Thursday newspaper round-up: Anglo American, BT, Selfridges

A Teesside factory that makes Covid-19 vaccines has received a £400m injection from its Japanese owners, the largest single investment in UK pharmaceutical manufacturing in decades. The biotechnology arm of the Japanese conglomerate Fujifilm, which is better known for its photography heritage, said the package would more than double its Billingham site’s development and manufacturing capability, creating the largest biopharmaceutical factory with several different technologies in the UK. - Guardian

The EU’s plan to invest €300bn (£255bn) in global infrastructure will be better than China’s belt and road initiative, the European Commission president has said, as she announced a strategy to boost technology and public services in developing countries. Ursula von der Leyen said the EU’s global gateway strategy was a positive offer for infrastructure development around the world and based on democratic values and transparency. - Guardian

The mining giant Anglo American is planning to dismiss staff who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid, including those in the UK, The Telegraph can reveal. As the omicron variant spreads, the FTSE 100 owner of De Beers diamonds is consulting its employees about the new rules, which it intends to introduce in the first few months of next year. - Telegraph

BT is aiming to more than double the share of its workforce from non-white backgrounds to 25pc by 2030, becoming the biggest British employer so far to impose such a target and going further than others. Philip Jansen, the chief executive of BT, said the target was “very ambitious”, but insisted it was in line with official forecasts for how the population of the UK will evolve in the coming years. The target includes international workers, however, including BT’s operations in India and Africa. - Telegraph

The Weston family has agreed to sell Selfridges to Thailand’s Central Group, The Times has learnt. The billionaire Canadian family, which had been seeking about £4 billion for the department store chain, is understood to have agreed terms with Central Group in the last few days and wants to close the deal by the end of the year. - The Times

The two young founders of Ladbible, the online media group, are in line for tens of millions of pounds after activating plans to float on London’s junior market. LBG Media confirmed yesterday that it is pressing ahead with a listing on the Aim market before Christmas. More details are expected next week, but LBG Media is thought to be targeting a valuation of around £360 million, according to Sky News. - The Times