March 19 (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
- National Grid has placed a big bet on Britain's electric future by agreeing to pay 7.8 billion pounds ($10.84 billion) for the country's biggest power distribution company and proposing to sell a majority stake in the national gas network. https://bit.ly/3c0gHHZ
- OneSavings Bank has delayed its results after disclosing that it has been the victim of a suspected 28.6 million pounds fraud by a corporate customer. https://bit.ly/3cQtbAY
The Guardian
- The UK government is to take unprecedented action to force Northern Ireland to speed up abortion services, using parliament to give the secretary of state new powers amid concern many women are still being forced to seek help in England. https://bit.ly/3lCsGyE
- The Bank of England has become less gloomy about unemployment amid signs that budget measures and a more resilient than expected economy will improve the UK's jobs' outlook. https://bit.ly/3qY0Pd7
The Telegraph
- Britain's fleet of Challenger II battle tanks will get a 750 million pounds upgrade overseen by German company Rheinmetall, The Telegraph understands. https://bit.ly/3vERTgn
- Senior members of the Armed Forces face future pay cuts as part of a comprehensive review into giving lower ranks more money, The Telegraph can disclose. https://bit.ly/2OLCE4F
Sky News
- Roger Burnley, chief executive of Asda is preparing to step down weeks after it completed a 6.8 billion pounds takeover deal, paving the way for new leadership to be installed at Britain's third-biggest grocer. https://bit.ly/3vHbGvK
- Boris Johnson has said there will be "no change" to England's lockdown easing roadmap, despite the NHS warning of a "significant reduction" in the supply of coronavirus vaccines next month. https://bit.ly/3vEPGSa
The Independent
- The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and can continue to be used to inoculate people, both the UK and EU medicines regulators have concluded – a joint endorsement that is hoped to alleviate any lingering concerns around blood clots reported in some recipients of the jab. https://bit.ly/3qZcAA3
($1 = 0.7193 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)