London 2012: Olympic venue no advantage - Christine Ohuruogu - BBC News
Christine Ohuruogu says relying on home advantage for the London 2012 Olympics would be a "false sense of security".
The 400m runner lives in the shadow of the Olympic Stadium but her preparation for this summer's games has not extended to visiting the venue.
Ohuruogu, 28, said: "I have no need to go. Whether I see it or not doesn't make any odds to how I compete."
She added: "If you know what you are doing it doesn't matter where you run, you will do what you need to do."
Christine Ohuruogu“I don't need to see the track. A track is a track”
The East London-born athlete told BBC Radio 5 live she would be ready for the Games and strive to win 400m gold a second time, adding to her success at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
She said: " I am confident that I will do everything in my power to get it done, to be as successful as possible."
But she added getting to know the London venue afforded no advantage over her rivals: "They are talking about advantage but for me, to rely on that as an advantage is a false sense of security.
"If you know your game well enough you can replicate that wherever you run in the world. I don't need to see the track. A track is a track.
"But I've heard some good feedback, it's good that people can see the stadium and are like 'it's good, it's fantastic, it's great, I can't wait', and that's nice, it's nice to know that."
Top London house prices could halve if eurozone collapses, warns City firm - The Guardian
House prices in London's glitziest districts will drop by up to 50% over the next five years if the eurozone collapses, according to research by City consultancy Fathom.
Wealthy European citizens have been pouring their money into Georgian townhouses and swish penthouses in the smartest parts of the capital, seeing London as a less risky place to keep their assets than Spain or Greece.
Fathom's report, In a Class of its Own?, says these "safe haven flows" have been "by far the most important driver" of the rise in prime London property prices since the mid-1990s – first in 1997-99, when the euro was founded and investors were uncertain whether it would succeed; and then since 2010, with the euro sovereign debt crisis.
The research defines "prime central London" property as encompassing Chelsea, St John's Wood, Kensington, Notting Hill, South Kensington, Belgravia, Westminster and Mayfair.
The average price of homes across these areas is £1.2m – almost six times the national average. In the four years from late 2007, their value rose 30% faster than the London market, and 34% faster than the UK market.
However, the research suggests that if the single currency zone fell apart – as a growing number of economists are now starting to predict – sterling would be likely to rise sharply against other European currencies on the foreign exchange markets.
Prime properties would suddenly look far more expensive to foreign investors; and world share prices would plunge, eating into the wealth of the kind of footloose investors who frequent estate agents in Kensington.
And as the study suggests, "once the storm has passed and most currencies have depreciated, property in Paris, Frankfurt and Rome will start to look very cheap compared to prime central London".
The warning about a bubble in London's property hotspots came as Paul Krugman, the Nobel prizewinning American economist, attacked the coalition's austerity policies. Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, Krugman, in London to promote his new book, said the government's plan was "failing dismally". Instead of cutting spending the Treasury should be increasing it by 2% of GDP.
"It is deeply destructive to pursue austerity in a depression," he said. "Give me a stronger economy and I'll turn into a fiscal hawk. But not now."
Britain's households remain deeply anxious about the economic outlook, according to the latest consumer confidence figures from research group GfK, released on Thursday. Its overall confidence index increased to -29 in May from -31 last month; but that was well below the long-term average before the euro crisis.
"While this rise is indeed positive, consumer confidence remains mired in the very negative position it has been in for almost 18 months," said Nick Moon, managing director of social research at GfK.
Geneva motor show 2012: Vauxhall Ampera wins Car of the Year - Daily Telegraph
"This is one of proudest moments of my career," said Karl-Friedrich Stracke, chief executive of Opel/Vauxhall as he received the award with Susan Doherty, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe. The Ampera's sister car, the Chevrolet Volt, which has been on sale for 18 months in the USA, won the North American Car of the Year award in 2011.
Queen's Diamond Jubilee: London travel guide - Daily Telegraph
The Queen will also be attending the Epsom Derby on Saturday - tickets are still available through www.epsomdowns.co.uk. A Diamond Jubilee Concert is taking place on June 4, but the event is sold out.
On June 4, thousands of beacons will be lit around the world to mark the Queen's 60 years on the throne. To find out where your nearest beacon is, see www.diamondjubileebeacons.co.uk. And on June 5, a Diamond Jubilee Carriage Procession will take the Queen from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace, with thousands expected to line the streets.
There are also dozens of events taking place at the country's English Heritage properties, including Aspley House and Eltham Palace and Gardens in the capital. For a full list, see www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/events
Special exhibitions are also on at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the Museum of London, the National Portrait Gallery, Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace.
As many as 10,000 street parties are also planned for the weekend. For tips on what food and drinks to serve your guests, and what to wear, see www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/9284333/Queens-Diamond-Jubilee-Entertaining-guide.html
What else is there to do?
Telegraph Travel's London city break guide features the best things to see and do across the capital. There are also individual guides to London's districts.
Where to stay
Telegraph Travel has expert reviews of more than 75 hotels in London, the majority of which can be booked through the website at the lowest price guaranteed.
Many hotels have also launched a variety of Jubilee-themed offers, ranging from the tempting to the tenuous.
Restaurants
A number of restaurants and bars have unveiled themed menus in the run up to the Jubilee. Among the most bizarre dishes being coronation chicken ice cream, currently available at Gelupo in Soho.
Transport
Tube: Engineering works on the London Underground are few and far between this weekend, for a change, with just the Waterloo and City Line and parts of the London Overground facing closure. However, there will be no access to Buckingham Palace from Green Park station on Monday - visitors are advised to use Westminster or St James’s Park stations.
Roads: There will be a number of bus diversions and curtailments. Drivers are advised to avoid central London between June 3 and June 5. Sunday will be particularly busy due to a number of road and bridge closures. Seven London bridges will be closed to both road users and pedestrians for most of the day.
River: There will be no river services on Sunday June 3 from 1430 until 1800 between Battersea Bridge and the Thames Barrier at Woolwich.
For more information, see www.tfl.gov.uk
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