Extradition of UK hacker Gary McKinnon to the U.S. might reveal that NASA defrauded taxpayers for billions of dollars. If McKinnon loses his fight against extradition he could face up to 70 years in prison if found guilty of breaking into military computers and NASA computers.  Then again, maybe not. McKinnon claims to have discovered NASA files containing evidence of UFOs of extraterrestrial origin. Numerous Disclosure Project whistle-blowers formerly with Top Secret security clearance have revealed that NASA has hidden, destroyed, or altered videos or photos that contained images of UFOs or extraterrestrial life forms. NASA gets more than $17 billion each … Continue reading Did UK hacker Gary McKinnon find NASA UFO fraud?

SUMMARY The leadership of al-Qaida is, by and large, on the run, says counter-terror expert Marc Sageman. Unfortunately, he tells Margaret Warner, more “lone wolves,” such as the accused Christmas Day airplane bomber, have emerged as the new face of the terror threat. GWEN IFILL: Finally tonight, another in our series of conversations about the state of al-Qaida. Last week, we heard from a former CIA field officer and top counterterrorism official, who said he believes al-Qaida is regaining momentum — tonight, a different view. MARGARET WARNER: Marc Sageman has spent most of his career studying terrorists and extremists networks … Continue reading In Hunt for al-Qaida, ‘Lone Wolves’ a Rising Threat

By Syed Saleem Shahzad ISLAMABAD – At the major international conference on Afghanistan in London last Thursday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban to take part in a loya jirga (assembly of elders) – as a start to peace talks. The Taliban are widely reported as having responded that first they want all of the more than 110,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan to leave the country by 2011. Asia Times Online, however, has learned from well-connected sources in Afghanistan who have been directly involved in backchannel negotiations with the Taliban that there is an important nuance to the Taliban … Continue reading Taliban take on the US’s surge

By Matthew Berger WASHINGTON – A report and budget request from the United States Department of Defense reveal both new and old priorities for President Barack Obama’s Pentagon. Strategically, the military recognizes new, non-traditional threats ranging from failed states to cyber-warfare to climate change, but there is little change in the military spending habits of the Obama Pentagon versus that of his predecessor. The new Quadrennial Defense Review, a congressionally mandated report on the direction of US national security strategy, marks several major breaks from past reports. Whereas previous QDRs have had at their heart a strategy in which the … Continue reading US defense envisions multiple conflicts

By Olivia Chung HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s High Court on Tuesday rejected afeng shui master’s claim for the estimated US$4.2 billion fortune of late property tycoon Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum after a court case featuring a heady mix of sex, secrets and geomancy. Mr Justice Johnson Lam Man-hon said a 2006 will in the possession of Tony Chan Chun-chuen was a fake, and upheld a 2002 will giving the estate to a charity run by Wang’s family. Wang, Asia’s richest woman at the time of her death, succumbed to cancer in April of 2007. Her death triggering a battle … Continue reading Geomancer loses in battle of the wills