POOL / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
George Floyd was bid an emotional farewell on Tuesday, as friends and family celebrated his life and hailed him as a force for change.
Some 2,500 people attended his funeral in Floyd's hometown Houston on Tuesday, where he was remembered as a father, brother, athlete and mentor.
"I can breathe. And as long as I'm breathing, justice will be served," Floyd's niece Brooklyn Williams declared in a eulogy. "This is not just a murder but a hate crime."
She was one of several relatives and friends who paid tribute to the man they called "Big Floyd".
Meanwhile, civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton said Floyd left behind a legacy of greatness despite growing up in a Houston housing project as "an ordinary brother".
His death under the knee of a white police officer sparked a global movement for racial justice and an end to police brutality.
Former Vice President Joe Biden also addressed the funeral service via a video recording. “We must not turn away. We cannot leave this moment thinking we can once again turn away from racism,” he said.
SpaceX's massive Starship spacecraft exploded in space on Thursday minutes after lifting off from Texas, prompting the FAA to halt air traffic in parts of Florida, in the second straight failure this year for Elon Musk's Mars rocket program.
Fighters linked to Syria's ousted leader Bashar al-Assad mounted a deadly attack on government forces on Thursday, authorities said, in some of the worst violence against the government since rebels seized power.
A Russian missile struck a hotel in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih late on Wednesday, killing four people and injuring 31, with rescuers still searching on Thursday morning for anyone trapped in the rubble, officials said.
The United States broke a long-standing diplomatic taboo by holding secret talks with Hamas on securing the release of US hostages held in Gaza, sources told Reuters on Wednesday, while US President Donald Trump warned of "hell to pay" should the Palestinian group not comply.