March 16 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

- Nex Group Plc confirmed to the stock exchange on Thursday that it had received a "preliminary approach" from CME Group Inc, the world's largest futures exchange which is based in Chicago. http://bit.ly/2tWijys

- Glencore Plc has struck a deal to sell one third of its cobalt production to a Chinese company, in the latest sign that Beijing is gaining an upper hand in a battle for control of global supplies of the prized metal. http://bit.ly/2tNU0m6

The Guardian

- The gender pay report from UK's HSBC Holdings Plc , published on Thursday, reveals men are paid two and a half times more per hour than women on average. This is the largest gender pay gap reported to date by a major UK company. http://bit.ly/2tQlyY5

- More than 71,000 hectares of protected countryside, including national park land, in the south-east of England are at risk from a new wave of oil drilling, according to Greenpeace. http://bit.ly/2tNUEjw

The Telegraph

- Alarm bells have been set ringing at Melrose Industries Plc over its takeover bid for GKN Plc after the target company's biggest customer Airbus SE said it would be "practically impossible to give new work" to the company if the deal goes through. http://bit.ly/2FWWcMZ

- Spotify will go public on April 3, the music streaming company announced on Thursday, as it laid out its case to investors ahead of the most hotly anticipated technology flotation of the year. http://bit.ly/2GwBjWF

Sky News

- The British government has been signing a series of secret agreements with companies and industry groups over highly controversial outcomes of the Brexit process for Britain's trade border. http://bit.ly/2FUp4pf

- The British government has dismissed any suggestion that Unilever NV's decision to abandon its UK headquarters is connected to Brexit. http://bit.ly/2FUbq5x

The Independent

- More than 100 outsourced University of London workers will walk out next month over pay and conditions after a near-unanimous vote for industrial action, the union representing them has said. https://ind.pn/2GutErX (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom; Editing by Sandra Maler)