LONDON OR BUST

Question: What has Europe's eighth biggest economy, 77 floodlit artificial football pitches and the world's most ethnically diverse population? Another clue: if you own a house in this place, it's worth nearly twice the national average for homes in Britain.

The answer, if you haven't already guessed, is London. If it were a country, the capital would rank above Sweden in terms of economic power; within a couple of years it will have overtaken Switzerland.

BY 2003, THE LONDON ECONOMY WILL HAVE OVERCOME SWITZERLAND?

DID THE OBSERVER ARTICLE'S AUTHORS' PREDICTION EVER COME TRUE?

THE TROOF IS OUT THERE.