? the implication is that then that was his version but today it's different. and i invite mr. nel to read the bail application. the affidavit. to see what he said. whether it was ever said that he was on the balcony when he heard the noise. >> i will do so, milady. i will read the bail affidavit. page 64. you said, the early morning hours of 14 february 2013 i woke up, went on to the balcony to bring the fan in. and closed the sliding doors, the blinds and the curtains. i heard a noise in the bathroom and realized somebody was in the bathroom. >>

for "today," mike taibbi, nbc news, pretoria, south africa. >>> president obama is set to announce new executive actions this week surrounding equal pay for equal work. david gregory is moderator of "meet the press." good to see you. >> good morning. >> the fact he's going to do executive actions, what does that say about what he thinks of congress? >> i heard a member of congress saying this gives the do nothing congress a bad name. that's what he's up against. there's not a lot of room to maneuver. he wants to take executive action in this case around pay and gender, equity in pay to try to send signals about his commitment on the economy and to groups like women especially. getting those dedicated democratic groups out there motivated in this election year. >> i want to get your thoughts on the supreme court ruling of last week essentially allowing mega-donors to donate to as many federal candidates as they want. my understanding, it's a relatively small number of donors that can come up with that kind of cash nap said, are both parties going to take this money? >> oh, yeah. i mean,

. >> oscar pistorius has tape to the witness stand at his murder trial in pretoria in south africa. the paralympic champion killed his girlfriend in february last year. he said he mistook her for an intruder, beginning his test moan which request an emotion -- testimony with an apology to her family. >> police are investigating reports of gunshots. >> 30,000 in rio de janeiro are on strike as part of a general strike in the construction industry. the workers are calling for better pay and in some cases better working conditions. 2,000 of these striking construction workers are working on the olympic park project. that's a project that is incredibly important, and it's on hold because of this strike. this is the main venue for the 2016 olympics, and it's an important and very expensive projects costing over a 750 million. the project was very much in its early stages, and olympics are not for a couple of years. there's still a lot of time. still, the strike is directly affecting that. but maybe more importantly in the immediate term, part of the strike is affecting the 2014 world cup

. >> cnn legal analyst kelly phelps is live in pretoria in south africa for us. kelly, some very compelling questions, very compelling testimony this morning. the prosecution really going into oscar pistorius, asking him very specific questions, justifications for many of these text messages that went back and forth between oscar pistorius and reeva steenkamp. what's he trying to establish with the nature of their relationship? >> reporter: well, i mean, absolutely. he's essentially going for the jugular with character assassination this whole court session so far. and what he's trying to do is build on the narrative that he's been implying throughout the trial, that nel has been implying throughout the trial, that oscar pistorius is a hot-headed and self-obsessed, violent temperament who was prone, who had a likelihood towards behavior that would lead to the murder of his girlfriend. so, it's an inference that he's essentially setting up for the judge to draw. but it's therefore very important to remember the legal rules around evidence in south africa, because

and he is expected back on the stand tomorrow, and nbc's mike taibbi is in pretoria, south africa, and joining us live. mike, start here with the decision to have just the audio. and help me to understand the mechanics of how it works in south africa that oscar pistorius would have this choice. >> well, tamron, we are all learning how this is working in this case, and presumably in other cases that follow. this is the first trial in south africa that has ever been televised and so that the judge is setting the rules and the rule is that all witnesss have the right to have their testimony shown on camera or just audio. and the barry rupp has said that all of his witnesses do not want their images televised, and we will only hear their words, which is unfortunate for the people following the trial, it is a fact of the trial and the way it is going to go. a and one of the many, many differences of the criminal justice system and how it works here, and how it works in the states. >> and michael a lot of what we heard from oscar pistorius today, is him decussing the mental health, and the s

mike taibi, pretoria, south africa. >> the clean-up continues over parts of the midwest and southeastfrom that dangerous line of storms. people had to be rescued from homes and from cars, and it appears the tornado touched down in north carolina. the severe threat continues from many areas this afternoon, but scattered storms expected from new orleans to northern florida and once again in the carolinas. >>> i'm apparently in charge of that now. the uconn huskeys are the undisputed national champions and millions of brackets have gone through the shredder. they pulled off what many considered the impossible last night against the eight seeded kentucky wildcats as the seven seed, the huskies, became the only to ever win a national title. star point guard shabbaz napier was named most outstanding player. back on the uconn campus, students erupted shortly after the win, and it was a mostly peaceful celebration. a couple dozen students were arrested. the scene could play itself out over again tonight. that's because the undefeated laet lady huskeys will take on undefeated notre dame in the

we go to pretoria south africa where pistorius broke down under questioning several times today. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. the weekend break does not seem to have helped oscar pistorius in any way. he returned to the witness box sounding unsure of himself and contradicting his own evidence. chief prosecutor insists that he shot reeva steenkamp in a rage after they had an argument and not because he mistook her for a burglar. he demanded to know exactly what pistorius shouted at the burglars allegedly breaking into his home. there was a long pause before his answer. >> i screamed. i said get the [ bleep ] out of my house. get the [ bleep ] out of my house! >> reporter: the prosecution insists that he did indeed shout those very word but at reeva steenkamp, not any any burglar and they continued to wear him down. >> you see, mr. pistorius, you now have to give a lot of answers. you you know why, mr. pistorius? it's because you know exactly. you fired at reeva. the other versions of your cannot work -- it's not true my lady. >> you fired at her. you did. why are

our correspondent is in pretoria south africa. pistorius was grilled about the moment he learned his girlfriend was dead. >> reporter: good morning. chief prosecutor nel talked about the moments pistorius found his girlfriend slumped in the bathroom. nel could not understand why pistorius screaming earlier was suddenly quiet. >> you shot four shots through that door knowing you're standing behind the door. >> that's incorrect my lady. >> that you knew that she was talking to you. >> that's incorrect my lady. >> she was locked into the bathroom and you armed yourself with a sole purpose of shooting and killing her. >> nel spelled out the prosecution case telling the court pistorius shot his girlfriend after they had an argument. >> now you see her. now it's the opportunity for you to scream reeva, reeva, are you fine? why would you not scream then? >> i don't understand that question. >> you've now seen she's in there. the first time you know she's in the toilet am i right? >> that's correct. >> why did you not scream then? >> i do

debora patta is in pretoria, south africa where the athlete admitted mistakes in his testimony. >> reporter: reeva's family looked on in intently, as oscar pistorius told the court he never heard reeva stooen kamp scream four times. pistorius maintains he mistook her as burglar. the prosecutor challenged his version, saying it was implausible. >> did she scream at all chillst you shot her four times? >> no, my lady. >> are you sure? are you sure, mr. pistorius, that reeva did not scream after the first shot? >> reporter: there was a long pause as pistorius struggled to compose himself, twisting his words, nel suggested that he be given time to compose himself. >> my lady, at no point, did reeva shout out or scream, i wish she let me know that she was there. >> you see, just listen to my question, after you fired the first shot, did she scream? >> no my lady. >> are you sure? >> yes, my lady. >> reporter: pistorius was clearly taking strain on this fifth day in the witness box, he looked pale and his voice quivered as he contradicted hiself and fort his own testimony and made a series of dam

and abc's lama hasan is on the scene at pretoria, south africa. morning to you, george. well, just employments ago, the court adjourned early. so the oscar pistorius trial is now on a two-week recess. earlier, the lead prosecutor was punching hole after hole in the testimony of the defense's forensic expert. the witness called by the defense, roger dixon, brutally cross-examined by gerrie nel, a.k.a., the bull terrier. >> that's the problem. you want to give the court a version on an ethic you're not an expert. >> reporter: the blade runner skitting with his head down and his hairs against his ears, barebare listenly listening. his own witness clearly contradicting him in court today. >> i'm giving what i observe and interpret. i'm not saying that anybody else is right or wrong. >> reporter: dixon disputing pistorius' recollection about where specific items in his bathroom were when he shot and killed model reeva steenkamp. like this photo of the magazine rack, which pistorius says may have been moved. >> when the deceased fell, the magazine rack

this morning, abc's lama hasan is at the courthouse in pretoria, south africa, with the very latest. good morning. >> reporter: and good morning to you, amy. just moments ago, the court has resumed for the day earlier than normal. this after a day of grilling, with the lead prosecutor gerrgerri gerrie nel going after oscar pistorius. telling him there were no intruders that night. that reeva steenkamp was not scared of anything. the prosecutor telling pistorius, she was scared of you. it's one of the critical questions of the case. did pistorius warn his model girlfriend that were intruders inside his home before shooting her? >> you did not check with her. she's awake. you did not say, reeva, did you hear that? >> there was no doubt in my mind that i had heard what i heard, my lady. i didn't need confirmation. i didn't ask her. >> reporter: pistorius said he told her to get down and call the police. but this morning, admitted he didn't check to see if she had done so. >> a reasonable person would have looked where reeva was, looked if she was safe and if she panicked. but you didn't

over 3 1/2 hours pistorius sat there reliving the horrors of that deadly night inside his pretoria, south africases as he gave his account of the events, many members of the family here in the courtroom. this is reeva steenkamp's family listening to it all. the mother burying her face in her hand. toward the end of his testimony, pistorius himself broke down, sobbing helplessly, for a second day in a row he could not continue. >> it was at this point that i heard a window open in the bathroom. it sounded like the window sliding open. and then i could hear the window hit the frame, as if it had slipped where it couldn't slide anymore. it was at that point i was overcome with fear and i started screaming and shouting for the burglar or intruders to get out of my house. i shouted for reeva to get on the floor. that's the moment that everything changed. i thought that there was a burglar that was gaining entry into my home. the first thing that ran through my mind is i needed to arm myself, that i needed to protect reeva and i, and i needed to get my gun. in the passage where the closet is to the ba

this morning, abc's matt gutman is at the courthouse in pretoria, south africa, with the very latest.rning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, amy. that's right. just a few moments ago, we saw the lead prosecutor going in for the kill. asking oscar pistorius, the central question of the trial. why did he fire four bullets into that bathroom door? and oscar miss tore pistorius shockingly unable to answer whether he meant to shoot or not. prosecutor gerrie nel, sinking his teeth into pistorius' character. the prosecutor seemed to catch pistorius in inconsistencies. >> accidentally you pulled the trillioner? >> i started shooting at that point, my lady. >> at intruders? >> at the door, my lady? >> so it wasn't accidental. >> i'm getting confused whether accidently or not accidently. prosecutors saying he did see her in the dark from his bed. >> gerrie nell, snapped at him. >> you're refusing to take response act. >> reporter: not only for shooting his girlfriend, on valentine's day. but now he's saying his finger was not on the trigger. >> reporter: reeva's mother sitting in the front row,

. >> let's bring in cnn robyn kurnow from pretoria south africa and kelly phelps, a cnn legal analyst. robyn, you were inside the courtroom for that dramatic moment. take us through how oscar pistorius described that night, when he killed reeva steenkamp. >> reporter: well, you heard it. you know, and you don't even need the pictures. you don't even need the image of him to get a sense of what was said and how he came across. just that faltering voice. initially, he had been quite composed throughout the day, but the closer and closer he got to that crucial moment where he shot her, his voice became more and more wobbly and, of course, he seemed to -- i noticed throughout the day -- he seemed to hunch over and over and observer as the day got on, but crucially, i think also, he looked directly at the judge through all of this testimony. he was talking to her. she was often piercingly looking back at him. but, however, at that last moment when those details just became too much, you heard it. you didn't need to see it. it was uncontrollable, devastating sobbing. >> just to shed a littl

contentious day on the stand for the blade runner and lama hasan is at the courthouse in pretoria, south africaorning to you, george. the lead prosecutor is picking apart every detail, every single word that oscar pistorius has said, a feisty pistorius has been trying to fight back in court breaking down several times and forcing the court to adjourn twice. >> we love you. >> reporter: this morning, oscar pistorius welcomed by adoring supporters outside the courthouse. inside gerrie nel, aka the bull terrier picking up right where he left off. >> your version is so improbable that it cannot be reasonably possibly true. >> reporter: again pounding the blade runner about what happened before he shot his model girlfriend when he says he heard intruders. >> what did you shout? >> i screamed, i said get the [ bleep ] out of my house. get the [ bleep ] out of my house. >> with respect to the court i'll just repeat what you said. get the bleep out of my house. that's what you shouted at reeva. isn't that why you got emotional now. >> reporter: pistorius saying he heard a noise that night and fired out

matt gutman, pretoria, south africa. >> closing arguments are likely today in the murder trial of annastiletto. her attorneys used a martial arts expert to show how they believe she was attacked and how she had to defend herself at the night of the killing. legal experts say the case boils down to that self-defense argument. >> that's what this case is about. was she abused? and did she try to defend herself within the bounds of the law? was it overkill on her part? >> today texas prosecutors are expected to call three rebuttal witnesses to counter the defense's martial arts expert before closing arguments begin. >>> the assault case against singer chris brown is going forward. d.c. judge refused to dismiss the case. brown and his bodyguard are charged with punching a man outside a washington hotel last october. at the time, brown was on probation in california for an attack on rihanna. this morning, brown is in a d.c. area jail awaiting the trial, which should begin next week. >>> married law maker from louisiana apologizing after he was caught on video kissing a staffer. conservative

reporting from pretoria, south africa. >>> san francisco police are investigating what could be another window may have been shot out while driving, but police found no bullet holes or evidence of a shooting. motorists are on edge with a dozen area shootings on three area highways. three other people were injured, none of them life-threatening. >>> and natural gas is suspected to be the cause of a house explosion and fire. two others were critically injured with critical burps. and two others who lived in the home were treated for less serious injuries. the explosion was so powerful it moves the house off its foundation. >>> a michigan judge lost his temper in court tearing into a convicted killer who was trying to get the last word. she shows no remorse and was spent to life in prison for stabbing her boyfriend and beating him 11 times. when the victim got a role to speak, that caused the judge to explode. >> one more time, you're going to shut your mouth or i will have duct tape. we will wait here for a moment so we can get her quiet. >> the judge went on to tell her he hopes she dies

matt gutman, abc news, pretoria, south africa. >>> those new signals that could very well be heard frome is raising hopes too high but there is a strong belief now that the search is on the right track. >> i caution again, what we're picking up is a great lead. i'm now optimistic that we will find aircraft, or what is left of the aircraft, in the not too distant future. >> an under water vehicle could be sent under water to map out the area. once it's started, it could take a month or more to map out that area. >> this is interesting about the situation. we know so little about our ocean floor, even angus houston, who you you saw talking there, we know more about the surface of the moon than we know about our own ocean. it could still take a long time before they find it. >> their feeling is, let's just keep following this pinger. we might have a few more days left. if we can pinpoint it that much easier, it could shave months offer any potential submersible going underwater trying to look for that debris. >> yes. >> stay with abc news and abcnews.com. as we cover the search for flight

matt gutman is at the courthouse in pretoria, south africa. matt. >> reporter: good morning, george. he described the night he killed the woman he said he wanted to spend his life with. eventually crumpling on the witness stand, but earlier, taking off the prosthetic legs that made him famous. gasps in the court as he walked around on his stumps trying to prove how vulnerable he may have felt that night. it was oscar pistorius' first public description of the tragedy. >> the first thing that ran through my mind was that i needed to protect reeva and i. >> reporter: the room nearly pitch black. >> if the curtains are drawn, you can't see anything in the room. >> reporter: pistorius said he always worried about trouble but from the outside, from intruders. >> if something happened that a person would be able to come into the bedroom, that the door would be locked. >> reporter: pistorius denied the prosecution's charge that months earlier he had fired out of a window of a friend's car after being stopped by police but admitted to accidentally dis

you're watching special coverage of the oscar pistorius trial in pretoria in south africa. the athlete denies the murder of his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. he is being cross-examined by the prosecution. let's listen in. >> oscar pistorius as you've never seen him before. and in these pictures uncovered by sky news the athlete shows his power at handling a gun. >> ready? >> ready. [ laughter ]. >> listen to the voice of a man who sounds very much like oscar pistorius. >> it's a lot under the brain but [ bleep ]. >> may i proceed with the cross-examination. >> yes, you may. >> can you now recall what happened there, mr. pistorius. >> i can recall this video. i've seen this video before. i don't remember the words "zombie stopper." i was at a shooting range. at the shooting range i was shooting at the watermelon with a handgun. that wasn't me laughing in the background. but that was my voice saying those words. >> that's your voice? >> i think in hindsight, it makes me very upset to hear myself say something like that. but to compare a zombie, which is a fictional animative c

lama hasan, abc news, pretoria, south africa. >> breaking overnight, rescuing 500 people from a sinking passengers were high school students. they were heading to a resort. at least two people have died. the ferry started to take on water quickly. everyone was told to grab a life jacket and jump overboard. dozens of boats and helicopters are involved in the rescue. >> the aggressive search for the missing malaysian jet is above and below the surface. a u.s. robot submarine is again exploring the indian ocean sea bed. the first mission had to be aborted because it was just too deep. planes and ships are looking for debris from the jet which is disappeared more than a month ago on a flight to beijing. american airlines flight from mexico to dallas made an emergency landing some 175 miles short of the destination. there was cabin pressure problems. md-80 landed without problems and there were no injuries. in fact the 133 passengers on board remain on the plane which then took them to their next destination. >>> a plane was forced to make an abrupt landing after a bizarre incident in las ve

matt gutman, abc news, pretoria, south africa. >>> police are asking for your help trying to find twohooting at each other. several innocent bystanders were in the way. one guy even fired blindly around the corner. the shoot-out took place ten days ago. >>> the popular show, "game of thrones," might be about a violent struggle for power, but it's starting a new phenomenon during the happiest moment in life. the show is giving birth to a new generation of baby names. the most popular character, daenerys targaryen, is the latest inspiration for girls' names. in 2012, 21 newborns were named daenerys. but her title, khaleesi, is more popular. 146 khaleesis were born in 2012. >> somebody at abc had a khaleesi. >> yes, brandi hitt. >> good for her. >> i'm glad i got through that read. daenerys and -- >> khaleesi. >>> for thursday, warmer than usual in many areas. scattered showers in the upper midwest, western new york and pennsylvania, but dry everywhere else. >> and the mercury might hit 100 in the desert southwest, a little cooler in southern california, highs will be in the 60s and 70s

matt gutman, abc news, pretoria, south africa. >> this is a difficult story to watch.know. it's really hard and a lot of analysts are looking at it and heard one tell matt he thinks his credibility is shot. here's the thing. why is it that his credibility is gone, here's the deal. people are saying the judge can or is supposed to just take into account the facts and the fact that he wailed and has these sobbing moments and breaks down into these emotions may kind of muddy the waters and she won't be able to see past that and look at the facts. >> then, of course, there are the people who -- the public opinion where they see him and they hear what's going on and they sometimes think is this an act? >> yes, it's hard to differentiate. we will, of course, have to continue to watch that. >>> all right, now moving on to this. there are still no signs of malaysia airlines flight 370 but searchers still have hope. the area where planes and ships have several -- from several countries are looking has now been narrowed down. australian prime minister tony abbott on a visit to c

robyn kurnow isle following all the developments from pretoria, south africa, that must have been quitething to hear in the courtroom today, robyn. >> reporter: what an amazing morning. everyone has been wait for this. oscar pistorius has been waiting to tell his side of the story. before we even did that, he did that thing that you just described, he literally turned his back to the judge, tried to look mrs. steenkamp in the eye. he was very tearful. and this is some of the apology he said to her. >> i would like to take this opportunity to apologize to mrs. and mr. steenkamp, to reeva's family. for those of you here today. >> mr. pistorius -- i don't like doing this to you, but i can hardly hear you. >> i beg your pardon, my lady. i'll speak up. i'd like to apologize and say at these moments, and there hasn't been a moment since this tragedy that i haven't thought of the family. i wake up every morning. there's people i think of, there's people i pray for. i can't imagine what i've caused you and your family. >> reporter: okay. i was in court during that. it was difficult for me to se

south africa, and he is going to try to trip oscar pistorius up. back on the stand today and he'll be back on the stand again tomorrow, natalie. >> all right, jeff rossen in pretoriahollywood this morning. acting legend mickey rooney died sunday at his home in north hollywood. rooney was the top box office draw in the late 1930s and early '40s, playing all-american boy andy hardy. he was often paired with close friend judy garland. his 5'3" stature and eight marriages made him a punch line for comedians. rooney won two honorary oscars and an enemy. he was 93 years old. >>> a wannabe sports mascot lost his cool this weekend. it was all caught on camera. billy cub was hanging out in a chicago bar when some joker came up behind him and removed his giant head. billy then answered with a hard right paw to the chin. other patrons broke up the brawl, giving billy a chance to retrieve his head and to stalk out. the chicago cubs point out that billy is strictly self-appointed and has never been affiliated with the team. that will teach him. >>> let's get a check of the weather once again with al. >> all righty, thanks so much, natalie. got all these nice folks hanging out