In brief: Father-in-law of Edwards dies

Vincent Anania, the father-in-law of onetime Democratic presidential contender and former Sen. John Edwards, has died. He was 87.

Anania died Saturday in Chapel Hill of heart failure, the Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth, said in a statement.

He served in the Navy in Korea, where he was awarded the Bronze Star, and in Vietnam. In 1958, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for piloting an aircraft that carried 13 others to safety after it had been attacked by two MiG jet fighters during a surveillance mission off North Korea.

Other survivors include his wife, Elizabeth Thweatt Anania; a son, Vincent Anania Jr. ; and a daughter, Nancy Thweatt Anania; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and two sisters.

Anania will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Elizabeth Edwards said.

TOKYO

Whaling protesters toss rotten butter

Anti-whaling activists hurled containers of rotten butter at a Japanese whaling ship in Antarctic waters Monday, slightly injuring at least three crew members, Japan’s government said.

Protesters aboard a boat operated by Sea Shepherd threw the objects – containing butyric acid, produced by rotting butter – at the Nisshin Maru whaling ship, which is conducting Japan’s research whaling program.

“We strongly condemn this,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said. It was not clear if the injured crew members were hit with the bottles.

Japan planned to issue a formal protest to the Netherlands, which licenses the activist boat, the Steve Irwin, said Itsunori Onodera, senior vice minister for foreign affairs.

BEIJING

China reviews one-child policy

China may consider changing its one-child policy because it has helped slow population growth over the last three decades, a Chinese official said Sunday.

The policy, launched in the 1970s, has produced “very good results,” said Wu Jianmin, spokesman for the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body to parliament.

“The one-child policy was the only choice we had given the conditions when we initiated the policy,” Wu told reporters at a news conference the day before the CPPCC convened for its annual session. However, he added, “when designing a policy we need to take into consideration the reality.”

“So as things develop, there might be some changes to the policy and relevant departments are considering this,” Wu said without giving a timeline or details on which departments would be involved.

Beijing limits most urban couples to one child and rural couples to two to conserve scarce resources. Critics say the policy has led to forced abortions, sterilizations and a dangerously imbalanced sex ratio because of a traditional preference for male heirs.