diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index df9c3978e1a0c4a48b275d99e0b5118dcd4f84a8..b12eba6b84a9e1d94e1a9c9a8d496e7adab2484b 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 Package: airGRteaching
 Type: Package
 Title: Teaching Hydrological Modelling with the GR Rainfall-Runoff Models ('Shiny' Interface Included)
-Version: 0.2.8.69
-Date: 2020-02-28
+Version: 0.2.9.0
+Date: 2020-03-24
 Authors@R: c(
   person("Olivier", "Delaigue", role = c("aut", "cre"), comment = c(ORCID = "0000-0002-7668-8468"), email = "airGR@inrae.fr"),
   person("Laurent", "Coron", role = c("aut"), comment = c(ORCID = "0000-0002-1503-6204")),
diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 6f16c371f9a5e764e1315eaa45cd66fc9788fe86..92e2e83c60b68f71be2e566f3c7938bf42e8d857 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ exportPattern(".DiagramGR")
 exportPattern(".TypeModelGR")
 exportPattern(".StartStop")
 exportPattern(".DyShadingMulti")
+exportPattern(".CheckUrl")
 
 
 
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index a233da74d491e551b1c3eda5c575c22e34de936e..c7acd73e3bf8430d48283db594f0d7963a5c8d18 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@
 
 
 
+### 0.2.9.0 Release Notes (2020-03-24)
+
+____________________________________________________________________________________
+
+
 ### 0.2.8.69 Release Notes (2020-02-28)
 
 
diff --git a/R/Utils.R b/R/Utils.R
index a6a34b6e3600d385c53ea32acb65eaf086446489..0f1df34138d95e8202c31c158a8b6bbbeb3b55b3 100644
--- a/R/Utils.R
+++ b/R/Utils.R
@@ -25,6 +25,20 @@ if (getRversion() >= "2.15.1") {
 
 
 
+## =================================================================================
+## function to test if a remote url exists
+## =================================================================================
+
+.CheckUrl <- function(url, timeout = 2) {
+  con <- url(description = url)
+  check <- suppressWarnings(try(open.connection(con = con, open = "rt", timeout = t), silent =  TRUE)[1])
+  suppressWarnings(try(close.connection(con), silent = TRUE))
+  is.null(check)
+}
+
+
+
+
 ## =================================================================================
 ## function to compute the start and stop id of equal values in a vector
 ## =================================================================================