HP spy to be sentenced

Bryan Wagner, the would-be private detective who helped Hewlett-Packard spy on technology journalists in 2006, will soon be sentenced, reports CNet.

Wagner admitted in 2007 to taking part in the spying campaign waged by HP in its attempt to unearth a boardroom leak. The targeted journalists worked for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and CNET News.

Wagner pleaded guilty to identity theft and conspiracy in January 2007 and on Wednesday is due to get a new sentencing date in the US District Court in California.

The government is asking experts from the technology industry and academia to come up with ideas to help fight terrorism, says Computing.co.uk.

The move comes as the government publishes its Science and Technology Counter-Terrorism Strategy today.

The Internet has facilitated easier and more secure communication, and made it easier to spread violent extremist ideology. It has also made it easier to find the materials and expertise needed to make chemical, biological and radiological weapons.

Gary Kaplan, the founder of online gambling empire BetonSports, pleaded guilty on Friday to multiple federal charges in an agreement that required him to forfeit more than $43 million in criminal proceeds, says The Register.

During an appearance in federal court in St Louis, Missouri, the 50-year-old Kaplan admitted to conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act, the Wire Wager Act, and related felonies. If the plea agreement is accepted by the judge overseeing the case, he will be sentenced to 41 to 51 months in prison.

The plea is the latest, and perhaps final, blow to the once high-flying BetonSports, which actively encouraged people on US soil to wager on sporting events using the Internet and toll-free phone numbers.

A stark warning about the finances of the games industry was aired at the Edinburgh Interactive conference, says the BBC.

The sector had suffered "significant disruption" to its business model, Edward Williams, from BMO Capital Markets, told the industry gathering.

"For Western publishers, profitability hasn't grown at all in the past few years and that's before we take 2009 into account," he said.