Brazil granny turned lingerie model shines light on older women

Brazil's new health minister, Marcelo Queiroga, says he is committed to accelerating Brazil's vaccination campaign to achieve at least one million vaccines per day, after the country surpassed 300,000 deaths from Covid-19.

Health workers treat Covid-19 patients in an intensive care unit at Rio de Janeiro's Ronaldo Gazolla hospital, as Brazil registers more than 4,000 Covid-19 deaths in 24 hours for the first time.

In our show "Correspondence", we explore how the world is coping with the twists and turns of 2021, amid the consequences of Covid-19 and beyond. FRANCE 24 brings you a selection of original reports from our correspondents and teams around the globe.

When Nicole Oliveira was just learning to walk, she would throw up her arms to reach for the stars in the sky. Today, at just 8 years of age, the Brazilian girl is known as the world's youngest astronomer, looking for asteroids as part of a NASA-affiliated program, attending international seminars and meeting with her country's top space and science figures.

In her hands, dance is an act of activism. Lia Rodrigues has been using movement for more than 40 years to break down barriers, put art within everyone's reach and argue – lyrically and persuasively – for more inclusion and diversity. The choreographer and dancer is a special guest at Paris's Festival d'Automne, where she's staging "Encantado", a hypnotic journey into a world of spiritualism and movement.

A video on Twitter claims to show the mayor of Toritama, in Brazil, attacked by anti-vax protesters in response to his vaccination policies. We take a closer look in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Brazilian soccer great Pele has returned to hospital for new chemotherapy sessions, sports website ESPN reported on Thursday. The former soccer star will undergo new exams to find other possible cancer spots, ESPN said. It said Pele was in stable condition and could leave hospital on Thursday.

A jet full of cocaine in Brazil shows Turkey's increasing role in global drug trafficking. The UN drugs agency says the cocaine is sent via Turkey to EU countries, as well as Eastern European and Middle Eastern nations.

Brazil's Justice Minister said "forensic analysis" is taking place to try and identify the remains. Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips were last seen on June 5 near the entrance of the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory.

Fake news plays a major role in this year's high-stakes Presidential elections in Brazil, as a massive misinformation campaign is in full swing. Many try to influence the outcome of these elections by disseminating fake news online. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Lyzza started DJing around Amsterdam when she was a teenager, just a few years after she and her mother moved from their native Brazil to the Netherlands. After making a name for herself across Europe's finest clubs, she reconnected with her motherland though her new mixtape "Mosquito", which has just been released on Ninja Tunes. She popped by FRANCE 24's studios to tell Marjorie Hache more about it.

Between left-wing leader Lula returning to power and the death of football legend Pelé, it's been a hugely significant New Year for Brazil. Marieke Riethof, a senior lecturer in Latin American Politics at the University of Liverpool, joined us for Perspective to give some insight into this new chapter.