PRESS DIGEST- British Business - March 16

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

The Times

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

- Glencore Plc has struck a deal to sell one thirdof its cobalt production to a Chinese company, in the latestsign that Beijing is gaining an upper hand in a battle forcontrol 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 ahalf times more per hour than women on average. This is thelargest 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 areat risk from a new wave of oil drilling, according toGreenpeace. http://bit.ly/2tNUEjw

The Telegraph

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

- Spotify will go public on April 3, the music streamingcompany announced on Thursday, as it laid out its case toinvestors ahead of the most hotly anticipated technologyflotation of the year. http://bit.ly/2GwBjWF

Sky News

- The British government has been signing a series of secretagreements with companies and industry groups over highlycontroversial outcomes of the Brexit process for Britain's tradeborder. http://bit.ly/2FUp4pf

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

The Independent

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