March 13 (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
* DeepMind, a machine-learning operation bought by Google GOOGL.O in 2014, has held talks with UK's National Grid NG.L about embedding its software in the electricity network, the Sunday Times can reveal. Senior government sources say that when British Prime Minister Theresa May triggers article 50, she will point out that Britain is entitled to the return of funds worth 9 billion pounds held by the European Investment Bank. Guardian
* British homebuilder Bovis Homes Group BVS.L is in talks with rival construction firm Galliford Try GFRD.L over a merger that would create one of Britain's biggest housebuilders. The troubled two billion pounds privatisation of the Green Investment Bank has already cost at least one million pounds of taxpayer money in consultancy fees, official documents have revealed. Telegraph
* The Daily Telegraph can reveal that Baferton Ltd, a Cyprus-registered vehicle funded by Hakan Uzan, has paid around 50 million pounds to acquire Hampshire manufacturer Vertu from its Chinese owners Godin Holdings. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon can name the date on which she intends to hold a second Scottish independence referendum as early as this week. News
* Sky News has learnt that Privet Capital and Hilco, which has transformed the fortunes of HMV, the entertainment retailer, tabled takeover bids for Vivid in the last few days. British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson has warned that Russia is capable of undermining the democratic process and is up to "all sorts of dirty tricks". His comments come as spy chiefs warn British political party leaders about the threat of Russian hacking at the next general election. Independent
* Theresa May's plans to rely on World Trade Organisation tariffs in the case of a hard Brexit will cause a "major economic shock" and is worse than any other option, according to an unpublished Treasury document leaked to the Independent. http://ind.pn/2mNtsfO