Climate change seen as cause for mudslide in Switzerland

The effects of climate change are partially to blame for a mudslide through a southeastern village that left eight people missing after a massive chunk of rock broke off an Alpine mountainside, Switzerland's environmental protection office said Monday.

A rocky mudslide rushes towards the village of Bondo, Graubuenden in southern Switzerland, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, after it was already hit by one on Wednesday. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

Federal Office for the Environment director Marc Chardonnens said by telephone that experts were looking into exact causes for the break-off of rock face that tumbled in a gooey sludge into the village of Bondo last week, including possible tectonic and geological factors as well as climatic ones.

A man rides his bike in Bondo, Graubuenden in southern Switzerland, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017.  (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

Chardonnens said Switzerland must do more to brace for the effects of climate change, citing the "weakening of the permafrost" atop many Alpine peaks as an example.

A rocky mudslide rushes towards the village of Bondo, Graubuenden in southern Switzerland, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, after it was already hit by one on Wednesday. The village that was already cleaning up from a devastating one earlier that has left eight people missing. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

His office said that the Alpine country has experienced an average temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius since record-keeping began in 1864, more than twice the world average of 0.9 degrees.

A rocky mudslide rushes towards the village of Bondo, Graubuenden in southern Switzerland, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, after it was already hit by one on Wednesday. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

It said climate change effects include "urban heat islands" in Swiss cities, localized water shortages, and the instability of mountain flanks like the one that cracked and triggered Wednesday's mudslide in Bondo.

A rocky mudslide rushes towards the village of Bondo, Graubuenden in southern Switzerland, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, after it was already hit by one on Wednesday. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

Authorities on Saturday suspended the search for the eight missing.

A man has been charged in federal court in Illinois in the transport of millions of dollars worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and memorabilia stolen from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.

A document filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois accuses Richard Globensky of transporting the items across state lines to Tampa, Florida, “knowing the same had been stolen, converted and taken by fraud.”

The items were taken from the famous golf club and other locations beginning in 2009 through 2022, according to the government.

Upon conviction, Globensky would have to forfeit any property and cash attained from proceeds traced to the stolen items, the government said.

The Associated Press was unable Wednesday to reach Globensky by phone using numbers listed in public records. Lawyer Tom Church, who’s listed in online court records as representing Globensky, did not immediately respond Wednesday to a voicemail and an email.

A message was also left Wednesday seeking comment from Augusta National.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office said he did not have any information on why the case was filed in Illinois.

Court records do not say whether Globensky worked for the golf club.

Augusta National is the home of the legendary Masters golf tournament, which was held over the weekend and won by Scottie Scheffler.

For many fans, the chance to buy exclusive merchandise that’s not officially sold online is a key part of the Masters experience. In recent years, gnome garden statues that debuted in 2016 have been a hot-ticket item. Even logo-etched cups — once emptied of beer or other drinks — are a prized souvenir fans pile up through the tournament.

In 2017, the Georgia company that owns Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters golf tournament sued to stop a golf memorabilia company from auctioning off a Masters champion’s green jacket and other items it says were never supposed to have left the club’s grounds. Augusta National Inc. filed the federal lawsuit against the Florida-based auction company seeking to stop it from selling a champion’s green jacket and two member green jackets, as well as silverware and a belt buckle bearing Augusta National’s map and flag logo.

Associated Press writer Kate Brumback in Atlanta and AP researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.

A sign is posted closing the golf shop line during a practice round at the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Augusta, Ga. Richard Globensky has been charged in federal court in Illinois in the transport of millions of dollars worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and memorabilia stolen from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, according to court documents filed Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The items were taken from the famous golf club and other locations beginning in 2009 through 2022, according to the government. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

FILE - The clubhouse of the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., is seen in this Sunday, April 3, 2005, file photo. Richard Globensky has been charged in federal court in Illinois in the transport of millions of dollars worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and memorabilia stolen from Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, according to court documents filed Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The items were taken from the famous golf club and other locations beginning in 2009 through 2022, according to the government. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)