Spanish coal miners clash with police in Asturias

Clashes between police and coal miners in Spain left at least six people injured on Friday the clash occurred outside a mine in Asturias in northern Spain, where miners are striking to protest the government's austerity plans.Miners wearing face masks fired hand-made rockets at riot police in vehicles who tried to break through barricades set up on the road. The police responded with tear gas.

Thousands of miners have been on strike in northern Spain in protest against the government's plan to cut subsidies to the mining section to one-third of the current level.

The government has been pushing for austerity measures including a tax increase and a reduction in social security spending.Public frustration is mounting with the austerity plans, which are seen as making the nation's recession worse. In April, Spain's jobless rate soared to 24.3 percent, the highest in the Eurozone.media agencies