Reuters

(Reuters) - Vertex Pharmaceuticals beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter profit on Monday, driven by robust uptake for its cystic fibrosis treatments.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) - an inherited disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs - affects an estimated 105,000 people across 94 countries, according to data from U.S.-based CF Foundation.

Sales from Vertex's top-selling CF drug Trikafta, also... (continue reading...)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Trust funds supporting Social Security and Medicare benefits for U.S. seniors are showing some improvement due to stronger-than-forecast economic growth, productivity and immigration that is boosting revenue collections, according to trustees' reports released by the U.S. Treasury on Monday.

The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund's reserves are now expected to be depleted in 2036, five years later than was expected in last... (continue reading...)

By Nate Raymond and Karen Sloan

(Reuters) - A group of 13 conservative U.S. federal judges said on Monday that they would not hire law students or undergraduates from Columbia University in response to its handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

The judges, all appointees of former U.S. President Donald Trump, called the Manhattan campus an “incubator of bigotry” in a Monday letter to Columbia President Minouche Shafik and Law... (continue reading...)

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that his war cabinet approved continuing an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in order to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages and achieve the country's other war goals.

"The war cabinet unanimously decided that Israel continue the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to advance the release of our hostages and the other goals of... (continue reading...)

(Reuters) - Palestinian Islamist group Hamas said on Monday it had agreed to a three-phased deal for a ceasefire and hostages-for-prisoners swap, although an Israeli official said the deal was not acceptable to Israel because terms had been "softened".

The United States, which alongside Qatar and Egypt has played a mediation role in the talks, said it was studying the Hamas response and would discuss it with Middle East allies.

Based on... (continue reading...)