Roy Wilsher, chief fire officer in Hertfordshire County, told reporters that blazes at 17 tanks had been extinguished using 4 million gallons of water and more than 66,000 gallons of foam concentrate. He expected the fire to be out completely later Tuesday.

People across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire were awoken early on Sunday morning by an explosion, later described by Hertfordshire's Chief Fire Officer Roy Wilsher as "the largest incident of its kind in peace time Europe".

The Fire Brigade and other emergency services were called to attend Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead following reports of a huge explosion just after 6.00am. The depot, situated near to Junction 8 of the M1 is one of the largest fuel supplying facilities in the country and maintains fuel deliveries to Luton, Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

In total there were 20 petrol tanks involved in the fire, each said to hold three million gallons of fuel. The noise of the explosion is being reported to have been heard as far away as the Netherlands.

The most obvious commercial victim of bird flu - imagined or real - is the multi-million pound poultry industry, which includes egg producers and broiler breeders, as well as those bringing the poultry to market; ranging from supermarkets to restaurants.

For the moment, this sector's most immediate concern is that talk of a possible pandemic will spook consumers. "This is not a food safety issue," insists National Farmers' Union president Tim Bennett. "I am concerned that consumers are not getting a clear message that poultry is safe to eat."

Yet, early signs of a bird flu impact on companies are already appearing. Two months ago, when the British Veterinary Association said it was "inevitable" that wild birds would eventually carry bird flu to Britain, there was a "blip in sales" of poultry, Mr Bennett observes.

On Thursday this week, Northern Foods' finance director Jez Maiden warned that chicken pies and ready meals are about to become dearer, since the "uncertainties over avian flu? has a tendency to push up the price of chicken we buy in the UK".

Waiting list: The pharmaceutical group Roche is among the global giants that have contingency plans in place. "We need to make sure we can maintain our business, so we have our own pandemic plan within Roche," spokeswoman Susie Hackett tells BBC News. Ms Hackett declines to elaborate on the plan's details, but Roche's efforts are believed to include supplies of its Tamiflu anti-viral drug for members of staff, some of whom would be considered "essential workers" should a pandemic occur.

Other companies eager to stockpile either Roche's Tamiflu drug or GlaxoSmitkline's equivalent Relenza, are finding it difficult to do so since there is a worldwide shortage of the drug. "Several companies have approached us," says Ms Hackett.

But government requirements are dealt with first to make sure the public at large is looked after. "We are managing our stock levels very carefully and there is a waiting list among companies," says Ms Hackett. Roche has scaled up its production of Tamiflu significantly in recent months, and this should lead to an eightfold increase in output by next summer when compared with 2004, says Ms Hackett.

Depending on the severity of the annual ordinary flu season, some stock might be released to private companies early next year, she says. Companies insist their preparations are nothing out of the ordinary, and that they are getting ready 'just-in-case', just as they would prepare contingency plans for natural disasters and terrorist attacks. And primary care expert Dr Nigel Higgins is among those in the medical profession who agrees that whereas "we do not need to panic, we need to be prepared".

Our current name tends to have the effect of hindering our ability to proclaim the gospel, because it creates another barrier for the unchurched to deal with, Dr Tkach said. Instead of readily discovering that we are a vibrant Christian renewal movement, they instead equate us with groups that have followed the tenets of Armstrongism.

Our current name does not properly represent us for several reasons. Numerous older sources continue to address the former doctrinal errors of the WCG under that name, even though we have long since been delivered from such errors.

In many ways, the name Worldwide Church of God is in effect 'poisoned,' similar to the way the German word fuehrer (leader), though innocuous in itself, is no longer usable in any normal sense because of its associations with a negative history.

The negative associations with Armstrongism that are connected with the name Worldwide Church of God tend to hamper our effectiveness in proclaiming the gospel. A name change could give us a greater opportunity to tell the story of our transition.

According to an announcement sent to church pastors, suggested names should be short (no more than four words), clear and descriptive of our church; they should be names not already being used by other churches.

Tkach added, I believe that all the work [involved in a name change] will be well worth the fresh sense of purpose and identity that a new name will help bring us. Please join me in praying for God's blessing in our process and final selection.

But for the island's 23 million people, the future is overshadowed by an unresolved dispute with China. Both sides are used to dealing with this fraught relationship, and closer economic ties may eventually make conflict less likely. But until that happens, any flare-up over Taiwan would have much wider implications.

Most importantly, it could quickly suck the US into conflict with China, because of US security assurances to Taiwan.

At least 1,200 ceremonies are confirmed as being scheduled already, according to figures from councils compiled by the BBC News website. Registrars are preparing for the first ceremonies, with couples permitted to register from Monday morning. Campaigners say the law ends inequalities for same-sex couples.

The first ceremonies under the Civil Partnerships Act can take place in Northern Ireland on 19 December, followed by Scotland the next day and England and Wales on 21 December. Under the law, couples who want to form a partnership must register their intentions with local councils. Unlike marriages, the signing of the legal partnership papers does not need to happen in public.

Retailers are already beginning to cash in on the new partnerships. A range of "Mr and Mr" and "Mrs and Mrs" cards will hit Asda supermarkets this week. And sets of "Darling, Dearest, Queerest" embroidered towel and soaps went on sale at Superdrug stores on Friday.

"Society now legally recognises gay relationships for the first time. It's a big day but 21 December, when the first partnerships take place, will be even bigger because that will see gay and lesbian people removing discrimination."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice flies into a hornets' nest of criticism tomorrow as she begins a four-country swing through Europe amid mounting outrage over allegations that the United States has conducted covert counter-terrorism missions on the continent.

The enthronement ceremony of the 97th Archbishop of York was witnessed by a 3,000-strong congregation.

They saw Dr Sentamu take his oath on a 1,000-year-old Gospel manuscript and a vivid display of costumes, dancing, singing and drumming. The 56-year-old led the way wearing a brightly-coloured cope and mitre. No comment!

An explosion at a state-owned coal mine in northeast China killed at least 50 miners and trapped more than 100 others last night, delivering another blow to the Chinese government just hours after it restored running water to the nearby city of Harbin following a massive toxic chemical spill.