Thousands commemorate slain lawmaker

Thousands of people gathered in London and cities around the world on Wednesday to commemorate British lawmaker Jo Cox, whose killing last week shocked the country amid a fiercely contested campaign over the future of Britain's place in Europe.

Artists, friends and family members took to the stage in Trafalgar Square to praise a woman they described as a passionate campaigner for the rights of refugees and women. Among those paying tribute were Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, the actors Gillian Anderson and Bill Nighy, singer Lily Allen and Cox's husband and sister.

"She just wanted people to be happy and the world to be a better place," Brendan Cox told a crowd of about 9,000. His voice faltering at times, Brendan Cox said his wife had died because of her beliefs that included compassion for those fleeing the war in Syria, but that those beliefs would live on.