News Brief: 10/31/2025

International

Two suspects in last week’s Louvre heist received preliminary charges of criminal conspiracy and theft committed by an organized gang on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Laure Beccau said they are believed to be two of the robbers caught on camera Oct. 19 during an incident at the Louvre where thieves stole several valuable items including a single earring belonging to 19th-century French Queen Marie-Amélie and emerald jewelry belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife.

The robbery took place 30 minutes after opening, with men disguised as construction workers using a mechanical lift on the street to access a window. It took them less than eight minutes to smash the glass, steal exhibits from their cases, and descend back to the street where they escaped on scooters.

Beccau explained the items are not sellable and urged the remaining thieves to return them.

“These jewels are now, of course, unsellable,” Beccau said. “Anyone who buys them would be guilty of concealment of stolen goods. There’s still time to give them back.”

The stolen jewels are valued at 88 million euros ($102 million) and none have been recovered.

National

On Tuesday, a truck transporting rhesus monkeys from Tulane University in New Orleans, La. flipped on a Mississippi highway, leading to the escape and “destruction” of several animal models.

Tulane University issued an official statement to Fox News, explaining the monkeys belonged to the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center which provides nonhuman primates to research institutions.

“The primates in question belong to another entity and are not infectious,” Tulane University said. “We are actively collaborating with local authorities and will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed.”

The truck’s driver informed police the monkeys were aggressive and carried Hepatitis C, Herpes, and Covid, leading police to “destroy” a number of them according to a Facebook post from the sheriff’s department.

“The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and posed a threat to humans,” the post read. “We took the appropriate actions after being given that information from the person transporting the monkeys.”

Three of the 21 escaped monkeys remain on the loose as of Wednesday, and the sheriff’s department advised the public to avoid the animals, saying they are “potential health threats and are aggressive.”

Local

WildCare Oklahoma has rescued more than 60 grounded evening bats near Oklahoma County Courthouse in downtown Oklahoma City.

Wildlife conservation experts told KOCO ongoing construction is pushing the bats out of their normal roosting places.

“They’re roosting in these buildings that are now being renovated,” Mackenzie Thomas, WildCare Oklahoma wildlife rehabilitation manager, said. “They’re under construction — that’s kind of pushing the bats out of those buildings.”

Thomas also attributed the number of grounded bats to weather changes and migration season.

“This is also the time of year where evening bats are migrating, so they’re already on the move,” Thomas said. “With that combination alongside the weather being kind of funny and getting cold all of a sudden and then warming back up, they’re being pushed to the ground.”

Thomas explained grounded bats are incredibly vulnerable because their wings do not generate enough lift to take off, requiring a tall object to drop off of.

People encountering grounded bats should contact WildCare Oklahoma and move the animal to a safe location according to Thomas.

“You can kind of use a piece of cardboard and scoop them into a clear container,” Thomas said. “Best thing to keep in mind is that bats are rabies vector species, which means that any species of bat can carry rabies doesn’t mean all bats have it. The primary thing is making sure we are never touching a bat bare-handed.”

WildCare Oklahoma can be contacted at 405-872-9338 to report any vulnerable bats.