Japan mourns Abe, Eid al-Adha celebrations, Wimbledon finals: 5 things to know this weekend

Editors
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Abe's body arrives in Tokyo as Japan mourns the former leader's death

The body of Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was returned to Tokyo Saturday after he was assassinated during a campaign speech in western Japan a day earlier. A black hearse carrying Abe's body and accompanied by his wife, Akie, arrived at his home in Tokyo's upscale residential area of Shibuya, where many mourners waited and lowered their heads as the vehicle passed. Police on Saturday said autopsy results showed that a bullet that entered Abe's upper left arm damaged arteries beneath both collar bones, causing fatal massive bleeding. Earlier, the Japanese Ministry of Home Affairs called a day of state mourning for Saturday. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Cabinet ministers hastily returned to Tokyo from campaign events elsewhere after the shooting Friday, which he called "dastardly and barbaric." He pledged that the election, which chooses members for Japan's less-powerful upper house of parliament, would go on as planned Sunday.

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Brittney Griner's presence will be felt at WNBA All-Star weekend

The WNBA All-Star Game will be held Sunday in Chicago and the presence of Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner will be felt, even though she's thousands of miles away in a Russian prison. Griner pleaded guilty Thursday in Russia on drug charges and she could face a sentence of up to 10 years. Though, her guilty plea may have been part of a strategy to get a more lenient sentence, an expert on the Russian legal system told USA TODAY Sports. Russian authorities arrested Griner at an airport on Feb. 17 for allegedly carrying hashish oil in vape cartridges. Griner has been named an honorary starter for the All-Star Game, and union leader Terri Jackson said the WNBA is planning a special recognition for Griner's wife, Cherelle, and the Griner family during the contest. Speaking Friday in Chicago ahead of the festivities, Cherelle joined Nneka Ogwumike, the president of the WNBA players' association, the Rev. Al Sharpton, WNBA star Sue Bird and Jackson for a press conference calling for mercy for Griner.

Funeral set for one of the victims of the Highland Park shooting

Services for 69-year-old Eduardo Uvaldo, who was killed by the gunman who opened fire on a July Fourth parade in Highland Park, Illinois, are scheduled for Saturday. Uvaldo died Wednesday from a gunshot wound to the head after he was taken off a ventilator Tuesday, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family. Uvaldo's grandson and wife were also injured in the shooting. Uvaldo and his family attended the Highland Park holiday parade every year "filled with happiness and laughter," his granddaughter, Nivia Guzman, wrote on the page. Mourners remembered three of the other people killed during the holiday massacre Friday. Services for 63-year-old Jacquelyn Sundheim and 88-year-old Stephen Straus were held Friday. Friends and family also gathered later Friday in memory 78-year-old Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza. Prosecutors on Tuesday charged the suspected gunman, 21, with seven counts of first-degree murder.

US Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha

In the United States, most Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Adha Saturday, an Islamic religious festival commemorating Prophet Abraham's faithfulness to God after being tested with the unfulfilled command to sacrifice his son. Eid is a three-day celebration in Muslim-majority countries, but in the United States, it's generally observed on one day. In the U.S., most Muslims celebrate by visiting mosques and hosting large community gatherings. A "Super Eid" celebration is planned for Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, which will mark the first time the event has been hosted since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newcomers crash the Wimbledon finals

There will be at least one first-time Wimbledon winner this weekend when the men's and women's singles finals are held at Centre Court of London's All England Club. On Saturday, Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, the first African woman and Arab woman to make it to a Grand Slam final, takes on another first-timer, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan (9 a.m. ET, ESPN). Rybakina, who started her career playing as a Russian but switched nationalities to Kazakhstan, is now facing questions after the All-England Club banned Russian players from competing this year because of the war in Ukraine. In Sunday's men's final, six-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic faces Nick Kyrgios, who is also shooting for his first Grand Slam title at the age of 27 (9 a.m. ET, ESPN). Kyrgios got a walkover to the final after Rafael Nadal withdrew due to a torn abdominal muscle. If Djokovic wins his seventh Wimbledon title, it will be his 21st Grand Slam win overall putting him one behind Nadal, who has 22 overall and was victorious in the first two majors of the year.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Japan mourns Abe, Eid al-Adha: 5 things to know this weekend