Tensions between the USA and Russia, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's victory in the Tour de France, a shower of swimming medals... The five key facts from the weekend

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The French won eight medals at the World Swimming Championships, California is once again suing the Trump administration, Hamas videos spark outrage in Israel and the European Union... If you didn't follow the main news stories from Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3, "Nouvel Obs" has prepared a catch-up session for you.

• Escalation of tensions between the United States and Russia

The weekend began with a new illustration of the growing tensions between the United States and Russia. On Friday evening, US President Donald Trump "ordered" the deployment of "two nuclear submarines" in "appropriate areas" following "provocative" and "inflammatory" comments by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

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This sudden surge in fever comes as Moscow launched more drones against Ukraine in July than in any other month since the February 2022 invasion, according to figures from Agence France Presse (AFP). This is despite the US president's ultimatums: on Monday, Donald Trump gave Vladimir Putin ten days to end the war in Ukraine before imposing "secondary" economic sanctions.

The White House occupant did not specify where exactly the submarines would be sent, nor whether they would be nuclear-powered or carrying atomic warheads.

• Videos of Israeli hostages in Gaza cause outrage

Since Thursday, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have released three videos of two Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip. The images, showing the emaciated hostages, have outraged Israel. "The Prime Minister expressed deep dismay at the recordings released by the Hamas terrorist organization and told the families that efforts to bring back all our hostages are continuing," Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Saturday.

In the propaganda images of the two Islamist groups, the two captives appeared very weak and very thin, in a staging aimed at drawing a parallel with the humanitarian situation in Gaza, threatened by "general famine" according to the UN .

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The images also rekindled the mobilization of Israeli families demanding an agreement. Tens of thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to demand the release of the hostages.

In Europe, the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, denounced "appalling images of Israeli hostages" on Sunday. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot was also moved by these "vile images." "Abject cruelty, limitless inhumanity: this is what Hamas embodies. The unbearable images (...) showing Israeli hostages held in Gaza are a horrific reminder of this," Emmanuel Macron denounced on X, who stressed that "the absolute priority and imperative for France is the immediate release of all hostages."

California and about fifteen Democratic states announced they were suing the Trump administration Friday evening, challenging its attempt to ban health professionals from providing transition treatments to transgender minors.

Upon returning to the White House last January, Donald Trump promised to put an end to the "transgender delusion." He notably signed an executive order equating these treatments with "mutilation" and ordered the Justice Department to investigate clinics providing such care. Under pressure, several such clinics across the country have closed their doors or suspended services.

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“The president and his administration’s relentless attacks on gender-affirming care are endangering already vulnerable adolescents whose health and well-being are at stake,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement announcing the federal lawsuit.

Of the 1.6 million people who identify as transgender in the United States, more than 300,000 are between the ages of 13 and 17, according to a study by the Williams Institute, a UCLA think tank.

All she needed was a Tour de France to add to her list of achievements. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won the Tour de France this Sunday, 36 years after Jeannie Longo. The all-terrain cyclist—road, mountain bike, and cyclocross—had already shone at last year's Paris Olympics , winning a gold medal. There was little suspense left after Saturday's daunting Col de la Madeleine stage, at the end of which Pauline Ferrand-Prévot donned the yellow jersey with tears in her eyes.

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"I dreamed of winning in yellow this morning. I gave it my all, I'm happy (...) it was a lot of sacrifices. I didn't do all that for nothing," she told reporters after her Tour de France victory. She added: "I don't know what I'll be able to do after, but I'm already going to enjoy and savor it."

The World Swimming Championships concluded this weekend with a shower of French medals. In total, the French team won eight medals in Singapore, mainly in the men's categories. A favorite of the French during the Olympic Games, Léon Marchand dominated the finals he competed in, winning two world championship titles: the 400m medley and the 200m medley.

A French sprinter also stood out in the Singapore pools: Maxime Grousset. The New Caledonian also won two gold medals in the 100m butterfly and the 50m butterfly. Backstroker Yohann Ndoye-Brouard managed to reach the third step of the podium twice in the 200m backstroke and the 100m backstroke. A bronze medal was also won in the 4x100m freestyle mixed relay, notably with swimmers Marie Wattel and Béryl Gastaldello.

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The World Championships concluded in style on Sunday afternoon with the fantastic four men in the 4x100m medley relay. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard, Léon Marchand, Maxime Grousset, and Yann Le Goff—who replaced Florent Manaudou —won silver after their bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.

Le Nouvel Observateur

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Tensions between the USA and Russia, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's victory in the Tour de France, a shower of swimming medals... The five key facts from the weekend