Liberia rejects pleas to release jailed editor

MONROVIA, Liberia — Liberia has rejected calls to release an editor jailed last month for reporting on the results of an official graft investigation.

The case also shines a spotlight on President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace Prize winner whose government four years ago filed a lawsuit that led to another newspaper's closure.

Rodney Sieh, publisher and editor of the independent newspaper FrontPageAfrica, was arrested Aug. 21 after failing to pay $1.5 million in damages awarded to former Agriculture Minister Chris Toe. In 2010, Sieh's newspaper published several articles about findings by the country's anti-corruption watchdog that the ministry could not account for millions of dollars.

Two days after Sieh's arrest, law enforcement closed the paper's offices. Sieh then launched a hunger strike and was hospitalized last week with malaria.

Despite calls by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders for Sirleaf to intervene on Sieh's behalf, Liberia's information ministry said Tuesday that the verdict against Sieh should be respected.

Sirleaf last year became the second African head of state to sign the Declaration of Table Mountain, which calls for the Africa-wide repeal of defamation and "insult" laws.

Yet multiple libel convictions have been handed down since she came to power in 2006, and no newspaper has won a libel case during that time, according to the Press Union of Liberia. A lawsuit filed by Sirleaf's office in 2009 for $5 million against the New Broom newspaper led to that paper's closure.

Former agriculture minister Toe has denied allegations of wrongdoing, though he resigned from his position and was never put on trial. He has said the newspaper's reports were libelous because he was never convicted, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In a letter to Sirleaf on Monday, CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said the case against Sieh was flawed and asked the government to facilitate his release.

"We believe the punishment meted out against FrontPageAfrica is disproportionate and that the case is tainted with political undertones," Simon said.

The $1.5 million damages award is more than 30 times the yearly operating budget for FrontPageAfrica, according to Sieh, who in a New York Times op-ed over the weekend said the case was a clear attempt to silence Liberia's most aggressive and ambitious newspaper.

Sieh also wrote that two jurors claimed they were paid to find him guilty.

"So long as Mrs. Johnson Sirleaf's advisers can tell the courts how to rule, the government will continue to intimidate the press at home while maintaining an undeserved positive image abroad," Sieh said.

The information ministry faulted Sieh for not appealing the verdict, though Sieh has said the process is prohibitively expensive.

Sirleaf has not addressed the case herself. Wade Williams, an editor at FrontPageAfrica who has been running the paper in Sieh's absence, said she suspected many government officials would be happy to see the paper shut down.

"They're all using their influence to get to Rodney, punishing him for exposing them over the years," Williams said. "That's why (Sirleaf's) not saying anything. She herself has not been happy with FrontPageAfrica for some time now."

The newspaper has continued to publish online even though its offices remain closed and an important source of revenue — print advertisements — has dried up.

Toe, the former agriculture minister who brought the libel case, said Tuesday he had been "injured" by FrontPageAfrica's coverage but that he was open to talks with Sieh's lawyers.

Williams, however, said she questioned what purpose the talks might serve. "I don't think there should be any negotiation on the part of a newspaper reporting on public officials just to appease them," she said. "It will be a sign of weakness on the part of the media."

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Associated Press writer Robbie Corey-Boulet contributed reporting from Dakar, Senegal.

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UMaine submits proposal for offshore wind project

AUGUSTA, Maine — The University of Maine has submitted a proposal for a long-term contract for an offshore wind energy project, the state Public Utilities Commission said on Tuesday.

The university's bid comes after lawmakers approved legislation in July to reopen the bidding process for an offshore wind project to let the university compete for a contract.

Norwegian energy company Statoil and the utilities commission had agreed to terms in January for a $120 million project to put four 3-megawatt wind turbines a dozen miles off the coast on floating spar-buoy structures tethered to the seabed. But the company said in July that it will delay and may abandon the project because the reopening of competition created uncertainty.

Critics of the legislation, which was backed heavily by Republican Gov. Paul LePage, said reopening the bidding process and changing the rules on Statoil sends a bad message about the way Maine does business.

The University of Maine said in a statement that its submission is a "strong proposal" based, in part, on a wind turbine it has been testing off the coast since June. The VolturnUS is a 65-foot-tall prototype that's one-eighth the size of a full-scale turbine.

Utilities commission spokesman Harry Lanphear said Tuesday that the written proposal is confidential.

The commission will review the proposal and work with the university to come up with a term sheet or contract. It is expected to decide whether to authorize a contract by Dec. 31.

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Automakers report sales up double-digits in August

DETROIT — Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Chrysler and General Motors all reported double-digit U.S. sales gains last month as strong sales of pickup trucks and small cars led the industry toward its best month in six years.

Toyota posted the biggest gain, with sales up nearly 23 percent over August of last year. Nissan sales were up 22 percent, the best August in company history. At General Motors, sales were up almost 15 percent for the company's best month since September of 2008. Chrysler and Ford each reported 12 percent gains.

It was Chrysler's best August in six years, while August was Toyota's best month in more than five years. All major automakers report sales numbers Wednesday.

Industry analysts say August could be the best sales month since May of 2007, when $3 a gallon gasoline set off panic buying of fuel-thrifty vehicles. LMC Automotive, an industry consulting firm, is predicting that total U.S. sales last month were close to 1.5 million, about 12 percent higher than a year ago.

In May of 2007, automakers sold more than 1.56 million cars and trucks, due largely to a boom in small cars as the nationwide average for gas topped $3 a gallon for the first time. This time, small cars did well, but weren't the only big sellers. Analysts say consumers are buying everything from tiny Honda Fits to big pickup trucks as an improving economy keeps pushing auto sales higher.

"The auto industry continues to be a bright spot in the economic recovery," Bill Fay, the Toyota division's group vice president, said in a statement. "August capped a great summer for new vehicle sales."

Chrysler and GM are predicting that total U.S. sales in August ran at an annual rate above 16 million, a pace last seen before the Great Recession.

The strong numbers are more proof that businesses are gaining confidence and buying trucks to replace their aging fleets. The average age of a pickup in the U.S. is 11.3 years, according to the Polk research firm.

Ford sold more than 70,000 F-Series pickups last month, the second month this year that sales have topped 70,000 for the nation's top-selling vehicle. Sales of Chrysler's Ram pickup rose 31 percent to more than 33,000. GM's Chevrolet Silverado was up 14 percent to nearly 44,000.

At Chrysler, Jeep sales rose 8 percent for the brand's best August in 11 years. Grand Cherokee SUV sales were up 40 percent. All five of Chrysler's brands reported sales increases as the company recorded its 41st straight month of year-over-year sales gains.

Sales of truck-based vehicles were extremely strong for Chrysler, at more than 120,000. That's nearly three times the company's car sales and may indicate that Chrysler is once again becoming overly reliant on trucks for its profits.

Ford reported sales of more than 221,000 vehicles. Fusion midsize car sales were up almost 14 percent to nearly 25,000.

At GM, sales rose to nearly 276,000, led by pickups and the Sonic subcompact with sales up 31 percent. The Buick and Cadillac brands posted sales increases of more than 36 percent.

Toyota passed Ford in August sales to take the No. 2 spot behind GM. Toyota sales rose to nearly 232,000 vehicles for the month.

At Nissan, the company set an August sales record at just over 120,000.

Of automakers to report sales on Wednesday, only Volkswagen posted a decline, down nearly 2 percent after posting huge gains last year.

Although Americans have become used to paying more than $3 for a gallon of gas, some consumers still find pump prices steep enough that they're buying small cars. Others have noticed that smaller vehicles are better designed, far quieter and safer with more features, said Tom Libby, lead North American analyst for the Polk automotive research firm. Analysts from Kelley Blue Book predict that compact and subcompact cars could challenge midsize cars as the largest segment in the U.S.

Still, gas prices aren't the sales catalyst they were back in 2007 and 2008. Gas this August was the cheapest in three years, averaging $3.57 a gallon, compared with $3.62 in 2011 and $3.69 last year.

Last month, Toyota had to discount the Prius gas-electric hybrid to boost sales. Toyota discounted the average Prius by $1,462, more than triple the incentives from a year ago, according to TrueCar.com, an auto pricing website.

Compare that to 2007, when the price of gasoline jumped from $2.15 a gallon at the end of January to more than $3 in early May. That May, sales of the Prius nearly tripled as consumers flocked to a vehicle that got 46 miles per gallon in city and highway driving.

"Consumers like stability," said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of sales forecasting for LMC. Now that they're used to higher gas prices, "it's less of a shock than in May of 2007," he said.

Buyers also are paying record prices for their cars and trucks, according to the TrueCar.com auto pricing web site. The average U.S. vehicle sold for an estimated $31,252 last month, up almost $1,000 over August of last year and $24 higher than the previous record in December of 2012. Five automakers, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Nissan and Volkswagen, all had record-high selling prices last month, according to TrueCar.

The industry tracking firm Experian said earlier this week that nearly 28 percent of people who financed cars leased them, a record high. High trade-in values are allowing automakers to offer attractive low-cost lease deals.

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Top 5 gifts to colleges or universities in 2013

Here are the Top 5 donations to U.S. colleges or universities in 2013, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

1. $350 million from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Johns Hopkins University.

2. $250 million from the A. Eugene Brockman Charitable Trust to Centre College.

3. $200 million from New York real estate magnate and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to the University of Michigan.

4. $151 million from real estate developer John Arrillaga to Stanford University.

5. $133 million from Qualcomm Inc. co-founder Irwin Jacobs and Joan Klein Jacobs to Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

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McDonald's exploring changes to Dollar Menu

NEW YORK — McDonald's Corp. says it's exploring changes to its Dollar Menu to include items that cost more than a buck.

The world's biggest hamburger chain says it's testing a version of its famous value menu that's called "Dollar Menu & More." The company noted in a statement that no official changes have yet been made to its current Dollar Menu, which was introduced more than a decade ago.

No other details were immediately available.

Fast-food chains have been trumpeting their value menus amid increased competition and the weak economy. Some analysts have raised concerns that the strategy could eat into profit margins. Wendy's addressed the issue earlier this year by revamping its 99-cent menu to a "Right Price Right Size" menu, with prices ranging up to around $2.

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New India central bank chief announces reforms

MUMBAI, India — India's new central bank chief kicked off his first day in office Wednesday by announcing short-term measures to stabilize the country's troubled economy and tumbling currency.

Under pressure amid fears of an economic crisis, Raghuram Rajan acknowledged he is taking over the Reserve Bank of India at a tough time. Still, he insisted that India has "a fundamentally sound economy" and that a mood of doom and gloom is overblown.

India's economic growth slowed to 4.4 percent in the April-June quarter and the Indian rupee has lost more than 20 percent of its value since May.

Rajan had not been expected to make specific policy changes on the day he was sworn into office, but he announced short-term measures at a televised news conference.

"It involves considerable change, and change is risky," he said of his agenda. "But as India develops, not changing is even riskier."

Among the measures he promised for coming months were that existing banks would be able to open new domestic branches without RBI permission and that long-awaited new banking licenses would be issued by January.

The central bank will also soon issue inflation-indexed savings certificates and take steps to encourage financial services for the poor, including making payments easier through mobile banking, he said.

He also pledged to improve the system for banks to recover bad loans by accelerating the work of debt recovery tribunals and asset reconstruction companies.

Rajan plans his first full policy address on Sept. 20.

"Some of the actions I take will not be popular," he said, but added, "The governorship of the central bank is not meant to win one votes of Facebook 'likes.'"

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US trade deficit widens to $39.1 billion in July

WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit widened in July from a four-year low in June. American consumers bought more foreign cars and other imported goods, while U.S. companies exported fewer long-lasting manufactured goods.

The rise in imports points to resilient consumer spending, which drives 70 percent of economic activity.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that the trade gap rose 13 percent to $39.1 billion. That's up from June's deficit of $34.5 billion, which was the smallest since late 2009.

Imports increased 1.6 percent to $228.6 billion, lifted by more shipments of oil, autos and consumer goods. Exports slipped 0.6 percent to $189.4 billion. Companies shipped fewer capital goods, such as civilian aircraft and industrial engines.

A wider trade gap can slow economic growth because it means that U.S. consumers and businesses are spending more on foreign goods than U.S. companies are earning from overseas sales.

Still, the decline follows a steep drop in June. And economists noted that trade is running at roughly the same pace as the previous quarter. Many were also encouraged by the increase in imports of consumer products. That follows a weak government report last week on consumer spending in July.

Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said that he expected trade would be "broadly neutral" in terms of overall economic growth in the second half of this year, not subtracting from growth or adding to it.

Gregory Daco, director of U.S. economics for IHS Global Insight, said the rise in imports reflects stronger consumer and business demand. Those could be encouraging signs for economic growth.

Most economists expect the economy will grow at an annual rate between 2 percent and 2.5 percent in the second half of this year. Many say consumers will increase spending as the impact of higher taxes starts to fade.

In July, the deficit with China jumped to an all-time high of $30.1 billion and is slightly ahead of last year's record pace. That could increase pressure on the Obama administration to take a harder line on trade issues with China. American manufacturers contend China manipulates its currency and engages in other unfair practices to gain trade advantages over U.S. companies.

Europe's weak economy also is weighing on U.S. exports. The deficit with the 27-nation European Union jumped to a record $13.9 billion as imports from that region climbed 17.2 percent to a record $35.1 billion while U.S. exports to the region fell 7.4 percent to $21.1 billion.

Other reports suggest exports could rebound in August.

U.S. factories expanded in August at the fastest pace since June 2011, according to a closely watched survey released Tuesday from the Institute for Supply Management. The report said orders from overseas rose in August.

And a private survey of purchasing managers in China found that manufacturing in that country expanded for the first time after shrinking for three months.

The Federal Reserve is closely watching economic data to determine whether it should reduce its monthly bond purchases. Those purchases have been intended to keep long-term borrowing costs low.

Chairman Ben Bernanke has said the Fed could slow its $85 billion a month in bond buying later this year if the economy keeps improving. Some analysts think the Fed will announce after its next policy meeting Sept. 17-18 that it's scaling back the purchases.

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Radio want-ad shows plug listeners into bygone era

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — In much of the world, people looking to buy and sell things go online to flick through search results or post ads. But in some parts of rural America, they're just as likely to tune in to a local radio station.

Three times every weekday (and twice a day on Saturdays) people in western Arkansas call in to a radio station that produces an audio adaptation of the classified ads. For an hour or so, callers on KARV's "Dial-A-Trade" explain what they're looking to buy, sell or trade. Then they leave their phone numbers. On live air. For free.

The programs are neither new nor unique to Arkansas. For decades, similar shows across the country filled the airwaves with callers wanting to buy and sell everything from apples to ammunition.

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New PBS team low key about milestone

NEW YORK — Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff didn't think much about the milestone upon being appointed the first women to co-anchor a national daily news program on television — until flowers began filling their offices and strangers offered congratulations.

The veteran journalists are the regular co-hosts of PBS' "NewsHour," effective Monday. They will be the faces for a newscast known for many years as the home of founders Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil.

Two days earlier, PBS will premiere a new weekend edition of "NewsHour," based in New York instead of Washington. Hari Sreenivasan will be the host.

In 2006, Katie Couric at the "CBS Evening News" became the first woman to solely anchor a national newscast. Ifill said she was surprised by how many people made a big deal of two women anchors when PBS announced the change in early August.

"I'm very touched by that," she said. "I'm most touched by young women who stop me on the street and tell me how happy they are about this. I'm amazed at the investment people have in this."

Following Lehrer's retirement two years ago, Ifill and Woodruff were part of a five-person anchor rotation with Jeffrey Brown, Ray Suarez and Margaret Warner. Two of the five anchored each night, depending on their schedules. There was nothing wrong with it, said the show's executive producer, Linda Winslow. But she came to conclude that a regular team makes for a sharper identity; people are more likely to say they watch Brian Williams instead of the NBC "Nightly News," for example.

The new anchors have lengthy Washington resumes. Woodruff, 66, was a White House correspondent for NBC News during the Carter administration and has two stints at PBS with 12 years at CNN in between. Ifill, 57, started in print, working at The Washington Post and The New York Times, before joining NBC News and then PBS in 1999. Ifill hosts "Washington Week," meaning Woodruff will fly solo on the "NewsHour" on Fridays.

Both say they share sensibilities and news instincts.

"She's exactly the kind of person you'd want to have by your side if there's a big, breaking story," Woodruff said of her partner. "You want to be beside someone you can trust, whose judgment you can trust."

Winslow said it seemed to be the combination that clicked. The women think alike, but have distinct styles. During interviews, Ifill is more conversational, Woodruff more questioning. "She's leaning forward and Gwen is more inviting you to come forward," she said.

"NewsHour" anchors have often seemed more like solo artists than a team. Winslow said there will be an effort to have Ifill and Woodruff appear on-screen together more and interact.

The show helped draw attention to the pairing when Ifill and Woodruff interviewed President Barack Obama last week, with the poison gas attack in Syria the chief topic.

Even for veteran reporters, a presidential interview is a nerve-wracking experience. You live in fear of missing something obvious. You have to balance to-the-minute reporting of breaking news with more reflective questions knowing, as Ifill said, "all your planning can go out the window in an hour." And for the two anchors, each had to be conscious of giving her partner equal time.

Both women were also named managing editors of "NewsHour," joining Winslow in shaping the day's broadcast.

"It means that every day we wake up, we're not just thinking about our own segments within the show," Woodruff said. "It means that every day you're thinking about the whole program. But that's a good thing."

Ifill and Woodruff will bring their own ideas for changes, comfortable knowing that no overhaul is necessary.

"The 'NewsHour' occupies a place that doesn't exist anymore in broadcast television, which is an hour-long, uninterrupted chance to let people finish their sentences," Ifill said. "We're very careful of that franchise, but we are also aware of ways that we can freshen it just with our presence."

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EDITOR'S NOTE — David Bauder can be reached at dbauder@ap.org or on Twitter @dbauder. His work can be found at http:bigstory.ap.org/content/david-bauder.

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Auctioneer shows off 118-carat diamond in NYC

NEW YORK — A New York auction house is showing off a 118-carat white diamond that's the size of an egg.

The oval stone was highlighted at a Manhattan media event Wednesday. It will be auctioned in Hong Kong on Oct. 7 and has a pre-sale estimate of $28 million to $35 million.

Sotheby's calls it the greatest white diamond to be offered at auction in terms of size, quality, polish and color.

It was discovered in 2011 as a 299-carat rough diamond in an undisclosed southern African nation.

The current record for any white diamond is $26.7 million. That pear-shaped stone was over 101 carats. It was sold at Sotheby's Geneva last spring.

The stone being auctioned next month is nearly 20 percent larger.

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