Tag: Cameroon

Two researchers charged with allegedly trying to smuggle mpox through Detroit Metro Airport

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Two foreign nationals working at the National Institutes of Health are facing charges for allegedly trying to smuggle mpox into the United States through the Detroit Metro Airport. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Vincent Munster, 53, a citizen of the Netherlands, and Claude Kwe, 38, a citizen of Cameroon, are accused of providing federal authorities with false statements after arriving at the McNamara Terminal on Jan. 25, 2026. Officials say the two people, who were researchers, originally traveled from Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, where an mpox outbreak was ongoing. Customs and Border Protection officials spotted the individuals with a black plastic case, according to a criminal complaint.

When asked, Munster and Kwe told federal officials the case was carrying diagnostic and testing equipment. Further inspection uncovered 113 vials in styrofoam coolers. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI tested 20 of the vials shortly after the discovery — 17 of those vials contained “deactivated monkeypox virus” while another contained the chickenpox virus and two others contained human DNA. “No researchers should believe their positions, credentials, or professional status place them above the law,” said Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, in a statement. “The allegations in this case are serious.

They involve the dangerous and unlawful smuggling of deactivated Mpox virus into the United States and alleged efforts to mislead our federal agents.”    Munster, chief of the Virus Ecology Section at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory, and Kwe, a research fellow, told federal officials that they were tasked with studying viruses that could affect the United States, according to the complaint. The individuals told officials they had been in the Republic of Congo for more than a week studying a strain of mpox. “Munster and Kwe did not present the true identities of the biological materials in their possession and did not provide or possess the necessary certifications. Rather, Munster and Kwe attempted to pass the samples off as unused diagnostics,” read the complaint. FBI investigators spoke with officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who determined that Munster and Kwe needed a USDA permit to travel into the U.S. with the materials, according to the complaint.

According to the USDA, the Code of Federal Regulations mandates that “no organisms or vectors shall be imported into the United States or transported from one State or Territory or the District of Columbia to another State or Territory or the District of Columbia without a permit.” “I am grateful for the outstanding and diligent work of the FBI Detroit JTTF, FBI Billings’ Missoula Resident Agency, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection team at Detroit Metro Airport, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – OIG, for keeping our communities safe,” Runyan said. This comes one year after Chinese nationals were accused of smuggling a “dangerous biological pathogen” into Michigan. Yunqing Jian, 33, from the People’s Republic of China, was deported after pleading guilty and receiving a sentence of time served.

Source: Two researchers charged with allegedly trying to smuggle mpox through Detroit Metro Airport – CBS Detroit

Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
Romans 14:3

Psalm 5:8

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. In the verse David is praying in the morning while people who…

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Human trafficking a rising problem in Cameroon

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Human trafficking in Cameroon has been impeded by social stigma, inadequate financial resources, as well as lack of clarity in the laws.

During a workshop on human trafficking organized by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Kumbo Diocese Christopher Bello said Cameroon is a source, transit and destination for human trafficking, noting this modern slavery has spiked as a result of the separatist conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.

Source: Human trafficking a rising problem in Cameroon, Catholic Church says | Crux

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:8

Teen survives for days clinging to capsized boat off Alaska

A 15-year-old boy survived on top of an overturned skiff in Alaska’s frigid Bering Sea for roughly two days, losing his older brother and then his cousin to the ocean after the boat capsized while they were out fishing. The teen, identified by a relative as Derek Parker Aghnaanga, was finally hoisted to safety Monday…

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9/11 Never Forget; An Awesome Tribute

Created by Steve A. I hear a song and that song evokes an emotion and that emotion in me helped in the creation of this tribute video. While I wish all of the images were high resolution….some images of that day were caught with low quality equipment and the images I chose all seemed to…

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Flight 93 Memorial ceremonies today mark 25 years since 9/11

Today marks 25 years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and observance ceremonies will be held at the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to remember the lives lost that day. Nearly 3,000 people died and thousands more were injured as terrorists carried out coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center skyscrapers in New…

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25 years after 9/11, Massachusetts to mark attacks with statewide moment of silence and “Tribute in Light”

Massachusetts is marking 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks with a statewide moment of silence on Friday and special tributes that include illuminating Boston buildings in remembrance of the tragedy. Gov. Maura Healey said she is directing flags in the state to be lowered to half-staff. She’s also “calling on residents, schools, businesses and…

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