Challenges In The News 08/05/08

In his most direct challenge yet of his Democratic presidential rival's Iraq policy, Sen. John McCain suggested yesterday that Sen. Barack Obama had crafted a war strategy designed to further his own political advancement.

An artist builds a "click-together" home in just 10 days to challenge people's views on architecture.

Business owners in Beijing have a lot of complaints about restrictions that the Chinese government has placed on them ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games. The challenge is to keep the foreign media from finding out.

CSC-Saxo Bank's Carlos Sastre withstood the challenge from Silence-Lotto's Cadel Evans on Saturday, defending his yellow jersey going into the final stage of the 2008 Tour de France. A surprising Sastre ceded just 29 seconds to Evans over Saturday's 53km time trial and will enter the Tour's finale Sunday with a 1:05 lead over the Aussie, who is on track for his second consecutive runner-up ...

Chelsea will challenge on all four domestic and European fronts next season, according to new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Life & style: Alex Games rises to the cycle challenge to raise awareness of prostate cancer.

Campaign ’08: Obama’s next stop: the home front. Analysts from both parties agree his trip was a success, but a good week does not make a campaign. Barack Obama conquered the Middle East and Europe last week, but on Saturday he returned to face a more challenging battleground: middle America.

Sunday Profile: His is an all-American toy stock. Isaac Larian, who emigrated from Iran, build Bratz maker MGA into a major force in the industry. The court battle with Mattel is the biggest challenge yet to his business. But even in the midst of this trial, it’s clear that he enjoys looking back on what he sees as his all-American story.

Unclogging the path to a plastic bag solution. The industry also launched a website – SaveThePlastic-Bag.com – challenging what it calls “myths and misinformation surrounding bag use. “Why pick on plastic bags?” asked Stephen Joseph, a lawyer representing the industry. “They’re one of the least harmful things known to mankind.”

He recalled a 2002 Oregon forest fire burning in steep, dangerous terrain. “We had to back off” from a direct attack, he said, “because we didn’t have the personnel we felt were up to the challenge.”

Sastre all but locks up the title. CYCLING: Spaniard holds off challenge from Evans during Tour time trial.