Protesters Join Hands In 60-Mile Chain

A human chain of 220,000 people stretched more than 60 miles through towns and along highways of Germany’s industrial heartland Friday in a huge protest against planned cuts in coal subsidies.

Some 95,000 coal miners wearing hard hats and 125,000 supporters joined hands in the seemingly endless line through the Ruhr region.

German coal production has declined because coal can be bought elsewhere at lower costs, and the government has been making subsidies to the coal industry - about $6 billion last year alone.