In politics, longevity can be a fickle thing

[Bloomberg]( Follow Us //link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/click/20811553.93493/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9icG9saXRpY3M/582c8673566a94262a8b49bdBcc17c919 [Get the newsletter]( It was a week that showed longevity in political life can never be guaranteed. Russian President Vladimir Putin moved a step closer to extending his rule until 2036, Angela Merkel took on one of her final roles as German leader, while French President Emmanuel Macron disposed of his prime minister after a disastrous showing in local elections. The U.S. continued to post record-breaking spikes in Covid-19 infections, while in Russia, Brazil and India cases continued to surge. And the ongoing examination of racism in all its guises exposed old wounds that never healed. Dig into these and other topics with the latest edition of Weekend Reads. [— Ruth Pollard]( An automobile shop along historic Route 66 in Arizona. The U.S. administration’s coronavirus task force is pleading with Americans to wear masks and practice social distancing as daily infections topped 50,000 for the second consecutive day. Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images North America [Click here]( for Bloomberg’s most compelling political images from the past week and tell us how we’re doing or what we’re missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. Introducing the new Bloomberg CityLab. [Sign up for the CityLab Most Popular newsletter](, a weekly digest of what's trending about the future of cities. [The Fight Against Racism in a London Neighborhood]( Brixton was the epicenter of British protests in the 1980s. Now a legacy of unfinished business is weighing on a new generation, with the Black Lives Matter movement thrusting the U.K. into what some newspapers and politicians are calling a “culture war,” as [Olivia Konotey-Ahulu]( and [Caroline Alexander]( report. [A Friend, a Fire, and a Personal Tale of Race in Britain]( The challenges facing Black people in the U.K. have been magnified by the inequity of the virus onslaught, [Olivia Konotey-Ahulu]( writes. But there’s another incident upon which this year’s anger is built — it took place three years ago, when the country watched smoke rise from a burning building called Grenfell on national television. A girl scoots past a mural of Michelle Obama in Brixton on June 24. Photographer: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images [With Merkel in Charge, Europe Faces a Crisis on Many Fronts]( For a leader who has steered Europe through two economic meltdowns, a migration crisis and a simmering showdown with Russia, Angela Merkel’s final act as German chancellor may be her biggest performance yet, [Patrick Donahue]( reports. [Mercenary Who Vowed to Oust Maduro Is Lying Low in Florida]( A former Green Beret and prolific Instagrammer signed a contract to essentially heist Venezuela. The results played out less like a biblical epic than a dark farce. [Brendan Borrell]( and [Christopher Solomon]( follow the trail of Jordan Goudreau, the mercenary who claimed responsibility for the failed Macuto Bay attack. [Cornered by Crises, Bolsonaro Adopts ‘Peace and Love’ Style]( For almost two weeks now Jair Bolsonaro has put his belligerent style aside to build bridges with the country’s top lawmakers and Supreme Court justices. But as [Samy Adghirni](, [Simone Iglesias]( and [Murilo Fagundes]( explain, the far-right president’s change of heart may not last. Hong Kong filed its first charges under a new security law while declaring illegal a key slogan chanted by hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy protesters over months of rallies, the latest sign that the provision will be used to limit free speech. [Xi’s Hong Kong Power Play Puts China Ever More at Odds With West]( President Xi Jinping’s move to reign in dissent in Hong Kong gained steam three years ago during a visit to the city. As [Iain Marlow]( and [Peter Martin]( report, his new national security law indicates Xi sees the financial hub as the one place under his control where citizens could undermine the Chinese Communist Party’s grip on power. And that could not stand. [Virus Halts Suitcases of Cash in EU State Fighting Launderers]( When customs agents in Riga followed a tip and searched passengers arriving on a private jet from Ukraine last year, they hit the jackpot, seizing about $1 million in U.S. and European banknotes. While Latvia has cracked down on illegal activity, [Aaron Eglitis]( explains some old fashioned methods of moving money persist. [The Toxic Legacy of 60 Years of Abundant Oil]( Half a century of oil spills has left a 27,000 square-mile region of swamps, creeks and mangrove forests in southeastern Nigeria one of the most polluted places on earth. Life expectancy is just 41 years. Now with the pandemic killing oil income, [Dulue Mbachu]( shows how the possibility of money to help clean the mess is fading away. Oil smeared fishboats on oily mud in the river during low tide at Ogoniland's village of K-Dere, near Bodo, which is part of the Niger Delta region, on Feb. 20. Photographer: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP [Trump Stirs New Alarm Over Russia by Dismissing Bounty Claims]( President Donald Trump has publicly shrugged off allegations that Russia offered bounties to kill American troops in Afghanistan, reigniting concerns he’s more interested in preserving ties with the Kremlin than defending U.S. interests. But as [Justin Sink]( and [Nick Wadhams]( report, Republicans and Democrats alike are demanding answers. [The People You Should Care About in Singapore’s Election]( Singaporeans will cast their ballots on July 10 with the People’s Action Party seeking to continue its unbroken stint in power since independence in 1965. [Niluksi Koswanage]( and [Faris Mokhtar]( introduce four faces each to watch from the ruling party and opposition. [And finally]( ... Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko has routinely crushed dissent since he came to power in 1994. Now an almost century-old oil painting is shaking things up for him ahead of presidential polls. [Marc Champion]( and [Aliaksandr Kudrytski]( explain how ‘Eva’ emerged as an unlikely protest icon in the former Soviet republic. ‘Eva’ by Chaim Soutine Photographer: Пользователь/Belgazprombank Collection   Like Balance of Power? | [Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com](, where you'll find trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters.  You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022