Feel-good factors: Not all numbers add up to doom

2: The percentage drop in teenage pregnancies, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics, taking the UK's teenage pregnancy rate to its lowest in 20 years. Pregnancy rates were also 1 per cent lower for under-16s.

8.2: The average wheat yield per hectare in tonnes this year, compared to 7.7 averaged over the previous five years, according to the National Farmers' Union. This is some rare good news for farmers, and comes in spite of the toughest growing conditions this decade.

18.2: The percentage decrease in deaths from cancer for the 10 years to 2007, according to the latest Department of Health figures. Deaths from heart disease and stroke are down by 44 per cent over the same period.

6,000: The number of jobs set to be created by Tesco over the next year after its boss, Sir Terry Leahy, said earlier this month that food prices had peaked.

11.9: The divorce rate has dropped to its lowest level in 30 years – just 11.9 for every 1,000 married couples in 2007, according to the Office of National Statistics. This was down from 12.2 per 1,000 couples in 2006.

10,000: The estimated number of people over the age of 100 living in England and Wales. It's a record number of centenarians – and the figure risen 90-fold over the past century, says the Office for National Statistics.

103: The number of days that George Bush, one of the most unpopular US presidents of all time, has left in power. Start the countdown.

14: The percentage decrease in cases of the hospital-acquired MRSA infections in England between this quarter and the last. The Government is claiming success in its fight against the "superbug".

Zero: The number of competitive matches lost by Fabio Capello since he became England football manager. Which either tempts fate or boosts the spirits ahead of England's World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan on Saturday.

£350m: The total box-office takings for Casino Royale, the last Bond film. Why is this good news? Because big money at the ticket office meant big budgets for an even more explosive Quantum of Solace, the next film in the franchise, which is released next month.

800: The number of television channels available for British viewers via satellite and cable. So if you can't afford dinner at the Ivy, there should be something at least half-decent to watch back at home.

£2.10: The price of a pint of Greene King IPA at JD Wetherspoons in London – and it's been frozen until March. Not your drink of choice? Try a pint of Coors Light (fixed at £2.39) or Lavazza coffee (£1.09).

8: The UK's ranking in a recent quality of life survey by Alliance & Leicester International. That puts us in front of Florida, New York and France. Who says the grass is always greener?

1.91: There are more bouncing babies in Britain. The average number of children mothered by each British woman is up from a low of 1.6 in 2001. This means that the nation's female population is having more children than at any time since 1973.

54%: A national poll conducted among viewers of the second presidential debate on Tuesday suggests that Barack "That One" Obama won, with 54 per cent rating his performance as better; only 30 per cent of those questioned in a CNN survey of 675 American adults thought that John McCain appeared stronger.

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