Hope for Brit mum in Iran jail
The husband of jailed British citizen Nazanin Zaghari- Ratcliffe is seeking updates from the Foreign Secretary after Iranian authorities signalled her release had been sanctioned.
Richard Ratcliffe said it was not clear what was delaying a return to the UK for his wife, a British-Iranian dual citizen serving a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of spying charges in 2016.
Nazanin, a charity worker, denies the charges and claims she was in Iran to int roduce her young daughter to her parents.
Richard said: “We’ve been getting better messages from the Iranian side. The head of prison said, ‘ I’ve approved her release.’ So there’s things to hold on to.”
Ken McEwan, of McEwan Fraser Legal, bought the prime location in central Edinburgh at a public auction on Wednesday.
Under- f ire RBS raked in £ 2million from selling off six axed branches at the event.
Campaigners cr i t icised the move as a betrayal of communities – and of the taxpayer, who bailed out the bank to the tune of nearly £50billion.
McEwan Fraser said in a statement that they made the purchase after RBS “commenced the aggressive disposal of many of their prominent bank branches throughout Scotland via public auction”.
McEwan – who bid in person for the Edinburgh site – added: “It is disappointing that RBS are sel l ing off so many of their branches and no doubt these disposals wi l l be a major inconvenience for many of their long-standing local customers, particularly in remote locations.
“We have, however, agreed to keep the bank’s ATM machine for at least another five years.
“This purchase will assist our ambitious expansion plans and will allow us to have a strategic presence in the heart of this vibrant part of the city but we may consider other uses.”
RBS put up a total of eight premises at Wednesday’s auction in Glasgow. Two went unsold. It follows the sale of several other former outlets last year.
SNP MP Brendan O’Hara, who is battling several proposed closures in his Argyll and Bute constituency, said: “This shows that once RBS close a branch, it is not coming back. It’s sad – and it’s simply wrong. They close it, then they dispose of it.
“That’s a cast-iron guarantee that these branches are being lost to these communities and areas.
“There’s a sense of betrayal about it all. There’s a sense of being let down by the bank.
“I believe the bank should have a sense of social responsibility. You shouldn’t be bailed out by the taxpayer to the tune of about £50billion, then pretend you don’t have any social responsibility.
“RBS wouldn’t be where they are now if they weren’t bailed out by the public purse.”
Highland councillor Kirsteen Currie, w ho h a s