PM

Older Australians feel under-valued and are up against a lot of stereotypes in the workplace, according to new research. Mature-age workers say they're battling stereotypes that they're lacking initiative, disinterested and resistant to change. South Australian researchers say organisations are failing to support them and it's a problem which will only increase as the population ages.

Stress has long been linked to cardiovascular disease and stroke, but until now, the precise nature of the connection has remained unclear. Now researchers believe they may have found the answer, which could lead to new treatments and prevention. Scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School say the answer lies in the region of the brain known as the amygdala.

In Perth, protesters have clashed with police as opposition to a major highway extension south of the city escalates. Dozens of officers were sent in to control the thousand-strong crowd, who are protesting against what's known as the Roe 8 project. The protesters are angry Colin Barnett's Government has begun clearing land for the road, given it could be thrown out of office in two month's time. The State Opposition has vowed to abandon Roe 8 if it's elected.

The death toll from floods in Thailand has risen to 31, with at least one hospital, an airport and several highways closed. Almost two weeks of heavy rain is now starting to ease in many places and the clean-up is getting underway.

The head of Australia's last beef processing co-operative says the meat processing industry is in its most unstable phase he's ever seen. The Northern Co-operative Meat Company based in Casino in New South Wales is facing tough times, not just due to expensive cattle, but uncertainty in its major markets. Chief executive Simon Stahl says issues in South Korea, competition from the United States, and uncertainty over the Trans-Pacific Partnership are all taking their toll.

An extensive dossier revealing explosive - but unverified allegations - against United States president elect Donald Trump has been published, 10 days from his inauguration. The bombshell report details Trump's alleged close and mutually beneficial ties to Russia, spanning up to eight years.

It was released in full by media organisation BuzzFeed this afternoon.

The intelligence reports, although unverified so far, paint a disturbing picture according to Dr Raymond Orr, a researcher from the School of Social and Political sciences at the University of Melbourne. He says the US public is now in unchartered waters, nine days out from Donald Trump's inauguration as President.

President Barack Obama delivered a wide-ranging and nostalgic farewell address to the nation, warning of the challenges ahead, including economic inequality, racial strife and voter apathy. Emotional at the end of his final speech as president, Mr Obama thanked his family, his vice president and his staff and the army of supporters who helped get the first African American into the White House.

It was a defiant Human Services Minister Alan Tudge who fronted the media today for the first time since the Centrelink debt-recovery saga began. Centrelink's automated system is being blamed for a growing number of welfare recipients who say they're being asked to repay debts that they don't owe. Mr Tudge says the debt recovery system is working as it should be.

Allegations that detainees were still being tear gassed in Northern Territory youth detention as late as last year have been met with denials from Corrections authorities. The accounts are some of the key claims being made by the first two former detainees to join a class action launched today against the NT Government for compensation. The young men have also detailed de-humanising treatment, which psychiatrists are warning can worsen mental health conditions and their offending.