The Observer: Main section

Barack Obama's bid to become America's first ever black president got a massive boost last night as he emphatically won the crucial state of South Carolina and beat arch rival Hillary Clinton in an increasingly bitter Democratic contest

· U-turn threatens 30,000 children
· Protests grow over closures threat

Senior Labour Catholics may rebel over cloning

Plans for a massive expansion of Heathrow could be thrown into disarray by a coalition of opponents who hope to launch a legal challenge 'within days'

In her first interview since being removed to Ghana after her visa ran out, cancer patient Ama Sumani tells of her gratitude to those who have helped her - but asks why she has to suffer in a strange city

· PM to back private welfare scheme
· Purnell hails true 'heir to Blair'

Mugabe apologist is accused of flouting currency exchange laws and possessing pornography

Teachers and parents join together in protest at plans to close village schools around the country

Farmers boost milk yields with pedometer ploy | Matchbox legacy | A 'local' for Poles | Ledger memorial

Greek doctor says that 'suicidal' John Hogan is set to be transferred to a psychiatric hospital in Britain

More gangland wars feared after criminal mastermind Martin Foley is targeted in Dublin shooting

New Culture Secretary promises 'punter power' for theatre, galleries, museums ... and football

Barry Humphries will go head to head with his alter ego, Dame Edna Everage, in a public battle for artistic appreciation By Vanessa Thorpe

He committed the biggest individual fraud in history but France is lauding the 'quiet and fragile' Jérôme Kerviel as a national hero who took on the system. Jason Burke in Paris and Alex Duval Smith in Pont l'Abbé report

In their heyday designers Halston and Ossie Clark dressed everyone from Jackie Onassis to Mick Jagger. As a Hollywood producer and private equity businessman prepare to relaunch their look, Alice Fisher, asks if their creations can ever live up to the originals

A large American spy satellite is expected to fall to Earth some time in the next month, officials said yesterday

A plea by Chris Evans on Radio 2 for the return of the defunct Pan Yan pickle revealed that the recipe had been destroyed in a fire in 2004. By Amelia Hill

The future of the UK's identity card scheme was thrown into further confusion last night after it emerged that the Home Office is looking to scrap one of its key components - a national register of fingerprints

Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, will reveal a zero-tolerance strategy that aims to deter fraud by NHS staff, clinicians, contractors and patients

Energy companies such as British Gas which have increased household bills by over 15 per cent should be referred to the Competition Commission, according to consumer watchdog Energywatch

A teenager has died after being attacked with a 'blunt instrument' in a west London park

Police are comforting the families of two people killed yesterday when their helicopter crashed in woodland, after taking off from a luxury golf resort in Yorkshire

The body of a backpacker murdered in New Zealand was flown back to Britain yesterday. Karen Aim, 26, was killed as she made her way home from a night out in the North Island resort town of Taupo in the early hours of 17 January

A predicted star of Sotheby's evening sale of famous Impressionist and modern art next week is sculptor Henry Moore's Draped Reclining Mother and Baby, a piece that represents one of the major themes of his work

Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of actor Marlon Brando, died yesterday at the age of 49 from pneumonia at a hospital in Los Angeles

Coroner calls for national strategy as police hunt for connections between 13 Bridgend deaths

The prospect of megabucks is luring office workers into joining the trades

Olympic star Kelly Holmes wants better clothing to keep teenagers on track

It is one of Britain's most pioneering neonatal wards and helps saves the lives of babies born after as little as 22 weeks in the womb. Amelia Hill was given remarkable access to talk to doctors and mothers about the dramatic medical and ethical dilemmas they face

A six-week-old male puppy owned by Tayside police has attained celebrity status following a decision to allow the public to follow its training online, writes Ben Quinn

More than £1.5bn of taxpayers' money was spent on flagship service to cut down reoffending rate

A lost treasure trove containing thousands of negatives by one of the world's most famous photographers, Robert Capa, has been recovered

Plans to step up efforts against organised crime are to be unveiled by the Scottish government tomorrow

The Dragon School in Oxford wants to 'sow the seeds' for a new generation of philanthropists

An Islamist cleric who has defended suicide bombings and the execution of homosexuals is to be allowed to enter the UK, sparking a major row between government departments

Britons can already buy Fairtrade chocolate and chickens whose breeding conditions satisfy Jamie Oliver. But will your conscience - or your wallet - stretch to forking out £11.50 to take away cod and chips in Britain's first 'green' chippy?

Observer food critic Jay Rayner says the guide's accolade for a Kent restaurant is a triumph for the simple over the fancy

The Raploch in Stirling is shrugging off its bad reputation thanks to a £120m redevelopment

Government targets could be partly to blame as hospitals agree to tackle management abuse

Police issue a warning to human 'bait' who was present at barn killing

Who needs A-levels when you can have a Big Mac degree? Plans to allow McDonald's and other companies to run national qualification schemes will be unveiled by the government tomorrow, despite misgivings among some education experts

The sinking of new boreholes means that women will not have to walk four miles to a tainted well