THE Families Minister, Jenny Macklin, has accused the opposition of trying to wreck a historic social change for women - paid parental leave - at the 11th hour, by seeking changes in the last week of Parliament, just six weeks out from its start date.

A private member's bill from the opposition's spokesman on small business, Bruce Billson, will seek to have Centrelink permanently administer payment of the government benefit, not employers.

Ms Macklin said 2000 women due to give birth in January had already applied for the scheme, and 500 employers had signed up, so a smooth start was vital.

Mr Turnbull hit back in advance yesterday, saying his critical approach to the network ''shows how uninfluenced I am by my personal holdings''.

Also yesterday, the Greens revealed they had secured a deal from the government to stop the automatic privatisation of the network five years after its completion.

Under the original plan, the network, once rolled out in eight years, was to have been privatised after five years.

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/turnbull-holds-10m-network-conflict-20101121-182mp.html

Leaders of Nato's 28 states have backed a strategy to transfer leadership for the fight against the Taliban to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai was in Lisbon, where he signed a long-term security partnership with Nato.

Nato's secretary general said the Taliban would not be allowed simply to wait for foreign forces to leave, saying Nato would remain committed.

Nato would stay "as long as it takes", Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.

However, news agencies quoted US officials at the summit as saying that Washington had not yet taken a decision on ending combat by the end of 2014.

Tony Abbott has been in public life for a long time. Most recently there has been his meteoric rise to leadership of the Liberal party and to a hair's breadth from the prime ministership itself. Charming and disarming as he can be, there is something deeply disturbing in the way he carries out his public role.

It has not always been pretty, but it has always been entertaining - usually comic and at times tragic. During the whole episode of the supposed 'love child' with his university girl friend, he managed to maintain a quiet dignity, particularly in the face of the final revelation that the child he thought he had fathered was not actually his. 

Ten years of rule by the Bush and Obama regimes have seen the collapse of the rule of law in the United States. Is the American media covering this ominous and extraordinary story? No the American media is preoccupied with the rule of law in Burma (Myanmar).

The military regime that rules Burma just released from house arrest the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. The American media used the occasion of her release to get on Burma's case for the absence of the rule of law. I'm all for the brave lady, but if truth be known, "freedom and democracy" America needs her far worse than does Burma.

What does one of the inventors of the internet have to say about the Australian national broadband network?

He likens it to another great piece of government infrastructure: "The government provides a uniform, ubiquitous, future-proofed infrastructure on which the private sector competes on services. This is very similar to the investment in the interstate highway system that the US made 50 years ago, which helped transform the US into an economic powerhouse."

Early last week, Glenn Beck devoted an episode of his show to revealing some “scary” “secrets” about George Soros that included revelations such as, the name Soros? Not the one Jorge was born with, which was “George Schwartz.” And the bombs didn’t stop there.

Beck also informed his audience that Soros started the Quantum fund “to attack currencies across the world,” that “he’s waged a war against capitalism,” and that his next target? “Is us. America.” Points were made and dots were connected. Last night Jon Stewart soaked it all in and you know what? He thinks Beck "might be right".

A missile defence system covering all Nato countries has been agreed at the alliance's summit in Lisbon, US President Barack Obama has said.

The shield would cover all Nato members in Europe and North America.

Nato is also backing the swift ratification of the Start treaty between the US and Russia, cutting nuclear weapon stockpiles.

The summit will discuss Afghanistan on Saturday, with plans to end combat operations by 2014.

Nato will ask Russia to co-operate on missile defence and join the system.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11711042

Italy's prime minister is under attack for authorising what amounts to plastic surgery on two Roman marble statues.

The statues, which depict the naked gods Venus and Mars, are on show in Silvio Berlusconi's Rome residence.

Mr Berlusconi ordered a replacement for the missing penis on the statue of the ancient god of war, and a missing hand for Venus.

Art experts say it is tasteless and aesthetically wrong to replace the missing body parts.

(picture by Gus Lichtenstein)

A biking accident has left the New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally with a bruised knee.

Ms Keneally was riding to work this morning, when the handlebar separated from her bike as she entered the underground carpark of her Governor Macquarie Tower office.

An ambulance was called but was not needed.

Her office is describing it as a minor incident and says the Premier is continuing with her normal duties.

Last month Sydney mayor Clover Moore tumbled from her bike and broke an ankle on Ride to Work day.

Is the world ignoring signs of the so-called "end times"

According to renowned philosopher Slavoj Zizek the capitalist system is pushing us all towards an apocalyptic doomsday.

He points to the faltering economy, global warming and deteriorating ethnic relations as evidence.  

On Thursday's Riz Khan we speak with Zizek, who has been called the "most dangerous philosopher in the West", about his controversial theories and prognosis for the future.

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/rizkhan/2010/11/201011111191189923.html

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Australia's republican movement wants to use the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton to push the case for a fresh referendum on whether Australia should ditch the monarchy.

The couple officially announced their engagement last night, a month after the Prince proposed in a Kenyan game park.

The future Princess Catherine has been given Princess Diana's blue sapphire and diamond engagement ring and bookies are tipping an August 2011 wedding.

(picture by Gus Warhol)

President Karzai told The Washington Post newspaper, over the weekend that he wants a reduction in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and that he wants the remaining troops to stay on their bases as much as possible.  General Petraeus says any drawdown will be based on security conditions and the capabilities of Afghan security forces, and that at the moment, they do not allow for a reduction.  On the pace of military operations, Petraeus frequently notes that it is only during the last few months that he has had enough forces to conduct the level of operations he believes is necessary to defeat the insurgency.