The document summarizes a smart grid demonstration project in Japan that aims to verify efficient energy use technologies using only renewable sources like wind and solar. It also discusses geoengineering proposals to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or reduce solar heating as a potential "Plan B" for climate change if countries refuse emissions caps, though specific plans are still lacking. Additionally, it notes that customary law still bars many women in Africa from owning land despite their critical role in agriculture.

1. News file september mid

2. JWD, Toyota, Panasonic Electric Works and Hitachi startSmart Grid Demonstration Project in Rokkasho Village Tokyo September 15, 2010 “Hitachi”) announced the start of a smart grid demonstration project on September 16, 2010 in Rokkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The project aims to verify technologies that allow for the efficient use of energy toward the achievement of a low-carbon society. The project will use only renewable energy sources, such as the world’s first wind power stations with dedicated large-capacity batteries and photovoltaic power-generation systems. Building smart grids requires meeting the electricity supply conditions (power sources and transmission lines) and communications infrastructure of each specific country and region, as well as introducing such elements as renewable energy generation facilities, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, storage batteries, EcoCute (an electric water heating and supply system) and heat storage units..

3. Sri Lanka: Tamil Youth Rediscover Life beyond the Battle-scarred North The younger ones in the group tried to imitate the older boys, in their teens and early 20s, who wear the latest fashion promoted by Hindi and South Indian movie stars — faded denim jeans, tight T-shirts, and oversized belts hanging nonchalantly around their slim waists. Alongside them, the handful of women wore brightly coloured ‘shalwarkamiz’ (traditional South Asian dress) that fluttered in the wind. The motley bunch of young travellers, who had just climbed Sigiriya, the famous 5th century rock fortress, was far from an uncommon sight among visitors who troop to hundreds of tourist spots across this South Asian island state. But even a year back, it would have been unheard of — if not impossible — for this group of Tamil youth from Sri Lanka’s northern Jaffna peninsula to travel together anywhere outside of the north and east of the country, unless they were on trips organised by the government or non-governmental organisations.

4. US-Pakistan: Rise in Cross-Border Attacks Spurs Backlash In the latest case, the government of President Asif Ali Zardari Thursday closed NATO's primary supply route into land-locked Afghanistan after helicopters from the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) attacked a military checkpoint in Kurram Agency inside Pakistan, reportedly killing three Pakistani soldiers and injuring three others. While ISAF officials apologised for the casualties and insisted that the attack was carried out in 'self-defence', the government's closure of the supply route — even if temporary — through the Khyber Pass marked an unusually strong reaction on Islamabad's part. 'We will have to see whether we are allies or enemies,' remarked Interior Minister RehmanMalik immediately after the attack, the third of four reported cross-border raids by ISAF forces allegedly engaged in 'hot pursuit' of Afghan insurgents over the past several days

5. Geoengineering May Represent Earth's Best 'plan B As many countries continue to refuse to cap their greenhouse gas emissions and climate change-induced emergencies become increasing likely — or frequent — some researchers are saying it is time to seriously look in to developing a plan B for stopping climate change. This plan B would consist of 'geoengineering' whereby carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere, the amount of solar radiation heating the planet is reduced, or both. There are several proposals that fit into these broad categories, and they vary greatly both in terms of their acceptance and in the likely feasibility that they can be done on a large enough scale. For now, though, the plans are still largely thin on specifics and relegated to the outskirts of climate discussions. That is especially true for the category of geoengineering called solar radiation management, or SRM. This category includes, in decreasing order of likely feasibility at a large scale, according to researcher David Keith, spraying aerosols high in the atmosphere, whitening marine clouds, placing satellites with mirrors in space, and whitening the surface of the oceans.

6. Africa: Customary Law Still Bars Women's Access to Land Susan Anyangu-Amu and Joshua Kyalimpa Sep 30 Fifteen years ago, Namukasa's husband died, and she did not struggle with his relatives for a share of his estate; she moved back to her own family's home in central Uganda's Luwero district with her three children to start a new life. But when her father died, his sisters decided only her younger brother was entitled to a share in the land, and asked her to leave. Uganda's constitution grants women equality and legal protection against discriminatory traditional practice, but there have been no reforms to the law and the constitutional provision has had little impact. Across sub-Saharan Africa, customary law is hindering efforts to reform land tenure and increase women’s access to and ownership of land. Despite the fact that women form the majority of subsistence farmers in Africa, and play a critical role in food security, they typically have limited control over land.

7. G20 Summit Cracks Open Door To Five Non-Members The G20, a group of powerful political and economic decision- makers criticised for its exclusivity, has invited five non- members to its next summit meeting in South Korea in November. The five invitees, who will participate in the upcoming summit in Seoul, are Ethiopia, Malawi, Singapore, Spain and Vietnam. Malawi has been invited in its capacity as chair of the African Union; Ethiopia as chair of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD); Vietnam as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); Singapore as chair of the Global Governance Group (3G); and Spain as 'one of the 10 largest economies in the world and a participant in the past four G20 summits'. Ambassador VanuGopalaMenon of Singapore told IPS the decision by South Korea to invite some non-G20 countries 'appears to indicate that the G20 is moving towards practising variable geometry [the idea that not every country need take part in every policy but some can cooperate more closely], a concept advocated by 3G'.