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WASHINGTON – Grandma may have been right about keeping a teakettle warming on the stove in winter to moisten the air. Studies of seasonal influenza have long found indications that flu spreads better in dry air. Now, new research being published Tuesday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, …

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Investigators charged a traveling gospel singer’s wife with attempting to set fire to a church where she got upset with the pastor after her husband had performed there, Chattanooga fire officials said. Court records show that Tammy Cooper, 30, who lives in the Knoxville area, was charged …

BRISBANE, Australia – An American doctor charged with manslaughter in the deaths of three patients at a rural Australian hospital repeatedly botched operations and performed surgeries he was not capable of handling, a prosecutor said Monday. In his opening statement in the pretrial hearing of Jayant Patel, prosecutor Ross Martin …

LYNCHBURG, Va. – It’s one of the most familiar Bible stories. Saddened by the wickedness of man, God directs the righteous Noah to build an ark for his family and two of each species of animal. Together, they ride the ark through 40 days and 40 nights of torrential rains …

Google is challenging — and rewarding — hackers to find security flaws in its Native Client technology. The internet company launched the contest as a way to make their program more secure, eWeek.com reported. Hackers must register and agree to conditions set forth by Google before downloading the latest version. …

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Muslims in Indonesia are banned from practicing yoga that contains Hindu rituals like chanting, the country’s top Islamic body said Monday, echoing concerns by some religious groups elsewhere about its effect on their faith. Though not legally binding, most devout Muslims will likely adhere to the ruling …

U.S. defense officials say a Navy vessel that is part of the new piracy task force intercepted and searched an Iranian-owned ship that officials feared was carrying arms to Hamas. It’s unclear whether those suspicions were founded. Two defense officials say the Cypriot-flagged commercial vessel was tracked by a U.S. …

This is a rush transcript of “Special Report With Brit Hume” from January 15, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ERIC HOLDER, ATTORNEY GENERAL-DESIGNATE: I made mistakes. And my conduct, my actions in the Rich matter is a place …

NICOSIA, Cyprus – Cypriot authorities on Friday searched a cargo ship suspected by the United States of carrying Iranian arms to Hamas militants in Gaza. Officials refused to divulge any details about the ship or its cargo. The Cypriot-flagged container ship Monchegorsk is anchored off the island’s southern port of …

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California should be ordered to transfer up to 7,000 ailing prison inmates to facilities with access to better medical care, a court-appointed receiver said Tuesday in a court filing. Receiver Clark Kelso is in charge of improving inmate medical care but has become frustrated as Gov. Arnold …