The mood among Britain’s smaller manufacturers is finally improving, according to research.

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For the first time since it was built in the early 1500s, the Tour Saint Jacques is opening to the public this summer

Tower at heart of Paris opens to the public for the first time

Gothic edifice that has inspired writers and scientists alike has just undergone a restoration

Review: A Marker To Measure Drift, By Alexander Maksik

Adrift bearing memories of a faraway war

New Zealand dairy giant finds botulism-causing bacteria in products exported worldwide

Government announces that contaminated whey protein has entered products distributed to eight customers

N is for: An essential guide to neighbours, nettles and nutrient deficiency

Our green-fingered correspondent Anna Pavord continues her A-Z of horticultural pests and problems standing between you and your perfect garden

Cal Crutchlow has been given a factory ride for the first time

Cal Crutchlow signs up for Ducati in MotoGP

Cal Crutchlow has secured a factory ride for the first time after signing a two-year deal with Ducati.

3D printers could 'pay for themselves' in just two months

New study by Michigan Technological University showed yearly savings of between $300 and $2,000

Texas is running out of lethal drug used to execute death row prisoners

The most active state for executions has confirmed supplies of pentobarbital will expire in September

Darren Bent

Transfer news: Fulham return with improved bid for Aston Villa striker Darren Bent - reports

Newcastle are focusing their attentions on alternative options

Standing up to be counted: David Baddiel has a new Edinburgh show

Edinburgh 2013 review: David Baddiel - Fame: Not the Musical, Assembly George Square

Given that David Baddiel's first stand up show for 16 years apparently arose out of an educational talk, the George Square Theatre (a lecture hall for the rest of the year), is a venue match made in heaven. It's also a far cry from the comedian's Wembley Arena days of rock n' roll comedy.

Bank keeps rates on hold as manufacturing improves

The Bank of England kept its monetary stimulus policy on hold yesterday as a key survey pointed to an accelerating pick-up in manufacturing output.

Sir Anthony Bamford has donated £5m to the Conservative party

'Money is polluting Parliament' as line-up of new peers includes major business donors to major parties

New peers could cost the taxpayer about £1.2m, plus travel and other expenses, leaving PM with awkward questions over promise to cut cost of politics

BSkyB successfully sue Microsoft's 'SkyDrive' out the cloud

US tech giant's cloud service storage will be renamed after a "transition period"

Better exports boost manufacturing sector

Stronger exports helped the manufacturing sector record its best performance for more than two years in July as its recovery gathered pace.

Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek

Starved, beaten, poisoned: The tragic death of Daniel Pelka at hands of mother and partner

Mother and her partner ‘took relish’ in reign of torture that led to murder of four-year-old boy

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Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

The great war photographer was not one person but two. Their pictures of Spain's civil war, lost for decades, tell a heroic tale
The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

Someone, somewhere has to write speeches for world leaders to deliver in the event of disaster. They offer a chilling hint at what could have been
Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Think comedy’s a man's world? You must be stuck in the 1980s, says Holly Williams
Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

The Dr Feelgood guitarist talks frankly about his terminal illness
Lure of the jingle: Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life

Lure of the jingle

Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life
Who stole the people's own culture?

DJ Taylor: Who stole the people's own culture?

True popular art drives up from the streets, but the commercial world wastes no time in cashing in
Guest List: The IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Guest List: IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Before you stuff your luggage with this year's Man Booker longlist titles, the case for some varied poolside reading alternatives
What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

Rupert Cornwell: What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

The CIA whistleblower struck a blow for us all, but his 1970s predecessor showed how to win
'A man walks into a bar': Comedian Seann Walsh on the dangers of mixing alcohol and stand-up

Comedian Seann Walsh on alcohol and stand-up

Comedy and booze go together, says Walsh. The trouble is stopping at just the one. So when do the hangovers stop being funny?
From Edinburgh to Hollywood (via the Home Counties): 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Edinburgh to Hollywood: 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Hugh Montgomery profiles the faces to watch, from the sitcom star to the surrealist
'Hello. I have cancer': When comedian Tig Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on

Comedian Tig Notaro: 'Hello. I have cancer'

When Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on
They think it's all ova: Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Our chef made his name cooking eggs, but he’s never stopped looking for new ways to serve them
The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

With its own Tiger Woods - South Korea's Inbee Park - the women's game has a growing audience
10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

Here are the potential stars of the World Championships which begin on Saturday
The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

Briefings are off the record leading to transfer speculation which is merely a means to an end