MELBOURNE, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Upmarket Australian department store chain David Jones Ltd DJS.AX posted a 9.3 percent increase in second-quarter sales, lifted by a bumper Christmas season, and raised its first-half profit growth forecast to between 23-25 percent.

CARACAS (AFP) - President Hugo Chavez warned Sunday that oil giant ExxonMobil, with which Venezuela is engaged in a legal fight linked to nationalization of key oil fields, would never again & quot;rob & quot; his country.

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Australian medical centre operator Primary Health Care Ltd PRY.AX reported a 23.7 percent fall in first-half net profit, hit by the interest costs of buying a 20 percent stake in its takeover target Symbion Health

A proposal to make Tennant Creek the Northern Territory's next dry town is back on the agenda.

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Australian coal miner Resource Pacific Ltd RSP.AX said on Monday it is in talks with a third party that may result in a more attractive proposal than an existing A & #36;1.08 billion ( &

Rubber products group Ansell has upgraded its earnings guidance for fiscal 2008 after reporting net profit in its first half up 28.2 per cent.

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Ansell Ltd ANN.AX, the world's top rubber gloves maker, upgraded its full-year profit outlook on Monday as it reported a 28 percent rise in first-half earnings, sending its shares up more than 4 percent.

David Jones has lifted its first-half profit guidance and reaffirmed its second half guidance on the back of a strong sales performance.

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Australian shares lost 0.7 percent on Monday, pulled down by financials, but strong metal and oil prices lifted miners such as BHP Billiton Ltd BHP.AX while retailer David Jones Ltd tDJS.AX jumped on a profit

United Group has forecast its full year underlying organic profit to grow by 15 to 20 per cent after a 45.7 per cent lift in interim earnings.

Medical centre operator Primary Health Care Limited has suffered a sharp fall in profits as it pushes ahead with a takeover bid for Symbion Health.

It is claimed a new levy to curb binge drinking will result in a large number of Queensland pubs, clubs and restaurants being forced to close earlier at night.

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Asian technology stocks are expected to rise on Monday mirroring gains on Nasdaq but financial stocks could come under pressure after their U.S. peers were sold off in New York trade on Friday.

SYDNEY, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Australian shares are expected to start lower on Monday, with sentiment hurt by Friday's decline on Wall Street on concerns that banks may have more to do to clean up their balance sheets.

Unions are pushing for a redundancy package for Adelaide Mitsubishi workers to be negotiated within a fortnight.

Australia's Reserve Bank will this morning publish its latest quarterly assessment of the economy amid concern about the international outlook.

The South Australian Opposition says the Government is being secretive about how far plans have progressed for a shopping centre at the Glenside hospital site.

A Tasmanian Liberal Senator says Labor is scrapping an election promise to save call centre jobs in Launceston.

Microsoft has struck an alliance with Sony Ericsson to deliver handsets that use its operating system, said a Microsoft executive.

WELLINGTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - New Zealand house prices grew at their slowest annual rate in a year in January as a cooling of the robust residential market gathered pace, government agency Quotable Value (QV) said on Monday.