The surest sign of malign intention in financial dealings is a failure to be straightforward about the feesFour years into the credit crunch, it has become mainstream to distinguish between the important functions of banking and those things that the F…

David Gauke is wrong to suggest that “it is illegal for the plumber” to take cash-in-hand payment for work done (Paying plumber cash ‘morally wrong’, says minister, 24 July). It is no more illegal to do so than to accept payment by debit card or cheque…

Stewart Lee is quite right about the slow death of the Edinburgh Fringe (Who’s laughing now?, 31 July). However, Edinburgh’s loss is the rest of the UK’s gain and I’m pleased to announce that Fringe utopia is alive and well across the nation, be it in …

Holiday fashion, Olympic ticket etiquette and Trainspotting the mini-seriesHoliday chicPacking for holiday can be tricky but could get a whole lot harder if you tried to enact the idea behind Kate Imbach’s new Tumblr – matching book to swimsuit. Now …

Great Britain’s equestrian team, which includes the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips, celebrate winning an Olympic silver medal

As part of the Radio 2 In Concert series, Blur are playing an exclusive gig at Maida Vale studios in London from 8pm on Tuesday 31 July. You can watch the performance here, live and free of charge

Despite the influx of tourists flocking to the London 2012 Olympic Games, overall visitor numbers to London have reportedly declined

The discovery of intricate book sculptures left anonymously in Edinburgh literary spots last year entranced book-lovers. For the first time, writes Robyn Marsack, director of the Scottish Poetry Library, all ten are going on public displayI’ve run the …

Call supposedly made by a three-year-old claiming her mother was unconscious sparked police searchTwo 10-year-old girls are being “spoken to” by police after it turned out that a 999 call apparently made by a three-year-old claiming her mother was unco…

Girl called Ellie, aged three, rang ambulance service saying her mother, Stacey Hall, had fallen and was not moving• This article has been superseded after police said the 999 call was a hoaxPolice are urgently looking for a three-year-old girl who c…