UNITED NATIONS

U.S., allies challenge Russia on U.N. draft resolution

Vowing to avoid “another Libya,” the U.S. and its allies challenged Russia on Tuesday to overcome its opposition to a U.N. draft resolution demanding that Syrian President Bashar Assad yield power and end the violence that has killed thousands.

“It is time for the international community to put aside our own differences and send a clear message of support to the people of Syria,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the U.N. Security Council in backing an Arab League plan for the country.

Russia, one of Assad’s strongest allies, has signaled it would veto any U.N. action against Damascus, fearing it could open the door to eventual international military involvement, the way an Arab-backed U.N. resolution led to NATO airstrikes in Libya.

CANBERRA, Australia

Employees given bonus as company sold to new owner

Employees of an Australian bus company have been given a $16 million share of the proceeds of the business sale as a thank-you for their loyalty, an executive and a newspaper said Wednesday.

The 1,800 staff at Melbourne-based Grenda Corp. have received bonuses averaging more than $8,300 after the Grenda family sold the 66-year-old business for $400 million, the Herald Sun newspaper reported.

Chief executive Geoff Grenda described the gratitude of staff – one of whom had been with the company for 52 years – as “overwhelming.”

“We sat down and thought: ‘how can we thank the people that have got us to where we’re going to end up?’ and it was a fairly easy decision for us,” Grenda told Nine Network television, referring to his father Ken and brother Scott.

“We’ve had lots of loyal people over our 66-year journey and this was our way of rewarding the ones that are still with us,” he added.

LOS ANGELES

Elementary teacher held in molestation of children

A veteran elementary school teacher was arrested on horrifying child molestation charges after a film processor gave police photos showing blindfolded children with their mouths taped and cockroaches on their faces, authorities said Tuesday.

Mark Berndt, 61, was arrested Monday at his Torrance home and remained jailed on $2.3 million bail, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department statement.

The charges involve 23 boys and girls ages 6 to 10 between 2008 and 2010.

The investigation started when the film processor gave authorities some 40 photographs depicting blindfolded children in a classroom with their mouths taped shut.

Berndt worked for more than 30 years at Miramonte Elementary School in an unincorporated area of South Los Angeles before being fired as a result of the investigation. Miramonte serves a poor, mainly Hispanic neighborhood. More than half of its approximately 1,400 students are still learning English.