In an interview with El País newspaper, Mr Rajoy also rejected any mediation to resolve the crisis.

On Saturday thousands of people rallied in Madrid for Spanish unity.

A similar demonstration is under way in Barcelona in response to last week’s disputed referendum.

The final results from the wealthy north-eastern region showed 90% of the 2.3 million people who voted backed independence. Turnout was 43%.

There have been several claims of irregularities, and many ballot boxes were seized by Spanish police.

Nearly 900 people were injured as the police, trying to enforce a Spanish court ban on the vote, attempted to disperse voters.

Thirty-three police officers were also hurt.

In the El País interview, Mr Rajoy said: “The government will ensure that any declaration of independence will lead to nothing.”

Asked whether he was prepared to invoke Article 155 of Spain’s constitution, which allows the national parliament to intervene in the running of an autonomous region, Mr Rajoy said: “I don’t rule out absolutely anything that is within the law.”

The prime minister also said he planned to keep the extra police deployed to Catalonia before the referendum in the region until the crisis was over.

And he added that he would not call early national elections because of the growing political crisis.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont is expected to address the regional parliament on Tuesday at 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT) after Spain’s Constitutional Court earlier suspended the Catalan parliament session that had been planned for Monday.

There is speculation that the parliament will declare independence unilaterally at its next sitting.

‘Let’s talk’
On Saturday, thousands of people calling for Spanish unity attended rallies in the capital Madrid.

Other demonstrations – including in the Catalan city Barcelona – were also held urging political dialogue.

Meanwhile, businesses have continued to announce their departure from the Catalan region amid the ongoing political uncertainty.

–

Source: BBC

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He said some of the local high skilled mine workers knew specific areas where the gold is and might go back there alone for the gold when they are retrenched.

The Deputy Minister was speaking at the signing of the Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum (ASRF) Agreement between Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) and the 10 mine-take communities of the Ahafo mine at Kenyasi in Asutifi District of Brong-Ahafo Region, in Sunyani.

The 53-member ASRF, made up of representatives of NGGL, Traditional Councils, the District Assembly, community groups and non-governmental organisations in the 10 mine-take communities was established in 2007.

It represents the people in the mine’s catchment areas, in planning and executing of the company’s social responsibility programmes.

Mr Effa-Baafi said mining companies were facing numerous challenges because of the decline in gold price on the international market but suggested that the companies should consider reducing costs which do not go into actual mining.

The Deputy Minister said the intention of NGGL to lay-off 500-600 workers in the coming months in the bid to sustain viable operations in the country would have dare consequences on the affected workers and their dependents.

“I hope the company will retrench those who do little work in the mine and collect huge salaries”, he said.

He appealed to the Ghana Chamber of Mines to come out with suggestions on how mining companies could help control illegal mining by sponsoring prospective small scale miners.

While appealing to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to establish their district mining committees to oversee mining activities in their areas, Mr Effa-Baafi appealed to traditional rulers to support the MMDAs to properly manage mining activities in their areas.

General Manager of the Ahafo Mine, Mr Jeop Coenen said the price of gold remained low while costs kept on soaring to levels that require the company to do something to continue to operate.

Source: GNA

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“Today as we are speaking our cemeteries are being mined ….the other areas forest reserves are being mined so we need to get a no go area so that no mining company will be given the permit to go and mine there,” he said.

The surge in illegal mining activities in Ghana is gradually rendering the country’s lands and natural resources useless.

Despite moves by a Presidential taskforce to tackle the problem, illegal mining is continually increasing.

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, based on the directives of the Eastern Regional Security Council also arrested one hundred and twenty-five (125) Nigeriens engaged in illegal mining activities in Kyebi in the Eastern Region last month.

According to the MP, the Minerals Commission officials “sit in the comfort of their office and issue mining license instead of going down there to the ground [mining sites] to verify what is actually happening.”

In an interview with Citi News, the MP further noted that the Commission’s lethargic attitude towards work is causing conflicts and poverty in those areas.

“There is always a clash between two investors and that brings a lot of controversy, it creates lot problems for the state,” he explained.

Mr. Blay Koffie also expressed fears that the problem could get worse following plans by the major mining companies to lay off thousands of workers in the next few months.

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to him, intelligence reports also revealed that there were more homegrown armed robbers in the region than any other region.

Police in the Ashanti region arrested about 40 armed robbers in a swoop last month.

Some of the robbers were alleged to have killed their victims in the process.

Addressing the press on Thursday at the regional coordinating council meeting ,Mr. Sarpong who also heads the region’s security council said he had marked out some security and intelligence plans to deal with the menace, as well as the miscreants committing the atrocities.

Mr. Sarpong said his administration will support the efforts of the Ghana Police Service with the supply of logistics and other weapons to rid the region of criminals.

The Minister again raised concerns about the increasing activities of illegal mining in the region .

“Illegal activities are itching deep into the fabric of the nation’s forest reserves and water bodies in the country and we have to wage a purposive war against these negative practices so as to help protect and reserve the environment and its water bodies.”

Government earlier asked assemblies in the Ashanti region with mining concessions to find a lasting solution to galamsey activities.

Government issued the directive after withdrawing a taskforce of security personnel from the various concessions in the region.

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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