PRESS REVIEW – Friday, December 12: A US defence news website reports on leaks from the National Security Strategy, which reveal how the Trump administration is trying to pull four EU nations away from the bloc. Also: World Darts champion Luke Littler begins his campaign to defend his title. Plus: French video game "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" wins big at the Games Awards and becomes a symbol of French success. 

The Trump administration hopes to persuade four EU countries to leave the bloc, according to leaks reported by the US website Defense One. The site, which reports on US defence news, leaked details from the classified US National Security Strategy. It reports that Trump would like to "Make Europe Great Again" by focusing US relationships on four nations: the like-minded right-wing governments of Austria, Hungary, Italy and Poland. The goal would be to pull them away from the EU or encourage a UK-style exit. As the Times of London elaborates, the report also revealed Trump's desire to create a Core 5, or C5 group made up of the US, China, Russia, India and Japan. The group would hold regular summits with the first order of business being to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Times notes that the White House has denied the existence of any classified version. John Crace for the Guardian writes that Trump's threats to "destabilise European democracies, support far right nationalists, withdraw from NATO and support Russia" constitute a moment of "existential crisis for Europe." He adds: "It’s time to wake up because when the US president says this stuff, you had better believe him."

The Times of London also looks at how Trump's MAGA allies have been courting the European far right. This week, a delegation of 20 MPs from the far-right German AfD party travelled to the US, while their foreign policy spokesman is on good terms with Moscow. The Times says Europe fears that drink parties with Russia and scathing criticism of centrist governments could morph into "Cold War-esque interferences across the continent." The Wall Street Journal’s editors argue that Washington could have a positive influence on Europe – Trump's demand for more defence spending could spearhead welfare reforms. However, courting the European far right could ironically be counterproductive, it warns: "They are of instinctively anti-American" and "anti-economic reform."

In sports news, British darts world champion Luke Littler has begun his campaign to defend his title. Luke "The Nuke" Littler shook off first-night nerves and beat his Lithuanian rival in straight sets on the opening night of the 2025-26 edition in London. Littler, 18, became the youngest ever darts world champion this year. "Littler is buzzing," the Daily Mirror says. "Hot lips Luke in a pucker start", the Daily Star says, referring to his big smooch with his girlfriend after that match.

We end with a French triumph at the Oscars of video games. Le Figaro reports that "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" won big at the Games Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday. It picked up nine awards, including video game of the year. Le Figaro evokes its "historic success" – it is the first French video game to win game of the year. It's certainly a French success story for Sandfall Interactive, the tiny Montpellier studio of about 30 people which produced the game that has since sold more than 2 million copies. The Guardian explains that it started out as a side hustle for developer Guillaume Broche while he was working at Ubisoft. The narrative-driven roleplaying game offers a "unique world, challenging combat and music" set against the Lumières period. Broche says he worked eight hours a day on the game while working full-time. Le Monde notes that the game also seduced players because it leans into its Frenchness, a strategy that up until now was reserved mainly for indie video games.

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