TOPIC OF THE DAY:-“Venezuela: After Re-Election”
Venezuelan protesters failed last year to force President Nicolás Maduro to step down in the midst of an economic and humanitarian crisis. After his emphatic victory in Sunday’s presidential elections, they have to reconcile themselves to his rule for another six-year term. The embattled Mr. Maduro won the poll with 68% of the vote, and with a turnout of less than 50%, according to the election commission. Potential challengers to Mr. Maduro, Hugo Chávez’s protégé and successor, are either in detention or barred from the contest after they organised mass protests against his government, alleging brutal misrule and economic mismanagement. An umbrella coalition of opposition parties and activist groups, the Broad Front for a Free Venezuela, had called on the people to boycott what they said was as a sham exercise. Mr. Maduro’s closest rival, Henri Falcón, alleged fraud and demanded a fresh ballot. It is highly unlikely that demands for a re-poll will be countenanced by the Maduro regime. But it is clear that the shrinking democratic space has exerted a toll on the polity overall. The Venezuelan health system has all but collapsed. A Minister who expressed concern over the high incidence of certain diseases that were believed to have been eradicated was sacked promptly last year. The collapse of the medical system is particularly shocking, given the emphasis on health care in Chavez’s commodity-driven growth model. Inflation has hit 13,000%, and the economy is set to contract further. It is hard to believe that Venezuela, with the world’s largest proven oil reserves, was considered Latin America’s wealthiest country not so long ago. Venezuelans have been leaving the country to escape shortages of rations and the rampant unrest. The UN estimates that each day 4,000 Venezuelans are making it across to Colombia. There is talk of a concerted international response to the Venezuelan crisis after Mr. Maduro’s re-election, especially further sanctions by the U.S. and possibly the European Union. But there are moral and practical limits to these measures against a country that is gripped by a systemic crisis — and the humanitarian costs of sanctions must not be ignored. In any case, Venezuela’s oil production has been falling steadily, and analysts do not expect that an embargo on its exports would have the desired impact. Mr. Maduro may be part of Venezuela’s problem. But he can be a big part of the solution as well. He could make a beginning by ceding democratic space for dissent both within and outside his party, and by rolling back the country’s confrontational foreign policy. Blaming the West alone for Venezuela’s economic crisis will not get him very far.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Outbreak
Meaning: A sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease.
Example: “The outbreak of World War II”
Synonyms: Eruption, Flare-up.
2) Lethal
Meaning: Sufficient to cause death.
Example: “A lethal cocktail of drink and pills”
3) Mutation
Meaning: The changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form which may be transmitted to subsequent generations, caused by the alteration of single base units in DNA, or the deletion, insertion, or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes.
Example: “Mutation is, ultimately, the only way in which new variation enters the species”
Synonyms: Alteration, Change.
4) Encephalitis
Meaning: Inflammation of the brain, caused by infection or an allergic reaction.
5) Inflammation
Meaning: A localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or infection.
Example: “Steroid injections can have a dramatic effect in reducing inflammation and relieving pain”
Synonyms: swelling, Puffiness.
6) After-effect
Meaning: An effect that follows after the primary action of something.
Example: “He was suffering the after-effects of the drug”
Synonyms: Repercussion, Aftermath.
7) Convulsion
Meaning: A sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body, caused by involuntary contraction of muscles and associated especially with brain disorders such as epilepsy, the presence of certain toxins or other agents in the blood, or fever in children.
Example: “Toxic side effects like convulsions”
Synonyms: Fit, Seizure.
8) Stutter
Meaning: Talk with continued involuntary repetition of sounds, especially initial consonants.
Example: “The child was stuttering in fright”
Synonyms: Stammer, Stumble.
9) Reservoir
Meaning: A population, tissue, etc. which is chronically infested with the causative agent of a disease and can act as a source of further infection.
Example: “There is a vast reservoir of herpes infection in the community”
10) Suspect
Meaning: Have an idea or impression of the existence, presence, or truth of (something) without certain proof.
Example: “If you suspect a gas leak, do not turn on an electric light”
Synonyms: Have a suspicion, Have a feeling.
11) Contaminate
Meaning: Make (something) impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance.
Example: “The site was found to be contaminated by radioactivity”
Synonyms: Pollute, Adulterate.
12) Droppings
Meaning: The excrement of certain animals, such as rodents, sheep, birds, and insects.
Example: “Rat droppings”
Synonyms: Excrement, Excreta.
13) Contagious
Meaning: (Of a disease) spread from one person or organism to another, typically by direct contact.
Example: “A contagious disease”
Synonyms: Infectious, Communicable.
14) Combat
Meaning: Take action to reduce or prevent (something bad or undesirable).
Example: “An effort to combat drug trafficking”
Synonyms: Fight, Battle against.
15) Unrivalled
Meaning: Better than everyone or everything of the same type.
Example: “The paper’s coverage of foreign news is unrivalled”
Synonyms: Unequalled, Without equal.
16) Commend
Meaning: Praise formally or officially.
Example: “He was commended by the judge for his courageous actions”
Synonyms: Praise, Compliment.
17) Precaution
Meaning: A measure taken in advance to prevent something dangerous, unpleasant, or inconvenient from happening.
Example: “He had taken the precaution of seeking legal advice”
Synonyms: Safeguard, Preventative/preventive measure.
18) Regimen
Meaning: A prescribed course of medical treatment, diet, or exercise for the promotion or restoration of health.
Example: “A regimen of one or two injections per day”
19) Step down
Meaning: Withdraw or resign from an important position or office.
Example: “He stepped down as party leader”
Synonyms: Resign, Stand down.
20) Midst
Meaning: The middle part or point.
Example: “He left his flat in the midst of a rainstorm”
Synonyms: Middle, Centre.
