A Facebook quiz that challenges perceptions of crime and a website that gives the public the chance to feed into local neighbourhood policing boards, are just two of the innovative new ways that government data is to become accessible to the public following a 'hack day' yesterday.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson announced today (12 March) a €300 million (£270m) loan guarantee to GME Europe which will help secure the company’s operations in Britain and the rest of Europe.

Funding was today awarded to E.ON and ScottishPower for design and development studies as part of the competition to build one of the world's first commercial scale carbon capture and storage demonstration plants.

DWP/043/10

Hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioners should benefit from lower fuel bills this winter thanks to a deal announced today between the big six energy suppliers (British Gas, EDF Energy, EON, Npower, Scottish Power and Scottish and Southern Energy) and the Government.

Housing and Planning Minister John Healey today announced changes to the country’s building regulations to make our homes, shops and offices warmer and cheaper to run and take Britain a step closer to meeting our low carbon commitments.

Rosie Winterton, Minister for Regional Economic Development and Coordination, today launched a new £90 million venture capital and loan fund to boost business growth in Yorkshire and the Humber, and a £3 million programme to ensure businesses are better able to access this and other funding.

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced today that 8 foreign flagged ships were under detention in UK ports during February 2010 after failing Port State Control (PSC) inspection.

At least 30 NHS dental practices will shortly be trialling new ways to improve services for patients with improved access and new ways of measuring quality as they become pilot sites for the recommendations of the Steele Review of NHS dentistry. 

Today Lord Mandelson will visit Manchester to discuss the Government’s policy on regional economic development, and see first-hand how this has delivered jobs, skills, investment and growth for the city.

Kevin John Moseley

Business, Government and charity leaders today backed better support for staff who balance a job with caring for an older or disabled person.

Just six months ago, Musa Qaleh’s twice weekly livestock market attracted a couple of hundred traders at most. Nowadays, 3,000 traders regularly attend the twice weekly event which takes place just outside the town in a local wadi – or dry river bed.

British forces in Afghanistan will hand control of the town of Musa Qaleh in northern Helmand Province to other ISAF forces over the coming weeks. The reconfiguration, ordered by ISAF commanders, will better support General McChrystal's strategy aimed at winning over the civilian population by protecting them from Taliban insurgents.

Lt Col Harry Fullerton talks about his tour Commanding the HCR BG

Market day in the Musa Qaleh Bazaar.  A scene of life returning to normal, one of traders selling and buyers haggling.  The roads are busy with traffic, motorcycles everywhere, delivery trucks dropping sacks of grain and rice.  The everyday hustle and bustle you would expect to see on any market day in the UK.

Walking to the north east corner of Musa Qaleh through the Bazaar and past the District Centre Police Station, that while still under construction is nearing completion; you arrive at the Community Healthcare Centre.  On today’s visit is a British Army Medic wanting to find out if there is any equipment she can help supply the Centre with.

Everyday the police of Musa Qaleh lead combined patrols with British soldiers through the Bazaar and out to the remote Patrol Bases manned by their colleagues in the desert and the Green Zone.

Historically Musa Qaleh had the title of being the most dangerous place in Helmand.  Today it is a busy society at all levels and for all ages.  The school in Musa Qal'eh District Centre, a building that two years ago under Taliban control lay derelict and empty is now full with children playing football and other playground games.

Musa Qaleh is a much safer town than it used to be; so says Mike McKie, the Foreign Office Stabilisation Officer. ‘Historically Musa Qaleh had the title of being the most dangerous place in Helmand.  Six months ago when I arrived it was still taking incoming mortar fire on a fairly regular basis – UK operations pushed the firing points back to their maximum range and after 3 weeks we found there was nothing incoming anymore.’

A new report published jointly today by the British, Danish and Dutch governments challenges the way European institutions make decisions and argues that smart EU regulation must mean that businesses and citizens are put at the heart of all European policy-making.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling is today launching a new free money advice service to be rolled out around the country.

The Government today published its Command Paper response to the HS2 report, and in so doing set out the next stages of work for HS2 Ltd.

A convicted foreign drug smuggler was stopped trying to enter the country after the UK Border Agency's hi-tech e-borders monitoring system flagged his impending arrival on a Gatwick bound flight.

Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis today announced proposals which would revolutionise Britain's rail network by delivering an initial core high speed rail network linking London to Birmingham, Manchester, the East Midlands, Sheffield and Leeds, with trains running at up to 250 miles per hour.

The Basra Memorial Wall was rededicated today in a poignant service at its new home in the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The event was attended by almost 500 family members of the 178 UK Service personnel and one MOD civilian killed during Operation Telic, the name given to UK operations in Iraq 2003-2009.