The UK's economy grew faster than expected in July, latest official figures have shown. The economy expanded by 0.4% in the month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, whereas economists had predicted no growth. The expansion was helped by a strong performance from the services sector, and particularly computer programming. It follows growth of 0.3% in June and zero growth in May. According to the ONS director of economic statistics, Liz McKeown, there was evidence that businesses involved with artificial intelligence and related technologies helped to boost the sector, not just in July but in May and June as well.

Anthropic blocks'malicious use' of AI that could develop biological weapons Anthropic says it has identified and disrupted attempts to use its AI model for malicious activity that could support biological and conventional weapons development. The company's AI model Claude was also used in a Russia-linked cyber espionage campaign and by an Iranian propaganda institution, according to Anthropic's latest threat intelligence report. The cases of concern detected over the past eight months ranged from fake dating apps and hotel Wifi scams, to surveillance built to identify dissidents. The revelations come after warnings from a top safety researcher at Anthropic about AI's potential risks to humanity . Anthropic has also accused Chinese AI firms of trying to replicate Claude's capabilities.

A tourist coach has crashed in the south-eastern Swiss Alps, leaving several people dead and several injured, local police say. The bus overturned between Susch and Zernez in the Graubünden - also known as Grisons - region late on Thursday afternoon. A large team of rescuers equipped with several helicopters was deployed to the scene. Some 48 Dutch passengers were on board the bus, according to a spokeswoman for the General Dutch Association of Travel Companies on behalf of tour operator OAD, as well as the driver. The spokesperson told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf they could not yet say how many people had been killed or injured.

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. US Senator Bernie Sanders recently said he intends to introduce legislation banning AI superintelligence and propose a sort of sovereign wealth fund in which the US would take a 50% stake in AI companies. Sanders, who is an independent but often collaborates with his Democratic lawmaker colleagues, would need to pass both houses of Congress - currently held by Republicans - and be signed by President Donald Trump to become law. Trump has championed US government investment in AI companies, to create almost a partnership with the American public. The US senator spoke to BBC Newsnight about his concerns about artificial intelligence overtaking humanity.

Ukrainian officials say four people were killed and 60 wounded when a Russian drone attacked a shopping mall in Pavlohrad, a city in Dnipropetrovsk region. Shops and vehicles were hit in the daylight attack which took place when the streets were full of people, Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said. Two other shopping malls - in the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Sumy - were targeted by Russian air strikes earlier this week, according to Ukrainian media. Russia reported a Ukrainian seaborne drone attack on the resort city of Sochi overnight on Wednesday, in which 28 people were wounded, as well as three more deaths blamed on Ukrainian attacks. A full-scale war has been raging between Russia and Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion more than four and a half years ago.

Gruffalo Granny illustrator says rise of AI images'worrying' To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Gruffalo Granny illustrator says rise of AI images'worrying' Close The illustrator for the Gruffalo books has said images created by artificial intelligence (AI) are worrying. He was speaking to the BBC alongside author Dame Julia Donaldson for the launch of their new book Gruffalo Granny, with Dame Julia reading an extract. Updates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage . Updates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage .

Catie and Phil Allen should have been enjoying their first holiday in two-and-a-half years. Instead, they are at home ringing round for refunds that won't be paid. The couple are among the many thousands of air passengers caught up in the chaos caused by the four-hour shutdown of the UK's air traffic control system on Tuesday. It means their holiday to Slovenia has been cancelled and - although their flight was refunded by British Airways - they estimate being left £1,300 out of pocket from unused accommodation and excursions. It's not the first time - and won't be the last - when passengers are left flying on a wing and a prayer after problems at UK airports. So, here is how their case relates to others, and why they have taken such a big hit.

Image caption, Zelensky's plane after it landed in Norway after flying in from Moldova A plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was delayed by a Russian drone as he prepared to fly to attend a state funeral in Oslo, Moldovan and Norwegian authorities say. Zelensky and his wife Olena were on the jet at Chisinau, Moldova's capital, ahead of Wednesday's funeral of Norway's King Harald V when the unmanned aircraft crossed over the Moldovan border. The drone prompted an immediate airspace shutdown and Zelensky's plane was left on the runway for around an hour before it could take off. The flight was only authorised after it was confirmed the drone had come down 160km (100 miles) away. Asked by reporters on Thursday, the Kremlin said there had been no threat to the jet. Zelensky's plane had been due to take off at around 16:30 (14:30 GMT) from Chisinau International Airport.

Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Creator Playbook Look Up Back to School Mashable Selects Say More Trending Now Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices Safety Net Versus All Series Jimmy Kimmel responds to Anthropic researcher saying'AI could kill us all by the end of the decade' In times like these, that's when I'm very grateful we have a president who is on top of this stuff. Sam Haysom is the General Assignment Editor, UK, for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time. Rosie O'Donnell calls out'Mango Mussolini' Trump on'Kimmel' Colman Domingo responds to Elon Musk planning a'historically accurate' AI'Odyssey' Jimmy Kimmel recaps Trump's summer with a montage of the weirdest things he's said Jimmy Kimmel has the perfect joke to sum up Trump's Iran deal AI-related news has shifted from depressing to deeply disturbing recently, with an Anthropic researcher quitting the company and stating that he believes artificial intelligence could kill us all by the end of the decade -- a statement that seemed to be reinforced (unintentionally) by an Anthropic spokesperson. In the clip above, Jimmy Kimmel is shocked that the news isn't bigger.

Russia fired its new rapid, jet-powered drones against Ukraine every day throughout August, BBC Verify analysis of Ukrainian Air Force data has found, escalating its use of a weapon that Kyiv's air defences are struggling to deal with. It marked the first time that daily attacks by Moscow's new upgraded Geran drones were recorded in Ukrainian Air Force data. The growing use of jet-propelled and other varieties of drones prompted President Volodymyr Zelensky to condemn what he called an unfolding horror over the skies of Kyiv. Ukraine's military recently told the BBC that jet-powered drone attacks grew from 350 in June to 1,600 in July and 2,800 in August. In five of the nightly attacks in August, these drones outnumbered the older, slower models.