In Russia, Women's Day piles on the pressure for men

Moscow

IN OFFICES across Russia, the countdown to International Women's Day is a whirl of last-minute meetings and dashes for gifts as men race to prepare festivities for their female colleagues.

"We've sent out loads of emails, we've analysed the market, we've pooled ideas, and we've just got one more meeting ahead of the launch of Operation Women's Day today," confided Sergei Krakhmalyev, who works at Rosbank, a major Russian bank.