BOSTON – Former reputed mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger, who escaped prosecution for 16 years until he was apprehended last week in California with more than $ 800,000 in cash, was given a taxpayer-funded attorney Thursday after a judge concluded that he is unable to pay for his own lawyer.

Prosecutors argued that Bulger’s family — including his brother William Bulger, the former Massachusetts Senate president — have the means to help pay for Whitey Bulger’s defense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Kelly also suggested that Bulger, who is charged with participating in 19 murders, could have lied about his assets on the financial form he filed with the court.

“This defendant is facing a veritable avalanche of charges,” Kelly said. “He could care less” about the truthfulness of his financial disclosure, Kelly said.

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SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) – The parents of a U.S. soldier being held by the Taliban marked their son’s two years in captivity on Thursday by saying they intended to bring him home “with honor.”

Bowe Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, was a member of the 1st Battalion of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment in Afghanistan when he went missing in June 30, 2009.

Three days later, the U.S. military declared Bergdahl captured by the Taliban.

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UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Europe and the United States heaped criticism on Syria at the United Nations on Thursday after failing to persuade Russia to support condemning Damascus for its crackdown on anti-government protesters.

The occasion was the renewal of the mandate for a U.N. observer force in Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, where Israel accuses the Syrian government of orchestrating deadly confrontations between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops on May 15 and June 5.

As expected, a resolution renewing the mandate for another six months until the end of this year received unanimous support from all 15 council members.

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