The bid to apply and then operate the .VEGAS Top Level Domain has pitted Clark County against the city of Las Vegas. “Clark County commissioners agreed Tuesday to endorse Vegas.com’s bid” for the .VEGAS TLD reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which now sees the bidders pitted against Las Vegas, whose city council “voted to endorse rival bidder Dot Vegas Inc.” According to the report “Commissioner Steve Sisolak led the push to support Vegas.com. He argued that the county has a right to profit from the Vegas name because it has the world-famous Strip, where most of the region’s gaming revenue is generated.” “Vegas.com has offered to pay the county $1.50 for every address registered under .vegas or 10 percent of the yearly gross revenue.

The French country code .FR strode past the two million active registrations mark last week.

Abstract: This article examines the legal and political effects of the “Affirmation of Commitments” between the United States Department of Commerce and ICANN. The agreement purports to recast the public-private relationship at the heart of the management of the DNS. The DOC surrendered its most formal and visible legal control over ICANN – but kept some less visible powers

Nominet released 79 uncontested .UK short domains Wednesday following the close of the Unregistered Rights Sunrise this week.

With blocking of internet content pervasive by many regimes around the world, the most well-known being the Great Firewall of China, Minds+Machines’ Antony Van Couvering examines the issue in light of ICANN’s approval of the .XXX Top Level Domain and the Indian government’s announcement that they will block access to any .XXX website. Writing on the Minds+Machines blog, Van Couvering says “the creation of new TLDs which are offensive to someone, somewhere, will probably increase it. But will it fracture the Internet?” He asks the question in light of ICANN George Sadowsky’s dissent when ICANN approved the .XXX TLD at their board meeting that concluded the recent Silicon Valley San Francisco meeting

When Alexa Raad resigned as the CEO of Public Interest Registry, the .ORG registry, a few months ago there were many who wondered where she was going next. Now we have the answer. Raad has announced the formation of a consultancy called Architelos to take advantage of the new domain name landscape, offering her services to advise on new gTLD applications and in particular “vertical niches,” for example banking, where there are specific service, technology and security requirements.

ICANN have officially announced the upcoming meeting to be held in Amman, Jordan, has been cancelled while rumours are circulating that it will be moved to Singapore, following the unrest across the Middle East, including in Jordan. Rumours were circulating at the Domain Pulse meeting in Vienna last Thursday and Friday were the meeting will be held in Singapore, although there has been no official confirmation from ICANN. The meeting is scheduled to happen on 19 to 24 June 2011.