The car license plate I LOVE U sold for US$180,000 (NT$5.9 million) earlier this month in the first auction of novelty personalized plates in Hong Kong.
Buyers crowded into a government auction of unusual license plates which included the chance to have the words HANDSOME, BABYFACE and MR DVD on the fronts and backs of their cars.
Around US$770,000 (NT$25 million) was raised in one morning alone, with the highest price paid for I LOVE U, a plate which attracted fierce bidding.
PHOTO: AP
The personalized plates are among the first batch to be auctioned off by the territory’s government in a new plan to raise money by releasing unusual combinations of letters and numbers for car plates.
Plates that read NEPTUNE, MASTER, and HEHEHAHA were also sold at the mid-September auction.
The Personalized Vehicle Registration Marks Scheme is expected to generate nearly US$9 million (NT$290 million) a year for the Hong Kong government. The money will be spent on projects for the poor.
Despite its wealth, densely-populated Hong Kong has one of the developed world’s lowest car ownership rates with less than 40 percent of adults owning cars.
Because of the small size of the city of 6.8 million and the high cost of running and parking a car, most people choose to get around using public transport or taxis.(DPA)
本月初在香港首場新穎自訂車牌拍賣會上，「我愛你」車牌以十八萬美元（新台幣五百九十萬元）賣出。
買家湧入政府舉辦的獨特車牌拍賣會，有機會讓自己車子的前後車牌寫上「帥氣」、「娃娃臉」與「DVD先生」等字。
光是當天早上就募得約七十七萬美元（新台幣兩千五百萬元），其中競標激烈的「我愛你」車牌以最高價成交。
這些自訂車牌是港府釋出結合文字與號碼的獨特車牌來募款的新計畫中，首批拿來拍賣的一部分。
「海王星」、「大師」與「嘻嘻哈哈」車牌也於九月中旬的拍賣會中賣出。
「自訂車牌號碼計劃」預計將為香港政府帶來約九百萬美元（新台幣二億九千萬元）收益，所得將做為扶貧計畫之用。
雖然生活富裕，但人口稠密的香港卻是全球已開發地區汽車擁有率最低的地方之一，不到四成的成年人擁有車輛。
由於人口六百八十萬的香港面積窄小，開車與停車花費高，多數人都選擇搭乘大眾運輸或計程車趴趴走。
（德通社/翻譯︰賴美君）
China commemorated 80 years since the end of World War II last week with a massive military parade against a backdrop of a disputed history about who ultimately defeated Japan. The issues, including Japan’s reckoning with its wartime record in China, are bound to flare again in December, a flashpoint anniversary of the mass killing in Nanjing by invading Japanese troops. Below is an explainer about what the different — and disputed — points of view are. WHAT IS CHINA’S VIEW? For the Chinese government sitting in Beijing, this is a clear-cut issue: China sacrificed 35 million people in a heroic and brutal struggle
Rarely does Nature present such a striking contradiction as the one found in Lencois Maranhenses National Park. Located along Brazil’s northeastern coast, the park unveils breathtaking scenery, where rippling sands meet crystal-clear lagoons. Under the sun’s golden glow, the waters glitter in shades of turquoise and emerald. So surreal is this spectacle that visitors might wonder if they’re gazing at a digitally modified photo rather than a living landscape. Were it not for the unique geographical and climatic conditions, such a marvel would not exist. Unlike typical deserts, Lencois Maranhenses receives a substantial amount of rainfall, particularly during the rainy season
A: Wow, animated fantasy film “KPop Demon Hunters” (KDH) has become Netflix’s most viewed film ever. B: Isn’t that the movie about a K-pop girl group secretly serving as demon hunters? A: Yeah, and its theme song “Golden” was No. 1 on the Billboard chart. B: The hit performed by HUNTR/X — the girl group from KDH — has inspired a “Golden challenge,” as celebrities are racing to cover its sky-high notes. A: Cool, let’s try it out. A: 哇，動畫電影《KPop獵魔女團》近日已成為網飛上觀看次數最多的電影。 B: 這部電影不是關於某韓流女團，成員秘密擔任惡魔獵人的故事？ A: 對，主題曲《Golden》更勇奪告示牌單曲榜冠軍呢！ B: 該曲由電影中的女團「HUNTR/X」所演唱，甚至還掀起一股全球《Golden》大挑戰︰一堆名人挑戰翻唱該曲飆高音。 A: 酷喔我們也來挑戰吧。（By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
In a major step to combat carbon emissions, Norway’s pioneering “Northern Lights project” is set to expand its carbon capture and storage (CCS) capabilities. Backed by energy giants and the Norwegian government, this collaborative project is working to increase its annual carbon storage capacity from 1.5 million to over five million tons. Northern Lights focuses on capturing CO2 emissions from industrial sources across Europe and securely storing them underground. Captured CO2 will be liquefied and transported by ship to the storage facility located off the coast of Norway. It will be injected through pipes into geological formations about 2,600m below the
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