Category: news

Moroccans are preparing to head to the polls to vote on a series of constitutional amendments and reforms.

The proposals, put forward by King Mohammed VI, would give the prime minister and parliament more power.

Analysts say that he is widely expected to win the vote, though low turnout could spark demands for bolder changes.

His reforms come in response to protests inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings, which ousted leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.

Morocco’s own youth-based February 20 movement organised weeks of pro-reform demonstrations and brought thousands on to the streets. They have urged their supporters to boycott the vote.

‘Date with history’

The vote represents the first constitutional referendum under the king’s 12-year rule and has been described by one Moroccan newspaper as “a date with history”.

The king himself has described the reforms as: “a decisive historic transition”.

Under the draft constitution, the king remains as the head of state, the military, and the Islamic faith in Morocco, but the prime minister – to be chosen from the largest party elected to parliament – would take over as head of the government.

The reforms, the king has pledged, would reinforce the independence of the judiciary, boost efforts to tackle corruption, guarantee freedom of expression and gender rights and make Berber an official language.

The new constitution has been backed by the country’s main political parties, unions, civic groups, religious leaders and media throughout the campaign.

“The majority will approve the reform. What’s really at stake is voter turnout,” said Lahcen Daodi of the moderate Islamist Justice and Development opposition party (PJD), which supports the reform.

The turnout at the last parliamentary polls in 2007 stood at just 37%, the lowest recorded.

The reform plan has been welcomed abroad, with the European Union saying it “signals a clear commitment to democracy”.

But it fails to meet the demands of a full constitutional monarchy sought by many protesters. Many activists have been sceptical about the king’s promises of change, saying Morocco’s 400-year-old monarchy has a long history of enacting superficial reforms.

Morocco has been facing severe economic challenges with high unemployment and rising levels of poverty.

King Mohammed, 47, acceded to the throne in 1999 following the death of his father, Hassan II, and now heads the Arab world’s longest-serving dynasty.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Moroccans are preparing to head to the polls to vote on a series of constitutional amendments and reforms.

The proposals, put forward by King Mohammed VI, would give the prime minister and parliament more power.

Analysts say that he is widely expected to win the vote, though low turnout could spark demands for bolder changes.

His reforms come in response to protests inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings, which ousted leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.

Morocco’s own youth-based February 20 movement organised weeks of pro-reform demonstrations and brought thousands on to the streets. They have urged their supporters to boycott the vote.

‘Date with history’

The vote represents the first constitutional referendum under the king’s 12-year rule and has been described by one Moroccan newspaper as “a date with history”.

The king himself has described the reforms as: “a decisive historic transition”.

Under the draft constitution, the king remains as the head of state, the military, and the Islamic faith in Morocco, but the prime minister – to be chosen from the largest party elected to parliament – would take over as head of the government.

The reforms, the king has pledged, would reinforce the independence of the judiciary, boost efforts to tackle corruption, guarantee freedom of expression and gender rights and make Berber an official language.

The new constitution has been backed by the country’s main political parties, unions, civic groups, religious leaders and media throughout the campaign.

“The majority will approve the reform. What’s really at stake is voter turnout,” said Lahcen Daodi of the moderate Islamist Justice and Development opposition party (PJD), which supports the reform.

The turnout at the last parliamentary polls in 2007 stood at just 37%, the lowest recorded.

The reform plan has been welcomed abroad, with the European Union saying it “signals a clear commitment to democracy”.

But it fails to meet the demands of a full constitutional monarchy sought by many protesters. Many activists have been sceptical about the king’s promises of change, saying Morocco’s 400-year-old monarchy has a long history of enacting superficial reforms.

Morocco has been facing severe economic challenges with high unemployment and rising levels of poverty.

King Mohammed, 47, acceded to the throne in 1999 following the death of his father, Hassan II, and now heads the Arab world’s longest-serving dynasty.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Moroccans are preparing to head to the polls to vote on a series of constitutional amendments and reforms.

The proposals, put forward by King Mohammed VI, would give the prime minister and parliament more power.

Analysts say that he is widely expected to win the vote, though low turnout could spark demands for bolder changes.

His reforms come in response to protests inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings, which ousted leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.

Morocco’s own youth-based February 20 movement organised weeks of pro-reform demonstrations and brought thousands on to the streets. They have urged their supporters to boycott the vote.

‘Date with history’

The vote represents the first constitutional referendum under the king’s 12-year rule and has been described by one Moroccan newspaper as “a date with history”.

The king himself has described the reforms as: “a decisive historic transition”.

Under the draft constitution, the king remains as the head of state, the military, and the Islamic faith in Morocco, but the prime minister – to be chosen from the largest party elected to parliament – would take over as head of the government.

The reforms, the king has pledged, would reinforce the independence of the judiciary, boost efforts to tackle corruption, guarantee freedom of expression and gender rights and make Berber an official language.

The new constitution has been backed by the country’s main political parties, unions, civic groups, religious leaders and media throughout the campaign.

“The majority will approve the reform. What’s really at stake is voter turnout,” said Lahcen Daodi of the moderate Islamist Justice and Development opposition party (PJD), which supports the reform.

The turnout at the last parliamentary polls in 2007 stood at just 37%, the lowest recorded.

The reform plan has been welcomed abroad, with the European Union saying it “signals a clear commitment to democracy”.

But it fails to meet the demands of a full constitutional monarchy sought by many protesters. Many activists have been sceptical about the king’s promises of change, saying Morocco’s 400-year-old monarchy has a long history of enacting superficial reforms.

Morocco has been facing severe economic challenges with high unemployment and rising levels of poverty.

King Mohammed, 47, acceded to the throne in 1999 following the death of his father, Hassan II, and now heads the Arab world’s longest-serving dynasty.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The Church of England is to review its policy towards same-sex relationships and consider allowing gay clergy to be ordained as bishops.

It comes after a rise in the number of clergy entering civil partnerships.

There is also pressure on the Church to conform to laws guaranteeing equal treatment to gay people.

Lawyers have said the Church could not reject clergy as potential bishops on the basis of their homosexual orientation alone.

The Church of England told clergy in 2005 they could enter civil partnerships if they remained celibate, but uncertainty has arisen about whether such clergy could be nominated as bishops.

The review appears to stem partly from evidence that the gay cleric Jeffrey John, who is celibate, was recently rejected as a candidate for appointment as Bishop of Southwark because of his sexual orientation.

Church lawyers subsequently warned that new legislation prevented the Church from discriminating against celibate gay clergy when making appointments.

A statement from the House of Bishops of the Church of England said: “It is now nearly six years since the house issued its pastoral statement prior to the introduction of civil partnerships in December 2005.

“The preparation of that document was the last occasion when the house devoted substantial time to the issue of same-sex relationships.

“We undertook to keep that pastoral statement under review. We have decided that the time has come for a review to take place.”

BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott says the Church’s decision to extend the review to its approach to sexuality in general suggests that it could be on course towards a greater acceptance of active homosexuality.

That would be a move fiercely resisted by traditionalists, he adds.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The Church of England is to review its policy towards same-sex relationships and consider allowing gay clergy to be ordained as bishops.

It comes after a rise in the number of clergy entering civil partnerships.

There is also pressure on the Church to conform to laws guaranteeing equal treatment to gay people.

Lawyers have said the Church could not reject clergy as potential bishops on the basis of their homosexual orientation alone.

The Church of England told clergy in 2005 they could enter civil partnerships if they remained celibate, but uncertainty has arisen about whether such clergy could be nominated as bishops.

The review appears to stem partly from evidence that the gay cleric Jeffrey John, who is celibate, was recently rejected as a candidate for appointment as Bishop of Southwark because of his sexual orientation.

Church lawyers subsequently warned that new legislation prevented the Church from discriminating against celibate gay clergy when making appointments.

A statement from the House of Bishops of the Church of England said: “It is now nearly six years since the house issued its pastoral statement prior to the introduction of civil partnerships in December 2005.

“The preparation of that document was the last occasion when the house devoted substantial time to the issue of same-sex relationships.

“We undertook to keep that pastoral statement under review. We have decided that the time has come for a review to take place.”

BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott says the Church’s decision to extend the review to its approach to sexuality in general suggests that it could be on course towards a greater acceptance of active homosexuality.

That would be a move fiercely resisted by traditionalists, he adds.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The Church of England is to review its policy towards same-sex relationships and consider allowing gay clergy to be ordained as bishops.

It comes after a rise in the number of clergy entering civil partnerships.

There is also pressure on the Church to conform to laws guaranteeing equal treatment to gay people.

Lawyers have said the Church could not reject clergy as potential bishops on the basis of their homosexual orientation alone.

The Church of England told clergy in 2005 they could enter civil partnerships if they remained celibate, but uncertainty has arisen about whether such clergy could be nominated as bishops.

The review appears to stem partly from evidence that the gay cleric Jeffrey John, who is celibate, was recently rejected as a candidate for appointment as Bishop of Southwark because of his sexual orientation.

Church lawyers subsequently warned that new legislation prevented the Church from discriminating against celibate gay clergy when making appointments.

A statement from the House of Bishops of the Church of England said: “It is now nearly six years since the house issued its pastoral statement prior to the introduction of civil partnerships in December 2005.

“The preparation of that document was the last occasion when the house devoted substantial time to the issue of same-sex relationships.

“We undertook to keep that pastoral statement under review. We have decided that the time has come for a review to take place.”

BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott says the Church’s decision to extend the review to its approach to sexuality in general suggests that it could be on course towards a greater acceptance of active homosexuality.

That would be a move fiercely resisted by traditionalists, he adds.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Horse chestnut leaf miners were living on natural stands of trees in Greece a century before they were first described by science, a study shows.

The discovery was made by researchers who examined many of Europe’s historic herbarium collections.

They say it offers an insight to the history and origins of the tiny moths, which are blighting many of the continent’s horse chestnuts.

The findings will appear in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment journal.

“It is a moth that has been the target of a lot of research recently because it has been expanding [its range] so fast – much faster than other kinds of leaf-mining moths,” explained co-author David Lees from the French Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA).

The larval form of the Cameraria ohridellamoth feed inside the leaves of the white flowering horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum), producing characteristic “mines” between the leaves’ veins.

The creatures do not kill the tree but infested trees may produce smaller conkers.

Dr Lees said C. ohridella was spreading its range by about 60km (40 miles) across Europe each year.

The small but highly invasive moth was first discovered in 1984, and first described by scientists as a genus new to Europe in just 1986. Since then, it has expanded its range across almost all of Europe.

The larvae produce characteristic mines on the white flowering horse chestnut tree’s (Aesculus hippocastanum) leaves. The creatures do not kill the tree but infested trees may, however, produce smaller conkers.

“We recently marked the first quarter century of this blight on horse chestnuts and it is quite amazing that during this time its origin has remained a mystery,” noted Dr Lees, a scientific associate with the Natural History Museum in London.

Unbelievable

“We decided to look at whether specimens of the moth appeared in herbarium collections, so I contacted (co-author) Walter Lack at Berlin Botanic Garden, who had been studying the history of this tree in Europe.

“I asked him whether he had come across any mines in his historic herbarium collection. He wrote straight back and said that he did have some, which had been collected in 1928 in Albania. He said that there were spots on the leaves but he had no idea what they were.”

Dr Lees admitted he was very excited when he examined photos of the specimens and saw the outline of a caterpillar mine.

“That’s when we started to look more widely,” he went on. “I went to Kew Gardens (London) and as I was looking through the herbarium there I found a specimen from 1879 which had mines in it. We just could not believe it.”

They also found examples of leaf miners on collections in Paris.

Dr Lees said some of samples of leaf mines had been hidden, as the result of proud botanists attempting to disguise blemishes on their prized leaves.

He also felt there was another reason why the discovery had not been made before: “Disciplines stick to what they know best so entomologists would not necessarily would go to herbariums.”

He explained that the tree has been transported from its native Balkan range and planted throughout Europe since the late 16th Century, so mystery had surrounded why the moth had not “caught up with its dinner sooner”.

“We know that this moth has been distributing very fast since the last 1980s, ever since it somehow got to Austria,” Dr Lees said.

The arrival of roads in areas within the moths’ original range played a part, he suggested.

“The pupae hibernate in the mine (on a leaf), and they are able to be transported in trucks.”

Before this, the distribution was unlikely to have be widespread because the moths were not able fly far enough to extend their range.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Horse chestnut leaf miners were living on natural stands of trees in Greece a century before they were first described by science, a study shows.

The discovery was made by researchers who examined many of Europe’s historic herbarium collections.

They say it offers an insight to the history and origins of the tiny moths, which are blighting many of the continent’s horse chestnuts.

The findings will appear in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment journal.

“It is a moth that has been the target of a lot of research recently because it has been expanding [its range] so fast – much faster than other kinds of leaf-mining moths,” explained co-author David Lees from the French Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA).

The larval form of the Cameraria ohridellamoth feed inside the leaves of the white flowering horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum), producing characteristic “mines” between the leaves’ veins.

The creatures do not kill the tree but infested trees may produce smaller conkers.

Dr Lees said C. ohridella was spreading its range by about 60km (40 miles) across Europe each year.

The small but highly invasive moth was first discovered in 1984, and first described by scientists as a genus new to Europe in just 1986. Since then, it has expanded its range across almost all of Europe.

The larvae produce characteristic mines on the white flowering horse chestnut tree’s (Aesculus hippocastanum) leaves. The creatures do not kill the tree but infested trees may, however, produce smaller conkers.

“We recently marked the first quarter century of this blight on horse chestnuts and it is quite amazing that during this time its origin has remained a mystery,” noted Dr Lees, a scientific associate with the Natural History Museum in London.

Unbelievable

“We decided to look at whether specimens of the moth appeared in herbarium collections, so I contacted (co-author) Walter Lack at Berlin Botanic Garden, who had been studying the history of this tree in Europe.

“I asked him whether he had come across any mines in his historic herbarium collection. He wrote straight back and said that he did have some, which had been collected in 1928 in Albania. He said that there were spots on the leaves but he had no idea what they were.”

Dr Lees admitted he was very excited when he examined photos of the specimens and saw the outline of a caterpillar mine.

“That’s when we started to look more widely,” he went on. “I went to Kew Gardens (London) and as I was looking through the herbarium there I found a specimen from 1879 which had mines in it. We just could not believe it.”

They also found examples of leaf miners on collections in Paris.

Dr Lees said some of samples of leaf mines had been hidden, as the result of proud botanists attempting to disguise blemishes on their prized leaves.

He also felt there was another reason why the discovery had not been made before: “Disciplines stick to what they know best so entomologists would not necessarily would go to herbariums.”

He explained that the tree has been transported from its native Balkan range and planted throughout Europe since the late 16th Century, so mystery had surrounded why the moth had not “caught up with its dinner sooner”.

“We know that this moth has been distributing very fast since the last 1980s, ever since it somehow got to Austria,” Dr Lees said.

The arrival of roads in areas within the moths’ original range played a part, he suggested.

“The pupae hibernate in the mine (on a leaf), and they are able to be transported in trucks.”

Before this, the distribution was unlikely to have be widespread because the moths were not able fly far enough to extend their range.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Horse chestnut leaf miners were living on natural stands of trees in Greece a century before they were first described by science, a study shows.

The discovery was made by researchers who examined many of Europe’s historic herbarium collections.

They say it offers an insight to the history and origins of the tiny moths, which are blighting many of the continent’s horse chestnuts.

The findings will appear in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment journal.

“It is a moth that has been the target of a lot of research recently because it has been expanding [its range] so fast – much faster than other kinds of leaf-mining moths,” explained co-author David Lees from the French Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA).

The larval form of the Cameraria ohridellamoth feed inside the leaves of the white flowering horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum), producing characteristic “mines” between the leaves’ veins.

The creatures do not kill the tree but infested trees may produce smaller conkers.

Dr Lees said C. ohridella was spreading its range by about 60km (40 miles) across Europe each year.

The small but highly invasive moth was first discovered in 1984, and first described by scientists as a genus new to Europe in just 1986. Since then, it has expanded its range across almost all of Europe.

The larvae produce characteristic mines on the white flowering horse chestnut tree’s (Aesculus hippocastanum) leaves. The creatures do not kill the tree but infested trees may, however, produce smaller conkers.

“We recently marked the first quarter century of this blight on horse chestnuts and it is quite amazing that during this time its origin has remained a mystery,” noted Dr Lees, a scientific associate with the Natural History Museum in London.

Unbelievable

“We decided to look at whether specimens of the moth appeared in herbarium collections, so I contacted (co-author) Walter Lack at Berlin Botanic Garden, who had been studying the history of this tree in Europe.

“I asked him whether he had come across any mines in his historic herbarium collection. He wrote straight back and said that he did have some, which had been collected in 1928 in Albania. He said that there were spots on the leaves but he had no idea what they were.”

Dr Lees admitted he was very excited when he examined photos of the specimens and saw the outline of a caterpillar mine.

“That’s when we started to look more widely,” he went on. “I went to Kew Gardens (London) and as I was looking through the herbarium there I found a specimen from 1879 which had mines in it. We just could not believe it.”

They also found examples of leaf miners on collections in Paris.

Dr Lees said some of samples of leaf mines had been hidden, as the result of proud botanists attempting to disguise blemishes on their prized leaves.

He also felt there was another reason why the discovery had not been made before: “Disciplines stick to what they know best so entomologists would not necessarily would go to herbariums.”

He explained that the tree has been transported from its native Balkan range and planted throughout Europe since the late 16th Century, so mystery had surrounded why the moth had not “caught up with its dinner sooner”.

“We know that this moth has been distributing very fast since the last 1980s, ever since it somehow got to Austria,” Dr Lees said.

The arrival of roads in areas within the moths’ original range played a part, he suggested.

“The pupae hibernate in the mine (on a leaf), and they are able to be transported in trucks.”

Before this, the distribution was unlikely to have be widespread because the moths were not able fly far enough to extend their range.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Matthew Parris on failing as a politician and going rogue

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Matthew Parris on failing as a politician and going rogue

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Matthew Parris on failing as a politician and going rogue

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The Queen is due to present new colours to The Royal Regiment of Scotland, later.

Her Majesty will present the colours to the six battalions of The Royal Regiment of Scotland for the first time since the regiment’s formation five years ago.

The regiment will then march through Edinburgh.

The occasion marks the first time six battalions from any regiment have been on parade at the same time.

The parade, which will include marching contingents from six of the seven battalions of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, will take place in Holyrood Park.

The 4th Battalion is currently deployed on operations in Afghanistan.

The parade will also include several hundred veterans from the regiment’s antecedent units.

The Queen has been Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Regiment of Scotland since its formation in 2006.

Colours are important to any army unit.

They consist of two large brocade and embroidery flags and were originally carried into battle so that soldiers of a particular unit could see where the rest of their unit was located at all times.

The infantry units of the British army each have two colours; the Queen’s Colour, which is a union flag, and a Regimental Colour, which has all the unit’s battle honours inscribed on it.

Colours are no longer carried on the battlefield but are held in the greatest esteem by the soldiers and officers.

They are brought out on important parades and regimental occasions and are escorted by a ‘colour party’.

When new colours are presented, the old ones are not destroyed but are laid up in a regimental museum, church or other military building with significance to its particular unit.

Colours are normally presented only every 20 to 25 years.

The Royal Regiment of Scotland consists of seven battalions, five regular and two territorial army.

One of these was formed by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and King’s Own Scottish Borderers, while the others are each formed from one of the remaining single-battalion regiments of the Scottish division.

Along with The Rifles, it is currently the largest infantry regiment in the British army.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The Queen is due to present new colours to The Royal Regiment of Scotland, later.

Her Majesty will present the colours to the six battalions of The Royal Regiment of Scotland for the first time since the regiment’s formation five years ago.

The regiment will then march through Edinburgh.

The occasion marks the first time six battalions from any regiment have been on parade at the same time.

The parade, which will include marching contingents from six of the seven battalions of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, will take place in Holyrood Park.

The 4th Battalion is currently deployed on operations in Afghanistan.

The parade will also include several hundred veterans from the regiment’s antecedent units.

The Queen has been Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Regiment of Scotland since its formation in 2006.

Colours are important to any army unit.

They consist of two large brocade and embroidery flags and were originally carried into battle so that soldiers of a particular unit could see where the rest of their unit was located at all times.

The infantry units of the British army each have two colours; the Queen’s Colour, which is a union flag, and a Regimental Colour, which has all the unit’s battle honours inscribed on it.

Colours are no longer carried on the battlefield but are held in the greatest esteem by the soldiers and officers.

They are brought out on important parades and regimental occasions and are escorted by a ‘colour party’.

When new colours are presented, the old ones are not destroyed but are laid up in a regimental museum, church or other military building with significance to its particular unit.

Colours are normally presented only every 20 to 25 years.

The Royal Regiment of Scotland consists of seven battalions, five regular and two territorial army.

One of these was formed by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and King’s Own Scottish Borderers, while the others are each formed from one of the remaining single-battalion regiments of the Scottish division.

Along with The Rifles, it is currently the largest infantry regiment in the British army.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The Queen is due to present new colours to The Royal Regiment of Scotland, later.

Her Majesty will present the colours to the six battalions of The Royal Regiment of Scotland for the first time since the regiment’s formation five years ago.

The regiment will then march through Edinburgh.

The occasion marks the first time six battalions from any regiment have been on parade at the same time.

The parade, which will include marching contingents from six of the seven battalions of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, will take place in Holyrood Park.

The 4th Battalion is currently deployed on operations in Afghanistan.

The parade will also include several hundred veterans from the regiment’s antecedent units.

The Queen has been Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Regiment of Scotland since its formation in 2006.

Colours are important to any army unit.

They consist of two large brocade and embroidery flags and were originally carried into battle so that soldiers of a particular unit could see where the rest of their unit was located at all times.

The infantry units of the British army each have two colours; the Queen’s Colour, which is a union flag, and a Regimental Colour, which has all the unit’s battle honours inscribed on it.

Colours are no longer carried on the battlefield but are held in the greatest esteem by the soldiers and officers.

They are brought out on important parades and regimental occasions and are escorted by a ‘colour party’.

When new colours are presented, the old ones are not destroyed but are laid up in a regimental museum, church or other military building with significance to its particular unit.

Colours are normally presented only every 20 to 25 years.

The Royal Regiment of Scotland consists of seven battalions, five regular and two territorial army.

One of these was formed by the amalgamation of the Royal Scots and King’s Own Scottish Borderers, while the others are each formed from one of the remaining single-battalion regiments of the Scottish division.

Along with The Rifles, it is currently the largest infantry regiment in the British army.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.