TV technician jumps from Romanian parliament balcony

A Romanian television technician was severely injured Thursday when he flung himself from parliament’s balcony in protest at the centre-right government of Emil Boc’s austerity measures. Adrian Sobaru, 40, threw himself off, shouting “Boc, you have stolen the children’s future,” witnesses said. Mr. Sobaru, an electrician working for public television, suffered several facial fractures but his condition was stable, a spokesman for the emergency hospital in Bucharest said.Local media said he was protesting at the austerity package adopted in July, which reduced by 15% an allowance aimed at helping his family take care of an autistic son. The incident took place as lawmakers prepared to start debates on a no-confidence motion tabled by the opposition. Parliament was suspended for an hour, and the motion was eventually defeated in the absence of opposition MPs.