Things To Do In SW Florida

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

President Donald Trump wants to do away with the quarterly earnings report.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said securities regulators should stop requiring companies to issue financial reports every three months and instead switch to a six-month reporting period. The Securities and Exchange Commission has required publicly traded companies to report on a quarterly basis since 1970.

“This will save money, and allow managers to focus on properly running their companies,” Trump wrote.

Trump asked the SEC to examine the three- versus six-month reporting requirement during his first term. No change was made.

Supporters of the change say quarterly reporting is too costly and time-consuming and discourages companies from wanting to go public. They also say company executives focus too much on hitting quarterly earnings targets and not enough on long-term planning.

The Long-Term Stock Exchange has also been calling for a shift in how often companies are required to report financial results. The LTSE, a stock marketplace that advocates for companies to focus on long-term goals and performance, said earlier this month it will file a petition to the SEC to require companies to report earnings results semi-annually, with the option to file quarterly. read more