Global Servo Motors and Drives Market Report 2020: Servo Motors & Drives to Reach $17.1 Billion in 2027, Following Slump of -9.5% in 2020

Research and Markets

Dublin, Dec. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Servo Motors and Drives - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

COVID-19 Induced Accelerated Adoption of Automation Technologies Promise Faster Revival of Growth. Servo Motors & Drives to Reach $17.1 Billion

The global market for Servo Motors & Drives is expected to slump by -9.5% in the year 2020 and thereafter recover and grow to reach US$17.1 billion by the year 2027, trailing a post COVID-19 CAGR of 3.6% over the analysis period 2020 through 2027.

A vital part of robotics, automation and CNC machining, servo motors & drives are facing a temporary setback as a result of the slumping manufacturing sector & the economic and financial challenges created by the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic has however fast forwarded the world's migration to the fourth industrial revolution by accelerating digital evolution of industries & companies. The long predicted boom in robotics & automation is expected to come much faster than earlier forecasts and will play a key role in inducing a faster & more rapid recovery to growth.

Automation plays a key role in process improvement by eliminating repetition and redundancy, decreasing production time and costs, increasing production uptime, reducing risk of human errors, elevating employee work efficiency, and ensuring high level of compliance with environmental, occupational safety and health regulations. Adoption of automation technology enables enterprises to gain from improved quality of manufactured products, superior employee work efficiency, increased yield and reduced material wastage, and savings on capital and operating costs.

Besides the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the worldwide industrial sector is facing several other pressing challenges in the form of volatile raw material prices, harsh regulatory scenario, globalization-driven issues, and decreasing profitability. In order to stay competitive, manufacturers are increasingly focusing on improving the efficiency of their operations and productivity by modifying and modernizing their production processes and infrastructure.

Manufacturers are leaning towards automation of processes and systems that facilitate plant supervisors, managers, and engineers and workers monitor and manage plant operations in a more efficient and resourceful manner. To reap the benefits of automation, process engineers are deploying advanced Machine Vision, Human-Machine-Interface (HMI), Machine-Machine Interface (MMI), IoT Control & Data Aggregation technologies embedded with dedicated Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Software (SCADA) that aid in gaining complete control over complex operations and processes.

Machine Vision and HMI infrastructure systems have already become common in programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and industrial control panels as these tools provide technicians the capability to select and finalize a pre-planned result from the automated equipment and its application.

By deploying HMI, PLC, industrial control panels, machine vision and other technologies, industrial entities can automate various functions such as turn on/off industrial valves, sensors, and alarms; view and monitor critical data in dashboards; control IoT devices and machines; execute push messages, repots, and KPIs; and turn mechanical operations into visual processes to identify and diagnose problems, among others.

Automation will play a vital role in enabling the companies to recover from the adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic. In the long run, prospects remain promising due to the growing need for automation in industrial facilities. With process industries focused on plant automation in a bid to enhance productivity, reduce downtime, and conserve energy, there will be increased demand for servo motors and drives that are designed to support process automation.

Key Topics Covered:

I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & REPORT SCOPE

II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. MARKET OVERVIEW

  • Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Looming Global Recession

  • Pandemic Crisis Weakens Economic Environment, Triggering Negative Tide in GDP

  • Industrial Activity to Remain Subdued in the Immediate Term

  • An Introduction to Servo Motors and Drives

  • Global Prospects & Outlook

  • Competition

  • Recent Market Activity

2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS

  • ABB Group

  • Adtech (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd.

  • Bosch Rexroth AG

  • Delta Electronics, Inc.

  • Emerson Electric Co.

  • FANUC Corporation

  • Kinco Automation India Pvt. Ltd.

  • Kollmorgen Corporation

  • Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

  • Rockwell Automation, Inc.

  • Schneider Electric SA

  • Siemens AG

  • Yaskawa Electric Corporation

3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

  • As Automation Becomes Part of Growing Industries, Processes and Factories, Demand Rises for Servo Motors & Drives

  • Factory Automation Systems to Spur Demand for Servo Motors and Drives

  • Servo Motors Find Use in Emerging Applications

  • Growing Use of Robotics in Industrial Facilities Gives Rise to Market Demand

  • Current Crisis Further Stresses the Importance of Robotics & Automation in Industrial Settings

  • Industry 4.0 and Smart Factories Trends Present Tremendous Potential for Servo Motors and Drives Market

  • Auto Industry's Shift towards Advanced and Efficient Automation Technologies Augurs Well for the Market

  • Recovery in Automotive Industry Post COVID-19 to Support Demand

  • Rising Prominence of Energy Efficient Electric Vehicles to Spur Demand for DC Servo Motors

  • Semiconductor & Electronics Industry Growth Determine Dynamics in Servo Motors and Drives Market

  • Virus Led Economic Recession Impacts Current Prospects for Semiconductor & Electronics Industry

  • Complex Operations and Intense Competition Fuel Need for Efficient Servo Motors in Textile Industry

  • Food Processing Industry Benefits from the Advent of Advanced Food-Grade Servo Motors

  • Medical Equipment Advancements to Enhance Need for Servo Motors & Drives

  • Servo Drives Market Poised for Long-Term Healthy Growth

  • Key Emerging Trends in Servo Drives Market

  • Model-Matching Control Servo Technology Overcomes Drawbacks of Traditional PID Control

  • Rising Use of Motor Control Components in Motors: Opportunity for the Market

  • Adoption of Energy Efficiency Standards Worldwide Supports Demand for Servo Motors & Drives

  • Advancements in Servo Drives and Motors Boost Market Prospects

  • Challenges Restraining Servo Motors and Drives Market

4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE

III. MARKET ANALYSIS

  • GEOGRAPHIC MARKET ANALYSIS

IV. COMPETITION

  • Total Companies Profiled: 111

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/n6qlrt

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900


Latest Stories

  • Giuliani's maskless tour may have spread COVID as well as lies

    In the last week alone, the president's personal attorney appeared at election-related hearings in Arizona, Michigan and Georgia, speaking in close proximity to others without wearing a mask.

  • U.S. Supreme Court hears World War Two-era Jewish property claims

    The lingering legacy of World War Two reached the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday as the justices weighed two cases involving claims by Jews in Germany and Hungary and their descendants whose property was taken amid persecution that culminated in the Holocaust. The justices heard arguments in the two cases that hinge upon a federal law called the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act that limits the jurisdiction of American courts over lawsuits against foreign governments. In one case, the justices considered Germany's bid to avoid facing in a U.S. court a lawsuit that accused its former Nazi government of pressuring Jewish art dealers to sell a collection of medieval artwork in the 1930s.

  • Mellissa Carone, Giuliani's star witness in the Trump campaign's election fraud case, harassed her fiance's ex-wife by sending her sex tapes

    Mellissa Carone recently finished probation after agreeing a plea deal for sending sex videos to the woman.

  • Schumer: Biden ‘Considering’ Forgiving $50,000 in Student Loan Debt via Executive Action

    President-elect Joe Biden is “considering” forgiving $50,000 in federal student loan debt for low-income and middle class students, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Monday.Schumer held a press conference alongside Democratic Congressmen-elect Ritchie Torres, Mondaire Jones and Jamaal Bowman of New York, during which the group announced they have “come to the conclusion” that Biden can “forgive $50,000 of debt the first day he becomes president.”“You don’t need Congress, all you need is the flick of a pen and President-elect Biden — then President Biden — can make this happen,” Schumer said.> JUST IN: Sen. Chuck Schumer: President-elect Joe Biden is "considering" forgiving $50,000 in federal student loan debt for all borrowers. pic.twitter.com/KS4WNgAb79> > -- The Hill (@thehill) December 7, 2020He added that the group is urging Biden to choose a secretary of education who will support student loan forgiveness because “it’s up to the secretary of education officially, but if President Biden wants it, I’m sure it will happen.”“This debt is a huge burden on the backs of our students standing in the way of them and their economy and it stays with them for a very long time,” he said.He said they are calling on Biden to take executive action to administratively cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for federal student loan borrowers with an income below $125,000, and to do so in a way that the borrowers would have no tax liability when they receive the forgiveness.Schumer said he has spoken to Biden about "how important" the loan forgiveness is and that he is "considering" it.Asked if Biden will have the executive authority to forgive the debt, the New York Senator said the president-elect is researching that and "I believe when he does his research, he will find that he does."When asked what the forgiveness would mean for families who have “made sacrifices to pay off student loans” Schumer said it would be “good for everybody.”“Lots of students paid off student loans but it’s such a burden it’s good for everybody to make sure that this debt is vanquished,” he said. “It’s never been this high.”He added that when he finished college it cost $1,700 but “people can’t afford it now.”

  • Rudy Giuliani's admittance to hospital with Covid-19 complicates Trump drive to challenge election

    Donald Trump’s attempts to challenge his election defeat have been further impeded after Rudy Giuliani, the lawyer leading the drive, was hospitalised with coronavirus. Mr Giuliani, the former New York mayor and close confidant of the US president, was admitted to Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC on Sunday night. The 76-year-old was reportedly showing mild symptoms after his positive Covid-19 test as doctors monitored his health. Mr Trump said on Monday that Mr Giuliani did not have a temperature. “Thank you to all my friends and followers for all the prayers and kind wishes,” Mr Giuliani tweeted on Sunday evening. “I’m getting great care and feeling good. Recovering quickly and keeping up with everything.”

  • Pfizer and Moderna reportedly reject invitations to Trump's vaccine 'PR stunt'

    It seems the executives leading COVID-19 vaccine development know better than to attend a big gathering right about now.On Tuesday, the White House will be hosting a "vaccine summit" apparently meant to bring vaccine developers, scientists, and government leaders together ahead of distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. But drug industry leaders have decided the event is more of a "public relations stunt," and some big names aren't even planning to attend, Stat News reports.Pfizer and Moderna are currently at the top of the COVID-19 vaccine world, having produced vaccine candidates that are more than 90 percent effective at stopping transmission of the disease. But despite the fact that both of the companies' CEOs had been invited to the vaccine summit, neither plans to attend, two sources tell Stat. The summit comes just days before the Food and Drug Administration is set to examine Pfizer's vaccine data, and a week before it will look at Moderna's. Both reviews will likely result in emergency use authorizations for the two vaccines.Many other companies involved in the vaccine distribution process — FedEx, UPS, Walgreens, and CVS among them — are expected to send representatives to the event. But they "are likely to send lower-ranking executives as opposed to their CEOs," sources familiar with the event's planning tell Stat. And despite an apparent conflict of interest, Peter Marks, the FDA official who heads vaccine approvals, may end up attending the summit, Stat reports.More stories from theweek.com Fox's Lou Dobbs berates Stephen Miller for the White House not jumping on Ted Cruz's Supreme Court offer The post-Mitch McConnell GOP is going to be a carnival of madness I'm rooting for pro-democracy Republicans

  • Thousands protest in London against India's farming reforms

    Thousands of people protested and blocked traffic in central London on Sunday over Indian agricultural reforms that have triggered mass demonstrations in India, and police made 13 arrests over breaches of COVID regulations. Tens of thousands of farmers have protested in India against three laws the government says are meant to overhaul antiquated procurement procedures and give growers more options to sell their produce. Farmers fear the legislation, passed in September, will eventually dismantle India's regulated markets and stop the government from buying wheat and rice at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers.

  • Former Alabama state senator dies of Covid, warns in his last words, 'We messed up'

    "We let our guards down. Please tell everybody to be careful. This is real, and if you get diagnosed, get help immediately," former Sen. Larry Dixon said.

  • Rep. Trent Kelly Becomes Highest-Ranking Military Member in Congress

    An engineer and combat veteran, Kelly served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and deployed to Iraq in 2005 as operations officer.

  • Former Florida health official posts video of state police entering her home, drawing their weapons

    Rebekah Jones, a former Florida Health Department official, tweeted a video in which it appears state police entered her home to confiscate her computer and other devices. The video appears to show police drawing their weapons.

  • Fox's Lou Dobbs berates Stephen Miller for the White House not jumping on Ted Cruz's Supreme Court offer

    Things don't appear to be going well for President Trump's increasingly desperate attempt to erase his loss to President-elect Joe Biden. Trump currently trails by 7.1 million votes and 4.4 percentage points, the Electoral College will meet Dec. 14 to cement Biden's 306-232 electoral victory, Trump's team keeps losing recounts and court challenges, and Rudy Giuliani, the attorney leading his fringe legal effort, is in the hospital with COVID-19.And on Monday night, Trump-aligned Fox Business host Lou Dobbs yelled at Trump's immigration czar, Stephen Miller, because the White House wasn't jumping on Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) offer to argue a Pennsylvania case before the Supreme Court, should the high court decide to hear the challenge.Trump is "fighting all alone," Dobbs told Miller. "And Ted Cruz has stepped up to say he'll argue before the Supreme Court. Why on God's green Earth wouldn't the White House jump on it?" Miller tried to argue that GOP state legislatures should overturn Biden's victories, but Dobbs cut him off. "No, no, Stephen. I'm not going to let you do this!" he said. "You and I, we're reasonably smart and decent fellows. Why don't you answer me? That's all I'm asking here, Stephen. Why don't you guys jump and salute Ted Cruz and say, 'Yes, we want you on the team' now? My God, this is not a time for internecine nonsense on the part of the Republican Party, which is watching its blood drain into the streets because they're gutless!"> If you enjoy Lou Dobbs’s and Stephen Miller’s tears you’ll like this clip pic.twitter.com/NqN2YwlXvI> > — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 8, 2020Dobbs also suggested Trump's campaign hire Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias for $500 million, to "get him out of your way," Elias noted on Twitter.> Did Lou Dobbs just tell Stephen Miller that Republicans should hire me for $500,000,000 (yes, 1/2 billion dollars) so they can start winning in court? pic.twitter.com/2s9uM1hOAY> > — Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) December 8, 2020There's ample reason to believe the Supreme Court will not grant certiorari in this or any other of the rejected legal challenges. But Cruz explained Monday why he thinks the justices should take the case. "The bitter division and acrimony we see across the nation needs resolution," Cruz tweeted, without irony, and the Supreme Court "has a responsibility to the American people to ensure, within its powers, that we are following the law and following the Constitution."More stories from theweek.com The post-Mitch McConnell GOP is going to be a carnival of madness I'm rooting for pro-democracy Republicans Britain begins COVID-19 vaccination drive with 90-year-old grandmother

  • 10 Indoor Plant Stands That Seriously Stand Out

    Take your home garden to the next level this winterOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Hundreds pay respects at funeral of Chechen refugee who beheaded French teacher

    Several hundred people paid their respects last week at a funeral in Russia for the Chechnyan teenager who beheaded a teacher in France over cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad. Samuel Paty, a 47-year old history teacher, became the target of a hostile online campaign after discussing the cartoons in a class on freedom of speech and was eventually attacked and murdered by Abdoulakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old Chechen refugee, in October. Anzorov was shot dead by police shortly after the attack on October 16. His body was repatriated to Russia last week to allow his family to bury him in his ancestral village in the predominantly Muslim region of Chechnya. Several hundred people attended the funeral on Friday in the village of Shalazhi, chanting prayers on their way to the cemetery, a video released by several media outlets showed. Salman Magamadov, the village chief, insisted in an interview with the Podyem media outlet on Monday that Anzorov received an ordinary burial without “any special honours”. Prominent Muslim clerics in Russia have used the attack to condemn French authorities for mocking their religion. Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Chechnya, said French President Emmanuel Macron was to blame for allegedly encouraging insults against Muslims. Mr Kadyrov later sought to distance his region from the attack, insisting that the teenager, an ethnic Chechen, was born in Moscow and moved to France when he was a small child.

  • Explainer: The potential impact of Brexit without a trade deal

    Britain and the European Union are seeking a post-Brexit trade deal, with failure likely to result in increased chaos in mutual trade, financial markets tumbling and huge economic costs. Investors and banks have long predicted a trade deal would be done, so a no-deal would hit the British pound, foreign exchange traders say. The shock result of Britain's referendum on leaving the EU in 2016 sent the pound down 8% against the dollar, its biggest one-day fall since the era of free-floating exchange rates began in the 1970s.

  • Brazil's president rejects COVID-19 vaccine, undermining a century of progress toward universal inoculation

    The world is eagerly awaiting the release of several COVID-19 vaccines, but Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is not. “I’m not going to take it. It’s my right,” he said in a Nov. 26 social media broadcast. Bolsonaro, who came down with COVID-19 in July, has also criticized face masks. He and his more faithful supporters oppose any suggestion of mandatory coronavirus vaccinations. Vaccine resistance has a long history in Brazil. In November 1904, thousands of people in the city of Rio de Janeiro protested government-mandated smallpox vaccinations in a famous revolt that nearly ended with a coup. Making modern BrazilThe smallpox vaccine had arrived in Brazil almost a century earlier. But the syringes were long, left skin pockmarked and could transmit other diseases such as syphilis. Between 1898 and 1904, only 2% to 10% of Rio’s population was vaccinated yearly, according to historian Sidney Chalhoub. In 1904, smallpox killed 0.4% of Rio residents – a higher percentage of the population than COVID-19’s victims in New York City this year.But these were not the only reasons Brazil made vaccinations mandatory in 1904. As part of a “modernization” plan to attract European immigration and foreign investment, President Rodrigues Alves was committed to eradicating epidemics – not just smallpox, but also yellow fever and the bubonic plague.To rid Rio de Janeiro, then the nation’s capital, of sanitary hazards while opening space for Parisian-style avenues and buildings, hundreds of tenements were demolished between 1903 and 1909. Almost 40,000 people – mostly Afro-Brazilians but also poor Italian, Portuguese and Spanish immigrants – were evicted and removed from downtown Rio. Many were left homeless, forced to resettle on nearby hillsides or in distant rural areas. Meanwhile, public health agents accompanied by armed police systematically disinfected homes with sulfur that destroyed furniture and other belongings – whether residents welcomed them or not. Conspiracy and barricadesPoliticians and military officers who opposed President Alves saw opportunity in the outrage these health initiatives caused. They stoked discontent.With the help of labor organizers and news editors, Alves’ opponents led a campaign against Brazil’s public health mandates throughout 1904. Newspapers reported on violent home disinfections and forced vaccinations. Senators and other public figures declared that mandatory vaccinations encroached on people’s homes and bodies.In mid-November of that year, thousands of protesters gathered in public squares to rally against public health efforts. Rio police reacted with disproportionate force, triggering six days of unrest in the city. A racially diverse crowd of students, construction workers, port workers and other residents fought back, armed with rocks, housewares or the tools of their trade, flipping over streetcars to barricade the streets. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, conspirators were mobilizing young military cadets. Their plan: to overthrow Alves’ government. Their scheme was foiled when the president called upon both the Army and the Navy to contain protesters and detain alleged insurgents. Brazil’s great vaccine revolt was soon suppressed. The language of rightsAfterward, newspapers portrayed protesters as an ignorant mass, manipulated by cunning politicians. They deemed one of the uprising’s popular leaders, Horácio José da Silva – known as “Black Silver” – a “disorderly thug.”But Brazil’s vaccine revolt was more than a cynical political manipulation. Digging into archives, historians like me are learning what really motivated the uprising.The violent and segregationist features of Alves’ urban plan are one obvious answer. In early 20th-century Brazil, most people – women, those who couldn’t read, the unemployed – couldn’t vote. For these Brazilians, the streets were the only place to have their voices heard.But why would they so virulently oppose methods that controlled the spread of disease?Delving into newspapers and legal records, I have found that critics of Brazil’s 1904 public health drive often expressed their opposition in terms of “inviolability of the home,” both on the streets and in courts.For elite Brazilians, invoking this constitutional right was about protecting the privacy of their households, where men ruled over wives, children and servants. Public health agents threatened this patriarchal authority by demanding access to homes and women’s bodies.Poor men and women in Rio also held patriarchal values. But for them there was more than privacy at stake in 1904. Throughout the 19th century, enslaved Afro-Brazilians had formed families and built homes, even on plantations, carving out spaces of relative freedom from their masters. After slavery was abolished in 1888, many freed Afro-Brazilians shared crowded tenements with immigrants. By the time of Alves’s vaccination drive, the poor of Rio had been fighting eviction and police violence for decades. For Black Brazilians, then, defending their rights to choose what to do – or not to do – with their homes and bodies was part of a much longer struggle for social, economic and political inclusion. Deadly learning experienceFour years after the 1904 revolt, Rio was struck by another smallpox epidemic. With so many people unvaccinated, deaths doubled; almost 1% of the city perished.[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]It was a deadly learning experience. From then on, Brazilian leaders framed mandatory smallpox, measles and other vaccines as a means to protect the common good, and invested in educational campaigns to explain why. Throughout the 20th century, vaccinations were extremely successful in Brazil. Since the 1990s, 95% of children have been vaccinated, though the numbers are dropping.Today, Brazil is one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. As in the past, Afro-Brazilians are hurting more than others.By invoking Brazilians’ individual right not to get vaccinated against COVID-19, President Bolsonaro is ignoring the lessons of 1904 – undermining a century of hard work fighting disease in Brazil.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Pedro Cantisano, University of Nebraska Omaha.Read more: * COVID-19 is deadlier for black Brazilians, a legacy of structural racism that dates back to slavery * In Brazil’s raging pandemic, domestic workers fear for their lives – and their jobsPedro Cantisano does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

  • Trump is reportedly planning a made-for-TV exit on Air Force One from the White House to a rally on Inauguration Day, hoping to pull viewers from Biden

    Trump is reportedly considering breaking democratic tradition by boycotting Joe Biden's inauguration and staging a rally instead.

  • Giant continental dormice spotted in England as conservationists warn they could harm native species

    To a passer-by, the fluffy, cartoonish creature on the floor could have been a cuddly toy dropped by a child on a trip to the New Forest National Park. However, to those with a knowledge of rodents, the animal which has been sighted in the park for the first time is a European dormouse which could be breeding in Britain. This year, wildlife experts have spotted the Garden Dormouse in Derbyshire and the New Forest, sparking concerns that it has been deliberately released. They are usually found in France, Spain and Italy. Unlike our native hazel dormice, this species is extremely hardy and carnivorous. While our small, honey-coloured native species prefers to feast on nuts and berries, the continental invader is predatory, eating the young of other rodents and small birds. There are fears if the species started breeding in large numbers, they could pose a threat to our native animals. Government sources say they are risk assessing the rodent, but it is not known to be rapidly breeding in the UK and is not thought to be a significant risk at this time.

  • San Francisco officer who seriously injured suspect indicted

    Accused burglar, whose leg was amputated after arrest, also charged; DA declines to give details before arraignment.

  • Taiwan says faces daily threat as U.S. notifies of new arms sale

    Taiwan faces military threats on a daily basis from "authoritarian forces", President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday, as the United States announced a new $280 million arms sale package to the Chinese-claimed island, the sixth this year. China expressed anger at the weapons sale, as it always does, threatening unspecified retaliation. Such sales - $5 billion worth this year - have riled China, adding to existing tension between Beijing and Washington, with China placing sanctions on U.S. companies involved and stepping up its military activities near Taiwan, including regular air force missions.

  • As virus spreads, Kansas hospital runs out of staff

    The radiology technician slept in an RV in the parking lot of his rural Kansas hospital for more than a week because his co-workers were out sick with COVID-19 and no one else was available to take X-rays. A doctor and physician assistant tested positive on the same day in November, briefly leaving the hospital without anyone who could write prescriptions or oversee patient care. The hospital is full, but diverting patients isn’t an option because surrounding medical centers are overwhelmed.