This week: Morrisons rebuilds and Hillsborough verdict edges closer

WOMEN’S DAY

It may sound a very modern invention but tomorrow’s International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the 20th century.

The earliest Women’s Day event was held in February 1909 in New York, organised by the Socialist Party of America in remembrance of the previous year’s strike by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union.

The theme for this year’s event is Pledge for Parity. In 2014, the World Economic Forum predicted it would take until 2095 to achieve global gender parity. A year later, it changed its estimate to 2133.

DOCTORS WALK OUT

Another week, another strike by junior doctors. This time they are walking out for 48 hours from Wednesday. It’s the first of three sets of 48-hour strikes in the dispute over the Government’s plans to impose new contracts.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has insisted the hardline stance was the right thing to do to show the Government would not be held to ransom by any group of staff.

HILLSBOROUGH INQUESTS

The new inquests into the deaths of 96 football fans at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough ground are already the longest in English legal history. Coroner Sir John Goldring has called more than 500 witnesses including survivors, police and medical experts since the inquests began just under two years ago.

It’s anticipated that the jury will begin their deliberations at some point this week. They are being asked to decide if the Liverpool fans who died in the tragedy were unlawfully killed and if former Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who was match commander on the day, was responsible.

MORRISONS RESULTS

Chances are there will be more good news for Morrisons shareholders when the Bradford-based supermarket chain announces its preliminary results on Thursday. New chief executive David Potts appears to have worked wonders since taking over from Dalton Philips a year ago. The firm’s share price soared 10 per cent in January as the supermarket returned to growth after 16 quarters of decline.

And the announcement last week that it had struck a deal with online giant Amazon saw it back in the FTSE 100 just three months after leaving the top group.

ROTHERHAM SURVIVORS

The Rotherham sex abuse scandal rocked Britain when it was revealed that widespread organised child sexual abuse took place in the South Yorkshire town between 1997 and 2013.

Survivors are now set share their stories at a major conference. The event, called Coming Out of The Darkness, will take place in Leeds on Friday.

It will also include speeches by Professor Alexis Jay and Louise Casey, who have both written reports on the issue of child grooming in the town.

LIB DEM FIGHTBACK?

You could say things have been a bit bleak for the Liberal Democrats since Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg quit as leader after the party’s disastrous General Election performance.

A brief membership surge did little to transform the party’s polling fortunes, with a recent survey revealing just eight per cent of Lib Dem voters think the party has the politicians best placed to lead the country.

All of which means leader Tim Farron will have his work cut out rallying the troops at the party’s Spring conference, which gets under way in York on Friday.