Sydney - The Australian who developed Milo, the chocolate-malt drink powder popular throughout South-east Asia, has died aged 94. Long-standing negotiations between Baghdad and the Kurds on extending autonomy for northern Iraq collapsed three years ago, before the Kurds elected their own parliament and formed a PUK-KDP government in May 1992, so they are unlikely to accept Saddam's offer AFP. This is an opportunity it can't afford to lose."The diplomatic picture has been complicated by a statement purporting to be from the most militant of the fundamentalist militias, the GIA, in broad support of the Rome declaration. The latest Saudi build-up was the culmination of months of clashes that claimed lives on both sides.Violence flared last Tuesday, when Saudi-backed armed Yemeni tribesmen hostile to theYemeni government hoisted the Saudi flag in Sanaa province, in north-western Yemen.Yemeni forces ripped down the Saudi flag but the tribesmen remained camped in the area, according to Western diplomats in the Yemeni capital.The conflict between the two countries goes back a long way.The past 60 years have seen wars and border raids that involved Colonel Nasser of Egypt, covert British units, mercenaries and the use of poison gas.. There is no generalised revolt, but it's certainly acting as a catalyst for much sharper responses.''The Defend Clause IV campaign is likely to have greatest impact among the party rank and file. The high command is urgently seeking to stave off an embarrassingly large "no'' vote in the constituencies, forcing Mr Blair into the irony of relying on the 70 per cent union vote at the special conference in April.Recent research, published by Patrick Seyd and Paul Whiteley of Sheffield University in New Statesman and Society, reveals a subtle change in attitudes.

In their 1992 national study, 71 per cent of party members backed the nationalisation of companies. But they found that public ownership of the utilities is now the key to attitudes.Dr Seyd said: "They want the public utilities back in public hands, but not British Airways, nor the motor industry.''The study found that 85, 74 and 75 per cent respectively wanted water, gas and electricity to be wholly owned by the public sector."I think there is no doubt that Blair made a huge blunder in not making a commitment over the railways Alarm bells began to ring that there was a hidden agenda. So long as party members feel that public ownership is not being eliminated entirely, he wo u ld get the support of a majority of individual members,'' he said.The leadership is now contemplating a membership ballot to make it harder for activists to mandate delegates to vote to keep the clause at the special conference, but the end result might turn much more on the persuasive skills of Mr Prescott.As Mr Blair goes about shifting the goal posts, he presides over a party in an increasing state of flux. The leadership elections and the Clause IV debate have seen some Old Labour "soft'' leftists shifting to New Labour Blairism, along even with the occasional "harder'' Old Labour leftist.Most of the harder Tribunate MPs, however, including Michael Meacher, the transport spokesman, Derek Fatchett, a defence spokesman, and Clare Short, women's spokeswoman, have left the soft-left Tribune group to form what some of them loosely call the "What's Left?'' group.Others will back Mr Blair to show, whatever else happens, their support for his leadership.

For some, the perceived risk of Labour losing the next election transcends all other considerations.Old Labour could once have been defined as those who opposed the purge of Militant, or later, as those who opposed "one member, one vote''. Will it now cover all those defending Clause IV? With some on the right of the party, including ones backing Mr Blair as leader, lining up to defend Clause IV or limit the changes, not necessarily.One New Clause IV campaigner said enthusiastically: "We are dealing with a rump of people suffering final withdrawal symptoms, who have not yet come to terms with the fact that we are a social democratic party. They know it's not practical to renationalise water, gas and electricity.''But that does not accord with the views of a large section of the party grass roots, along with a few in the Shadow Cabinet, who want public ownership to remain a potent symbol of their party's core beliefs. Mind you, if the players involved go into any of the 10 matches believing they are merely preparing for something else they might as well forget it.So on Saturday, when Wales begin their title defence against France in Paris and England kick off against Ireland in Dublin, we can be sure that the last thing on anyone's mind out there in the heat of battle will be the World Cup.