March 17 (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

* Google is to be summoned before the government to explain why taxpayers are unwittingly funding extremists through advertising, The Times can reveal. http://bit.ly/2nthNDT

* Oil and gas giant BP is in talks to sell the North Sea's biggest pipeline to Ineos, the petrochemicals company run by Jim Ratcliffe. http://bit.ly/2mOrNVm

The Guardian

* Toyota Motor Corp is to invest 240 million pounds into upgrading its car plant in Derbyshire in a major boost for the automotive industry after Britain's vote to leave the European Union. http://bit.ly/2myjqey

* Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has accused Theresa May of sealing the fate of UK after the prime minister rejected her demand for a second Scottish independence referendum before the Brexit talks conclude. http://bit.ly/2neOlRM

The Telegraph

* Canary Wharf Group is mulling a sale of its stake in one of the City of London's most recognisable buildings, according to reports. http://bit.ly/2nL2YbZ

* Britain's intelligence and security organisation has dismissed claims, suggested by the White House, that it helped former U.S. president Barack Obama spy on President Donald Trump as "nonsense" in a rare public statement. http://bit.ly/2nxcsIq

Sky News

* Former Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond is launching a joint takeover bid with Qatari investors for Panmure Gordon, one of Britain's oldest stockbrokers. http://bit.ly/2m6lXl3

* Former British prime minister David Cameron has tried to brush aside the significance of Conservative overspending at the last general election which led to the party receiving a record 70,000 pounds fine. http://bit.ly/2ntmcqx

The Independent

* Writing for the Independent, EU commissioner Julian King said it was vital for nations to work closely to combat international cyber attacks, terrorists and hostile states and "be prepared for whatever the future holds". http://ind.pn/2mV0zxS

* UK Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said on Thursday that she had asked regulators to examine Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox's planned takeover of Sky. http://ind.pn/2nvyefF ($1=0.81 pounds) (Compiled by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru)