Paris school abuse probe widens, 16 detained

French police detained 16 people Wednesday in an investigation into suspected child abuse at nursery schools in central Paris, expanding a case that has raised scrutiny of the city’s after-school care system.

Several had already been suspended after abuse reports and a documentary that included hidden-camera footage of violence.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Sunday that investigators were examining allegations involving non-teaching staff at 84 nursery schools and about 20 primary schools across all 20 districts of the capital.

The system, known as “périscolaire,” covers supervision outside classroom hours, including lunch breaks, naps, recess, and after-school care. Unlike teachers, who are hired by France’s education ministry, these workers are recruited by city officials, often on temporary contracts with low pay and limited training.

SOS Périscolaire said it had received more than 600 testimonies from families across France alleging physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. Co-founder Elisabeth Guthmann said delays in investigations make cases harder to prove, especially when children are very young.

Russia and Belarus held the final stage of joint nuclear drills Thursday, with road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles moving through forested areas, nuclear-powered submarines leaving Arctic and Pacific ports, and military crews deploying to warplanes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the exercises in a video call with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

“The use of nuclear weapons is an extreme, exceptional measure for ensuring the national security of our states,” Putin said.

Lukashenko earlier inspected Russian short-range, nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles at a unit involved in the drills and said: “I dreamed about this machine a long time ago.”

The three-day exercise began Tuesday as Ukrainian drone strikes increased, including attacks on Moscow’s suburbs that killed three people and damaged buildings and industrial facilities.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the drills involved 64,000 troops, more than 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 surface warships, and 13 submarines, including eight armed with nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The drills also practiced coordination with Belarus, which hosts Russian nuclear weapons, including the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system. Along with ground- and submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles, the exercise included short- and medium-range weapons.

The Defense Ministry said Russian forces test-fired Yars and Sineva intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as sea-launched Zircon and air-launched Kinzhal missiles, and that all struck their designated targets. Belarusian troops test-fired a short-range Iskander missile inside Russia.

Putin has repeatedly highlighted Russia’s nuclear arsenal since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022. In 2024, the Kremlin adopted a revised nuclear doctrine saying a conventional attack on Russia backed by a nuclear power would be treated as a joint attack. The doctrine also extended Russia’s nuclear umbrella to Belarus.

The drills took place amid increased drone activity in the Baltic region. On Tuesday, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization jet shot down a Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia. Ukraine apologized for the “unintended incident.” On Wednesday, a drone alert over Belarus prompted people in Vilnius, Lithuania, including officials and lawmakers, to shelter, and briefly closed the city’s airport.

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said Tuesday, without providing evidence, that Ukraine was preparing drone attacks against Russia from Baltic territory. Latvian authorities denied the claim.