Renowned ice rink in Moscow's Red Square officially opens for winter

A renowned ice rink right in the heart of Moscow's Red Square is warming the hearts of visitors on the cold winter nights as it officially opens for a new season.

The GUM ice rink -- which will be open through March 1 -- is now entering its landmark 20th year of operations, with the site becoming a hugely popular addition to the festive period in the Russian capital.

To mark this milestone year, Olympic champion Tatyana Navka -- who won ice dancing gold at the 2006 Turin Winter Games -- delighted the crowds by joining the performance crew to deliver scenes from the fairytale Cinderella.

Two-thirds of the famous Red Square has now been transformed into a vibrant holiday marketplace, with millions of lights, breathtaking views of the Kremlin, the scent of tangerines and fir branches in the air, and the hustle and bustle of the holiday market creating a joyful experience for visitors.

"There is a wonderful New Year atmosphere, we really like it, everything is very tasty, the people are pleasant and positive," said one visitor.

The rink stretches from the Nikolskaya Tower all the way along the GUM department store. This year, the design of the rink is especially bright -- styled after the traditional Dymkovo toy, the famous clay souvenir easily recognized for its white background and geometric patterns.

Dozens of themed and festive events are planned to turn the Moscow winter into a real-life fairytale, with this being the most eagerly awaited time of year for many.

"If it were 20 years ago, such a scene would have seemed like an unattainable fantasy, while now it feels very familiar and dear to us -- something we simply can't imagine being without," said Mikhail Kusnirovich, a local entrepreneur.

While former Olympic stars and seasoned performers took to the ice, many newbies also came out to learn the ropes.

"Today was my first time on the ice, but I think I'm already doing well. I'll probably even sign up for figure skating lessons," said another visitor.

Vladislav Tretyak, a three-time Olympic ice hockey champion, said professionals will be on hand to help young people become masters of the ice, with this famous ice rink helping to inspire the next generation of Olympic champions.

"It's from rinks like these that [ice hockey champions like] Tretyaks, Kharlamovs, and Ovechkins all come -- we all started out in places like this," he said.

Renowned ice rink in Moscow's Red Square officially opens for winter

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday presided over a State Council executive meeting which studied further arrangements on energy conservation and carbon reduction, and heard a report on a special campaign on business-related administrative law enforcement.

The meeting also reviewed and approved a draft regulation on administrative law enforcement oversight, discussed a draft law on firefighters, and arranged work for a crackdown on tobacco-related illegal activities.

The meeting emphasized the need to ensure higher-standard and better-quality work in the fields of energy conservation and carbon reduction -- work which must be advanced with greater overall planning efforts and in light of local conditions.

To that end, the meeting called for efforts to maximize the impact of policies, continuously improve market mechanisms, and accelerate the transition to green production and green lifestyles.

A special campaign on regulating business-related administrative law enforcement this year has achieved positive results, the meeting noted, underlining further efforts to enhance the standardization of administrative law enforcement.

By drafting and implementing the regulation on administrative law enforcement oversight, the boundaries and responsibilities of law enforcement authorities will be clarified further, and administrative power will be upheld consistently within a legal framework, it said.

It discussed and approved in principle a draft law on firefighters, which will be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

It is imperative that the institutional arrangements for the country's firefighting force are improved, making it more standardized and professional, the meeting said, stressing the need to consolidate fire safety management, and to resolutely prevent and curb serious or major fire accidents.

Work will also be done to crack down strictly on tobacco-related illegal activities, strengthen supervision and law enforcement across all links, and improve the tobacco market environment, according to the meeting.

Chinese premier chairs meeting on carbon reduction, administrative law enforcement