James ‘Whitey’ Bulger was a murderer and violent criminal but it was the long-accepted fact he was an FBI informant that he was most concerned with denying, writes Michael Clifford

BOSTON mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger has been captured near Los Angeles 16 years after his run from the law sparked an international manhunt and served as a major embarrassment to the FBI as their onetime informant eluded authorities.

The Democratic-controlled US Congress has approved historic legislation extending healthcare to tens of millions of Americans who lack it and cracking down on insurance company abuses.

President Barack Obama unveiled his new budget today, a plan that forecasts the government spending a record $1.66 trillion (€1.19 trillion) more than it takes in through taxes.

Barack Obama and his Democratic Party raced to re-evaluate their health care plans and electoral strategy after their stunning Massachusetts Senate defeat.