Mexico City, Apr 16 (EFE).- A judge has thrown out the charges against Noe Ramirez Mandujano, who was accused of being on the payroll of a cartel while serving as Mexico's drug czar in the Calderon administration, judicial officials said. Federal Judge Mauricio Fernandez de la Mora, who is based in the western state of Nayarit, dropped the organized crime charges against the former prosecutor. "In the ruling, the statements of cooperating witnesses on which the prosecution based its allegations were analyzed," the Federal Judicial Council said in a statement.

By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The White House on Friday said it disagrees with a U.S. federal appeals court's "novel and unprecedented" decision to reject President Barack Obama's "recess appointments" to a labor board last year, but declined to say whether the administration would appeal.

WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday rejected President Barack Obama's "recess" appointments to a labor board last year, saying they were constitutionally invalid. The appointments to the National Labor Relations Board were made while the Senate was out of town but potentially available to act on them. "Considering the text, history, and structure of the Constitution, these appointments were invalid from their inception," the panel said.