Wikinews:Briefs/June 27, 2005

June 27, 2005

U.S. Marines accused of assaulting Australian freed by U.S. military court
Two U.S. Marines were cleared of charges in their alleged assault on an Australian teen in 2004. Australian Attorney General Phillip Ruddock has requested a report of the proceedings from the U.S. military judge overseeing the case. The youth and his family were never asked for evidence, and only learned of the case's conclusion through the media.

Israeli soldier convicted in killing of British activist in Gaza Strip
Former Israeli soldier sergeant Wahid Taysir was convicted of manslaughter and other charges for covering up in the death of British student Tom Hurndall by an Israeli court. Mr. Taysir shot Mr. Hurndall with a sniper rifle from a watchtower while he was guiding children away from an area where shooting was taking place. Mr. Taysir's sentence will be announced next week.

Paul Winchell, voice of Tigger, Gargamel, dead at 82
Paul Winchell, the English voice of Gargamel in the animated children's show The Smurfs and Tigger in Disney's Winnie the Pooh died on 23 June at age 82. Mr. Winchell won a Grammy Award for his voice work on "The Most Wonderful Thing about Tiggers" in the animated Disney film "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too".

Unanimous U.S. Supreme Court rules against file swapping companies
Writing for a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court, Justice David Souter's decision mad file sharing companies who provide tools for users to violate copyright law are liable for those infringements. The decision directly affects plaintiffs Grokster and StreamCast, but the cases have been remanded to a lower court for final adjudication.

Actor John Fiedler, voice of Piglet and "Bob Newhart" regular, dead at 80
Actor John Fiedler passed away at the age of 80 on July 25th. Though he worked extensively on stage, film, television, and radio for over forty years, he is perhaps most remembered for two roles: the mild, fearful voice of Piglet in Disney's many Winnie the Pooh productions, and the role of Mr. Peterson, nervous patient on The Bob Newhart Show.