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UK tech firm Dyson announced plans to move its headquarters to Singapore. Photo: Shutterstock. 

Brexit exodus

The Brexit business exodus went from a trickle to a flow this week, according to BBC news. First technology firm Dyson announced it would move its HQ to Singapore, and on Wednesday Sony said it would move its European HQ to the Netherlands. Sony isn’t alone. According to the Independent, more than 250 companies are in touch with the Dutch government about moving to the Netherlands because of Brexit. The grand duchy is also among the relocation hubs of choice according to Luxembourg for Finance, which announced 47 firms have publicly confirmed relocations there because of Brexit. Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, on Wednesday said he was pleased that more and more Poles were returning to Poland because of Brexit uncertainty. politico, meanwhile, published an interesting read on how businesses are stockpiling food, medicines and car parts in the event of a no-deal Brexit, placing a strain on storage space.

Google appeal

Google has said it will appeal against the €50m fine it received from the French data protection authority over GDPR violations, politico reports. It is claimed the tech firm broke the rules by not properly asking for its users consent on how to use their personal data. Politico also gives an insight into Facebook’s fight against European regulation on copyright and privacy in this worthwhile read.

Golden visas

The European Commission has criticised so-called “golden” visa passport schemes in which people can buy EU residency through investment, politico reports. These schemes are offered in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta. In a report published on Wednesday, the Commission raised concerns over security and money laundering. More on this from euobserver, which also reports Bulgaria plans to stop selling golden passports.

EU military space force

EU commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska has floated the idea of creating a European Space Force saying several member states are talking about it, euobserver reports as does politico. The suggestion comes after the European Space Agency announced plans to mine the moon for oxygen and water to support space exploration and human habitation, with a first mission planned for 2025, as Technology Review reports. Funding will be helped by a new space programme regulation drafted by The Council of the European Union this week, as Space News reports.

Venezuela president

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president on Wednesday in a bid to force out Nicolas Maduro, Reuters reports. A defiant Maduro called it a coup attempt after Guaido was recognised by the US, Canada, Brazil, Colombia and other US allies, The Guardian reports. It follows two nights of civil unrest in which 14 people have died.

Rubbish in the EU

The amount of rubbish generated by the EU continues to rise, despite the European Commission’s war on waste, euronews reports. Citing Eurostat figures, it found that Denmark produced the most rubbish in 2017 with 781 kg of waste per person. Luxembourg occupied fourth place with 607 kg/person.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Jess Bauldry