Caterpillar

Fund said decision against Caterpillar and five Israeli banks due to their contribution ‘to serious violations of rights in situations of war and conflict’.

Norway’s $2-trillion wealth fund, the largest in the world, has divested from US construction equipment giant Caterpillar over the firm’s purported involvement in rights violations perpetrated by the Israeli military in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The Norwegian central bank said on Monday that it had decided to exclude Caterpillar from the fund, which it manages, “due to an unacceptable risk that the companies contribute to serious violations of the rights of individuals in situations of war and conflict”.

The fund also announced that it had divested from five Israeli banks, based on the recommendation of its council on ethics.

In a statement, the ethics council said that “bulldozers manufactured by Caterpillar are being used by Israeli authorities in the widespread unlawful destruction of Palestinian property”.

“There is no doubt that Caterpillar’s products are being used to commit extensive and systematic violations of international humanitarian law,” the council said.

It added that Caterpillar had “not implemented any measures to prevent such use” by Israeli authorities.

Prior to its divestment, the fund held a 1.17 percent stake in Caterpillar valued at $2.1bn as of June 30, according to fund data.

The five banks named in the fund’s statement were Hapoalim, Bank Leumi, Mizrahi Tefahot Bank, First International Bank of Israel and FIBI Holdings.

The ethics council said the banks excluded had, “by providing financial services that are a necessary prerequisite for construction activity in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem … contributed to the maintenance of Israeli settlements”.

“The settlements have been established in violation of international law, and their continued existence constitutes an ongoing breach of international law,” the council said.

Just last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israeli settlements built on Palestinian territory seized in 1967 should end “as rapidly as possible”, as they “have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law”.

Last week, 21 countries signed a joint statement condemning Israel’s plans to build an illegal settlement on a 12 sq km (4.6 sq-mile) tract of land east of Jerusalem known as “East 1” or “E1”.

The massive construction, which envisions 3,400 new homes for Israeli settlers, cuts off most of the occupied West Bank from occupied East Jerusalem.

Hailing the plan, Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said the extent of the settlement and its cutting into Palestinian territory would bury the possibility of a future Palestinian state “because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise”.

The Norwegian fund’s stakes in the five Israeli banks were valued at a combined $661m, according to fund data.

Caterpillar, Hapoalim, First International Bank of Israel and Bank Leumi did not immediately reply to emailed requests for comment by the Reuters news agency.

The fund had announced on August 18 that it would divest from six companies as part of an ongoing ethics review over the war in Gaza and the situation in the occupied West Bank, but declined at the time to name any groups until its stakes in the entities were sold.

The fund is invested in some 8,400 companies worldwide.

CONNIE the Caterpillar fans have spotted a new seasonal version of the beloved cake.

M&S has dropped the “limited edition” sweet treat in time for Mother’s Day.

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The popular range has released a Queen for the Day Connie the Caterpillar Cake.

This new version features a pink crown on Connie’s head.

The top of the cake has also been covered in cute pink crown sprinkles.

This version of Connie is still made of a chocolate sponge but this one is covered in a pink-hued white chocolate buttercream and milk chocolate.

This treat is fit for anyone wishing to treat their mum like a queen for the day.

The Queen for the Day cake is 360g and the pink packaging says “limited edition” on the box.

This Mother’s Day special was spotted by shoppers and posted onto Instagram.

The M&S fan said: “Limited Edition Mother’s Day Connie the Caterpillar spotted at M&S!!”

This isn’t the only Mother’s Day treat from M&S.

The British retailer is offering select customers a free box of their delicious chocolate biscuits.

Mums will be able to grab one of the free boxes.

One savvy shopper revealed how she got this deal for herself.

She took to Facebook to share how she found the offer and bagged a box of the £6 sweet treat.

She wrote: “If you have a young child (not sure the age limit. My son is 2 for comparison) and you are a member of the M&S parent club through Sparks you can get a free box of biscuits worth £6 for Mother’s Day.”

How to save money on chocolate

We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don’t have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.

Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs…

Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.

Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.

Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.

Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.

They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.

Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.

So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.

The mum added: “The milk choc box and mixed choc box are in the offer.”

In the deal, you can pick up milk chocolate selections, a mix including a variety of dark, milk, and white chocolates, or their dairy-free box.

This offer will only be available to some customers.

M&S has also released a beauty box worth £134 for just £30 that is a perfect gift for mums.

The Made for an Icon gift set delivers a touch of self-care for hard-working mums on their special day.

There are seven full- and travel-size products for pampering skin, hair and body, plus a summer fragrance inside.

FANS of Colin the Caterpillar are going wild after Marks and Spencer revealed a festive version of the hugely popular chocolate cake.

The iconic M&S Colin the Caterpillar has graced the table at many birthday events, but now he will pull up in his sleigh for a festive appearance.

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“Colin’s been upgraded this year guys prepare yourselves,” one excited shopper wrote under a Facebook post about the festive treat.

The Sleigh Ride Colin the Caterpillar features “Colin as you’ve never seen him before,” M&S states.

With 46% more chocolate than the traditional caterpillar cake, Colin is getting into the spirit of Christmas, oozing both joy and indulgence.

Festive Colin wears a red Santa hat and is pulling a present-filled sleigh with candy canes and white and milk chocolate gifts.

He even has white winter boots and Christmas-themed sprinkles which are red, white and green.

They are made up of tiny Christmas trees, candy canes and snowflakes.

To get a taste of the “upgraded” Colin, shoppers will have to pay £15 for the vegetarian cake that serves 10 people.

Colin lovers won’t even have to leave their seats to secure one for the big day as the caterpillar cake is included in the M&S Food to Order service.

As news spread of the new Colin, shoppers flooded Facebook comments celebrating the addition to the M&S Christmas range and frantically tagging friends and family members.

“I hope you realise that this is a Christmas essential,” one woman wrote while tagging her partner.

“Well it would be rude not to have one,” another added.

One simply wrote three words in response to the new cake: “Must have one.”

“The sledge looks nice, thick and chocolatey, can’t wait to give it a try,” an excited shopper wrote.

“My children will beg me [to] get this for Christmas,” a mother added.

However, some were baffled by the new Colin and his festive accessories.

“It looks like one of those dogs that needs wheels to run around,” one wrote.

“I didn’t realise he was riding a sleigh,” another added.

For others, it was the price that left them unenthused about the festive product.

“Just so over the top,” one shopper said, noting that “many cannot afford” a £15 cake.

The question of cost also saw the conversation quickly turn to the most famous cake rivalry.

“Can’t wait to see Cuthbert the caterpillar on his sledge Aldi UK,” a cheeky shopper said on Facebook.

Some tagged the German retailer asking if they could make a cheaper version of Colin in his sleigh.

Aldi has famously re-created the Colin the Caterpillar cake with their own Cuthbert the Caterpillar, causing fierce competition between the two companies and among fans forced to pick sides.

It seems that the rivalry will not be settled for Christmas this year after a festive version of Cuthbert has appeared on the Aldi website and will be available from November 24.

Unlike Colin, Cuthbert Christmas is not in a sleigh, but wearing a Santa hat, a green bow tie and has white chocolate stars down his back.

The Aldi version that serves 12 people costs £6.49.

M&S is also offering savoury treats for Christmas as part of the Food to Order service.

This includes a handcrafted Christmas Sausage Roll Garland for £10, a Slow-Cooked Turkey serving up to 10 people for £85 and a Honey Glazed Vegetable & Barber’s Cheddar Galette for £22.

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