.The EU plans to increase aid to Ukraine, by using frozen Russian assets to increase the costs of war for Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine is preparing to hold talks with US President Donald Trump’s team in coming days.

SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves speaks with Stephen Halmarick from Economists Unchained and Alice Shen from VanEck to find out what today's official GDP data really says about the economy, implications for interest rates, and how the sharemarket reacted.

Teenagers are more concerned than ever about the cost of living, according the annual Mission Australia Youth Survey of more than 17,000 young people. Financial worries have jumped significantly in survey results in recent years, with climate change falling as an issue of concern, and mental health still having a large impact.

The United States faces mounting accusations of extrajudicial killings after launching lethal airstrikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the waters of the Caribbean and East Pacific Ocean. A follow-up strike on survivors from a disabled boat on September the 2nd has sparked particular outrage, with legal experts and the U-N saying the attacks violate international law, and the Pentagon’s own rules against targeting the shipwrecked.

.Russian President Vladimir Putin has been meeting with President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff for talks on a possible way to end the deadliest European conflict since World War Two. Just before the meeting, President Putin warned Europe that it would face swift defeat if it went to war with Russia, and he dismissed European counter-proposals on Ukraine as being absolutely unacceptable to Russia.

The Australian share market has closed higher ahead of tomorrow’s key GDP data, where a strong economic growth figure could further complicate the Reserve Bank’s interest rate decision next week. Plus, silver’s rally continues with the precious metal breaking above US$58 an ounce overnight. For more, Stephanie Youssef spoke with MPC Markets CEO Mark Gardner.

Australia's immigration detention regime is under United Nations scrutiny this week. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is examining how the country deprives people of their liberty — from prisons to offshore detention facilities. And for people like Muhammad, who spent six years in detention, this review is one that's long overdue.

United States President Donald Trump has threatened a ground invasion of Venezuela to disrupt what he claims is a vast drug-trafficking network. The US military has already deployed thousands of troops and dozens of warships to the Caribbean as a US air campaign that has killed at least 83 people continues. But how likely is an all-out war with their South American neighbour, really?

Ukrainians are cautiously optimistic that an end to the war could come soon, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a revised U-S peace plan for Ukraine is looking more acceptable. This comes as French President Emmanuel Macron says this may be a turning point for Europe’s security, as Ukraine doubles down on long-term defence with a large French fighter-jet deal.

New data reveals that surging home prices have wiped away the benefits of three interest rate cuts to new buyers. Rent prices are also rising in every capital city, prompting more and more Australians to form larger households or move back to their family home. The rising prices have left economists predicting a possible rate hike in 2026.