Challenges In The News 04/10/08

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has headed off rumblings of a leadership challenge warning colleagues that replacing him weeks before an election would be "a sign of panic."

Climate change poses one of the greatest challenges to the insurance industry, Wendy Baker, president of Lloyd's America, said in Louisville yesterday. She should know. Lloyd's America is the U.S. arm of Lloyd's of London, the world's oldest insurer, which paid $5.8 billion in claims related to Katrina and its sister hurricanes.

Lawyers for Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif have challenged his deportation in the country's Supreme Court. Sharif was ordered to leave Islamabad for Saudi Arabia on Monday, just hours after he arrived to challenge the regime of President Pervez Musharraf.

The independent nominating petitions of Elizabethtown Town Supervisor Noel Merrihew III have survived a challenge that could have removed him from the November ballot if he lost the Republican primary.

Senate Democratic leaders called the plan to keep 130,000 troops in Iraq through mid-2008 unacceptable and promised to challenge it through legislation.

The need for speed just part of the design challenge.

Chrysler Challenge: Burnish Image – New Marketing Chief looks to build up firm’s brands, lure buyers from imports. Her main challenge will be crafting a clear identity for the Chrysler brand. The Jeep and Dodge nameplates “have a lot of strength and equity in the market.” Chrysler’s marketing has faced other challenges. Last year, its advertising was criticized by some dealers who felt that TV commercials didn’t focus enough on product features, especially for new models such as the Dodge Nitro SUV. Dealers were also upset because of a production push that led to bloated inventory.

THE BUZZ: Aimed squarely at families looking for a PG-rated holiday movie amid the usual autumn crush of more-adult releases, “Fred Claus” was something of a challenge for the filmakers. “I live my life in the R-rated world, so it was tricky to navigate the PC world.”

To mount a successful challenge to the court, Democrats not only need to have public opinion behind them; they also have to mobilize it effectively.

Silbermann acknowledges that his first year was challenging but says the transition is now complete and the remaining agents are bound by a shared philosophy.

A challenge to the closed gates of privilege.