diff --git a/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.css b/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.css
index a091679aec..3faaac9ebb 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.css
+++ b/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.css
@@ -52,12 +52,22 @@ ul {
 }
 
 .block {
-    background: #windowcolor;
+    background: #windowcolor !important;
     border-radius: 5px;
     padding: 8px;
     margin-bottom: 10px;
     color: #windowtextcolor;
     width: auto;
+    clear: left;
+}
+
+.half-block {
+    background: #windowcolor !important;
+    border-radius: 5px;
+    padding: 8px;
+    margin-bottom: 10px;
+    color: #windowtextcolor;
+    width: 47% !important;
 }
 
 .options {
diff --git a/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.html b/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.html
index f1a336ba9f..0a5f9bbd0d 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.html
+++ b/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.html
@@ -10,7 +10,11 @@
        
     </div>
     <div id="column">
-      <div class="block">
+      <div id="files" class="block">
+        <h2>text03</h2>
+          recentfiles
+      </div>
+      <div id="newproject" class="half-block" style="float: left; display: inline-block; height: 145px;">
         <h2>text02</h2>
         <ul>
           <li><img src="images/blank.png">&nbsp;
@@ -48,23 +52,7 @@
           </li>
         </ul>
       </div>
-      <div class="block">
-        <h2>text09</h2>
-          <ul>
-            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadSchenkel.py">text10</a></li>
-            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadPartDesignExample.py">text11</a></li>
-            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadDrawingExample.py">text12</a></li>
-            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadRobotExample.py">text13</a></li>
-            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadArchExample.py">text55</a></li>
-            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadFemExample2D.py">text64</a></li>
-            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadFemExample3D.py">text60</a></li>
-          </ul>
-      </div>
-      <div class="block">
-        <h2>text03</h2>
-          recentfiles
-      </div>
-      <div class="block">
+      <div id="ontheweb" class="half-block" style="float: right; display: inline-block; height: 145px;">
         <h2>text06</h2>
           <ul>
             <li><img src="images/web.png">&nbsp;
@@ -91,7 +79,23 @@
                 onMouseOver="show('<p>text62</p>')" 
                 onMouseOut="show('')">text61</a></li>
           </ul>      
-     </div>
+      </div>
+      <div id="examples" class="half-block" style="float: left; display: inline-block;">
+        <h2>text09</h2>
+          <ul>
+            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadSchenkel.py">text10</a></li>
+            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadPartDesignExample.py">text11</a></li>
+            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadDrawingExample.py">text12</a></li>
+            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadRobotExample.py">text13</a></li>
+            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadArchExample.py">text55</a></li>
+            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadFemExample2D.py">text64</a></li>
+            <li><img src="images/FreeCAD.png" style="width: 16px">&nbsp;<a href="LoadFemExample3D.py">text60</a></li>
+          </ul>
+      </div>
+      <div id="commits" class="half-block" style="float: right; display: inline-block;">
+        <h2>text05</h2>
+        <div id="news">news feed</div>
+      </div>
       customblocks
     </div>
   </body>
diff --git a/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.js b/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.js
index 1db3c4e962..1d547c2fac 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.js
+++ b/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.js
@@ -55,10 +55,19 @@ function checkVersion(data) {
 }
 
 function load() {
+    // load latest news
+    ddiv = document.getElementById("news");
+    ddiv.innerHTML = "Connecting...";
+    var tobj=new JSONscriptRequest('https://api.github.com/repos/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/commits?callback=showTweets');
+    tobj.buildScriptTag(); // Build the script tag
+    tobj.addScriptTag(); // Execute (add) the script tag
+    ddiv.innerHTML = "Downloading latest news...";
+
     // load version
     var script = document.createElement('script');
     script.src = 'http://www.freecadweb.org/version.php?callback=checkVersion';
     document.body.appendChild(script);
+
 }
 
 function stripTags(text) {
@@ -79,7 +88,7 @@ function showTweets(data) {
     ddiv = document.getElementById('news');
     ddiv.innerHTML = "Received";
     var html = ['<ul>'];
-    for (var i = 0; i < 15; i++) {
+    for (var i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
         html.push('<li><img src="images/web.png">&nbsp;<a href="ext', data.data[i].commit.url, '" onMouseOver="showDescr(', i+1, ')" onMouseOut="showDescr()">', data.data[i].commit.message, '</a></li>');
         if ("message" in data.data[i].commit) {
             linkDescriptions.push(stripTags(data.data[i].commit.message)+'<br/>'+data.data[i].commit.author.name+'<br/>'+data.data[i].commit.author.date);
@@ -91,6 +100,21 @@ function showTweets(data) {
     html.push('</ul>');
     html.push('<a href="exthttp://github.com/FreeCAD/FreeCAD/commits/master">text63<a/>');
     ddiv.innerHTML = html.join('');
+    var commits = document.getElementById("commits");
+    var examples = document.getElementById("examples");
+    var files = document.getElementById("files");
+    var description = document.getElementById("description");
+
+    var commitsHeight = commits.offsetHeight;
+    var examplesHeight = examples.offsetHeight;
+    var filesHeight = files.offsetHeight;
+
+    var biggerHeight = commitsHeight > examplesHeight ? commitsHeight : examplesHeight;
+
+    var totalHeight = biggerHeight + filesHeight + 145 + 36;
+    commits.style.height = biggerHeight + 'px';
+    examples.style.height = biggerHeight + 'px';
+    description.style.height = totalHeight + 'px';
 }
 
 function showDescr(d) {
diff --git a/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.py b/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.py
index 0f30a2705c..b8b01292fa 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.py
+++ b/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.py
@@ -301,6 +301,9 @@ def handle():
     html = replace_html_text(html)
     # fetches system colors
     html = setColors(html)
+    f = open(os.path.expanduser("~")+os.sep+"freecad-startpage.html","wb")
+    f.write(html)
+    f.close()
     return html
 
 def exportTestFile():