Sunday newspaper round-up: Migrant crisis, Brexit, China, HMV, Evraz, vaping

Jean-Claude Juncker has claimed that the majority of MPs “deeply distrust” Theresa May over Brexit and accused the British public of being "entirely unreasonable". Mr Juncker, who was recently rebuked for describing Mrs May as “nebulous” during a summit of European leaders, said it was time for the UK to “get your act together” and tell Brussels “what is it you want”. - Sunday Telegraph

China’s president, Xi Jinping, has called for Donald Trump to reach a compromise on trade, as discussions continue in an attempt to avert the imposition of heavy tariffs on goods. Xinhua, a Chinese state-controlled news organisation, reported on Sunday that Xi told Trump in a telephone call that he had “hopes that both teams can meet each other halfway and reach an agreement beneficial to both countries and the world as early as possible”. - Observer

Britain's high streets are braced for ‘intense pain’ with tens of thousands of store closures predicted over the next 12 months and job losses estimated to hit 164,000. The predicted job cuts - roughly equivalent to the population of Oxford - come on top of music and film retailer HMV being forced to appoint administrators after struggling to pay its bills. - Mail on Sunday

Brexit is on a knife edge and the chances of Britain leaving the European Union are “50-50” if MPs reject Theresa May’s deal, the international trade secretary says. Liam Fox, a leading Brexit supporter, believes the only way to be “100% certain” Britain will depart is if MPs vote for the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement, adding: “If we were not to vote for that, I’m not sure I would give it much more than 50-50.” - The Sunday Times

Britain will open two new military bases in the Caribbean and South East Asia as the country looks to step up its military presence overseas after Brexit, Gavin Williamson has revealed. The Defence secretary urges Britons to stop downplaying the country's influence internationally and recognise that the UK will stand tall on the world stage after leaving the European Union. - Sunday Telegraph

Investors will this week gain a clearer picture of retailers’ performances over the crucial Christmas period, as vultures circle the sector after HMV became the first victim of weak sales. Initial data from Springboard, a retail consultancy, showed that footfall in the week to Saturday fell by around 3% compared with last year, in line with declines seen throughout the Christmas trading period. In-store shopper numbers on Boxing Day fell by 3.1% year-on-year – the third consecutive annual decline in footfall. - Observer

A record number of house-hunters logged on to the internet in search of a new home on Boxing Day. It was the busiest day of the year for online property searches with more than two million people trawling through dozens of web pages. Property website Rightmove says some 40 million individual homes were viewed throughout the day compared to 38 million a year ago. - Mail on Sunday

The vulture fund that owns HMV took almost £50m in fees out of the struggling music retailer during its five-year ownership, while HMV paid no corporation tax. The DVD and vinyl chain confirmed on Friday that it had called in administrators from the accountancy giant KPMG, leaving 2,200 staff facing the loss of their jobs and 125 stores at risk of closure. The cost of any statutory redundancy payments will be borne by taxpayers. - The Sunday Times

The world’s most radical trade pact has come into force across the Pacific as the US sulks on the sidelines, marking a stunning erosion in American strategic leadership. Eleven countries are pressing ahead with the Comprehensive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), defying barely-disguised efforts by the Trump Administration to kill the treaty. - Sunday Telegraph

With time dwindling before a new Congress is sworn in, Donald Trump refused to budge in his demand for billions in funding for a border wall, narrowing prospects for an increasingly damaging government shutdown to end when the legislature reconvenes. His claim that Democrats are to blame for the deaths of migrant children in US custody, meanwhile, sparked a nasty political controversy. - Observer

A senior food scientist and top NHS doctor are urging MPs to take action and help warn the public about the cancer risk from processed meats like bacon and ham. In a joint statement, they called for Government action to raise awareness in a similar way to campaigns on the health dangers from sugar and fatty foods. They cited 'a growing consensus of scientific opinion' that nitrites in processed meats result in the production of carcinogenic nitrosamines which are believed to be responsible for bowel cancer. - Mail on Sunday

Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has emerged as the biggest London stock market winner of 2018, chalking up average gains of more than £1.6m a day from his share portfolio. Abramovich’s stakes in companies including Evraz, the steel and mining giant, increased by £587.2m thanks largely to a 43% rise in [the] Evraz share price. Also, two of the Russian billionaire’s acolytes, Alexander Abramov and Aleksandr Frolov, are sitting on gains of £386.3m and £192.9m from Evraz. - The Sunday Times

More than £100bn has been wiped off the value of the world's five biggest tobacco companies this year as worries grow about increased regulation and the rise of vaping. London-listed giant British American Tobacco (BAT) has been worst hit and lost about half its stock market value. Rival Imperial Brands is down about a quarter. - Sunday Telegraph

The leader of Bangladesh’s opposition alliance has described Sunday’s general election as farcical, saying any outcome would be rejected and demanding that a new vote be held. At least 17 people were killed during voting in the country’s first contested elections in a decade. Dozens of candidates pulled out of the contest on the day, claiming the ruling Awami League had rigged the vote to secure a record third consecutive term for the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. - Observer

British families should take grandparents on holiday with them like their Mediterranean counterparts, the Government's 'minister for loneliness' has urged. Conservative MP Mims Davies said Britons could learn from the example of southern Europeans, where families involve the older generations more in their daily lives. The new sport and civil society minister said communities had a 'moral duty' to stop the elderly feeling abandoned and has also urged employers to give staff more time off to care for parents. - Mail on Sunday