Swedish businessman Carl Lundström, an early financier of the controversial file-sharing site The Pirate Bay, has died in a plane crash in Slovenia.

Lundström, 63, was piloting his Mooney M-20 aircraft alone when it crashed in the Velika Planina mountains on Monday, according to reports from Slovenian media. The right-wing party Alternative for Sweden, with which Lundström was politically affiliated, confirmed his death in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Plane Crash in Remote Mountains

According to the party’s statement, Lundström had taken off from Zagreb, Croatia, en route to Zurich, Switzerland, when his plane crashed into a cabin on Velika Planina, splitting the structure in two.

The rescue operation was delayed due to bad weather and difficult terrain. On Monday, emergency teams located wreckage from the plane inside the cabin, but initial efforts to identify the pilot were unsuccessful.

A Key Backer of The Pirate Bay

Lundström played a pivotal role in The Pirate Bay’s early days, helping to provide the site with servers and infrastructure through his company Rix Telecom between 2003 and 2005.

In 2009, he was among four defendants convicted for being an “accessory to breaching copyright law” when the torrent-tracking website was found guilty of facilitating copyright infringement.

Lundström appealed his conviction but lost. However, his prison sentence was reduced from one year to four months. He was also ordered to pay 32 million Swedish kronor (€2.9 million) in damages.

Political Involvement and Business Legacy

Beyond his involvement with The Pirate Bay, Lundström was active in Swedish politics. He was a key financial backer of the Swedish Progress Party in 1991, which later merged with the Sweden Democrats.

In 2018, he became involved with Alternative for Sweden, serving as a district manager before running in the 2021 Church Assembly election, though he was unsuccessful.

Lundström also came from a prominent business background, as the heir to Wasabröd, Sweden’s largest producer of crisp bread.

His death marks the end of a controversial and politically engaged career, leaving behind a legacy in both technology and politics.

HULL, UK – A US-registered oil tanker and a Portuguese cargo ship collided in the North Sea off the UK coast on Monday, sparking a major fire and triggering a large-scale rescue operation.

The incident occurred 10 nautical miles from Hull at approximately 11 a.m. CET, prompting UK emergency services to launch an immediate response.

Rescue Efforts and Casualties

The UK Coastguard confirmed that lifeboats, helicopters, and firefighting vessels were dispatched to the scene.

“A coastguard rescue helicopter from Humberside, along with lifeboats, a fixed-wing aircraft, and firefighting vessels from nearby ships, were deployed to assist in the operation,” a coastguard spokesperson said.

At least 32 casualties have been brought ashore, according to Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East. The extent of their injuries remains unclear.

Boyers described the incident as catastrophic, stating that a “massive fireball” erupted upon impact, followed by thick black smoke rising from both vessels.

Details of the Vessels Involved

The collision involved the Stena Immaculate, a US-registered oil tanker, and the Solong, a Portuguese container ship registered in Madeira.

• Stena Immaculate: 183 meters long, 32 meters wide, sailing from Agioi Theodoroi, Greece.
• Solong: 140.6 meters long, 21.8 meters wide, en route from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam, Netherlands.

According to ship tracking data from Marine Traffic, the Solong was last recorded drifting at 0.3 knots, indicating a loss of propulsion.

Potential Environmental Risks

Authorities are currently assessing a potential oil spill, though it remains uncertain what cargo the tanker was carrying at the time of impact.

The UK Coastguard stated that a counter-pollution response is likely but will depend on further damage assessments.

Government Response and Weather Conditions

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander expressed concern over the accident and praised emergency responders for their swift action.

“I thank all emergency service workers for their efforts in responding to this incident,” Alexander said in a statement.

The UK Met Office had earlier forecast poor visibility in the Yorkshire and Humber region, reporting “areas of fog and low cloud” that could have impacted navigation conditions at sea.

Rescue and firefighting operations are ongoing as authorities continue to evaluate casualties, vessel stability, and environmental impact.

Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has downplayed the country’s latest surge in violence as “expected challenges,” even as the death toll from ongoing clashes between pro-government forces and supporters of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad has risen to 642, according to independent monitors.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), a UK-based watchdog, reported on Sunday that both pro-Assad groups and government forces were responsible for the escalating bloodshed. The organization attributed 315 deaths to “non-state armed groups” loyal to Assad, including 167 members of Syria’s security forces and 148 civilians. Meanwhile, it said at least 327 people—including civilians and disarmed militants—were killed by government forces and affiliated groups.

Footage of mass graves and alleged execution-style killings has emerged, fueling concerns of widespread atrocities. CNN has not independently verified these reports and has reached out to Syrian authorities for comment.

Growing International Alarm Over Sectarian Violence

The latest clashes mark the most intense fighting since Assad was deposed in December by Sunni Islamist militants, who have since sought to reshape Syria’s political and sectarian landscape. Assad, a member of the Alawite minority sect, had long relied on support from Alawite strongholds along the Mediterranean coast, particularly in Latakia and Tartous.

While some Alawite groups surrendered their weapons after Assad’s fall, others remain heavily armed, contributing to the ongoing violence. The latest wave of conflict underscores the difficulty Syria’s new regime faces in stabilizing a deeply divided country.

Interim President Sharaa addressed the unrest during a visit to a Damascus mosque, where he urged national unity.

“What is happening in the country are expected challenges,” Sharaa said. “We must preserve national unity and civil peace… We are capable of living together in this country, as much as we can.”

U.S. Condemns Killings, Calls for Accountability

As the violence escalated, the United States issued a strong condemnation of the attacks. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced what he described as “radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis,” who he said were responsible for killings in western Syria in recent days.

“The United States stands with religious and ethnic minorities in Syria,” Rubio said in a statement. “Interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these massacres accountable.”

A Fragile New Order

Despite efforts by Syria’s interim government to assert control, the country remains deeply fractured, with remnants of pro-Assad forces continuing to resist the new regime.

The Syrian leadership faces the daunting task of disarming militant groups, rebuilding state institutions, and preventing further sectarian reprisals. Whether Sharaa’s calls for unity will ease tensions—or if the country will descend into further chaos—remains to be seen.