Vicki Barker

Starmer acknowledged that the war is affecting daily life in Britain, with rising fuel and food prices, among other things.

But he said, quote, there are moments in history that will define a generation, and I think we're in one of those moments.

For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he is worried about the cumulative effect of weekly pro-Palestinian marches in the UK and wants to allay the fears of the Jewish community.

In an interview with the BBC, he didn't rule out banning future marches.

The next potential flashpoint is May 16th, when a major London protest is planned for the anniversary of what Palestinians call the Nakba, or the catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced during the founding of Israel in 1948.

For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer briefed President Trump on the new British-French mission to protect merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

A statement from the prime minister's office says Starmer and Trump agreed on the, quote, urgent need to get shipping moving again, given the severe consequences for the global economy.

But there was no indication that there's been any shift from the latest U.S.

position, nor from Britain's determination not to join any renewed offensive against Iran.

For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London.

The National Pharmacy Association reports that supply chain issues caused by the Iran war have already created severe shortages of drugs used to treat skin and pancreatic cancers.

And its research, shared with Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, found all 400 pharmacies surveyed also report price increases in some of the most common medicines used to treat the side effects of cancer treatment.

The disruption to shipping and air freight routes, as well as higher fuel costs, mean some pharmacies have seen prices rise by as much as 11-fold since February.

And they warn that without a resolution to the conflict, more medications could soon run out or see further price rises or both.

For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London.

Last year, a record 56,000 people completed the 26-mile course, which snakes past some of London's most famous landmarks.

This year, the field is bigger still, with more than 59,000 runners expected on the starting line, the lucky winners from the record 1.1 million who applied for a place.

As at this past week's Boston Marathon, breastfeeding tents have been set up at the halfway point at Tower Bridge and the finish line outside Buckingham Palace, as marathon organizers on both sides of the Atlantic aim to be more inclusive of new mothers.