Word: makeshift
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...point, the rebels controlled around 5,800 square miles (15,000 sq. km.) of territory in a mini-state in the island nation's north and east. They had a navy composed of a flotilla of gunboats and transports, and even launched daring strikes on Colombo with their own makeshift airforce. But a sustained government offensive has inflicted defeat after defeat, and that, in turn, has prompted widespread desertions. Today, just over 1,000 fighters, including the LTTE's shadowy, ruthless leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, have retreated into a wilderness of some 350 sq km, and are hemmed...
...Colombo insists the figure is closer 120,000). As many as 300 civilians have been killed in the last week of fighting, and human rights groups have accused both sides of abuses. The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) claimed on Sunday that artillery shells landed in a makeshift hospital in rebel territory, killing at least 9 people and wounding 20 injured. And ICRC representative Sarasi Wijeratne in Colombo urged both sides "to allow the immediate evacuation of civilians and allow in the flow of essential medical supplies...
...proclaim the Andalusian region the "olive oil capital of the world," the African men each carry a plastic bag containing their belongings and a sheet of cardboard to serve as a bed. Their destination is the Santa Clara convent, which has lately turned some of its rooms into a makeshift dormitory. The shelter doesn't open until 10 p.m., but if the men don't arrive early, they won't get a space on the floor for the night...
Eckert also cited the rise of makeshift markets in response to the lack of food...
...from self-imposed exile overseas, Thaksin casts a long shadow. Current Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat may be a soft-spoken judicial expert, but he also happens to be Thaksin's former brother-in-law. Since August, the PAD has besieged Somchai's offices, forcing him to set up a makeshift administration headquarters in the VIP lounge of Bangkok's old airfield. On Nov. 24, the PAD upped the ante, shutting down Thailand's parliament and later overwhelming the old air terminal. Somchai's spokespeople have assured the public that policy-making is going on from a "secret location...