Why Ukrainians are souring on their government

Greetings from London…

…which is in a slightly subdued mood, after the England women’s football team lost to Spain in the World Cup final in Sydney. Still, it’s been an enthralling tournament, with no shortage of tight games and surprises—a sign that elite women’s football has become much more competitive. One of my colleagues stood back from the excitement to note that female footballers, like many sportswomen, must play with rules and equipment designed for men, despite the very different demands the sport places on women’s bodies. Whether that means pitches, balls and goals should be smaller isn’t just a technical question. A lot of players would give the idea short shrift.

With the weekend now over, it’s time to turn away from the sports field. One political event to watch is the BRICS summit, which starts on Tuesday in Johannesburg. Our correspondent calls it a “defining moment” for the grouping. China is keen to admit more members, to increase the group’s global heft (and its own). A weakened Russia is likely to go along with it. Brazil, India and South Africa aren’t so sure. We reckon that 18 countries, including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Mexico, are realistic candidates.

Only four of the five BRICS countries’ heads of state will be in Johannesburg. Vladimir Putin is staying in Russia, because South Africa, as a member of the International Criminal Court, would be obliged to arrest him—an embarrassing way to treat a guest. Mr Putin’s war in Ukraine has not been going according to plan; Ukraine’s counter-offensive has been making a bit more progress of late. But it is still slow going. Our new piece examines the political implications for Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.????????

The BRICS’ biggest cheese, Xi Jinping, also has plenty to worry about: China’s economy is stalling. Last week Evergrande, a long-troubled property company, filed for bankruptcy protection in America. A far bigger one, which goes by the deceptively comforting name of Country Garden, also seems to be in difficulty. The malaise is a chief reason for the disillusionment among young Chinese people with their prospects. Mr Xi says they should “eat bitterness”, as their parents and grandparents did. Not surprisingly, many are turning a deaf ear.

Older readers will recall that the term “BRICs” was coined in 2001 at Goldman Sachs—to be precise, by the bank’s then chief economist, Jim O’Neill. (The “s” was capitalised after South Africa joined in 2010.) Curiously enough, Goldman has its troubles too. Its recent performance has been patchy, and as our Wall Street correspondent reports, internal discontent with its chief executive, David Solomon, has turned into open mutiny.

It remains difficult to avoid Donald Trump. His indictment in Georgia, along with 18 others, over his attempt to rig the presidential election in 2020, is the most sweeping yet. But the Trump-averse need not fear tuning in to the first debate among Republican candidates for 2024 on Wednesday. The frontrunner won’t be turning up.

Thank you for writing to us. I suspect that our package on Germany’s economy, labelling it (again) the “sick man of Europe”, may move some of you to get in touch. I can assure you that we weren’t motivated by Schadenfreude. The author is German. Regardless, you can reach us at economisttoday@economist.com.

Patrick Lane, Deputy digital editor

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The BRICS bloc is riven with tensions

Like the iPod and MySpace, the BRICS bloc is a product of the benign optimism of the 2000s. In 2001 Goldman Sachs coined the acronym BRIC in a paper about the economic potential of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The quartet ran with the idea, holding its first summit in 2009. A year later South Africa was invited to join. Some analysts feared the BRICS might soon start to rival the G7, but the grouping quickly lost momentum. The non-Asian BRICS economies stagnated in the 2010s. At summits the bloc would issue garbled communiqués about the perfidious West—which the perfidious West would promptly ignore. The BRICS looked dead.

Ukraine’s sluggish counter-offensive is souring the public mood

The disappointing pace of Ukraine’s counter-offensive has been the focus of international headlines for weeks. For Anastasia Zamula the consequences have been more tangible. Ms Zamula is a co-founder of Cvit (Blossom), an all-women volunteer organisation that supports Ukrainian units on the front line. Her crowdfunding appeals have struggled as hopes of a quick breakthrough have dwindled. Now she says her attention is devoted to counselling exhausted troops whenever she sees them. “The idea of a counter-offensive is bliss when you talk about it from an armchair,” she says. “It’s much harder when you understand that it means darkness, death and despair.”

Japan’s porn industry comes out of the shadows

Kurumin Aroma, a 33-year-old YouTuber who lives near Tokyo, used to dream of becoming a singer. A decade ago, a man approached her on the street and asked her to be a swimsuit model. He also offered to pay for singing classes and help her succeed in the entertainment business. After some cajoling, she agreed. On the day of the photo shoot, she was coaxed into getting naked. She ended up appearing in several porn videos. Beset by feelings of shame and fear, Ms Kurumin later thought of suicide. “I kept thinking: what went wrong with my life?” she recalls.

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