Newsline - 11 May 2010: Afghan President Karzai looks to repair relations with the United States. A Dutch Freedom Party MP wants his party to become more democratic and rely less on Geert Wilders. Skyrocketing house prices in China are wreaking havoc on first time buyers.

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Mending fences Washington
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in the US for four days of talks aimed at repairing relations between Kabul and Washington. There have been tensions between the two governments since Mr Karzai won last year's elections. Mr Karzai will meet with US President Barack Obama tomorrow, and our Afghanistan expert Bette Dam explains why the two leaders must work together, despite the bickering.

More democracy in the Freedom Party
Freedom Party MP Hero Brinkman is calling for the party to open up and become more democratic and transparent. The populist Freedom Party - or PVV - is led by right wing politician Geert Wilders on a strong anti-immigration and anti-Islam agenda. Mr Brinkman, who is one of nine PVV MPs in the Dutch parliament, said the party now relies too heavily on Mr Wilders alone. Listen to an interview with Dutch political analyst André Krouwel.

The Chinese housing bubble
Property prices in China's major cities rose by their fastest rate ever last month. Figures just released show that prices increased by 1.5 percent in April - meaning an apartment in Beijing will cost almost  13 percent more than it did this time last year. But while times are booming for China's real estate agents, buyers are increasingly desperate. Listen to a report by our Beijing correspondent Marije Vlaskamp.