The Observer

A historic decision over a new runway for Heathrow is close. And as airports across the UK unveil new expansion plans the growth of aviation will become a fierce battleground between environmentalists and big business. It is a struggle which will shape Britain's eco future for generations to come.

Like Will Smith, who in the new film I Am Legend wakes up to find himself the last man alive in a world of zombies, am I now the only person left on the planet who finds Barack Obama a little bit dull? By Armando Iannucci

World leaders will converge on

The latest gloves-off documentary to hit screens predicts a global meltdown as vital fuel runs out. By Robin McKie

It's one of the most fashionable ideas to save the planet from global warming: buying up tropical rainforest to save it from destruction. Gordon Brown has even appointed the millionaire founder of one such charity, Johan Eliasch, as his special adviser on deforestation. By Juliette Jowit

Mystery surrounds last week's air foray into Syrian territory. The Observer's Foreign Affairs Editor attempts to unravel the truth behind Operation Orchard and allegations of nuclear subterfuge. By Peter Beaumont

Exhaustion and combat stress are besieging US troops in Iraq as they battle with a new type of warfare. Some even rely on Red Bull to get through the day. As desertions and absences increase, the military is struggling to cope with the crisis. By Peter Beaumont

Finding out which companies are truly eco-friendly can be tricky. Many are keen to assert a 'green' agenda by peppering annual reports with buzz words such as 'environmental' and 'sustainable'. By Harriet Meyer

The cost of protecting London and the south-east from flooding will be at least £4bn as sea levels rise and the south-east coast sinks over the next century, a report for the Environment Agency has warned. By Juliette Jowit

Most significant advance in decade. By Polly Curtis

America's thirst for environmentally friendly biofuels is driving up food prices around the world as farmers scramble to devote more land to corn, writes Heather Stewart.

Two billion cups are sold daily in a £40bn global industry, but now a controversial documentary showing the plight of growers asks whether there is such a thing as ethical coffee. David Smith reports

Two of Britain's leading retail chains are selling clothing made by child slaves, an Observer investigation reveals today.

In the week that saw Primark mania, Jonathon Porritt, the government's green guru, says consumerism is now a lethal disease. David Smith reports

A shocking UN report details how the booming palm oil industry is wiping out one of man's closest relatives as its forest habitat disappears. David Smith asks if it's too late to save them

The EU's landmark deal on carbon controls must be the model for a new Kyoto agreement. ByWill Hutton

The government's chief scientific adviser calls for genuine international action on climate change. By David King

Tony Blair said today that the world could be on the verge of a major breakthrough on long-term climate change goals.

Scientists challenge 'cautious' UN report. By Robin McKie

Further signs of dramatic climate change will be revealed this week with new figures showing that the world's glaciers are continuing to shrink at an alarming rate. By Juliette Jowit

Blair's legacy could be that Britain led the world in non-proliferation; instead, he wants to spend billions on a new generation of missiles. By Mary Riddell

President George Bush faces a damaging political firestorm on the eve of the vital mid-term elections after it emerged yesterday that an influential military newspaper is to call for the resignation of his Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.

The Stern Report will tomorrow reveal that if governments do nothing, climate change will cost more than both world wars and render swathes of the planet uninhabitable. Can the world find the will to act? Gaby Hinsliff reports. By Gaby Hinsliff

Tourism is turning the world's highest peak into its biggest rubbish dump, claim conservationists, who are pressing for controls on climbing. But will this cost sherpas their livelihood? Dan McDougall in Kathmandu reports on the campaign

He painted an elephant and placed an inflatable Guantanamo detainee in Disneyland. Now Hollywood loves him. Dan Glaister in Los Angeles and Rob Sharp report on the incredible rise of Britain's secretive graffiti artist

What is happening in Zafaraniya is not unique in the capital. Sunni families in largely Shia neighbourhoods, and Shia families in majority Sunni areas, are being driven out of their homes in the rapidly worsening campaign of sectarian violence and intimidation. By Peter Beaumont

Ruaridh NicollSunday August 27, 2006The Observer

I began to feel a little itchy as I read reports of the 11 terrorist suspects appearing at Westminster magistrates court last week.

Fliers admit aborting raids on civilian targets as concern grows over the reliability of intelligence. By Inigo Gilmore

British children, possibly as young as six, will be subjected to compulsory fingerprinting under European Union rules being drawn up in secret. The prints will be stored on a database which could be shared with countries around the world. By Jamie Doward