A white police officer in the US gifted 12 eggs to a grandmother after he caught her stealing five eggs from a store to feed her starved family in Alabama. 47-year-old Helen Johnson, who had not eaten anything for two days, burst into tears when William Stacy bought her a dozen eggs instead of arresting her for the petty theft. After the encounter was caught on camera and went viral, a groundswell of support poured in from food to cash and clothing as people came across the family's plight. On Wednesday, Stacy along with some of his colleagues landed at Johnson's house with two truckloads of food to keep her and her children and grandchildren fed through Christmas. It captured the nation's attention at a time of strained relations between the police and black Americans. Johnson then thanked Stacy with a hug in her kitchen after he dropped off donations of food at her house in Tarrant. "The last time I saw my house this full, I was 12-years-old and staying with my grandmother. I've been crying all day," Johnson was quoted as saying by a news website. Johnson had taken the step after she ran out of food and money to feed herself, two daughters, a niece and two grandkids who aged 1 and 3. After the hunger became too much, she stuffed five eggs inside her jacket which got broken. But when officer Stacy showed up, he didn't cuff the woman. He went inside and bought the grateful - and unexpecting - grandmother a dozen eggs. The police department has been overwhelmed by calls from well-wishers, Tarrant Police Chief Dennis Reno said, adding that the department signed up Johnson for the annual toy drive so the children will have presents this Christmas.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won comfortable re-election Sunday in a snap poll he had billed as a referendum on his economic policies after early success faded into a recession. But a low turnout from unenthusiastic voters beset by a heavy snowfall could cast doubt on the endorsement he will claim for "Abenomics" — his signature plan to fix the country's flaccid economy. Broadcasters' exit polls shortly after voting finished showed his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito had swept the ballot, with an unassailable two-thirds majority that will give them the power to override the upper house. TV Asahi said the pairing had won 333 of the 475 seats, while TBS put the figure at 328. "I have been pushing for Abenomics, the policies designed to create jobs and raise salaries," Abe told hundreds of voters in Tokyo's neon-lit Akihabara electronics district on the eve of the election. "Japan can be much richer," Abe said, sporting a knee-length white windbreaker emblazoned with his campaign slogan: "This is the only way". Abe, 60, was only halfway through his four-year term when he called the vote last month.

With the Maldivian capital facing an acute water crisis after a fire in the city's water treatment plant, India on Friday sent an IAF transport aircraft and naval vessels carrying a large consignment of water to meet the immediate requirement of over 100,000 people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj are seized of the crisis and have promised full assistance to the people and leadership of Maldives, a statement by the Indian high commission in Male said. "Mindful of the strong, friendly and close relations between India and the Maldives, India reacted with alacrity and promptness to the request from the Maldives for timely provision of water," the high commission said.

After successfully defending her title at the Macau Open, India's teen sensation PV Sindhu on Sunday said she was happy to win her first title of the year and end the season on a high. Two-time World Championship bronze medallist, Sindhu outplayed Kim Hyo Min of Korea 21-12 21-17 in the summit clash that lasted 45 minutes at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion. "It was a good win. She played really well. I knew it won't be easy. She had beaten some good players coming into the finals.

India will test-launch its heaviest and upgraded rocket, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mark III), sometime in the middle of next month, a senior official of the Indian space agency said on Saturday. The rocket will also carry a crew module to test its re-entry characteristics. "The main purpose of the mission is to test the atmospheric characteristics and stability of the rocket on its way up. We also decided to use this opportunity to test one component of the crew module — a human space mission that India may embark on at a later date," MYS Prasad, director of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, told reporters here.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews did not mince words while criticising his team's lackluster display as India thumped the visitors by 153 runs on Thursday. The fourth loss on the trot left Matthews fuming as his bowlers were thrashed by a record-setting Rohit Sharma who scored 264.While the hosts rode on a scintillating performance from Rohit, who surpassed Virender Sehwag's 219 to slam the highest individual score in ODIs, Mathews was left visibly angry at his team's efforts on the field.