Five new recruits at the Merritt Fire Rescue Department are sweating through drills similar to what would be seen at a boot camp.
 This intense training is designed to improve the ability of the firefighters to respond to blazes and other emergencies quickly and efficiently. 
Work experience firefighter Matt Bloom is a long way from his home town of Aurora, Ont., but he said the Nicola Valley is as good a place as any to build his skills.
 
 
The summer heat has made some of the training activities difficult, but his uniform donning …

Barack Obama tells the UN General Assembly a Palestinian state can only be achieved through talks with Israel, as thousands rally across the West Bank.

Britain faces a “long, hard road” to economic recovery, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg warns in his big speech to the Lib Dem conference.

US President Barack Obama has insisted there is no short cut to resolving the longstanding conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.