LONDON (AP) — Elton John says he struggled to watch his new musical because he has lost his eyesight after contracting an infection.
The singer-songwriter attended the opening night of “The Devil Wears Prada” in London on Sunday and told the audience that “I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight.”
“So it’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it and, boy, it sounded good tonight,” he said.
John, 77, disclosed in September that an infection had left him “with only limited vision in one eye.” He wrote on Instagram that “I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.”
John wrote the score for “The Devil Wears Prada,” a stage musical based on the 2006 movie about a young journalist navigating the glamour and egos of a glossy fashion magazine.
The production at London’s Dominion Theatre stars Vanessa Williams as the fearsome editor Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep in the film.
Sunday’s gala, a fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, was attended by celebrities and fashion-industry figures including designer Donatella Versace and former Vogue editor Anna Wintour, the rumored inspiration for the Priestly character.
Wintour described the musical as “entertaining.”
FILE - Elton John waves to the waiting media as he leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice in London, Monday, March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
BEIRUT (AP) — Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have deployed in Syria to back the government's counteroffensive against a surprise advance by insurgents who seized the largest city of Aleppo, a militia official and a war monitor said Monday.
Insurgents led by jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched a two-pronged attack on Aleppo last week and moved into the countryside around Idlib and neighboring Hama province. Government troops built a fortified defensive line in northern Hama in an attempt to stall the insurgents’ momentum while jets on Sunday pounded rebel-held lines.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus Sunday and announced Tehran's full support for his government. He later arrived for talks in Ankara, Turkey, one of the rebels main backers.
“I clearly announced full-fledged support to President Assad, government, army, and people of Syria by the Islamic Republic of Iran." Araghchi said. He did not further elaborate but Iran has been of Assad's principal political and military supporters and has deployed military advisers and forces after 2011 protests against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war.
Tehran-backed Iraqi militias already in Syria mobilized and additional forces crossed the border to support Assad's government and army, said the Iraqi militia official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
According to Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, some 200 Iraqi militiamen on pickups crossed into Syria overnight through the strategic Bou Kamal crossing. They were expected to deploy in Aleppo to support the Syrian army’s pushback against the insurgents, the monitor said.
Syrian and Russian airstrikes on rebel positions continued mostly in Hama and Idlib provinces. At least 10 civilians were killed in Idlib city and province, according to the Syrian Civil Defense in opposition-held areas.
Syrian Kurds were fleeing the fighting in large numbers after Turkish-backed rebels seized Tel Rifaat from rival U.S.-backed Kurdish authorities. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces largely withdrew and called for a humanitarian corridor to allow people to leave safely in convoys toward Aleppo and later to Kurdish-led northeast regions.
Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed to this report.
Syrian opposition fighters drive by an abandoned Syrian army armoured vehicle on a highway in the outskirts of in Khan Sheikhoun, southwest of Aleppo, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. Syrian opposition insurgency launched a campaign on Wednesday with a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib.(AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian opposition fighters ride on a motorcycle by an abandoned Syrian army armoured vehicle on a road in the outskirts of in Khan Sheikhoun, southwest of Aleppo, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. Syrian opposition insurgency launched a campaign on Wednesday with a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib.(AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
An abandoned Syrian army armoured vehicle sits on a highway in the outskirts of in Khan Sheikhoun, southwest of Aleppo, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. Syrian opposition insurgency launched a campaign on Wednesday with a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib.(AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian opposition fighters seize abandoned Syrian army ammunition in in the town of Khan Assubul, Syria, southwest of Aleppo, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. Syrian opposition insurgency launched a campaign on Wednesday with a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib.(AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Residents inspect the site of an air strike in Idlib, Syria, Sunday Dec. 1, 2024. Government airstrikes in Idlib killed at least three civilians, including two children, and wounded 11 others, said the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
Syrian opposition fighters drive a seized seized Syrian army armoured vehicle near the town of Khan Assubul, Syria, southwest of Aleppo, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. Syrian opposition insurgency launched a campaign on Wednesday with a two-pronged attack on Aleppo and the countryside around Idlib.(AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
This photo released on the official Telegram page of the Syrian Presidency shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, left, and Syrian President Bashar Assad meeting in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (Syrian Presidency Telegram page via AP)
A nurse attends to an injured woman in Idlib, Syria, Sunday Dec. 1, 2024. Government airstrikes in Idlib killed at least three civilians, including two children, and wounded 11 others, said the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
A young man waits for treatment for his injuries at a hospital in Idlib, Syria, Sunday Dec. 1, 2024. Government airstrikes in Idlib killed at least three civilians, including two children, and wounded 11 others, said the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
