Parliament to seek Brexit delay, timetable chaos sees GTR fined ￡5m, and more top news

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MPs overwhelmingly agreed — 412 to 202 — to seek an extension of Brexit beyond 29 March. The government will now ask the EU to approve the delay, which may push the country’s departure from the bloc to at least 30 June, if MPs finally endorse Prime Minister Theresa May’s exit deal in a third vote by 20 March. EU leaders have been split on whether they would approve a deadline change. The timing will also determine whether the UK participates in upcoming EU elections. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has been fined a record ￡5m for failing passengers during the “awful” introduction of a new timetable last year. Almost one year on from the rail chaos, which saw hundreds of Thameslink and Great Northern services cancelled each day for eight weeks, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said the rail company "failed to provide appropriate, accurate and timely information," made worse by inadequate internal staff communication. GTR has 21 days to respond to the ‘disappointing’ penalty notice. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Domino's Pizza, JD Sports and Greene King have been ordered to add more women to their boardrooms. Financial sector trade body the Investment Association (IA) and the government-backed Hampton-Alexander review have written to more than 60 FTSE 350 firms to criticise their “one and done” approach to female inclusion in boardrooms. The IA has warned that firms which fail to address a lack of female representation risk being given a “red top”, the highest warning level. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Coca-Cola produced three million tonnes of plastic packaging in 2017, the equivalent to roughly 200,000 bottles a minute. The company data was revealed in a report by charity The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which is pushing for companies and governments to actively reduce plastic pollution. In the report, consumer goods giant Unilever confirmed it creates 610,000 tonnes of plastic packaging, while Burberry reported using 200 tonnes of plastic in a year. Pepsi, L'Oreal and H&M are yet to disclose how much plastic they use. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Shell chief executive Ben van Beurden took home ￡17m in pay and bonuses last year, a 126% rise on the previous year. The pay packet, which is 143 times what the average employee received, is the largest in the company’s history, excluding 2014. The oil giant described van Beurden’s pay as “appropriate” after the company reported underlying profits of ￡16.3bn, their highest level since 2014. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Idea of the Day: Too often people assume that if they work hard, they’ll get recognised and be promoted. Startups advisor Lisa Shalett tells LinkedIn that in many of these cases employees don’t know how a promotion occurs.

“Learn the rules of the game.”

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— Natalie MacDonald