March 23 (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
HUTCHISON READY TO MAKE 10 BLN POUNDS CALL AND BUY O2
A conglomerate backed by Asia's richest man could confirm this week that it has finalised a deal to buy O2 in a move that would create Britain's biggest mobile phone operator. Hutchison Whampoa, which owns Three, and Telefonica, the Spanish owner of O2, are set to confirm that they have agreed final terms for a deal worth more than 10 billion pounds ($14.95 billion). (http://thetim.es/1COcyAN)
LEVY PILES PRESSURE ON BANKS TO QUIT BRITAIN
Standard Chartered and HSBC face a combined annual cost of about $2 billion to pay the bank levy, increasing the pressure on them to consider moving their headquarters out of Britain. (http://thetim.es/1BHxD8R)
The Guardian
SHELL OIL DRILLING IN ARCTIC SET TO GET US GOVERNMENT PERMISSION
The U.S. government is expected this week to give the go-ahead to a controversial plan by Shell to restart drilling for oil in the Arctic. The green light from Sally Jewell, the interior secretary, will spark protests from environmentalists who have campaigned against proposed exploration by the Anglo-Dutch group in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off Alaska. (http://bit.ly/1IfX2MC)
FALLING ENERGY AND FOOD PRICES PUSH UK TOWARDS DEFLATION
The British economy is heading for a spell of deflation as official figures are expected to show that inflation dropped to 0.1 percent last month. Analysts expect the UK's consumer price inflation figure for February to fall from 0.3 percent in January, driven by lower energy and food prices. (http://bit.ly/1Bn4KyX)
The Telegraph
FARMERS FACE THREAT FROM CAMPAIGN TO SLASH MOBILE MAST RENTS
Farmers face a threat to hundreds of millions of pounds in extra income from their land, as mobile operators mount a campaign to slash the rent they pay for mast sites. A coalition of all four of Britain's mobile operators - EE, O2, Three and Vodafone - is urging the government to intervene to give them similar rights to energy and water companies to build out their networks. (http://bit.ly/1EHq6M1)
LEADERS OF GREECE AND GERMANY DUE TO MEET FOR DEBT TALKS
The Greek prime minister on Monday will make his first official visit to Berlin to discuss his country's tumultuous finances with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has pushed for Greece to honour its commitments to the rest of the euro zone. (http://bit.ly/1xqWvXE)
Sky News
MOBILE PHONE THEFT CAP TO PROTECT CONSUMERS