The United States recorded its highest daily death toll (Hill) from COVID-19 yesterday: over three thousand deaths. And more than one hundred thousand Americans are hospitalized with the disease, nearly double the peak in the spring.

Overall, more than 273,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 (NPR). Robert Redfield, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), warned that the coming months will be the “most difficult time in the public health history of this nation,” and said that 450,000 people could die of COVID-19 by February. The UN General Assembly is holding a special session (AP) today to discuss the global response to the virus. Nearly one hundred world leaders, including the heads of France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom, are scheduled to speak. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar will represent the United States.

The Donald J. Trump administration issued new rules to limit the ability (NYT) of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members and their immediate families to travel to the United States. CCP members can now obtain only single-entry visas valid for one month. No current visas will be revoked, a U.S. State Department official said.

This CFR timeline traces U.S.-China relations.

Japan: The government is nearing a decision on whether to ban the sale of new gas-only cars by the mid-2030s, unnamed officials told Kyodo. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has pledged to make Japan carbon neutral by 2050.

The two sides agreed on the principles and procedures (NYT) for their peace negotiations, both parties announced yesterday, which could allow the stalled talks to move forward. Negotiations will now likely focus on reaching a political roadmap and a long-term cease-fire.

​CFR’s Center for Preventive Action explains what to know about the peace talks.

India: Police in the state of Uttar Pradesh made their first arrest (Scroll) under a new law that targets “love jihad,” a conspiracy pushed by Hindu nationalist groups who accuse Muslim men of marrying Hindu women in order to convert them.

Lawmakers moved to dissolve the Knesset (Haaretz) in a 61–54 preliminary vote yesterday. Defense Minister Benny Gantz, whose party forms a coalition government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s, voted in favor of the bill, which will now go to the Legislative Committee for discussion. If a compromise is not reached, Israel will hold its fourth elections in less than two years.

Iran: The Guardian Council, Iran’s constitutional watchdog, approved a bill (RFE/RL) passed by parliament that would end UN inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities and boost uranium enrichment above limits set by the 2015 nuclear deal if sanctions on Iran are not eased in one month. President Hassan Rouhani opposes the bill but does not have formal veto power. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has the final say, has not taken a public stance.

John Nkengasong, the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said 60 percent of people on the continent need to be vaccinated (AP) against COVID-19 in the next two to three years to achieve herd immunity. The continent has reported close to 2.2 million cases, about 3.5 percent of the world’s total.

Nigeria: The Chief of Army Staff said terrorism could persist (Daily Trust) in the country for the next twenty years. His comments came after Boko Haram claimed responsibility (Nation) for killing dozens of farmers in Borno State.

CFR’s John Campbell explains the threat of Boko Haram.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament president that the commission would move forward with a planned pandemic recovery fund without Hungary and Poland if the two countries continue to block the European Union’s budget, two unnamed officials told Politico. Hungary and Poland have done so due to a provision that would allow the bloc to cut off funds to countries that violate the rule of law.

France: Former President Valery Giscard d’Estaing died yesterday (BBC) due to complications from COVID-19. He was ninety-four.

The head of U.S. Southern Command, Craig S. Fuller, acknowledged that China is actively making deals to deploy vaccines in Latin America (NYT) while the United States focuses on itself. China has been working to distribute vaccines in Brazil and Mexico.

Brazil: Gunmen stormed the northern city of Cameta and attempted to rob a bank (WSJ) a day after a similar attack in the southern city of Criciuma. Opposition lawmakers criticized President Jair Bolsonaro, who campaigned on a promise of law and order, over the attacks.