July 14 (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
*Rumours that AstraZeneca Plc's French Chief Executive was in talks to defect to an Israeli rival months before the results of a crucial cancer drug are released pushed shares in the drug company down sharply on Thursday. (http://bit.ly/2tRFeqZ)
*The government has bowed to pressure from small business owners, politicians and campaigners and delayed contentious plans to force millions of small businesses to update the taxman four times a year instead of once. (http://bit.ly/2viCSkh)
The Guardian
*Rupert Murdoch will not look to strike a deal with the culture secretary, Karen Bradley, to make Sky News more independent and fast-track his 11.7 billion pounds ($15.15 billion) takeover of Sky Plc. (http://bit.ly/2tQ5Po9)
*Brazilian flip-flop brand Havaianas is being sold for nearly 850 million pounds as its billionaire owners flog the family silver to pay a 2.5 billion pounds fine relating to a corruption scandal that is threatening to topple the country's president. (http://bit.ly/2sW1Y7X)
The Telegraph
*Investors have rounded on plans unveiled by the Financial Conduct Authority to pave the way for Saudi Aramco to float in London with an easier route on to the stock exchange. (http://bit.ly/2t6rk7l)
*The operator of Southern Rail has been fined more than 13 million pounds by the Department for Transport after 18 months of repeated disruption due to industrial action. (http://bit.ly/2sVIa4v)
Sky News
*Burberry Group Plc shareholders have staged another protest against executive pay at the luxury firm, three years after its strategy was voted down. The firm's chairman, Sir John Peace, was forced to defend a string of awards at its annual general meeting, including a near-doubling in the total package for former boss Christopher Bailey. (http://bit.ly/2tRQK5z)
*The Japanese technology giant NEC Corp is weighing a 900 million pound takeover bid for Civica, the British company behind much of the software used by UK police and fire services. (http://bit.ly/2tR0MUF)
The Independent
*Leaving the European Single Market with no trade deal would be "catastrophic" for London and could result in the loss of 70,000 city jobs, a new report has warned. (http://ind.pn/2vgoGZg)
*Taxpayers received "value for money" from the sale of Government-owned Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc's shares in 2015, despite making a loss of close to 2 billion pounds according to an official watchdog. (http://ind.pn/2t8MRvW)
($1 = 0.7724 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom; Editing by Sandra Maler)