Main news of March 1

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* Police used tear gas and batons to disperse protesters in central Tehran, the Iranian opposition said

*A court in the southern German city of Munich sentenced an Austrian man to one year in jail for spying for Russia, local media said

* Another earthquake registering 4.0 on the Richter scale struck southern New Zealand, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported

* European Union President Herman Van Rompuy discussed with EU leaders the possibility of holding an emergency meeting on the ongoing atrocities in Libya, a spokesman for the EU president said

* Saudi Arabia has sent dozens of tanks to Bahrain, where anti-government protests have been ongoing for around two weeks

* A ferry evacuating Russians and foreigners departed from the northern Libyan port of Ras Lanuf

RUSSIA

* The Russian Federal Security Service's border guard department proposed introducing a visa free travel regime for foreign citizens amid falling numbers of visiting tourists from the European Union

* The Russian prime minister's office will hold consultations with lawyers over plans by a Moscow nightclub to hold an event entitled "Putin Party," Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said

* The issue of raising the retirement age in Russia should be removed from the agenda until at least 2030, Russian Deputy Health Minister Yury Voronin said

BUSINESS

* Russia's central bank widened the floating corridor for its bi-currency basket, comprising $0.55 and 0.45 euros, to 5 roubles from 4 roubles , Central Bank First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev said on Wednesday

* Russia's gas giant Gazprom has acquired the assets of RUSIA Petroleum, the license holder of the giant East Siberian Kovykta gas field, for about 22.6 billion rubles ($771 million), or 50% more than the auction starting price, TNK-BP CFO Jonathan Muir said