Macron’s vaccine gamble

[Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( The pandemic has been a nightmare for world leaders trying to balance individual liberties and safeguard citizens against Covid-19. French President Emmanuel Macron’s carrot-and-stick [approach]( may help to revive his political fortunes. He [won]( court approval this week to require a vaccine passport to gain access to cherished lifestyle amenities like cafes, restaurants and the movies. The results have been stark. Macron announced the new measures last month, prompting a massive drive from previous holdouts to get the shot before the rules go into effect on Monday. In the last week alone, France administered 4.9 million doses of the vaccine, compared with 2.9 million for neighboring Germany. At this point, almost two-thirds of French citizens above the age of 12 are fully vaccinated, according to government data. That’s higher than in Germany, where the inoculation drive seems to be running out of steam. The policy hasn’t been without its pitfalls. [Protests]( have erupted across France with demonstrators opposing the plan to impose the vaccine passport as oppressive and potentially open to government misuse. Yet if the policy succeeds, it will give a major boost to Macron as he prepares to seek re-election next spring. With German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaving office soon, there’s a prospect for Macron to be the European Union’s senior leader on the international stage, a [role]( he appeared to test out at talks with U.S. President Joe Biden during June’s Group of Seven summit. Macron’s far-right nemesis at the election, Marine Le Pen, previously described the vaccination drive as his “Waterloo.” Now it appears like a battle Macron may be looking forward to. — [Richard Bravo]( Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel. Photographer: John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images Click [here]( for this week’s most compelling political images and tell us how we’re doing or what we’re missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. Global Headlines Weekend vote | The U.S. Senate is scheduled to convene tomorrow to hold a key vote on a bipartisan $550 billion infrastructure bill. [Disputes]( over the final wording of the legislation that numbers some 2,702 pages thwarted a bid by Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to move to passage late yesterday. He blamed Republicans for stalling. Vaccine diplomacy | Chinese President Xi Jinping has [pledged]( to significantly boost Covid-19 vaccine exports to two billion doses this year, matching commitments by G-7 nations. The shots are crucial for the developing world and to prevent more dangerous variants from emerging. - Biden has said Hong Kong residents in the U.S. can [remain]( in the country for as long as 18 months and apply for work permits, citing Beijing’s crackdown on political freedoms in the territory. Alibaba Group Holding [warned]( investors that years-long government tax breaks for the internet industry will start to dwindle, adding billions of dollars in costs for China’s largest corporations as Beijing extends its campaign to rein in the sector. Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [America Squandered Decades Living for the Moment: Noah Smith]( - [Is Next Financial Crisis Coded in Tech’s DNA?: Andy Mukherjee]( - [Belarus’s Lukashenko Pushes His Luck: Clara Ferreira Marques]( Mounting tensions | President Jair Bolsonaro’s relentless attack on Brazil’s voting system has [wrecked]( his relationship with the Supreme Court, leaving Latin America’s biggest country on the brink of an institutional crisis. Top Justice Luiz Fux cancelled plans for a meeting with the president yesterday, the harshest response yet to Bolsonaro’s claims that next year’s elections may be stolen from him. Battle resumes | The delta variant is [challenging]( a part of the world that’s previously been the most successful in blunting the economic impact of Covid-19, [Michael Heath]( and [Karen Leigh]( report. Countries in the Asia-Pacific region that snuffed it out are locking down again as the virus returns, and others are seeing the world’s highest death rates. Shifting control | South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa packed his cabinet with [allies]( and absorbed the spy agency into the presidency, asserting authority following last month’s rioting and midway through his first term. New Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is seen keeping a tight rein on spending and debt, and should help fend off calls from within the ruling party for more populist policies. - Jailed former President Jacob Zuma was admitted to the [hospital]( for medical observation, days before he is due to appear in court on bribery charges. What to Watch - Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered and Danske Bank are being [sued]( by the families of Americans killed and wounded during the Afghanistan war who claim they “knowingly facilitated transfers of millions” of dollars that provided aid to terrorists in the region. - A spending splurge that helped Zambia’s Edgar Lungu win the last two elections has turned into a [liability]( and may cost him the presidency in next week's vote. - Australia is making its tough pandemic border curbs even tougher, by [barring]( non-resident citizens who enter the country from leaving again to reduce pressure on a quarantine system being tested by the delta variant. Pop quiz, readers (no cheating!). Which nation’s president appeared in public in recent days with a bandage on the back of his head that has added fuel to simmering speculation about his health? Send your answers to balancepower@bloomberg.net And finally ... As the generation that experienced the world’s first atomic attack fades away, the city of Hiroshima is training younger [volunteers]( to share the experiences of nuclear survivors. These memory keepers, called denshosha in Japanese, spend three years learning to tell the story as the survivor wants it told. As inheritors of their subjects’ personal experiences, they’re charged with telling their stories in public appearances and in museum presentations. A visitor prays for the atomic-bomb victims at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Photographer: Philip FongAFP/Getty Images  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