Marks & Spencer’s new boss Marc Bolland caused executive pay fury when he received a ‘golden hello’ worth £3.9 million in shares. Photograph: Ian Nicholson/PA The pay packages enjoyed by Britain’s top directors are increasingly out of step with the actual performance... 

The chancellor, George Osborne, wants to pay for tax cuts by removing some of the 400 or so tax reliefs. Photograph: Alamy George Osborne will signal his intention tomorrow to take the axe to Britain’s labyrinthine tax system when he announces the creation of a new panel of experts charged... 

The bomb went off in a wheelie bin close to the railway line in Lurgan. Photograph: Guardian Sinn Fein and the SDLP have condemned those behind a bomb attack in Northern Ireland which injured three children. The young victims suffered light injuries but were said to be deeply shocked after... 

Microsoft said it has now sold 175m Windows 7 licences. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Microsoft added to the growing sense of recovery in the technology sector last night by reporting record quarterly revenues, driven by strong sales. The software giant pipped Apple, one of its greatest...