berlin. freedom for the u.s. pastor jailed in turkey. pastor andrew brunson's house arrest is lifted by a turkish court. he is now on his way to the united states. his release is likely to remove a major cause attention between the u.s. and turkey. what happened to dissident saudi journalist jamal khashoggi? the washingtonon post launches a campaign claiming to have proved

it he was murdered inside the saudi consulate. plus, voters in revolt. on the last day of campaigning in the bavarian election, germany's governing parties fear that their hold on power is slipping. voters show every side of upsetting the political status quo. i am sarah. welcome to the program. a turkish court has lifted to the house arrest of u.s. pastor andrew brunson. the ruling allows them to leave turkey immediately and he is now on his way to the united states. he was arrested two years ago on suspicion of having links to the cleric that on kara -- ankara blames for a failed coup attempt. his detention has caused tension between u.s. and turkey. >> andrew brunson left the

courthouse a free man accompanied by turkish police, he headed straight for his home, where he has spent the last few months under house arrest, but this time he would not stay long. he was heading for the airport. a jubilant u.s. president promised the evangelical pastor would soon be home. his wife has waited two years for this day. turkish prosecutors accuse her husband of having links to kurdish militants and supporters of the cleric that turkey blames for the 2016 failed coup attempt. brunson's liar called -- lawyer called the trial a force. -- farce. >> today's ruling proves that. >> for years, brunson let a

prosecutors's claimed some of its members belonged to the outstanding -- the outlawed kurdistan workers party. in august, the u.s. slapped sanctions on turkey, sending the lira into freefall. now, just a few months later, he is free. sarah: we have the latest from istanbul. the pastor has been sentenced but also freed. what more can you tell us? maya: earlier t today, a couours lifted andrew brunson's house arrest and his travel ban and this essentially means he is free to leave turkey and according to his lawyer, this is exactly what he is going t to d. he is on his way to thee u.s. according g to reports. he will be taken by a u.s. military plane to germany to the

u.s. airbase there for a medical checkup, and later will continue his way to the u.s.. the pastor himself must have been incredibly relieved. today he was quoted saying, this is the day our family has been praying for. witnesses said he wept as the decision was announced. as you mentioned, he was also found guilty today andnd sentend toto more than thrhree years ofl time on terrorism charges. he does not need to serve this time due to the time he alrereay spent behehind bars,s, but thiss what turkishsh officials are highlightingng today. the pastor is leaving turkey as a man convicted of helping terrorists. sarah: we know he is having toured the united states. ultimately, that is where we are standing by. we know that u.s. turkish relationships entered dangerous territory over the detention.

with the issue seemingly resolved now, where do things stand? is washington going to lift economic sanctions? maya: indeed. this seemed to be a key part of the negotiations to let the pastor go. it looks like the u.s. will lift these sanctions and exchange for his release. we have seen reports today saying that everyone -- erdogan and trump began discussing this back in june at a nato meeting. the u.s. and turkey are still nato allies despite relations being at a low point. this is a big win for trump, but as you mentioned, erdogan had to put a good face on this sort of look like he was not caving to pressure, even i he was under intense pressure from washington. that could be the reason for this guilty verdict that we saw, despite brunson being let go.

turkish authorities still had to find him guilty so it did not look like erdogan was caving. sarah: tell us more about how turkey has been framing it. he was really in trouble. the leader of was plunging. how are they framing it? is a part of a broader deal over u.s. turkey relations? maya: as wewe already heard, the is a lot of speculation. has there beenen a deal abobout pastor brunson bweween t twowo governments? the e turkish side is denying tt there is a deal, in fact, aa communicatnsns office in the turkishh presidencyy said that this wasas a decision made by independent courts, butut this s of c course what we always heaen such c cases. i remember the case e of the german journalist releaseded earlier th y year.. wewe were rereporting on thihis. dealal or no deal, people familr with turkish u u.s. relations nw

sasay this is paving the w f for the two o na allies to mend their ties,s, even though such a verdict and today's developments will not be ablele to ease all e tensions or salty differences. sarah: when the pastor finally lands, what you think the reaction will be? maya: this is definitely a win for the trump administration. he is an evangelical preacher and the evangelicals in the u.s. make up a huge partt of the trup supporter base. this is going to while them up -- rile them up. i feel i can mention this all the timime, but the midterm elections are coming up in leles than a mononth so the timiming d not t be better f for trump, bee he can point to the release of this pastor and say, look what i did for you. we are not just winning at home,

we are winning a broad, as well. sarah: thank you so much. saudi arabia has what could be joint investigation into the saudi journalist, jamal khashoggi. the dissident writer was last seen walking into the saudi consulate more than a week ago. the washington post claims turkey has recordings of him being interrogated, tortured and murdered inside the consulate. it says the turkish officials have informed t trump administration about those recordings.. > this is the lasast public foototage of jamal khashoggggi walking ininto the saudidi conse on october 2. the washington post, for which he is a columnist, says secret audio and video shows the journalist detainened inside bya saudi secucurity team. they then killed him and dismembered his body.

the post, which is running an ad campaign to draw attention to the case says it has the information from u.s. officials. they spoke on condition of anonymity. the audio recordings reportedly suggest that he was tortured and beaten. neither the u.s. or turkish government have confirmed the reports. the saudi journalist lift -- lived in self-imposed exile in the u.s.s. and w was a a vocal c of t the saudi prince. riyahdh denies all involvement n his disappearance. a delegation from turkey has arrived to help with the investigation. riyadh says they have agreed to a joint probe. according to the washington post, ankara is wary of releasing their audio

recordings, because that would reveal a turkish spy. one thing is clear, saudi arabia is c coming ununder growing international pressure to explain what happened to jamal khashoggi. sarah:h: you'rere watchching dw. still l come, d donald trumpmps the diplomatic crisis that we just learned about i in that pie is no reason for the u united states t to suspend weapons sals to saudi arabia. he cites what he calls more important consididerations. we will have more on thatt later in the program. plus, a dw exclusive interview with the man who rocked the boat of germany's national football team at the end of a turbulent week. we get the latest from his squad ahead of saturday's match against the netherlands. here in germany, a political shakeup is on the -- in the works.

on the last day of campaigning before sunday's vote, opinion polls show but for support for the party that has had an absolute majority in the bavarian state for decades falling below 33%. voters are turning to smaller parties, such as the greens and the far right afd. the election could have repercussions for angela merkel, is the c -- because the csu is part of her coalition government. >> the csu and pretzels, both things bavaria is the net -- is known for. while pretzelss should remain popular, the csu's reputation is not so bright. while the party is unlikely to lose power altogether, it is heading for its worst performance since the 1950's. the premier is thinking

positively. >> public support is often different from what the polls say. for us, that means keep on fighting. >> on the last day of campaigning, they invaded -- invited a chancellor who helped weaken given a last-minute boost. -- hoped would give them a last-minute boost. polls show a dismal result. the various -- bavaria's leading party hoped they would gain support. the anti-immigrant party is likely to enter the bavarian parliament for the first time. >> we want to end economic migration. we want the country to be

law-abiding and safe. >> and then there are the greens. the party is attracting new support from left-leaning voters. they said they would be happy to join a coalition with the conservative csu if they fail to gain a majority. >> it is clear for us. we are ready for government. >> on sunday, it is possible that the very and politics will enter a new era in which the csu might have to share their pretzels with the greens. sarah: let's pastor our chief political reporter, who is at the csu's finalal campaign raray in munich.h. we know this is a regional election. why is it so important for the country as a whole? >> i am m standing in a beer hal and this is the very and stampmp on any election event. it is so relevant, because

angela merkel is already facing criticism in berlin for her -- from her own political cap. she faces this conservative stronghold beieing under pressu. the csu, hererister partrty is expecteded to lose ititmajority. it d dsn't t some like suchch ag deal, but forming coalitions here is v very unusual. something thahat is not u unusun berlin is a momost unheard off here. it has only happened twice before sinince world war ii. if the rock sosolid support here in bavaria for the conservatives starts to crumble, that has ripple effects to berlin. sarah: what is expected over the weekend is this bleeding of support for the csu to both the left and the right. what do you think thee current polling says about this shift in dynamics?

michaela: first of all, it marks a departure f from those m major parties, t t centristt parties and the social democrats. something we have seen all acacross europe, where democratc movements have all been wiped out. social democrats are of course under severe pressure. there is a fragmentation of the political landscape in that is something the conservatis heree hahave tried to o frame as someg that is a sosource of ininstabi. that is s something germrman vos don't like, butut quite clearly, the csu has had a hard time over the hot button issue of migration. inititially, the interior minisr distanced himself from angela merkel and what became known as the open arms migration policy. at one point, he threatened to

take herer to germany's constititutional couourt. he stuck with her, so the csu has the e credibilithehere. that explains why manyny fled to the far right afd which is getting strongng in this statat. the centrist greens are benefiting as well. sarah: before we let you go, it is the final hours before the vote. what mood have you been encountering? is there a sense from the politicians thatat their party s in trouble? michaela: absolutely. we have seen the intnterior minister and the top candidate pretty much already blaming each other for what ever they may face on sunday. it is clear and will be an election setback. they could cost the interior minister his role in the csu and that could mean the first ever of angela merkel's cabininet having to leave.

that is a risk, but it could be a blessing for the german chancellor who has been fighting with the csu. it could be an indication of more instability to come. sarah: the latest from bavaria, michaela joining us from munich. let's get a check on some other stories across the world. facebook now says hackers havave access to data such as names, phone numbers, and emailer dresses as part of a security breach disclosed two years -- two weeks ago. they feared as many as 15 million accounts could be affected. a u.s. astronaut and his russian crewmate h have arririved in mow for further medical checks after thursday'ss soyuz rocket failure forced them to make an emergency landing. both are said to be in good condition.

we are heading to uganda, where at least 34 people have died in mudslides in a mountainous area in the east. the red cross said more victims are likely to be found. people were killed by boulders and chunks of mud rolling down hills. mudslides destroyed houses in at least three villages. >> this woman's child is one of the dozens of victims of the mudslides. a sustained. -- a sustaineded periodd of heay rain sent mud erling into homes. several -- mud barreling into homes. several communities in the mountains were affected. people are still finding bodies

and sometimes on the body parts caked in mud. >> many young schoolchildren are among the victims. >> my friend saw a house being carrieied away by the e mudslid. that is when he camame back ande took off. bubuwhoever reremained behind ws swept away. schoolchildren, market vendors, they were swepept away by the rain. >> from locals, there was no warning system in place. because of the high altitude and steep slopes in the area, even a small amount of rain can trigger mudslides. in 2010 and 4012, landslides killed me e than 100 peoeople in this districict. in 2010 and 2012, landslides

killed more than 100 people in this district. sarah: germany's national football team will face the netherlands late saturday. this week, the squad trained in berlin, trying to create a positive atmosphere after a disastrous world cup campaign. a dw inclusive -- exclusive interview with a former star player rocked the boat. >> a raucous welcome for the germany squad after open training system -- session in berlin. not a critical audience. for four days, the national team asked in good weather and applause, topping up their confidence after tricky tasks ahead. >> we have had some time to freshen up until he. when you come from your club, you need one or two days to adapt to these familiar faces

again. we had a great time here together. >> it would have been a perfect preparation if notot for the farmer germany captain criticizing the footbtbl situation in an exexclusive inteterview. >> i wasas surprisised as well s many other people that he didn't get this job because he worked for a long time with this team. sometimes, things don't work anymore. lorenz: they let those comments sit for a day, then hit back diplomatically. >> it doesn't really interest me. he can say what he wants. i don't care. everyone is entititled to their opinion and i'm happy for him to voice it. lorenz: against the netherlands,

they have another chance to show they have improved. it is not just about three points in the new nations the, but about holding onto their record. sarah: now, usain bolt finally appears to have found his feet on the football field. he scored twice on his first start for central coast mariners. the jamaican goals helped the mariners to a 4-0 victory over macacarthur southwest united. bolt hopes that his performance will help him win a contract at the club and he is trying to make it as a professional footballer following his retirement from athletics, or he won all those gold medals. he previously trained at dortmund.

helena humphrey is here talking about a potential financial fallout in the wake of the disappearance of the saudi journalist. massive allegations there. helena: huge business heavyweights now say they are reviewing their business ties with saudi arabia in the wake of that case of the missing journalist, jamal khashoggi. the head of uber has pulled out of and investing conference in the capital of riyadh this month. richard branson says he is suspending tourism initiatives there. they plan to invest $1 billion in a saudi space program. those plans are on hold. major u.s. defense contractors have expressed concern that lawmakers would block for arms deals with saudi arabia over the disappearance of jamal khashoggi . donald trump had this to say. >> they are spending g $110

billioion on milititary equipmet and on things that creatate job, like jobs and otherss for this coununtry. i don't like the concept of stopping an investmenent off $ 0 billion into thehe united state, because they are goioing to take ththat money and spepend it in russia or c china or sosomeplace sese. i think there are otherer ways,f it turns outut to be as bad d at might be, there are other ways of handling the situation. helena: let's go over to our financial correspondent on wall street. trump says one thing, but already some big names in business say they are reviewing ties. can we expect further economic fallout? jens: what we heard is a couple of companies and media outlets like cnn, but also the president

of the world bank decided not to attend this conference in saudi arabia. it is mostly a symbolic step. the big question is what will happen to investments and we've already seen last year, that foreign direct investment into saudi arabia plunged and we see the same pattern so far this year. a couple of u.s. businessmen decided to pull out of a massive $500 billion project in saudi arabia where they are trying to build a futuristic city, so there are some signs that this does have real economic consequences. helena: fix for that. do stay with us, because i want to get your take on a rough few days in the markets. let's update our viewers on wall street stocks. they jumped in early trading friday, recovering some losses from a two day slide.

a few minutes into the session, the dow was up 1% on the final day of a volatile week. this followed earnings reports by banks. they reported higher profits and said the u.s. economy is strong, echoing comments from the treasury. back to jens. a natural correction or something more concerning? jens: we still see a solid and healthy u.s. economy. it is possible that this might just be a correction in an ongoing bull market, but there are signs things could change in the future. you mentioned some of the big u.s. banks cannot with earnings reports friday. jpmorgan being one of them. the stocks were up on -- among

the bigger losers. he was pretty cautious looking at the future with higher interest rates and tariffs. there are still some warning signs, so we still have to wait and see if this was just a blip or something bigger. helena: we have to leave it there. our financial correspondent, jens, thank you very much. you are watching dw news here and thanks for your company. we will see you very soon.

face faces like late night on six hundred runs once and was a residence or arrest. lately. which is available in. u. s. you wish you can send. them to us are we have come across in reality. i'm not sure she she will bring you all the reactions of the political and i'm just misses. and the not sure