Kenya Defence Forces soldiers take cover behind a wall near the Westgate shopping centre after an exchange of gunfire inside the mall in Nairobi September 23, 2013. REUTERS/Noor Khamis

Graphic on siege

Kenyan police officers take position during the ongoing military operation at the Westgate Shopping Centre in the capital Nairobi, September 23, 2013. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Reuters Picture: Supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi shout slogans during a protest at the Rabaa Adawiya square where they are camping, in Cairo August 2, 2013. Tens of thousands of supporters of Mursi marched through Cairo on Friday, demanding Mursi's reinstatement amidst a looming threat that Egyptian authorities will clear out two pro-Mursi sit-ins with force. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

"Egypt needs to get back to a new normal, it needs to restore stability, to be able to attract business and put people to work," Kerry said before a meeting with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in London.

"We will work very very hard together with others, in order to bring parties together to find a peaceful resolution that grows the democracy and respects the rights of everybody."

Reuters Picture: A view of a sunset over Tahrir Square during a protest to support the army, in Cairo July 26, 2013. Ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi is under investigation for an array of charges including murder, the state news agency said on Friday, stoking tensions as opposing political camps took to the streets. Confirming the potential for bloodshed, two men were killed in confrontations in Egypt's second city Alexandria and a further 19 were hurt, Mena news agency reported. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Anti-Mursi protesters climb up a utility pole where a poster of army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is hung from it during a mass protest to support the army in Tahrir square, Cairo, July 26, 2013. Many of those Egyptians opposed to ousted President Mohamed Mursi say their admiration for the army has never wavered, and that any anger was always directed at the generals in charge. In the turbulent world of Egyptian politics since Hosni Mubarak, a former air force marshal, was toppled, the military is seen as an institution that offers stability. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih

World Wrap: Abe cements grip in weekend win

Japanese prime minister scores weekend victory, blast targets radical Buddhist monk, and UAE drops charges against a Norwegian woman for reporting rape. Today is Monday, July 22, and this is the World Wrap, brought to you by @dwbronner and @clarerrrr.

Japan’s Prime Minister and the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Shinzo Abe, makes an appearance before the media at a news conference following a victory in the upper house elections by his ruling coalition, at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, July 22, 2013. REUTERS/Issei Kato 

Abe’s win a double-edged sword. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decisive victory in Sunday’s upper house election gives him better footing to bolster his signature economic reform plan, Abenomics. However, Abe could face pushback from members of his own Liberal Democratic Party on making politically unpopular reforms. A stronger mandate also may prompt Abe to push for other elements of his conservative agenda:

Ever since Abe stormed back to power with a big win in a December lower house poll, some – including Japanese businesses with a big stake in the matter – have worried the hawkish leader will shift focus to the conservative agenda that has long been central to his ideology. That agenda includes revising the post-war pacifist constitution, strengthening Japan’s defense posture and recasting Tokyo’s wartime history with a less apologetic tone.

According to the Tokyo Shimbun metropolitan newspaper, 42.9 percent of those polled said they are against Abe’s plan to alter the constitution to make it more hawkish, and nearly 55 percent are against restarting nuclear reactors. Analysts say Abe’s mandate is not as strong as it appears, despite a landslide win. Just over half of the eligible population turned out to vote, and Abe’s victory was aided by a splintered opposition.

Buddhist monk Wirathu (C), leader of the 969 movement, greets other monks as he attends a meeting on the National Protection Law at a monastery outside Yangon, June 27, 2013. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun 

‘Burmese bin Laden’ targeted by bomb attack. The leader of a radical Buddhist movement in Myanmar was unscathed by a bomb that exploded 40 feet from him as he delivered a mass sermon. Wirathu, who has described himself as the “Burmese bin Laden,” said he believes the attacker wanted to silence him with the blast:

The home-made bomb went off inside a parked car, according to police and witnesses. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Tensions have been smoldering between radical elements of Myanmar’s Buddhist majority and Muslims. Bouts of religious violence have killed at least 237 people and displaced 150,000 in the past year, testing the resolve of a two-year-old quasi-civilian government.

Five people were slightly injured by the bomb. The 969 movement has been accused of inciting violence against Myanmar’s minority Muslim Rohingya, many of whom have fled the country in hopes of finding acceptance elsewhere. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Norwegian interior designer Marte Deborah Dalelv, 24, who reported being raped, speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Norwegian Seamen’s Center in Dubai, July 21, 2013. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh 

Backwards ruling reversed. The UAE pardoned a Norwegian woman sentenced to 16 months in prison for illicit sex after she reported she was raped to authorities in Dubai:

Marte Deborah Dalelv, 24, had been awaiting an appeal hearing of her 16-month sentence handed down this month after a court in the Gulf Arab emirate found her guilty of having sex outside marriage, drinking and making false statements… News of the sentence had dominated the front pages in Norway and raised questions about the judicial system in the Gulf state, which attracts large numbers of expatriates and tourists with a Western lifestyle but has little-publicized conservative laws covering sex and alcohol.

Dalelv told police a colleague had pulled her into his hotel room and raped her when she asked him for help finding her own room after they had a few drinks. In the UAE, a rape conviction requires testimony from four adult male witnesses or a confession.

Nota Bene: At least 54 people were killed and hundreds injured in a 6.6-magnitude earthquake that hit China.

Standouts:

Trade route revamp - Hewlett-Packard revives the Silk Road. (The New York Times)

Would you like porn with that? - Internet porn will be blocked in British homes unless subscribers opt-in. (BBC)

Ancient digs - Israeli archaeologists say they have located King David’s palace. (The Associated Press)

Quack cops - Geese are the newest soldiers fighting China’s war on crime. (Quartz)

Great Barrier grief - Bombs dropped by U.S. fighter jets on the Great Barrier Reef add to a long list of threats. (National Geographic)

From the File:

• EU could decide to blacklist military wing of Hezbollah.
• Suicide bomber attacks Iraq army convoy, killing at least 25.
• Afghan parliament sacks interior minister over security issues.
• Spain’s PM to appear in parliament over corruption scandal.
• Panama finds MiG fighter jets on North Korean arms ship.

A policeman beats a man, who was detained, inside a police bus during a protest against the verdict of a court in Kirov, which sentenced Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to five years in jail, in central Moscow, July 18, 2013. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva

Navalny had managed to do what nobody else had: he beat the system Putin had put in place to effectively bar any unwanted figure, group, or party from entering the political realm. He built a following in a country where mass-media outlets are under tight government control. He took on Russia’s high-ranking officials and large companies. He encouraged others to act.