Main News of November 25

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* An online petition asking the United States to overturn a travel ban on a Russian crooner with alleged mob ties has gathered more than 100,000 signatures, crossing the threshold required to receive a response from the White House

* All but one of the Greenpeace ship crewmembers detained in Russia over an Arctic Sea protest have left jail pending trial after activist Phil Ball was released on bail Monday afternoon

* Tens of thousands of Ukrainians rallied throughout the country on Monday in protest at a government decision to indefinitely postpone the signing of pivotal agreements with the European Union

RUSSIA

* Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pope Francis met in the Vatican on Monday for one-on-one talks that were expected to focus on the ongoing civil war in Syria

* A former leading ballet dancer at the Bolshoi Theater on Monday accused the company’s artistic director, who was targeted by an acid attack this year, of doling out favors to those close to him

* Investigators have concluded a probe into two Russian opposition activists charged with organizing riots last year and have sent the case materials to the Prosecutor’s Office, the Investigative Committee said

* Hundreds of people were taken to police stations on Monday after a sweep at a market in southeast Moscow to track down undocumented migrant workers, weapons and illicit drugs

* A long-delayed international peace conference dedicated to ending the conflict in Syria will be held on January 22 in Geneva, the United Nations said

* Implementation of a deal on Iran’s nuclear program reached in Geneva this weekend will make the US missile defense system in Europe unnecessary, Russia’s foreign minister said

* Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off Monday on a bill banning advertising for abortion through either medical intervention or traditional practices

POLITICS

* Police and protesters in Kiev demonstrating in favor of the former Soviet nation's greater integration with Europe clashed again Monday evening, as the Ukrainian president sought to calm moods by vowing his country would eventually pursue a European model of development

DEFENSE

* The Russian navy has taken delivery of its first four series-produced MiG-29K/KUB carrier based fighter jets, the Defense Ministry said