UFO sighting details released

You can now read about the details of reported UFO sightings made between 1981 and 1996 on the web. The files have been released in a joint project between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the National Archives. The files are available to download for free for one month from the National Archives website. Among the files are reports of a lemon-headed alien appearing underneath a flying saucer, spotted by two men from Staffordshire returning home after a night out. Many of the reports were filed in 1996 - the year the film Independence Day was released. Dr David Clarke, a journalism lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, said: "It's evident there is some connection between newspaper stories, TV programmes and films about alien visitors and the numbers of UFO sightings reported to the MoD. "Obviously, films and TV programmes raise public awareness of UFOs and it's fascinating to see how that appears to lead more people to report what they see to the authorities," Dr Clarke continued. These are not the first files released by the MoD - previous reports of UFO sightings include a missile-shaped object shooting through the night sky. However, surfers are reminded to remain vigilant as cybercriminals have used fake UFO reports to spread malware.