Things To Do In SW Florida

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press

McDonald’s said Monday it plans to invest $200 million over the next seven years to promote regenerative agriculture practices on cattle ranches.

The Chicago burger giant said the investment was its largest to date in support of regenerative agriculture in the U.S. The company has also funded regenerative projects on potato farms in Canada and Europe.

“As a brand that serves more than 90% of Americans every year, we recognize the responsibility we have to help safeguard our food systems for long-term vitality,” Cesar Piña, McDonald’s chief supply chain officer for North America, said in a statement.

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Universal Orlando has confirmed that contruction work moving forward in the Lost Continent area of its Islands of Adventure theme park. Details about what might go there and in what specific timeframe remain unrevealed.

“In the coming months, there will be construction activity in Lost Continent as part of site planning to ensure the area is ready for any future developments” is the official stance from the company.  A demolition permit has been filed with the city of Orlando.

Lost Continent is one of the original lands of IOA, which opened in 1999. Two of its primary attractions were “The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad,” a stunt and stage show that closed in 2018, and Poseidon’s Fury, a walk-through experience with special effects, which closed in 2023. Both structures currently remain standing.

In the beginning, Lost Continent also was the home of the Dueling Dragons roller coaster, which later was absorbed by the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The land, sandwiched between Seuss Landing and Wizarding World, now includes a handful of merchandise stores; Fire-Eater’s Grill, a counter-service restaurant; and Mythos, a full-service restaurant that looks over the park’s central lagoon. read more

By KELVIN CHAN, AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — China accused Nvidia on Monday of violating the country’s antimonopoly laws and said it would step up scrutiny of the world’s leading chipmaker, escalating tensions with Washington as the two countries held trade talks this week.

Chinese regulators said a preliminary investigation found that Nvidia didn’t comply with conditions imposed when it purchased Mellanox Technologies, a network and data transmission company.

The one-sentence statement from the State Administration for Market Regulation statement did not mention any punishment, but said it would carry out “further investigation.”

An Nvidia spokesperson said, “We comply with the law in all respects. We will continue to cooperate with all relevant government agencies as they evaluate the impact of export controls on competition in the commercial markets.”

Regulators said in December that they were investigating the company for suspected violations stemming from the $6.9 billion acquisition of Mellanox. The deal was completed in 2020 after the Chinese regulator gave conditional approval for Nvidia to buy the Israeli company. read more

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT, Associated Press

Nearly 200 shipping companies said Monday they want the world’s largest maritime nations to adopt regulations that include the first-ever global fee on greenhouse gases to reduce their sector’s emissions.

The Getting to Zero Coalition, an alliance of companies, governments and intergovernmental organizations, is asking member states of the International Maritime Organization to support adopting regulations to transition to green shipping, including the fee, when they meet in London next month. The statement was shared exclusively with The Associated Press in advance.

“Given the significance of the political decision being made, we think it is important that industry voices in favor of this adoption be heard,” Jesse Fahnestock, who leads decarbonization work at the Global Maritime Forum, said Monday. The forum manages the Getting to Zero Coalition.

The Trump administration unequivocally rejects the proposal before the IMO and has threatened to retaliate if nations support it, setting the stage for a fight over the major climate deal. The U.S. considers the proposed regulatory framework “effectively a global carbon tax on Americans levied by an unaccountable U.N. organization,” the U.S. Secretaries of State, Commerce, Energy and Transportation said in a joint statement last month. read more

By KELVIN CHAN, AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — The summer holidays are over, and all those great times you had on vacation have been memorialized in hundreds of smartphone photos. Now what?

Some highlights — the prettiest sunset, the best group shots — have been posted on Instagram or shared in the family chat group. But many more will likely languish in your camera roll.

Because smartphones come with increasingly large amounts of file storage, it’s too easy to take photos just because we can. But it’s also real work to go through them all later, so it’s too easy to forget about them.

Here are some quick and easy methods to help deal with the pictures (and videos) overwhelming your phone.

Pick your favorites

There will some shots that will be the most important — standout photos that you want to share with others, or know that you’ll look back on years later, or just keep for reference. Star or heart any photos that fall into this category, which puts them into a folder or album for favorites. read more