Ricky Ponting’s men sealed a semi-final spot against England by beating Pakistan at the Wanderers today and have been immediately installed as favourites to win Friday’s much-anticipated encounter.

Speaking before Australia’s win today, which confirmed the last-four match-up, Swann claimed England are "on the up" against the baggy green.

"Last time we played them we hammered them," he joked.

"But no, I’d love to face Australia. It’s the old enemy and everyone seems to get more interested in those games."

Going into the limited-overs tournament in South Africa, England were made rank outsiders alongside a second-string West Indies side following a 6-1 one-day international series demolition at the hands of the Australians.

But after back-to-back wins over much-fancied Sri Lanka and hosts South Africa propelled England into the semi-finals with a match to spare, Swann now claims the team have a new-found confidence.

"Coming into this I don’t think anyone had realistic ambitions of us winning, but the first two games proved we can and has strengthened belief," he explained.

"We knew if we turned up and played decent cricket for two games we would get into the semi-finals and that is what we have done."

After England take on Australia on Friday, Pakistan and New Zealand will fight it out on Saturday for the other place in the final next Monday.

India still had a chance at qualification when they won the toss and put the West Indies in to bat.

That chance to progress was still there when they whipped out their opponents in 36 overs for just 129, and with Australia struggling against Pakistan, hopes would have been high for a shock semi-final berth.

But thanks to Australia’s last-gasp victory, India’s run chase became a pointless affair, with nothing to play for but pride.

Pride was something lacking in the West Indies’ batting line-up, who collapsed to some effective, but unincredible, swing bowling from Praveen Kumar and Aashish Nehra.

Wickets fell at a steady rate, with no batsman passing 25. The only real semblance of resistance came from Darren Sammy, who hit 23 before being caught on the boundary. Nikita Miller, who hit a half-century batting at nine against Pakistan, contributed a promising 17 not out, and David Bernard (22) and Devon Smith (21) also chipped in.

But Kumar (3-22) and Nehra (3-31) were in control with the ball, and a further 2-14 from Harbhajan Singh ensured the West Indies were bowled out cheaply. Captain MS Dhoni, meanwhile, handed the wicketkeeping gloves to Dinesh Karthik and had a bowl himself. Having seen his first two balls disappear for four, he took his first international wicket – that of Travis Dowlin – before taking himself off again.

India discovered as they went out to bat that progress to the semi-finals was not possible, and set about the run chase sedately. Having capitulated with the bat, the West Indies made India work hard for their runs: Sammy conceded only 25 runs in a 10-over spell, Gavin Tonge took 1-36 and promising 21-year-old Kemar Roach (1-27) had the Indian batsmen in trouble with his 94mph bouncers.

Virat Kohli could not be moved, however, and the 20-year-old hit an unbeaten 79 to claim the man of the match award. Karthik added a supporting 34 from 79 balls as India rolled to victory with nearly 18 overs remaining.

But despite the victory, India have been knocked out in the group stages for the third ICC tournament in a row.

Nicholas Hewitt Birtles, from north London, was charged with possession of the class A drug on September 21st.

The 21-year-old, whose father is a judge, was taken into custody after police stopped a car in London’s Camden Square. He pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined £250 at Highbury Corner magistrate’s court.

Ms Hewitt, who has been MP for Leicester West since 1997, announced in June she intended to leave Parliament at the next election, citing spending more time with her family as a reason.

She told the Leicester Mercury at the time: "The truth is that after 13 years as an MP and ten years in government, I have not seen enough of my family. They have paid a high price for that."

Hewitt Birtles, a sales representative, was said to have had £150 worth of cocaine in his possession.

Defending solicitor Anthony Burton said: "He apologises to court for the offence and underlines that through his plea.

"What is particularly distressing to him is that significant publicity has been attracted that has fallen on his family and he is deeply distressed about the consequences of his actions so far as his family are concerned."

He added that his client "immediately fell on his sword".

Earlier in the year, the FOTA member teams came to a voluntary agreement to ditch KERS in 2010, as it deemed the technology to be too expensive in a time when F1 is trying to cut costs.

But Williams’ technical director Sam Michael has announced that the Grove-based team is continuing development of their KERS unit, with a view to introducing it to their 2010 contender, the FW32.

Michael’s announcement appeared to threaten the voluntary deal not to run KERS, but a representative for FOTA has told website inthenews.co.uk that teams are looking into the possibility of running the system in 2010.

"FOTA is currently examining this issue in some detail, but no final conclusion has yet been reached," said the representative.

"In the absence of such a conclusion, it is up to each team as to what preparations they make for 2010."

The news comes after Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen became the first drivers to secure a win for KERS-equipped cars in Singapore, Hungary and Belgium.

But FOTA deny that this fact has had any impact on their decision to reconsider the use of KERS for next season.

"They did not look into it as a result of any result or performance," FOTA said.

"They looked it into it – and this is a matter of record – because of cost issues."

According to the latest Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets Business Barometer, confidence levels fell as weaker sentiment across the manufacturing sector started to "take its toll".

However, Lloyds said the overall trend in confidence remained positive, and the results for September were simply a reminder "we are in the early stages of recovery".

The survey showed the balance of firms expecting an upturn in business activity over the next year fell three per cent to 29 per cent (calculated by deducting percentage of firms with negative expectations from those with positive expectations).

Trevor Williams, chief economist, Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets, said: "Business confidence has been on an upward spiral for some months, and there’s no reason to believe that this overall trend has come to an end.

"September’s dip in confidence has clearly been driven by weakening optimism amongst manufacturing firms, caused perhaps by the levelling off of the upturn in global trade volumes. But confidence across other sectors remains stable.

"Nevertheless, any change in confidence levels is not to be ignored and should serve as a sobering reminder that a strong and sustainable recovery is by no means a certainty."

The signs of weakened business confidence were mirrored by a similar decline in confidence about the wider economy. The balance of firms expecting economic conditions to improve within the next 12 months fell from 46 per cent last month, to 42 per cent in September.

Lloyds said the national dip in confidence levels was reflected across the regions, albeit in varying degrees. In the North, businesses’ confidence in trading prospects slipped eight per cent, to 29 per cent, while in the Midlands and the South, there was a one per cent fall, to 31 per cent and 27 per cent respectively.

Lord Mandelson said new rules will come into effect today to ensure thousands of workers get a fair deal on tips and wages.

The new changes will make it illegal for businesses to use tips to bring staff pay up to the minimum wage levels.

Lord Mandelson said: "When I leave a tip I don’t expect it to be used to make up the minimum wage. I want it to go to the person who has served me as a thank you for their service. This is a basic issue of fairness. Tips are meant as a bonus – not a tool to boost pay to the basic minimum.

"That’s why the government has closed this legal loophole. Thanks to the help and support of Unite, the British Hospitality Association, the CBI, Consumer Focus and other stakeholders we are also able to launch a new code of best practice today.

"This will promote good tipping practices amongst businesses and ensure that consumers are clear about what happens to their money."

The announcement also confirmed the minimum wage would be increased from £5.73 to £5.80 an hour for over 22-year-olds, and from £4.77 to £4.83 an hour for 18-21-year-olds.

Sixteen to seventeen-year-olds will also get a four pence rise. The business secretary added that minimum wage remained "one of the most important rights for workers".

The announcements have been welcomed by trades unions, who say the changes will affect nearly one million people.

Derek Simpson, Unite joint general secretary said: "There is now an urgent need for the hospitality industry to be transparent in how they handle the tips and service charge money left for staff.

"Unite is looking to the sector to adhere to the best practice principles and ensure that customers have the information they need to make an informed choice before they leave a tip or service charge."

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has also highlighted that two in three of the 950,000 beneficiaries will be women, reinforcing the minimum wage’s positive role in narrowing the gender pay gap.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "The minimum wage is one of this government’s greatest successes and low paid workers will be relieved to see it increase again this year.

"The raise is a modest one but it will put extra cash in the pockets of some of the UK’s most low paid workers. The Low Pay Commission was right to withstand pressure from business to freeze the minimum wage during the recession.

"It’s vital tipping and payment policy are clear to both workers and consumers."

However, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said next year’s increase in the national minimum wage "must be no more than this year’s increase".

The BRC say today’s rise is a "sensible figure" during a recession and while supporting the principle of the minimum wage, is campaigning for a rise in the range of zero to one per cent and certainly no higher than today’s increase.

BRC director general Stephen Robertson said: "Against a background of really tough trading conditions, where retailers need help to maintain and go on creating jobs, this is a sensible increase and one that BRC evidence played a major part in achieving.

"1.2 per cent strikes a common sense balance between helping low-paid workers and enabling retailers to maintain, and where possible, increase job opportunities. But underlying confidence is very fragile. It should not be taken for granted. Next October’s increase should be in the range of between zero to one per cent – but no higher than this year’s."

The gastronome and writer died of a heart-attack aged 65 earlier this month.

Floyd’s partner Celia Martin – at whose Dorset home he died – as well as his biographer James Steen attended the funeral on Wednesday morning.

The ceremony featured a reading of Rudyard Kipling’s poem If and a song entitled Keith Floyd Blues by Bill Padley.

Stand-up comedian Jim Davidson, a friend of Floyd’s for 25 years, was one of the mourners in attendance and flew to the UK from Dubai for the service.

"He was such a positive man in a very difficult world," the former Generation Game host commented. "He was the first of a kind.

"It didn’t matter what he cooked, he would just swig that glass of wine and we all loved him."

Television producer David Pritchard, who discovered Floyd at his Bristol restaurant, told the BBC: "Before he arrived, most cooking programmes were sensible."

Renowned for his unique style of presenting, Floyd shot to fame in the 1980s with cookery shows such as Floyd on Fish, Floyd on France and Floyd’s American Pie.

His offscreen life was more tumultuous, with all four of his marriages ending in divorce, and bankruptcy declared in 1996.

He also suffered a small stroke in 2002 and was banned from driving for 32 months in November 2004 after a crash in Wiltshire.

Floyd had undergone five serious operations for bowel cancer this year, having been diagnosed with the disease in July.

Married four times, Floyd is survived by a son from his first marriage and a daughter from his second.

The French team have said they will not dispute allegations that their driver was asked to deliberately crash his car at the 2008 Singapore grand prix in order to benefit his team-mate Fernando Alonso.

As part of the admission, Renault have also confirmed that managing director Flavio Briatore and executive director of engineering Pat Symonds have left the team.

A brief statement today reads: "The ING Renault F1 team will not dispute the recent allegations made by the FIA concerning the 2008 Singapore grand prix.

"It also wishes to state that its managing director, Flavio Briatore, and its executive director of engineering, Pat Symonds, have left the team.

"Before attending the hearing before the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris on September 21st 2009, the team will not make any further comment."

Sanctions for the team in light of today’s developments will at least see Alonso stripped of his victory at Singapore last year, while the team itself are also set to be punished more severely.

Penalties could range from a points deduction in this year’s championship to exclusion from future seasons or even expulsion from the sport altogether.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o both lined up to play against their former sides after swapping clubs over the summer. With a wealth of attacking players on both sides goals were expected, however the game was most notable for its defending rather than free-flowing, attacking play.

Ibrahimovic had chances to score on his former stomping ground but missed the target on a number of occasions as he failed to illustrate quite why Barcelona had chosen to swap him for the industrious Eto’o, along with £40 million.

Eto’o looked determined to make a mark against his former team but his endless energy and enthusiasm went unrewarded thanks to Inter’s lack of ambition, especially in the second half.

Jose Mourinho’s other summer signings Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder started for Inter, whilst Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Xavi lined up for Barcelona.

Ibrahimovic had a perfect opportunity to score after five minutes when a diagonal ball was played over the top. The Swedish striker controlled well but opted for power over precision and smashed his volley wide.

Inter’s defence looked shaky and they were lucky not to concede moments later when Dani Alves found Messi, however the Argentine’s header was well saved by Julio Cesar.

Mourinho’s team grew in confidence as Barcelona began to give possession away and Milito tested Victor Valdes with a low powerful shot from the left that was well saved. Sneijder found himself in space on the edge of the box soon after but blazed his shot over.

Barcelona should have scored with five minutes to half time when Sulley Muntari tried to see the ball out of play in the right back position. The former Portsmouth winger was robbed by Alves who found Seydou Keita in the box however he put his shot wide of the post.

Messi forced another good save from Cesar when he cut in from the right to shoot and he was nearly found by Ibrahimovic’s back-heel from the edge of the box but the ball ran through to the Inter keeper.

Sneijder sent a shot skimming past the post as the second half got under way but the Dutchman may feel he should have played in teammate Muntari who was unmarked to his left.

Barcelona reacted well and a Xavi’s ball found Ibrahimovic as he pulled off the back of Lucio however his attempt to flick the ball over Cesar was ambitious at best and the ball landed harmlessly on top of the net.

Barcelona began to dominate possession with some mesmerising passing, but they struggled to find a final ball past Inter’s stubborn defence with both Lucio and Walter Samuel making vital interceptions.

Milito had a great opportunity when he was played through by Eto’o however his first touch took him away from goal and substitute Dejan Stankovic blazed the ball just wide with his first touch.

Pep Guardiola’s side continued to dominate with slick passing and should have scored when Henry played in a low cross but Messi managed to scoop the ball over the bar.

Inter offered little attacking intent as the game wore on and looked happy to hang on for a share of the points.

A stunning start by the hosts saw them score twice within the opening four minutes of the match. Nicklas Bendtner added a goal seconds before half-time to give Arsenal hope. Thomas Vermaelen then equalised to set up a tense finale and Eduardo sealed the three points.

The Croatian striker was due to sit out of the match after he was suspended by UEFA for diving to win a penalty against Celtic. But that ban was subsequently overturned, and Arsene Wenger will be thankful that it was.

Arsenal are now the first side to overturn a 2-0 deficit twice in the Champions League. The other time they completed the feat was in 2000 against Shakhtar Donetsk.

The night began in the most terrible fashion for the Gunners when Eliaquim Mangala started the sensational burst for Liege after two minutes.

Eduardo failed to clear the Arsenal lines after a corner and Mangala stroked the ball home from 20 yards.

Then moments later William Gallas tangled with Milan Jovanovic and the referee pointed to the spot. But replays suggested that the contact between the players, which itself was debatable, took place outside the area. However, it was an unquestionably lazy swipe from the Arsenal skipper. The controversy did not affect Jovanovic, who dusted himself off and coolly doubled Liege’s tally.

It was a truly dreadful start for the Londoners and in particular for goalkeeper Vito Mannone who was only playing due to regular stopper Manuel Almunia having a chest infection.

Bendtner ensured Arsenal finished the first half stronger when he latched onto a piercing ball from Abou Diaby. The Danish forward neatly swept through the legs of Bolat in the Standard goal after a surging run from his French team mate.

Arsenal’s front man then had a chance to level the scoring within seconds of the restart. Tomas Rosicky chipped a beautiful pass over the Liege backline but Bendtner was dispossessed by a well timed lunge from Mangala moments before he pulled the trigger.

It was on 77 minutes that the visitors finally had their equaliser, but in controversial circumstances.

Eduardo whipped in a free-kick from the left flank which fell to Alex Song at the back-post. The Cameroon international looked to be in an offside position when he received the ball and then proceeded to handle into the path of Thomas Vermaelen who tapped into an empty net.

There was no doubt about the third Arsenal goal when Eduardo guided in a corner with his knee five minutes later. The hosts were clearly stunned.

With their opponents on the rack, Arsenal pushed for a fourth but were denied when Bolat saved well from Eduardo.

The Gunners showed tremendous character to claw their way back, but will have to defend better if they hope to progress further in the competition.