Why Wikipedia is going down at midnight

Why websites are going dark. Wikipedia plans to shut its site down on Wednesday.

The act is a protest against anti-piracy bills before U.S. Congress Wikipedia: The proposed laws would make it difficult for the site to operate.

CNN talks with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales about the digital protest (CNN) — Go to Wikipedia at midnight and you won’t find any of the usual encyclopedia articles….

Iran sentences American ‘spy’ to death

An Iranian court finds Amir Hekmati “corrupt on Earth,” state media says NEW: His parents are “shocked and terrified” He was arrested in August while visiting relatives Prosecutors allege he was hired to deliver information to Iran Tehran, Iran.

Iran has sentenced an American ex-Marine to death for espionage. A court convicted Amir Mirzaei Hekmati of “working for an enemy country,” as well as membership in the…

Iran warns U.S. to keep aircraft carrier out of Gulf

The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis is in the Persian Gulf region.

Deployment of U.S. military assets in the Persian Gulf will continue, the Pentagon says The U.S. will protect “maritime freedoms,” including at the Strait of Hormuz, it says Iran warns the United States it will “severely react against any threat” Tensions over the Strait of Hormuz are pushing up oil prices.

Iran warned the…

Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez Has Cancer

Argentina’s reelected President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner after her inauguration in Buenos Aires, on December 10, 2011.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s surgery is scheduled for January 4 Medical exams indicate the cancer has not spread beyond the thyroid, a spokesman says Spokesman: A routine medical exam uncovered papillary carcinoma in the president’s thyroid Doctors detect papillary carcinoma, the most common type of thyroid cancer Buenos…

N. Korea is ‘world’s least democratic’

Kim Jong Il votes in North Korea’s 2009 parliamentary elections at a polling station in Pyongyang.

Norway is listed as the most democratic nation in the British report The United States ranks 19th, down two spots from 2010 Canada is eighth and the United Kingdom is 18th.

North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong Il died over the weekend, is the least democratic nation on Earth, according to…

State TV: Enigmatic North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dead

The founder of the communist nation, Kim Jong Il had been in power since 1994 .

“An insecure North Korea could (be) more dangerous,” a U.S. official says.

South Korea’s national security council is convening, its president says Kim died of a heart attack while on a train, North Korea’s state news agency reports Kim Jong Il was the son of Kim Il Song, the founder of the…

U.S. officially ends Iraq mission

U.S. forces end Iraq operation

Many Iraqis worry the United States wants to disengage completely, a journalist says NEW: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says Iraq can “govern and secure itself” The flag of the command is cased, officially marking the end of the U.S. mission 4,500 American troops died in Iraq since 2003.

American troops lowered the flag of command that flew over Baghdad Thursday morning, carefully…

Tunisia swears in new president

Moncef Marzouki has been sworn in as Tunisia’s new president. He is well-known for his firebrand style and his opposition to the old regime.

The presidency is more of a ceremonial role Marzouki is the founder of a center-left party The new president had lived in exile The Arab Spring started in Tunisia Tunis, Tunisia.

Tunisia has sworn in a new president, a milestone in the North…

Obama to Iran: Give us back our drone aircraft

Iranian officials display what they say is an unmanned U.S. spy plane brought down in Iran last week.

“We’ve asked for it back. We’ll see how the Iranians respond,” Obama says An Iranian military general says Iran won’t send back “the spying equipment”

Iran says that it downed an American drone on December 4. The Pentagon says it lost contact with a drone and has not…

Facebook begins rolling out Timeline feature

A general release of Facebook’s Timeline was planned for September, but it was delayed.

New Zealand is so far the only country to get Facebook’s Timeline Facebook unveiled Timeline in early September, but delayed its launch.

The Timeline feature will arrange all your photos and updates in a chronological scrapbook (Mashable) — Facebook officially took the “beta” label off its much-publicized Timeline Tuesday evening, but it’s…