diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index aa03c6ce233c94639f06315546b3d6fcdbed077a..1051727b5236000e879d2c543cb7a6f1687e1ff0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -30,11 +30,11 @@ Run _wgetGenBankWGS_ with the following command line model:
 Run _wgetGenBankWGS_ without option to read the following documentation:
 
 ```
- wgetGenBankWGS                                           Copyright (C) 2019-2021  Institut Pasteur
+ wgetGenBankWGS                                                    Copyright (C) 2019-2021  Institut Pasteur
 
- Downloading sequence files corresponding to selected entries from genome assembly report files:
-   GenBank:  ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/ASSEMBLY_REPORTS/assembly_summary_genbank.txt
-   RefSeq:   ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/ASSEMBLY_REPORTS/assembly_summary_refseq.txt
+ Downloading sequence files corresponding to selected entries from genome assembly report files (option -d):
+   GenBank:  ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/ASSEMBLY_REPORTS/assembly_summary_genbank.txt
+   RefSeq:   ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/ASSEMBLY_REPORTS/assembly_summary_refseq.txt
 
  Selected entries (options -e and -v) can be restricted to a specific phylum using option -p:
    -p A      archaea
diff --git a/wgetGenBankWGS.sh b/wgetGenBankWGS.sh
index 479a16b32e6aa67ef0483b48a99b995e68ec82e2..e50eaead29c3975d225362b7009d24e6a6c62bf1 100755
--- a/wgetGenBankWGS.sh
+++ b/wgetGenBankWGS.sh
@@ -33,7 +33,10 @@
 # = VERSIONS =                                                                                              #
 # ============                                                                                              #
 #                                                                                                           #
-  VERSION=0.6.201018ac                                                                                      #
+  VERSION=0.7.211026ac                                                                                      #
+# + takes into account the new protocol https in field ftp_path of the genome assembly report files         #
+#                                                                                                           #
+# VERSION=0.6.211018ac                                                                                      #
 # + takes into account the last field 'asm_not_live_date' in genome assembly report files                   #
 # + adding option -p to select a specific phylum                                                            #
 #                                                                                                           #
@@ -71,11 +74,11 @@ if [ "$1" = "-?" ] || [ "$1" = "-h" ] || [ $# -le 1 ]
 then                                                                                                        #
   cat <<EOF
 
- wgetGenBankWGS v.$VERSION                                 Copyright (C) 2019-2021  Institut Pasteur
+ wgetGenBankWGS v.$VERSION                                     Copyright (C) 2019-2021  Institut Pasteur
 
- Downloading sequence files corresponding to selected entries from genome assembly report files:
-   GenBank:  ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/ASSEMBLY_REPORTS/assembly_summary_genbank.txt
-   RefSeq:   ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/ASSEMBLY_REPORTS/assembly_summary_refseq.txt
+ Downloading sequence files corresponding to selected entries from genome assembly report files (option -d):
+   GenBank:  ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/ASSEMBLY_REPORTS/assembly_summary_genbank.txt
+   RefSeq:   ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/ASSEMBLY_REPORTS/assembly_summary_refseq.txt
 
  Selected entries (options -e and -v) can be restricted to a specific phylum using option -p:
    -p A      archaea
@@ -151,6 +154,7 @@ fi
 # ===============                                                                                           #
 #                                                                                                           #
 # = PROTOCOL can be either "ftp:" or "https"; however, "https:" is generally faster ======================  #
+# = however since Sep. 2021, the default protocol is now "https"                    ======================  #
 #                                                                                                           #
   PROTOCOL="https:";                                                                                        
 #                                                                                                           #
@@ -314,7 +318,7 @@ if [ "$EXCLUDE_PATTERN" != "^#" ]; then echo "exclusion criterion: $EXCLUDE_PATT
 tmp=$(randomfile $SUMMARY);
 mv $SUMMARY $tmp ;
 sed -n '2p' $tmp > $SUMMARY ;
-sed '1,2d' $tmp | grep -E "$INCLUDE_PATTERN" | grep -v -E "$EXCLUDE_PATTERN" | grep -F "ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov" >> $SUMMARY ;
+sed '1,2d' $tmp | grep -E "$INCLUDE_PATTERN" | grep -v -E "$EXCLUDE_PATTERN" | grep -F "ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov" >> $SUMMARY ;
 rm $tmp ;
 n=$(grep -v -c "^#" $SUMMARY);
 echo "$REPOSITORY: $n entries" ;