Lula da Silva is back at the helm. His return for a third term as president of Brazil is a political comeback that few could have expected just a few years back. DW looks at Lula's unlilkely rise from poverty to power.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula, has thanked the people of Brazil for his election victory. It marks a miraculous political comeback for the man who was elected president twice before being sent to prison over a corruption scandal, then released and allowed to stand again. Lula stands on the brink of his third term as Brazil's president. Can he unite a country bitterly divided by this presidential election?

The meeting between President Jair Bolsonaro and president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's advisers comes as Bolsonaro continues not to speak about his election defeat directly himself.

Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised "zero deforestation" in the Amazon. Can he gather enough support at COP27 to preserve the "lungs of the planet."

Holocaust denial has long been illegal in Germany. A new amendment aims to criminalize denial of other war crimes and genocides wherever they happen and would apply to denying atrocities committed in Ukraine.

The incoming leftist president announced five key cabinet appointments — all white men — but promised his government would soon reflect "the image of Brazilian society."

Lula's incoming justice minister has also vowed to prosecute protesters who caused damage and violently torched cars and buses in Brasilia on Monday.

In this special edition of Inside the Americas, we head to Brazil, where Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to return to office as president for the third time. But while Lula may be back, the country he's set to govern is far from united behind him.

The decision by Brazil's Supreme Court follows violent incidents in Brasilia attributed to supporters of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. Incoming Justice Minister Flavio Dino praised the ruling.

In a teary-eyed message before leaving for the US, Jair Bolsonaro praised his supporters who were camping front of army bases and urging a coup against Lula.

The press is bidding farewell to Pope Benedict XVI, with multiple views on his legacy. The Brazilian papers are discussing the inauguration of Lula as president, while the French papers are bracing for a rocky January as Macron prepares to push ahead with pension reforms. Finally, we look at the benefits of a Dry – or Damp – January.

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.