‘Largest cocaine seizure’ in Denmark

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish police say a European drug ring is being broken up with 682 pounds of cocaine of “unusually high purity” seized in Denmark and six arrests in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Police spokesman Brian Voss Olsen says the cocaine could have been cut to up to 1.2 tons of powder and sold with estimated street value of up to $131 million.

Voss Olsen says “the largest cocaine seizure in Denmark’s history” took place in the western Denmark port city of Esbjerg in July, and “likely was intended for the European market.”

He said none of those arrested were Danes, and one had already been extradited to Denmark, adding more arrests could be made. Details were disclosed only on Tuesday because of the ongoing probe.



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Sarah Palin, failed US vice presidential candidate switch of allegiance to back Donald Trump

           Palin said Trump would take on ISIL and political   correctness in the US establishment [Mary Altaffer/AP]

Former US vice presidential candidate and reality TV star Sarah Palin has given her backing to Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.

The former governor of Alaska on Tuesday told supporters gathered at a rally in the US state of Iowa that Trump would "kick ISIS ass", referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group.

"He is from the private sector, not a politician," Palin said in an animated speech after joining the business mogul and former host of TV's The Apprentice onstage, later asking the audience if she could "get a hallelujah?"

Palin was running mate to US senator John McCain during his unsuccessful bid for the presidency in the 2008 election, which was won by current President Barack Obama.

She said there was nothing wrong with Trump being a multi-billionaire and that it did not make him an elitist, citing all the time he had spent with construction workers as a real-estate developer.

As Trump stood alongside, Palin said: "The status quo has got to go," adding the political establishment had been "wearing political correctness kind of like a suicide vest", the Reuters news agency reported.

In a statement before the event, Trump said he was "greatly honoured" by the endorsement. "She is a friend, and a high-quality person whom I have great respect for."

Trump has led national opinion polls among Republicans for months but is in a tight contest with Ted Cruz, a Canadian-born senator for Texas, for the support of Iowa Republicans, who lean conservative and whose evangelical Christians comprise a major voting bloc.

Palin, who often discusses her Christian faith, is popular among that group and endorsed Cruz when he ran for the US Senate in 2012.

Cruz responded to her switch of allegiance with magnanimity.

"Regardless of what she does in 2016," he tweeted, "I will always be a big fan."


With Al Jazeera

Earth Alert: Researching for way to save the world from 'Armageddon asteroids'

Scientists in the United States and Europe are working on ways to save us from asteroids that may lie on collision course with planet Earth. 

Experts from NASA and the European Space Agency are looking at ways to change the paths of two asteroids - Didymos and Didymoon.

"An asteroid is very large - almost the size of a mountain - and if we hit it with a spacecraft, we only make a tiny change in the velocity. But over time that's the difference between hitting Earth and not hitting Earth," said Andy Cheng, lead investigator for the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) study at NASA.

The cosmic masses are not heading our way for another couple of centuries, but the scientists say it is a "very important" mission.

"We want to have the capability to do this as soon as possible because we know these things are out there. But to find all the things that are potential threats is a very big goal," Denton Ebel of the American Museum of Natural History said.

"This particular mission is to take the next step, which is something very important. What are you going to do about it if something actually has your name on it."

The project is still in its theoretical phase, awaiting approval for launch.

Jamie Foxx rescued a driver from a burning car and called 911 near his California home Monday night

                                                             PHOTOGRAPHED BY SAFETY FOR CITIZENS

Jamie Foxx reportedly rescued the driver from this burning, flipped-over car outside his gate Monday night

Oscar winner Jamie Foxx was a real-life action hero Monday night — reportedly rescuing a driver from a burning vehicle.

Foxx, 48, wasted no time when he heard a violent wreck outside his gate in the celebrity enclave of Hidden Valley northwest of Los Angeles, TMZ.com reported.

                                                                                      DAN HALLMAN/INVISION/AP

Jamie Foxx reportedly rescued the driver from this burning, flipped-over car outside his gate Monday night

The actor ran to the scene and saw the driver in distress inside the flipped-over and smoking car, the website said.

Apparently the driver skidded on wet roads, hit a ditch and flipped upside down, TMZ said.

Worried the vehicle might explode, Foxx reportedly unbuckled the driver and dragged the man about 30 feet away from the accident.

The actor already had called 911, so first responders arrived a short time later and transported the victim to a hospital with injuries, TMZ said.

Foxx currently is the subject of intense speculation that he's in a serious dating relationship with actress Katie Holmes.

Holmes, 37, is the ex-wife of Foxx's "Collateral" co-star Tom Cruise.



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Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has suffered his third calf muscle injury of the season

Bale, 26, limped off shortly before half-time during Real's 5-1 La Liga win at home to Sporting Gijon on Sunday.

The Wales international, who has scored 13 goals in Spain this season, is reportedly set to be out for three weeks.

"He has been diagnosed with a soleus (calf) muscle injury in his right leg," Real said on their website.

"His recovery will continue to be assessed."

Reports in Spain suggest Real are hoping to have Bale back for the last-16 Champions League tie against Roma on 17 February.

Bale has missed eight games over two separate spells this season because of calf injuries.

He was criticised in the Spanish media after suffering a recurrence of the original while playing for Wales against Andorra in October.

Since returning to fitness at the beginning of November, he has scored 11 goals in as many games for Real.

With BBC