just now (337+ words) Flaco's Tacos food truck owner, Rafael Calvillo, who claims he was unaware of the name's trademark, is seeking new name suggestions until December 5 Sitting in a food truck court in Modesto, California, Flaco's Tacos now faces a cease-and-desist from a Chicago restaurant with three locations of the same name, which has held the trademark since 2009. Rafael Calvillo, owner of Flaco's Tacos food truck, which opened in 2022, received a cease-and-desist order just over two months ago. He has until the new year to choose a new name or risk a trademark infringement lawsuit. Changing the name will cost Calvillo around $6,000 as he needs to update his trucks, ordering apps, social media, and Google listings, and he expects business may slow until customers adjust to the new name, he told the Merced Sun-Star. Following his lawyer's advice, Calvillo is not contesting the…...

3+ min ago (355+ words) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio anticipated "more progress" from talks with Ukrainian officials Officials from the United States and Ukraine are currently engaged in peace negotiations aimed at resolving the war with Russia, it was confirmed on Sunday. Secretary of state Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the US president's son-in-law, are holding discussions with a Ukrainian delegation to refine the 28-point peace plan proposed by Trump. Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's lead negotiator and secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, shared on X: "We have clear directives and priorities: safeguarding Ukrainian interests, ensuring substantive dialogue, and advancing on the basis of the progress achieved in Geneva." Mr Umerov added that their objective is to "secure real peace for Ukraine and reliable, long-term security guarantees." The Ukrainian delegation includes Andrii Hnatov, the head of Ukraine's armed forces;…...

7+ min ago (433+ words) NBA-focused series premiered in 2024 Netflix is reportedly scrapping a popular original docuseries. Starting 5, which debuted in 2024, gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the NBA season as it followed five star players. The first edition featured LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Domantas Sabonis. Season two, released this year, followed Tyrese Haliburton, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Jaylen Brown. But the series " produced in part by Barack and Michelle Obama's company, Higher Ground " won't be returning for a third season, according to a report from Sports Business Journal. The Independent has reached out to Netflix for comment. While viewing figures for season two have yet to be released, What's on Netflix reported that season one of the series drew 4.6 million views from July to December 2024. But that figure dropped to just 1 million views in the first…...

11+ min ago (656+ words) U.S. and Ukrainian officials to continue talks on modified version of 28-point plan before Kushner and Witkoff meet Putin on Tuesday Two of Donald Trump's allies will meet with top Ukrainian officials in Florida on Sunday as the Trump administration pursues a peace agreement under accusations of allowing Russia to dictate the terms of the war's end. A delegation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's advisers and top officials was set to meet with lead U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Miami. The meeting will precede a trip to meet with Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday. On the agenda is the 28-point peace plan proposed by the U.S. this month, which has drawn apparent skepticism from both Ukraine and its European allies, given reports that it drew heavily from a Russian-authored plan submitted to the…...

11+ min ago (544+ words) Goals in each half from Maxim De Cuyper and Stefanos Tzimas earned Brighton a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. The Seagulls secured their third win in four to climb to fifth in the Premier League table and the result also served as sweet revenge for the 7-0 thrashing they suffered at this ground back in February. Brighton dominated the proceedings before Forest worked their way back into it, but Fabian Hurzeler's team broke the deadlock with their 13th shot of the half as De Cuyper grabbed his second goal of the season. Matz Sels produced a stunning double save to keep Forest in contention during the second period while Bart Verbruggen denied Igor Jesus down the other end, yet Brighton sealed the points late in the piece through substitute Tzimas' first goal of the league campaign. Defeat for…...

13+ min ago (576+ words) The suspected carjacker had a criminal past, authorities say A Colorado family's evening drive turned tragic last week when a stolen car being driven by a man out on parole slammed head-on into their car, killing a father and three children. The deadly chain of events began around 3:45 p.m. on November 24, when a man later identified as 31-year-old Walter Huling, carjacked a Toyota Matrix at the Nine Mile Station parking garage in Aurora. Local police say Huling pulled a woman from the driver's seat and sped away. Less than an hour later, the stolen Toyota crossed into the northbound lane of Highway 83 and collided with the Corado family's Ford sedan, according to the Colorado State Patrol. Officials identified the victims in the other car as a 35-year-old father Alvin Corado, his children MaKenlee Corado, 11, Toretto Corado, 8, and their friend Jase Green,…...

17+ min ago (509+ words) Boubacar Kamara's stunning goal was enough to earn Aston Villa their seventh win in eight Premier League games and bragging rights over local rivals Wolves. The Frenchman expertly fired home in the second half to secure a 1-0 victory which moved Villa up to third in the table ahead of Chelsea's clash with Arsenal later on Sunday. It was a goal worthy of the three points as Villa continued to show they are again going to be competing at the top end of the table. That looked questionable after a dreadful summer transfer window led to a lacklustre start to the campaign, where they failed to win any of their opening five games and scored just once. But the following eight games have shown Villa are again going in the right direction under Unai Emery. For Wolves, the Championship trap door…...

17+ min ago (411+ words) They could not, sadly, support a single mom," actor said A Star Wars actor appearing in spin-off TV series Ahsoka will not return in new episodes due to a salary dispute. Claudia Black, who played Nightsister Klothow in the first season, has "had to bow out" of the show"s second run as she was not going to be paid enough. She revealed the news in a candid interview, revealing that, as a single mother, she required a salary that would have enabled her to keep things afloat back home in Los Angeles while she filmed in London. She said that bosses at Disney "could not, sadly, support a single mom". "Well, I"m going to be transparent," she told Bleeding Cool. "They picked up season two, picked me up with it, and then Disney, which is structuring things differently…...

20+ min ago (445+ words) The record-breaking amount of shopping comes as many Americans face economic uncertainty Black Friday retail sales soared this week with billions of dollars spent despite a jittery economy, prompting President Donald Trump to celebrate the "Trump Bump." Savvy shoppers in the U.S. spent a record $11.8 billion online on the year's biggest shopping day, jumping up 9.1 percent from 2024, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce sales. U.S. shoppers also spent more in the days leading up to Black Friday, with a record-setting $6.4 billion on Thanksgiving, up from $6.1 billion in 2024. Top areas that saw an uptick in sales include video games and consoles, electronics and toys, including Labubu Dolls, LEGO sets, and Fisher-Price Little People, according to Adobe. The holiday shopping season comes this year amid economic uncertainty for Americans, many of whom have tightened their budgets amid soaring prices and high unemployment rates....

20+ min ago (519+ words) Noem says the Biden admin failed to vet Afghans living in U.S. as 200,000 see legal status thrown into question by Trump DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blamed the Biden administration on Sunday as the nation reacted to the horrific shooting of two National Guard troops deployed to the streets of Washington D.C. one week ago. The shooting last weekend rocked the nation's capital as one remains in the hospital in critical condition after the attack; the other, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, died after being hospitalized. Police identified 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who worked with the CIA in Afghanistan against the Taliban and other forces, as the suspect. Lakanwal was taken into custody after the attack. During an appearance this Sunday on ABC's This Week, Noem echoed her boss's criticism of the Biden administration's vetting procedures for Afghans who aided U.S. forces and feared…...