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Attacks across Iraq leave 13 people dead

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 21 Desember 2013 | 18.16

A STRING of attacks across Iraq has killed 13 people, including a senior military commander and four soldiers who died during a raid on an al-Qaeda hideout.

Police officials said army Major General Mohammed al-Karawi and the four troops were killed on Saturday when they stormed the booby-trapped hideout in the area of Rutba, in Iraq's volatile Sunni western Anbar province.

Al-Karawi, who commanded the Iraqi army's 7th Division, was leading a search operation hunting for al-Qaeda fighters in the area.

Also in western Iraq, gunmen in a speeding car opened fire at a police checkpoint in the city of Fallujah, killing four policemen earlier Saturday.

In the north, near the city of Kirkuk, an army officer and a soldier were killed when two mortar shells struck a military camp, officials said.

And in the town of Latifiyah, 30 kilometres south of Baghdad, a mortar shell hit a group of Shi'ite pilgrims heading to the holy sites in the city of Karbala.

The pilgrims were commemorating Arbaeen, the end of 40 days of mourning following the anniversary of the death of Prophet Mohammed's grandson, Imam Hussein, a revered Shi'ite figure.

Hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims make their way every year to Karbala for Arbaeen. Al-Qaeda fighters and other Sunni insurgents frequently target Shi'ites, whom they consider to be infidels. Iraqi security forces also often poorly protect Shi'ite marches and pilgrimages to holy sites.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for any of the attacks.

Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to media.

Violence has spiked in Iraq since a deadly crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in a northern town in April. At least 365 people have died in attacks across the country so far this month, according to an Associated Press count.


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Khodorkovsky starts life as a free man

Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky has arrived in Germany after being freed from a Russian prison. Source: AAP

RUSSIA'S most famous prisoner, Kremlin critic and former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has begun life as a free man in Germany after his surprise pardon by President Vladimir Putin.

Khodorkovsky has been reunited with his son in Berlin, a spokeswoman for the former tycoon said on Saturday.

"The eldest son of Mikhail Borisovich, Pavel, has already seen his dad," a spokeswoman for Khodorkovsky, Olga Pispanen, said on Russian radio Echo of Moscow.

"They are now together in Berlin."

Khodorkovsky's parents, Marina and Boris, were also preparing to fly out to Germany to "finally see and hug him," the spokeswoman added.

Released on Friday after 10 years behind bars, Khodorkovsky is "feeling well" and will give a news conference on Sunday, she said, with the date and place to be confirmed later.

Khodorkovsky's 79-year-old mother, who has cancer, said she was taking sedatives to help her cope with the strong emotions sparked by his release.

"We survived grief but it is also apparently hard to survive joy," Marina Khodorkovskaya said in an interview broadcast on Russian state television on Saturday.

Putin stunned Russia on Thursday by revealing that Khodorkovsky had turned to him for pardon on humanitarian grounds, citing his mother's health.

In a head-spinning succession of events, less than 24 hours later Khodorkovsky was granted pardon, walked out of prison and flew to Germany in a secret operation worked out behind the scenes with Berlin.

Prison officials said Khodorkovsky had requested to fly to Germany, where his mother has undergone treatment before.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Khodorkovsky was not forced into exile and was free to return to Russia.

Former German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who helped negotiate his release, arranged the flight for him on a private jet and picked him up at the airport in Berlin.

From the airport, Khodorkovsky was reportedly taken to Berlin's luxury Adlon Hotel near the Brandenburg Gate from which Genscher was seen leaving on Friday evening.

About 20 cameramen and photographers as well as two TV vans were waiting for a possible glimpse of the former tycoon outside the landmark hotel in sub-zero temperatures on Saturday morning, according to reports.

Khodorkovsky is expected to give a press conference in Berlin on Sunday, when he will outline his future plans.


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Gunman had botched vasectomy: Neighbours

AUTHORITIES in the US are trying to determine whether a Northern California man's anger over complications he suffered from a 2010 surgery prompted him to go on a shooting rampage at a Nevada urologist's office, killing one doctor and critically wounding another before committing suicide.

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Security scare at NSW parliament house

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 20 Desember 2013 | 18.16

Police have rushed in and grabbed a man from a car after a stand-off outside NSW Parliament. Source: AAP

A DISGRUNTLED former taxi driver who sparked a two-hour stand-off outside NSW Parliament has been charged.

Abdula Ganiji has been charged with threatening sabotage and possessing an explosive or article to damage property.

He has also been charged with threatening to destroy or damage property, police said.

It comes several hours after Ganiji sparked a lockdown of Macquarie Street in Sydney's CBD when he drove his white Chrysler sedan onto the footpath outside parliament at about 11.40am (AEDT) on Friday.

A large part of the street was quickly cordoned off and MPs and staff in parliament house were warned to keep clear of the front of the building.

For over two hours the 58-year-old from the Wollongong area passed lists of demands from inside the car to plain-clothes police negotiators.

Hundreds of city workers gathered at the police cordon and parliament went into partial lockdown, before the siege ended dramatically just before 2pm (AEDT).

There were loud bangs and flashes as up to a dozen heavily armed tactical officers swarmed the vehicle, smashing the car's windows and firing a canister of gas inside before dragging Ganiji into custody.

Police later said he had made threats of self harm, was known to police and was a regular visitor at parliament.

After he was handcuffed and dragged off for medical checks, police officers and firefighters removed a device from the car before conducting tests on the vehicle.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch told reporters the man had a container of flammable liquid, which AAP understands was petrol, which he was threatening to set alight.

Mr Murdoch praised the quick actions of police.

"When that man attempted to light a cigarette lighter, wind the windows of the car up with what we believe to be a container of flammable liquid in the vehicle, those officers put their lives on the line this afternoon and they resolved the situation in a peaceful manner," he said.

The man was receiving medical attention for minor cuts suffered in the struggle with police, Mr Murdoch said, but compared to the threats he was making those injuries were "very, very minor in the scheme of things".

"The mere fact we're in front of our state parliament, in the middle of Sydney in the middle of the day - certainly that posed a risk," Mr Murdoch said.

"(But) at no time was any member of the community at risk, no one in any building was at risk and importantly no members of parliament were at risk because of this incident.

"We were very comfortable at all times that we had the measure of the fellow."

Mr Murdoch could not confirm reports the man had sought a meeting with Premier Barry O'Farrell, who stayed inside parliament throughout.

"He was making certain demands of the police but we weren't in a position to meet those demands, nor were we ever in a position to entertain them," he said.

"Our whole tactic was to contain and negotiate with the man.

Ganiji last year staged a hunger strike for several days outside parliament about a $200 fine he received 15 years ago.

He had called on Mr O'Farrell to solve a dispute with his employer, Wollongong Radio Cabs.

Ganiji told the Illawarra Mercury newspaper last year he was fined by the company for misusing his taxi radio by clicking the buttons unnecessarily, causing problems on the communications network.

He has been refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.

Police said investigations into the incident were continuing.


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Investigators probe UK theatre collapse

At least 88 people were injured when the ceiling collapsed during a show at London's Apollo Theatre. Source: AAP

INVESTIGATORS are seeking to establish why the ceiling of a packed London theatre collapsed, injuring 76 people and coating terrified audience members with rubble.

A sell-out crowd of around 720 people was in the Apollo Theatre in Soho on Thursday night when ornate masonry and rigging fell about five storeys on to their heads.

Witnesses said they heard creaking noises in the 112-year-old theatre, but thought it was part of the show they were watching, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

Then debris and dust filled the air, sending coughing, terrified theatregoers - many of them families enjoying a pre-Christmas treat - fleeing for the exits.

Rescuers commandeered three iconic red London double-decker buses to transport the injured, while the city's normally tourist-thronged "Theatreland" was brought to a stunned halt.

Ambulance staff treated 76 patients, taking 58 to hospital, where seven were described as having serious but not life-threatening injuries.

A surveyor examined the theatre overnight and said the roof was secure, but investigations are now being carried out by the local authority to establish what happened.

The abnormally heavy rain that fell in the hour before the ceiling collapsed shortly after 8.00pm (0700 AEDT Friday) is likely to be one line of inquiry.

"We will not know the cause of the incident until all investigations have been completed but checks are ongoing," said councillor Nickie Aiken of Westminster Council.

"This appears to be an isolated incident, but we will continue to work with theatres throughout the day to ensure that all safety precautions are in place."

All historic theatres are required to undergo rigorous safety checks on their roofs every three years, she added.

Witnesses told of terror inside the Edwardian-era theatre, which has three tiers of balconies, the uppermost of which is said to be the steepest in London.

"A section of the theatre's ceiling collapsed on to the audience who were watching the show. The ceiling took parts of the balconies down with it," senior firefighter Nick Harding told reporters.

"In my time as a fire officer I've never seen an incident like this."

Desmond Thomas, 18, part of a school party watching the show, said they heard noises before the accident.

"Maybe 10 minutes into the performance we heard a tap-tap noise, we thought it was rain," he told AFP.

"There was a crack and then it suddenly seemed to get bigger and suddenly it collapsed. The next thing we knew the whole theatre filled with dust and smoke."

Simon Usborne, a journalist for The Independent newspaper who was watching the show, said there was "chaos".

"Loud bangs, cracks. Thought was part of show then whole interior of theatre filled with curtain of dark grey dust and debris, falling on heads of anyone not sheltered," he tweeted afterwards.

"People emerging soon after bloodied - children crying - family show - people dumbfounded."

No Australians were reported to be injured in the collapse. "Consular staff are in contact with UK authorities, but have not been advised of any Australians affected at this stage," a spokeswoman for the high commission in London said in a statement.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was being kept updated on the incident and was "grateful for the fast work of the emergency services in helping the injured".

Some of the injured were treated in triage centres set up in the lobbies of the nearby Gielgud and Queen's theatres.

"In the finest traditions of Theatreland, they very quickly rallied around," said fire brigade spokesman Graham Ellis.

He said that "heavy ornate plaster" had fallen from the roof on to theatregoers in the circle, dress circle and stalls.

Audience member James Kearney, who was given a ticket to the show as a present, told AFP there were "people with blood on their heads in shock" behind them.

Kearney's companion Dee Stephenson said there was so much dust afterwards they had to feel their way out.

"Everybody was in a trance-like state. A lot of people were in absolute shock," Stephenson told AFP. "We were extremely fortunate."

Based on an award-winning novel by Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time has been running in London since August 2012.

Haddon said on Twitter that the incident was "horrifying" and that he was "hugely relieved that no one died".

The owner of the Apollo, Nimax Theatres, said the ceiling collapse was a "shocking and upsetting incident".


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Jury resume deliberations in Lawson case

Organised Jets upset Brisbane

Organised Jets upset Brisbane

LEAGUE leader Brisbane Roar stuttered as a well-organised Newcastle Jets claimed a 2-0 upset win at Suncorp Stadium.

Star Wars uses the force of Tumblr

Star Wars uses the force of Tumblr

WORTH a Luke? Star Wars has just launched its official Tumblr page giving fans the chance to see movie goodies and lots of LOLs from R2-D2.

Inventor of hardcore porn dies

Inventor of hardcore porn dies

WITH only $175 and a dream, Al Goldstein invented what we now know as hardcore porn. He died overnight, penniless and depressed. What went so wrong?

$US318m winner: Thank you Jesus!

Ira Curry Mega Millions Atlanta winner

A MUM who bought just one ticket and used family birthdays for her numbers is one of two winners of the $714 million Mega Millions jackpot.


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Thai protesters on the march again

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 19 Desember 2013 | 18.16

THOUSANDS of anti-government protesters have resumed their marching in Bangkok, demanding that caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra step down to make way for a government free of nepotism and corruption.

The demonstrators, led by former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban, left their protest site at the Democracy Monument in the city's government quarter on Thursday morning and marched to the busy Sukhumvit Road, in Bangkok's tourist belt.

Later in the day the protesters, many blowing whistles and shouting "Yingluck out" and "We don't want corrupt government", said they planned to march along Sukhumvit Road and back to the Democracy Monument in a show of strength.

Marchers said some of the protesters planned to break off from the main body of the demonstration and march to the US Embassy to protest against perceived official US support for the Yingluck government.

The noisy but peaceful march followed a lull of several days in a campaign that attracted as many as 150,000 marchers earlier this month and triggered skirmishes with police and pro-government activists.

Suthep, secretary-general of the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee, has rejected Yingluck's bid to defuse the crisis by dissolving parliament and calling a snap election on February 2.

He said anti-government groups will hold another, larger, demonstration on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Election Commission chairman Supachai Somcharoen denied reports that the poll would be postponed, saying it would take place on February 2 as scheduled.

Suthep said another election would only help entrench the corrupt political machine of Yingluck's elder brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a coup in 2006 and fled the country in 2008 to avoid a two-year jail term for abuse of power.

Suthep's campaign has attracted wide support in Bangkok but is strongly opposed in the country's relatively poor regions of the north and north-east, where Thaksin is revered for his populist policies.

Thaksin's Pheu Thai party won the last election in July 2011 with a majority of over 4 million votes, and Thaksin-supported parties have won every national election in Thailand since 2001.

The main opposition party, the Democrats, have until December 23 to decide whether to support Suthep's call to reject the election or take part in the uphill electoral battle.


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'Jihadists in Syria torturing prisoners'

PRISONERS held by an al-Qaeda-linked rebel group that controls large areas of northern Syria have been subjected to systematic torture and summary executions, Amnesty International says.

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) runs a string of prisons in the northern provinces of Aleppo and al-Raqqa where detainees have undergone flogging and other forms of abuse, Amnesty wrote in a report based on interviews with people who had been held by the extremist group.

Former detainees told Amnesty of being held for unknown reasons; handcuffed in painful positions for long periods; and beaten by members of the group.

Some said they had witnessed trials in the group's sharia (Islamic law) courts, in which death sentences were handed down to persons accused of crimes such as fighting against ISIL or of committing adultery.

"After years in which they were prey to the brutality of the al-Assad regime, the people of al-Raqqa and Aleppo are now suffering under a new form of tyranny imposed on them by [ISIL], in which arbitrary detention, torture and executions have become the order of the day," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's director for the Middle East and North Africa, on Thursday.

The rights group called on ISIL to "end its appalling treatment of detainees" and asked the international community "to take concrete steps to block the flow of arms and other support to [ISIL] and other armed groups implicated in committing war crimes and other serious human rights abuses." "The Turkish government, in particular, should prevent its territory being used by [ISIL] to bring in arms and recruits to Syria," said Luther.

ISIL was established by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq, who sent fighters to Syria to join the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

The militants initially fought under the name of the radical al-Nusra Front. However, in April, al-Baghdadi announced that the two formations were merging as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

Al-Nusra's leader, Abu Mohammed al-Jaulani, objected and won the support of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Nonetheless, many of al-Jaulani fighters appear to have decided not to back him and are now working with ISIL.


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Defence winds up Phil relief mission

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 18 Desember 2013 | 18.16

The Australian Defence Force has ended its mission in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. Source: AAP

THE Australian Defence Force has wound up its assistance to the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan, with most troops back home.

Australia's part in the multinational relief operation officially ended with a ceremony in Ormoc, Philippines, on Monday, after a month of operations.

Task force commander Lieutenant Colonel Rod Lang said the Australian people could be proud of the work done by Defence personnel to help speed up the Philippines' recovery.

"Over the past month the ADF has moved thousands of tonnes of aid by air and sea to locations where it has been needed most. We have evacuated displaced people and helped around 15,500 kids get back to school," he said in a statement.

Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on November 8, killing some 5000 people, displacing four million and flattened towns and infrastructure.

Australia provided $40 million to the relief effort.

Defence assistance started on November 13 with RAAF transport aircraft carrying some 2360 tonnes of cargo and more than 5800 passengers. An Australian medical team assisted typhoon victims in Tacloban.

Amphibious vessel HMAS Tobruk arrived in Ormoc on November 26, delivering an army engineering unit and their equipment.

The engineers, assisted by Tobruk sailors, helped in clean-up operations.

Defence personnel remaining in Philippines head back to Australia later this week.


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Unions still in the dark over Qantas cuts

Unions say they are still in the dark over Qantas' plan to axe at least 1000 jobs. Source: AAP

UNIONS say they are still in the dark as to where the latest rounds of Qantas job cuts will come from.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce and other senior executives met with several unions at is Sydney headquarters on Wednesday.

Following the talks, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary Dave Oliver said he couldn't get any clarification as to who would be affected by the airline's plan to axe at least 1000 jobs.

But he said the ACTU was pleased Qantas had given a commitment to consult on the cuts.

"We'll be holding Qantas to that commitment and ensuring that every reasonable option is explored to reduce any job losses across the whole Qantas group," he said in a statement after the meet.

A Qantas spokesman said the airline "would consult as was required under the agreements with each union but had not agreed to further consultation".

Transport Workers Union National Secretary Tony Sheldon said the lack of information as to where the cuts would come from would hurt employees over the holiday break.

"Without information on the cuts, all 30,000 Qantas Group staff would spend Christmas in fear that their jobs might be the ones to go," Mr Sheldon said in a statement.

"That's not the way to treat any workforce, particularly as they and their families enter the Christmas period."

But Mr Joyce said while it was "understandable" unions sought commitments on jobs, the business was looking at all options.

"With an all-options structural review of the business underway, it would be disingenuous for us to rule anything in or out," he said in a statement.

"We can say that Qantas will always have the bulk of its operations here in Australia, and that any actions we take are ultimately about protecting as many Australian jobs as we can by making Qantas stronger."

The airline used the meet to highlight the "extreme challenges" it faces, Mr Joyce said.

It comes after Qantas announced earlier this month that it would be undergoing a three-year $2 billion cost reduction program including a reduction of at least 1000 jobs and a company-wide structural review.

Mr Joyce said he made it clear in the meet that the changes as a result of the cost reduction program were "non-negotiables".


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Knox 'afraid' to front Italian court

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 17 Desember 2013 | 18.16

US murder suspect Amanda Knox has emailed an Italian court to say she is "afraid" to show up for her trial on charges of killing British student Meredith Kercher, judge Alessandro Nencini says.

Knox, who is a defendant, along with her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, is letting herself be tried in absentia.

She has signalled she would not return to Italy to serve her sentence if she is found guilty.

"I am not in the courtroom because I am afraid," Knox said in a message in Italian that was read out in court by Nencini on Tuesday.

"I am afraid that you will be influenced by the vehemency of the accusations, that you will be blinded by their smokescreens."

The judge dismissed Knox's email as "unorthodox" and said those who "want to speak at a trial should come to the trial".

He said lawyers for the defence vouched for the authenticity of the message.

Ms Kercher was 21 when she died.

She was found on November 2, 2007, half-naked and with multiple stab wounds, in the apartment she was sharing with Knox and two other female students in the central Italian university town of Perugia.

Knox and Sollecito were arrested days after the crime.

In 2009, they were jailed for 26 years and 25 years, respectively, after Perugia judges concluded in a first instance ruling that the pair, along with a third person, had killed Kercher during a group sex game.

They were acquitted in 2011 after an appeal court deemed incriminating DNA evidence to be unreliable.

Freed from prison, Knox returned to her home city of Seattle.

But the verdict was annulled in March by Italy's top appeals body, which ordered a retrial and moved proceedings from Perugia to Florence.

Judges are expected to issue a new ruling in January, but it could be appealed again.


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Bus carrying 13 rolls in NT

A BUS has rolled in the Northern Territory, seriously injuring two people.

Police say the crash happened on the Stuart Highway 128 kilometres south of Alice Springs, about lunchtime on Tuesday.

Thirteen people were on board.

The seriously hurt pair are being treated at Alice Springs Hospital.

The other 11 reportedly received minor injuries.


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Aurizon to cut rail fleet, cancel project

Written By Unknown on Senin, 16 Desember 2013 | 18.16

FREIGHT and coal haulage operator Aurizon will take a hit of almost $200 million as it cuts the size of its rail fleet and cancels a major Queensland project.

The company, previously known as QR National, is reducing its locomotive fleet by 28 per cent and cutting the number of wagons by 12 per cent in a bid to bring down fuel and maintenance costs.

Aurizon's downsizing will appear as an asset impairment expense of $130 million to $150 million in its accounts for the first half of the 2013/14 financial year.

The company will also incur a $47 million impairment on recent changes to several projects, including Glencore Xstrata's decision to stop the Wandoan project because of weakening thermal coal prices.

Aurizon had proposed a 210 kilometre Surat Basin rail corridor from the Wandoan mine in a joint venture with the Swiss multinational.

"There's not any job losses that are related to that," chief executive Lance Hockridge told reporters on Monday.

In July, Aurizon launched a second voluntary redundancy program in a bid to save $230 million by 2015.

Some 248 voluntary redundancies have since been accepted.

"I think the bulk of it is done," Mr Hockridge said.

More than 2,000 employees have left the company since it was privatised by the former Queensland Labor government in 2010.

Mr Hockridge said he was "cautious but confident" about the thermal coal sector, as well as the future of projects in Queensland's Galilee Basin, where Aurizon has agreed to develop a rail project for the GVK-Hancock joint venture involving billionaire Gina Rinehart.

Aurizon shares dropped two cents to $4.68.


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Wesfarmers sells underwriting operations

DIVERSIFIED conglomerate Wesfarmers is selling its Australasian insurance underwriting operations to Insurance Australia Group (IAG) for about $1.85 billion - its biggest ever divestment.

Wesfarmers managing director Richard Goyder said the sale followed approaches by a number of parties that were interested in the underwriting business.

Wesfarmers had spent a lot of money in recent years getting the Australian and New Zealand insurance underwriting business into much better shape.

"But it hasn't delivered satisfactory returns on average over the last five years to Wesfarmers," Mr Goyder told reporters.

"And over a period of time, if any of our businesses don't generate satisfactory returns, we'll look and see what we do with it."

Mr Goyder said the sale of the insurance underwriting business also reduced some of the risk in Wesfarmers' portfolio of industrial, mining, retail and financial businesses.

There was inherent volatility in the insurance business because of catastrophic events like earthquakes in New Zealand, and Cyclone Yasi.

The sale does not include the insurance division's broking operations in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, and its Australian and New Zealand premium funding businesses which will remain part of Wesfarmers.

Wesfarmers expects a pre-tax profit of about $700 million to $750 million from the transaction, which will be included in the financial results for the second half of the 2014 financial year.

Mr Goyder said Wesfarmers had not yet decided what to do with the proceeds from the sale.

The sale is subject to regulatory approval, which is expected to take several months.

The acquisition comprises Wesfarmers' underwriting companies trading under the WFI and Lumley Insurance brands, and a 10-year distribution agreement with Coles.

IAG chief executive Mike Wilkins said the acquisition was a compelling strategic fit for IAG.

"Acquiring these businesses supports the group's strategic priorities of accelerating profitable growth in Australia and sustaining our market-leading position in New Zealand, and we expect attractive EPS (earnings per share) accretion," Mr Wilkins said.

IAG expects the acquisition will lift earnings per share by a modest amount in the first full year of ownership and by at least five per cent in the second year.

The acquisition will be partly funded from a $1.2 billion placement of shares to institutional investors, at $5.47 per share.

The integration of Wesfarmers' underwriting businesses is expected to generate pre-tax net benefits of about $140 million a year, with a significant proportion derived from reinsurance.

The integration process is expected to be substantially complete within two years, with pre-tax integration costs of $120 million.

Shares in Wesfarmers were 20.5 cents higher at $41.51 at 1515 AEDT. IAG shares are in a trading halt until the start of trading on Wednesday, December 18. They last traded at $5.70.


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