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The trial of three men accused in the theft or sale of an 18-carat gold toilet that was a pricey piece of satirical art is underway in Britain. A prosecutor told jurors Monday in Oxford Crown Court that it took a group of thieves less than five minutes to swipe the toilet valued at $6 million from Blenheim Palace, the sprawling English mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born. Prosecutor Julian Christopher says one of the defendants helped steal the work and two others helped to sell the gold. The toilet has never been recovered. The work of Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan was titled “America,” and poked fun at excessive wealth.

Thieves used a stolen card to buy a winning French lottery ticket worth 500,000 euros or $523,000. But they vanished before cashing in. And now they’re among France’s most famous fugitives. The man whose card was stolen is offering to split the cash with the lucky winners. Prosecutors could try to seize the winnings by considering them illegally obtained gains. The thieves meanwhile face the risk of arrest if they turn in the ticket. The victim's lawyer has launched a national appeal asking them to come forward so that they can share the money. France's state lottery operator said that no one had submitted the ticket to cash out as of Saturday.

A Scottish Highland bull is the talk of the town in the rural hills of western Connecticut, where it has been roaming for over a month after escaping from its confines. Animal control officer Lee Sohl in Kent, Connecticut, says local residents have reported sporadic sightings of the bull in the past week. But no one's been able to catch it. Sohl says the bull seems scared as it roams about in frigid winter weather. The bull's owner says efforts to find it are continuing. Scottish Highland cattle are known as a hardy breed that can live outside year-round.