News Headlines - 11 December 2012

▽HSBC to pay $1.9B in money laundering probe

HSBC, the British banking giant, will pay $1.9 billion to settle a money-laundering probe by federal and state authorities in the United States, a law enforcement official said Monday.

▽Richard Branson and BA chief's 'knee in the groin' bet | guardian.co.uk

Willie Walsh, the boss of British Airways' parent company IAG, has further stoked hostilities with his rival by offering to accept Richard Branson's million-pound bet that he will still be running Virgin Atlantic in five years – but on condition that the stake is "a knee in the groin".

▽Tube Wi-Fi to cost ￡15 per month unless you're on Virgin, Vodafone or EE | CNET UK

Good news, Londoners! Wi-Fi in Tube stations is going to stay free for the foreseeable future. Bad news: it's only if you're a customer of Virgin Media, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile or EE.

▽BBC News - Japan economic data revision suggests recession

Revised growth figures for Japan have suggested that the world's third-largest economy is in recession.

▽Drilling deep below the Antarctic for new life - Channel 4 News

Braving temperatures of minus 40 degrees, a small team of British researchers today starts drilling through three kilometres of the Antarctic in search of life-forms new to science.