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We're due to learn this hour whether South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius will be granted bail as he awaits trial in Pretoria on a charge of premeditated murder in the Feb. 14 shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

As NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton tells our Newscast Desk, "the defense and prosecution have delivered their closing arguments" in a bail hearing that has lasted four days and at times felt like a trial. Pistorius, she notes, says he thought Steenkamp was an intruder and killed her by mistake at his home. The prosecution has offered evidence that it believes shows he knew what he was doing — including a neighbor's account of shouting coming from the house before shots were fired.

There's much more about the case in our previous posts.

The 26-year-old Pistorius, known as the "blade runner" because of the carbon-fiber prosthetic legs he uses, is the first double amputee to have participated in a Summer Olympics and is a Paralympics champion. Steenkamp, 29, was a model and aspiring reality TV star.

We'll update with word about the bail decision when it's announced.

Here's a headline that may sound familiar: Miami is in the middle of a condo boom.

Just seven years ago, Miami had a similar surge in condo construction. But it all came crashing down. There was an international banking crisis and the Florida real estate bubble burst — taking down investors and many developers.

But, new towers are once again reshaping the city's skyline.

Peter Zalewski, a real estate consultant with Condo Vultures, says there now there are 19 condo towers in the works with 7,000 total units in Miami, Fla.

U.S.

Miami's Condo King Changed City's Skyline

CNBC is far and away the television ratings leader in the financial cable news business. Now, evidence arrives that its executives, producers and reporters are going to great lengths to maintain its status.

The channel has adopted a policy that prohibits guests from appearing on rival channels amid breaking news if they want to be seen by CNBC's larger audience.

The tension over the policy with one of its peers offers a window into the intensity of the cable battles over what's called booking — landing interviews with key financial players, commentators, insiders and analysts.

"Every network should be trying to hustle to get content that's distinctive to their channel," said Andrew Morse, president of Bloomberg Television's U.S. operations. "That's our job. We're in the news business."

But Morse said Bloomberg doesn't try to dictate who can appear elsewhere.

"We want to talk to the newsmaker," Morse said. "If there's news we also understand, though, that newsmakers need to get their information out. People aren't in the world of just consuming one source of news and information now."

Politico was first to report the policy last week. CNBC's top spokesman initially denied to Politico that any such explicit policy existed. But a guest interviewed on CNBC earlier this month shared with NPR a copy of an email from a CNBC producer.

It carried this warning in red:

"CNBC POLICY REMINDER: Per CNBC policy, we cannot use guests who have a same-day appearance on Fox Business or Bloomberg...By accepting a booking with CNBC, you acknowledge and accept the terms of this policy."

So much of broadcast news revolves around the booking — with the pressure on the booker to land the guest.

“ Bookers are a unique life form in the ecosystem of news gathering. They are often the snipers who sit waiting for their prey, drinking black coffee, smoking cigarettes and striking at the ideal moment."

Italy's election campaign has been dominated by an upstart comedian-turned-politician whose Five Star Movement is soaring in the polls. The movement is not expected to win in the weekend vote, but its strong presence in parliament could be destabilizing and re-ignite the eurozone crisis.

Beppe Grillo is a standup comedian and the country's most popular blogger; 63 years old, with a mane of grey curly hair, he's hyperactive and foul-mouthed. His last name means "cricket," and he's the most charismatic politician in Italy today.

Europe

Berlusconi Plots His Comeback: 'You Italians Need Me'