USA DAWN: NEWS AND UPDATES

Sylvester Stallone  has responded to reports of  his death , joking that he is "still punching". The 71-year-old actor was the victim of a cruel Twitter hoax earlier this week, with several posts claiming that he had died after a secret battle with cancer. Sylvester reassured fans across his social media channels, writing: "Please ignore this stupidity… Alive and well and happy and healthy… Still punching!" The  Rocky  star also shared a picture of the hoax post that had been doing the rounds. "Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone died early this morning after his battle with prostate cancer, the actor kept his illness a secret, but in the end he couldn't beat it," the post read. An accompanying photo collage showed a balding Sylvester looking unwell and downtrodden. The actor quashed the rumours on Twitter and Instagram The father-of-five also joked that it was "great to be back from the dead" as he shared another video on Instagram....

THE LATEST TRAILER  for  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story  is here—and those of you who were hoping for a little more backstory finally get your wish. In the combat-packed, two-and-a-half-minute clip, we learn that Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) has been drafted into the Rebel cause partly because her long-missing father, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), was needed to help build the Death Star—a turn-of-events that will no doubt force Jyn to spend thousands of credits on therapy. The rest of the teaser delivers plenty of action, with X-wings tearing across the sky, AT-ATs stomping on the beach, and a briefly glimpsed Darth Vader, who, as usual, appears to be marching while miffed. We’ll have to wait until December 16 to fully go  Rogue , but for now, we’ve got a good feeling about this. Pause at:  1:43, when Jyn and pals appear to be disguising themselves as Imperial baddies in order to infiltrate the Death Star—a ploy that will feel oddly familiar to the ...

It's been 15 years since the world lost Aaliyah, but her all-too-short legacy still hangs heavy in the halls of music. Only 22 years old when a plane carrying her and eight others crashed shortly after takeoff, Aaliyah Dana Haughton has been heralded for not just amassing major achievements at such a young age, but for incorporating elements of R&B, pop and hip-hop into her music in a way that would define the sound of an entire decade. As her life and work continue to impact contemporary stars such as Rihanna, Drake and Alicia Keys — whose song "If I Ain't Got You" was directly inspired by Aaliyah's passing — here's a look at the first time the immortal songstress was introduced to the world as well as the last performance she would ever give for a television audience. A 'Star' Is Found Thanks to the modern influx of singing competitions, people may be jaded when it comes to seeing children who can belt it out, but the Brooklyn-...

BALTIMORE—After two trials and no convictions, Baltimore’s top prosecutor is facing criticism that she moved too quickly to file charges against six officers in the death of Freddie Gray without first ensuring there was enough evidence to bring them to bear. Even the judge overseeing the cases — in his verdict Monday acquitting the latest officer to stand trial in the death of the African-American man — said the state failed to prove its case on any of the charges. Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams acquitted Officer Edward Nero of the assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges in connection with Gray’s arrest last year outside a West Baltimore housing complex. Grey died on April 19, 2015, a week after his neck was broken while handcuffed, shackled, but left unrestrained by a seat belt in the back of a police van. The circumstances of his arrest and his subsequent death triggered protests demanding justice for Gray. On the day of his funeral, riotin...