World
Gender of female captain not to blame for sinking of $61M navy ship: New Zealand defense minister
New Zealand’s Defense Minister has clapped back at claims that the appointment of a female to captain a $61 million navy ship ultimately led to its sinking.
The navy’s specialist dive and hydrographic vessel, The Manawanui, sank on Sunday on a reef off the coast of Samoa that it was surveying. Its 75 crew and passengers were ordered to abandon the vessel on life rafts and were later rescued. The sinking marked New Zealand’s first ship lost since World War II and an investigation has been launched into what led to its demise.
The incident sparked debate online about whether the captain, Commander Yvonne Gray, was hired, in part due to her gender and sexuality in accordance with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) ideology.
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The HMNZS Manawanui pictured in 2022. (Christopher Weissenbornnzdf via AP)
Judith Collins, who is New Zealand’s first female defense minister, rebuked such claims and said there is a “misogynistic narrative” surrounding the sinking. The cause of the sinking has yet to be determined.
“A court of inquiry has been stood up to establish what caused this terrible incident. “The one thing that we already know did not [because] it is the gender of the ship’s captain, a woman with 30 years’ naval experience who on the night made the call to get her people to safety,” Collins said.
She said she was appalled to see the comments online from “armchair admirals, people who will never have to make decisions which mean life or death for their subordinates.”
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Lieutenant Commander Tala Mafile’o of the Royal Tongan Navy presents Commander Yvonne Gray, left, with a carved wooden bowl as a memento of the RNZN’s participation in the 50th Anniversary Fleet Review. (New Zealand Defence Force via AP)
“I thought seriously in 2024 what the hell is going on here with people who are sitting there in their armchair operating a keyboard making comments about people that they do not know, about an area they do not know and they are just vile. Where’s a bit of decency,” Collins said.
She added women in uniform were being abused in the street following the incident.
“This is outrageous behavior and New Zealand is not known for this and we are better than it,” she added. “We are all appointed on merit, not gender,” she added.
The vessel lost power and ran aground on Saturday evening one nautical mile off the southern coast of the Samoan island of Upolu. By Sunday morning, the vessel was “listing heavily,” and smoke was spotted around 6:40 a.m., the navy said. By 9 a.m. the ship slipped below the surface.
Judith Collins, New Zealand’s defense minister, has rebuked claims that the appointment of a female captain to commandeer a $61 million navy ship ultimately led to its sinking. (AP )
The sinking prompted fears of a major fuel spill. On Thursday, officials in Samoa said while the vessel was leaking oil from three places, the amount was decreasing each day and was dissipating quickly due to strong winds in the area.
Passengers, including civilian scientists and foreign military personnel, left the vessel on lifeboats in “challenging conditions” and darkness, New Zealand’s Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding told reporters after the sinking.
The vessel had been in service for New Zealand since 2019, was 20 years old and had previously belonged to Norway. The military said the ship, purchased for $61 million ($100 million NZ dollars), was not covered by replacement insurance.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
new video loaded: Train Crashes Into Bangkok Traffic, Killing at Least 8 People
By Jorge Mitssunaga
May 16, 2026
World
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Central Africa a public health emergency after 80 suspected deaths
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The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa an international public health emergency on Sunday after dozens of suspected deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency, the WHO said.
The declaration follows reports of 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases as of Saturday across at least three health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
The development comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which left multiple passengers and crew members sick, and caused three deaths.
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A health worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP)
As of May 13, the WHO said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case.
In neighboring Uganda’s capital, Kampala, the WHO said two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases — including one death — were reported Friday and Saturday involving people who had traveled from the DRC.
Another laboratory-confirmed case was reported in the DRC capital of Kinshasa involving a person returning from Ituri province.
Initial tests suggested the outbreak does not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which caused Congo’s devastating 2018–2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.
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Health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, on July 13, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
However, unlike Ebola-Zaire strains, there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain, which the WHO described as making the outbreak “extraordinary.”
The WHO warned the outbreak could be larger than currently reported due to the high positivity rate among initial samples and the growing number of suspected cases.
The outbreak also poses a public health risk to other countries, the WHO said, urging nations to activate emergency-management systems and implement cross-border screening measures.
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Ambulances parked at Bunia General Referral Hospital following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2026. (REUTERS/Victoire Mukenge)
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease spread through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said Congo has a “strong track record” responding to Ebola outbreaks while announcing the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts.
The WHO said it will convene an emergency committee to review recommendations for how affected countries should respond.
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Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo, on July 16, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
The organization did not recommend border closures or travel restrictions.
Congo has now recorded 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Brittany Miller, along with Reuters, contributed to this report.
Iran to reveal its plan for Strait of Hormuz soon as Israel attacks Lebanon and Gaza, killing and wounding dozens.
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