Lexis:

lose ground¹ to (vb) – lose one’s superior position by being taken over by another
beleaguered² (adj) – which has/have been faced by many difficulties
ally³ – person or organisation that co-operates with or supports another
vice⁴ – deputy
take up a cause⁵ – support an action or point of view
in the wake⁶ of – following
call on⁷ (vb) – appeal to
chastise⁸ (vb) – criticise severely
pursue⁹ (vb) – chase after
erstwhile¹⁰ archaic – former
predicted¹¹ (vb) – forecast
five-fold¹² (adj and adv) – to a factor of five
accommodate¹³(vb) – provide space for
the thick¹⁴ of traffic – heavy traffic
woes¹⁵ – troubles
trend¹⁶ – general direction of change; fashion
terrain¹⁷ – stretch of land, landscape
theoretically¹⁸ – in theory – (but this word often indicates that in practice something is not the case)
commuter transport¹⁹ – means of travelling between home and work
Some²⁰ – about, approximately