By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - Islamist militant Mohammed Emwazi, identified as 'Jihadi John', was a member of a network in contact with one of the men convicted of trying to bomb the British capital's underground railway in 2005, according to the government. U.S. security sources last week identified the man, who appeared clad in black and brandishing a knife, as Mohammed Emwazi. The British government's view is set out in court papers, reviewed by Reuters and publicly available on the Internet, which refer to 2011 and 2013 British legal hearings concerning two of Emwazi's London associates, known only as Iranian-born "CE" and Ethiopian-born "J1." The court papers reported in the Observer and Sunday Telegraph newspapers, offer a fleeting glimpse of Emwazi's life in London before he left for Syria. One of the same network's members, "J1", spoke on the phone with Hussain Osman, one of the men convicted in connection with an unsuccessful attempt to blow up the London underground in 2005, on the day of the failed attack itself, the papers show.

By Polina Devitt and Maxim Rodionov MOSCOW (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Russians marched through central Moscow on Sunday, carrying banners declaring "I am not afraid" and chanting "Russia without Putin" in memory of murdered Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov. Families, the old and young walked slowly, with many holding portraits of the opposition politician and former deputy prime minister who was shot dead while walking home from a nearby restaurant on Friday night. His supporters have blamed the authorities. "If we can stop the campaign of hate that's being directed at the opposition, then we have a chance to change Russia.

By James Pearson and Stephanie Nebehay SEOUL/GENEVA (Reuters) - The young Kim Jong Un may be the public face of isolated North Korea, but the man who represents Pyongyang on the international stage is an urbane 75-year-old who lived under an assumed name for decades and survived a vicious purge over a year ago. Now North Korea's foreign minister and one of the most powerful men in the regime, Ri Su Yong was rumored to have been executed along with his mentor Jang Song Thaek, Kim's uncle, and several of his aides. Ri returns to Switzerland this week, where he spent two decades as North Korea's envoy to Berne and the United Nations in Geneva and became doyen of the diplomatic corps. On Tuesday, he will make North Korea's first address to the U.N. Human Rights Council, whose independent inquiry last year accused the regime of committing violations tantamount to crimes against humanity.

Asian stocks got off to a steady start on Monday as soft U.S. data was partially offset by a weekend interest rate cut by China, while the dollar hit a five-week high against the euro. China on Saturday stepped up its easing tempo and cut its lending and deposit rates as the world's second largest economy tries to ward off deflation. "News of China’ rate cut should help buyer mood this morning, compensating for a weak lead from the US market," said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney. In some senses this rate cut is a technical response to the fact that lower inflation is making real borrowing costs more expensive in China," Spooner said.

Activity in China's factory sector edged up to a seven-month high in February but export orders shrank and deflationary pressures persisted, a private business survey showed on Monday, underlying economic fragility that may need more policy support. China's central bank cut interest rates on Saturday, just days before the annual meeting of the country's parliament, in the latest effort to support the world's second-largest economy as its momentum slows. The new export orders sub-index dipped to 48.5 in February, the sharpest contraction in a year, while both input and output prices fell for a seventh month. "China's manufacturing sector saw an improvement in overall operating conditions in February, with companies registering the strongest expansion of output since last summer while total new business also rose at a faster rate," said Annabel Fiddes, an economist at Markit.

The Chinese central bank cut benchmark lending and deposit rates a day before it released official data that showed a second consecutive month of shrinking manufacturing activity for February. Brent crude was down 52 cents at $62.06 a barrel by 0044 GMT after posting an 18-percent gain in February, the largest monthly rise since May 2009. Iraq's Oil Minister Adel Abdel Mehdi said on Sunday world oil prices were gradually rebounding and he expected to see a barrel of crude selling at around $65.

The following list represents the most viral tracks on Spotify, based on the number of people who shared it divided by the number who listened to it, from Monday, Oct. 20 to Sunday, Oct. 26 via Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify.

The following list represents the most streamed tracks on Spotify, based on the number of people who shared it divided by the number who listened to it, from Monday, Oct. 20 to Sunday Oct. 26 via Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify.

Partial list of winners at Sunday's 86th annual Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Your Top Plays for Today: AP's Sports Guide

Englishmen Ian Poulter and Paul Casey shared the lead as the US PGA Tour's rain-delayed Honda Classic hurtled toward a manic finish. Both Poulter and Casey were at seven-under par, Poulter through the first seven holes of his fourth round and Casey through nine holes when darkness halted play on Sunday night at PGA National.

Britain's Ian Poulter and Paul Casey shared the lead at the weather-delayed Honda Classic, both at seven-under at the close of play on Sunday. Poulter's third-round 66 propelled him into the 54-hole lead, with a three-stroke advantage, but he slipped in fourth-round play with a double bogey on the par-three fifth and a bogey on the sixth.

By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fresh from an embarrassing rebuke at the hands of conservatives in his own party, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner played down any risk to his continuing leadership on Sunday, saying disagreements with fellow Republicans were merely over strategy, not goals. Asked if he could lead the fractious House, Boehner said, "I think so. I'm not going to suggest it's easy, because it’s not." The House narrowly averted cutting off funds to the Department of Homeland Security on Friday after Boehner failed to rein in conservative Republicans. They were insisting on tying the issue to blocking President Barack Obama's move to shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation.

By Matt Spetalnick and Dan Williams WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The United States and Israel showed signs of seeking to defuse tensions on Sunday ahead of a speech in Washington by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu when he will warn against a possible nuclear deal with Iran. Policy differences over the negotiations with Iran remained firm, however, as Netanyahu set off for the United States to deliver the speech, which has imperiled ties between the two allies. Israel fears that U.S. President Barack Obama's Iran diplomacy, with an end-of-March deadline for a framework accord, will allow its arch foe to develop atomic weapons -- something Tehran denies seeking.

By Richard Cowan and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress narrowly averted a partial shutdown of the U.S. domestic security agency late on Friday night, but the forces behind the chaotic episode remain - fractious Republicans and House Speaker John Boehner's lack of control over them. In five to seven months, the federal debt ceiling will again be reached, and by October Congress must pass spending bills to keep the government running in the new fiscal year. Failing to deal effectively with these issues could have much more damaging repercussions - such as a broad government shutdown or a debt default - than a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Some conservatives speak of ousting Boehner, but it is unlikely they can muster enough votes, while others made clear on Friday that they were willing to take big risks to score ideological points.     Brinkmanship like this, reminiscent of 2013's 16-day federal government shutdown, was supposed to be over.