The African Development Bank began publishing detailed country reports to help the continent’s nations transition their economies away

An ex-Google officer has shared a warning of the 'danger' AI could pose within 'months' if it keeps growing at the rate it has. Mo Gawdat appeared on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO, where he warned that AI machines have 'emotions' and are allegedly far more 'sentient' than we initially thought. "If we define being sentient as engaging in life with free will and a sense of awareness... then AI is sentient in every possible way", he said. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

Qantas Airways Ltd. and Air New Zealand Ltd. have both snapped up new planes to boost previous multibillion

The restaurant industry is ever-evolving and continuously bringing in new changes to menus to suit its demographic. Certain tricks in their menus allow restaurants to subtly nudge customers into enjoying a fuller dining experience, consequently increasing their spending. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter To help diners avoid falling for these tricks, an expert at Menu Price lifted the lid on the sneaky tricks that encourage people to spend and consume more: Value menus Restaurants introduce value menus with meals of different price points. The restaurant hopes that it will motivate customers to opt for the priciest range of the value menu, which has more options, or to bypass the value menu entirely due to its limited options. This strategy ultimately translates into increased profitability. "If a restaurant's value menu features items like burgers, pizza, and spaghetti, but your preference leans towards a steak, you'll find yourself ordering the steak at its regular cost, bypassing the value menu. This scenario directly contributes to a higher profit for the restaurant," says a Menu Price expert. Emphasis on certain menu items Restaurants strategically highlight specific dishes, often those with higher profit margins, drawing customer attention to these preferred items through menu placement and design cues. The use of colour Warm hues like red and yellow can trigger hunger, while cooler shades like blue make meals seem more refreshing. Strategically deploying these colours in their menus helps restaurants subtly sway customer choices. Photographs used sparingly To maintain a sophisticated aesthetic, restaurants use photographs sparingly, only emphasising selected dishes, making them more appealing to the eye and tastebuds alike. Descriptive language Vivid descriptions of dishes can create a compelling image in customers' minds, making the menu items more appealing and increasing the likelihood of ordering. Avoiding currency symbols Menus without currency symbols can encourage higher spending, as prices appear less intimidating. "Keep a close eye on prices, even when restaurants fail to integrate dollar signs. This can help you avoid paying more than you want for a meal," the expert said. Anchor items Restaurants place some of their most expensive items next to even more costly options. The Menu Price expert added: "When customers see a pricey dish positioned next to an even more expensive option, they are more likely to perceive the less costly of the two as a 'better deal." Use of boxes Boxes and borders draw attention to specific items, creating a visual 'stage' that makes these dishes stand out. "This technique is often applied to high-profit items, specials, or unique offerings," they said. Keeping portion sizes secret Restaurants offer full or half salads or sandwiches without revealing the portion sizes. Despite any clear explanation, consumers assume that half sizes are overpriced and the full size is more cost-effective. "Customers perceive they are getting a better deal without even knowing the real serving size of the food options." Difficult-to-read font Using complex fonts in menus can slow customers' reading, promoting more profound engagement with dish descriptions. This added interaction can enhance dishes' perceived worth and exclusivity, thereby subtly inspiring a readiness to spend more. Remain vigilant during your next dining experience and see how many of these subtle tricks you can spot and how much money you can save on your meal. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A woman has started a debate around shopping etiquette, with many calling her habit "gross". During an episode of the Australian cooking show My Kitchen Rules, contestant Patricija was required to pick up the ingredients for a Lithuanian dish she was preparing. One segment shows Patricija shopping for shallots, accidentally dropping one on the supermarket floor before simply putting it back on the shelf. Many viewers turned to social media with their takes, with one calling it "just gross". "I know we're supposed to wash our produce when we get it home from the supermarket, but no one does it," they added. Another said the "right thing to do is to take it to a staff member and tell them it fell on the floor". Meanwhile, a third jumped to her defence, confessing: "I put it back. If I damaged it beyond sellable I'd show it to the produce guy and tell him I dropped it. Then move on with my shopping." In other shopping etiquette news, one woman shared the shocking moment she found what appeared to be used boxers on a rack in a clothing shop. "Gross," she said in her viral TikTok clip. "Rather than leaving them there, I just did everyone a favour and threw them away, they didn’t belong here. I did notify a staff [member] of what I found and they thanked me for throwing it away." One person commented: "That is so nice of you for taking it out of the racks, a lot of people would just leave it." Another added: "Wait, you take the award for the number one best samaritan." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

A famed Paris museum said it would on Wednesday reinstall a waxwork of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson with a more true-to-life look after it was taken off public show for additional work when the US...

BERLIN Germany is ready to deploy a robust brigade of some 4,000 troops to Lithuania permanently, in coordination

Oil held a fourth weekly loss as concerns over the US economy and China’s slower-than-expected recovery weighed on

Heavy snowfall disrupted travel in southern Germany and Switzerland, with hundreds of flights delayed or canceled so far.

The US job market surged in September, adding more jobs than expected for the second consecutive month, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There's more to talk about than the NFL. Which of the new cast members will be able to step up when required?

Aydan has been banned from Twitch for seven days for "sexually explicit conduct."