Thanks for your reply. I solved this issue by adding to the home_main.tpl:
Code:
{include file="news.tpl"}
Code:
{elseif $main eq "catalog" and $current_category.category eq ""}
{include file="customer/main/welcome.tpl" f_products=$f_products}
{include file="news.tpl"}
This works perfectly however do you think I would be better off using the method you posted?[/code]