World Briefs

NEW DELHI – An Indian woman has given birth to her first child at the age of 70 after receiving IVF treatment, newspapers reported her doctor as saying Monday.

Rajo Devi, who married 50 years ago, gave birth to a baby girl on November 28 after in vitro fertilisation, said Anurag Bishnoi, a doctor at the Hisar fertility centre in Haryana state.

"Rajo Devi and (her husband) Bala Ram approached the centre for treatment and the embryo transfer was done on April 19," he told the Hindustan Times. "Both the mother and child are in good health."

Bishnoi claimed Devi was the world's oldest mother.

Another 70-year-old Indian was reported to have given birth to twins via IVF in July this year. Infertility is no longer a social taboo.

MILAN, Italy – It was classic La Scala intrigue.

The famed opera house threw its understudy into one of its biggest nights Sunday, removing tenor Giuseppe Filianoti at the last minute for the season-opening premiere of "Don Carlo" after he made mistakes during a dress rehearsal.

American tenor Stuart Neill, who has mostly performed in second and third casts, got the break of a lifetime in the title role and survived his unexpected debut of "Don Carlo" with generous applause — and a smattering of boos.

That's not bad for the self-ordained critics of La Scala's uppermost balconies, who in another era hurled salami and risotto at singers they deemed unworthy. In 1992, they even booed legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti as he sang "Don Carlo," considered among the most difficult tenor roles.

ATHENS, Greece – Gangs of rock-throwing youths made sporadic attacks on police stations across Athens, stoned the Interior Ministry and clashed with riot police outside Parliament on Monday in a third day of violence protesting the police shooting of a teenager.

Scattered confrontations between police and protesting youths broke out around the country Monday. In Berlin, 15 youths occupied the Greek consulate, but police said there was no violence. Youths protested at the Greek embassies in London and in Nicosia, Cyprus

Some of the worst riots Greece has seen in years began within hours of the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos on Saturday night in the often volatile central Athens district of Exarchia. Two police officers have been arrested and one is charged with murder. Self-styled anarchists and other youths have smashed and burned dozens of shops, cars and banks. Running battles continues.