The time is 18:00 (UTC) on July 4th, 2006, and this is Audio Wikinews News Briefs.

India
Heavy rainfall continued in the city of Mumbai in India for the fourth consecutive day today, leading to water-logging in many areas of India's commercial capital and leading to the disruption of road and rail traffic. Operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport have been affected and many incoming flights are being diverted to either Ahmedabad or Goa.

Indonesia
The World Health Organisation confirmed the death of a five-year-old boy on June 16 was due to bird flu. This is the 40th confirmed Indonesian death due to bird flu.

China
The Chinese Government has announced plans to impose fines of over US$12,000 on media outlets if they report domestic disasters without permission.

United States
NASA officials decided late Monday to go ahead with the planned launch at 2:38 p.m. EDT on July 4 of the space shuttle Discovery. The launch had previously been delayed twice due to poor weather conditions. The mission has been described as critical to the future of the International Space Station (ISS) as well as the shuttle and the entire NASA fleet.

Singapore
The New South Wales police's fraud squad have been recognised for its efforts and successes in credit and debit card fraud in Singapore last week according to a statement issued today. The award was presented at the Visa Asia Pacific Risk Management Conference.

Italy
Italian car company, Fiat, has used the haka to advertise its new car and New Zealand diplomats say it is culturally insensitive. The ads have gone to air in Italy and are viewable on their website.

Canada
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is currently at the top of charts for iTunes. The PM tops the list of the most downloaded podcasts at the on-line iTunes music store.

Australia
Australia's federal communications minister, Senator Helen Coonan said on Monday that Australia's media watchdog would be handing a report into an alleged sexual misconduct incident which occurred on the set of Big Brother on July 1. The incident was not broadcast on television but was streamed across the Internet.

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Wikinews:Briefs/July 4, 2006