Those around George Osborne have for months been - perhaps a tad optimistically - arguing that once the economic figures turn around, then the political figures will shift too.

BBC: End to recession gives hope to coalition partners

If so, Jones figures he'll just shift course again, a skill honed during his days in the service.

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"The figures provide further evidence of the shift away from owner-occupation in favour of the rental sector, " he said.

BBC: More private than social tenants in England

However, according to Rebecca Joffrey of the Tuck School, in New Hampshire, these general figures may be masking a substantial shift in the hiring picture.

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Rather than illustrating a trend in nonsensical budgeting, these figures may be showing us a more fundamental shift in the economy: a growing divide between the haves and the have-nots.

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Transfer pricing used by multinationals to shift profits around the globe may distort trade figures.

ECONOMIST: Economics focus

"The figures that were published yesterday on the (U.S.) unemployment showed a positive shift, better than expected, so it's going in the right direction, " he said.

CNN: World reacts to U.S. credit downgrade

An interview of Craig Palli from Fiksu provided some fascinating figures about how the value of iPad, iPhone and Android smartphone application users is changing as the device owner profiles shift and usage patterns evolve.

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