Issue #69: A $1B Family Feud
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Ling Yah
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No Policing
India’s Supreme Court has just handed a win to Wikimedia, overturning a Delhi High Court ruling that ordered Wikipedia to take down content related to its legal dispute with news agency ANI.
🍿 What Happened?
Back in OIA #59, we highlighted the landmark 20 million rupee ($237,874) defamation lawsuit that Asian News International (“ANI”), India's largest newswire service, had initiated against Wikimedia.
According to ANI, ANI's Wikipedia page allegedly portrayed it as a "propaganda tool" for India’s government.
The Delhi High Court previously agreed with ANI, calling the content potentially contemptuous and ordering its removal – extending that to a second page referencing the lawsuit itself.
Wikimedia challenged the order, warning of a chilling effect on free speech.
👀 Impact
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court sided with Wikimedia, noting the High Court’s reaction was “disproportionate” and that public institutions like courts must remain open to scrutiny.
Turns out the courts don’t get police media content after all!
Family Feud
Looks like a $1 billion ‘family’ feud has landed in London!
🍿 What Happened?
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (“KHNP”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Corporation (“KEPCO”), has filed for arbitration at the London Court of International Arbitration, seeking ~$1 billion in unpaid construction costs related to the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the UAE.
KHNP argued that, despite being a wholly owned subsidiary, it acted under an independent contract and must therefore be reimbursed for services rendered.
KEPCO, citing its debt-laden balance sheet and the need to recover funds from the UAE first, refused. And when a brief CEO-to-CEO negotiation collapsed earlier this year, a formal arbitration process began.
👀 Hmm
Maybe the only ones who’ll win in this ‘family’ spat are… the lawyers? 🤫
Treaties, Tribunals & Trouble
Allen & Gledhill LLP (Singapore) hosted an event on May 8, 2025, titled “PIL and ISDS in a Fractured World: International and Local Perspectives,” featuring experts Professor Chester Brown, Professor Stavros Brekoulakis, and Peh Aik Hin.
The panel explored how international legal institutions are navigating growing fragmentation in the global legal landscape.
From ISDS to the ICJ, one thing is clear: international law is still alive but its coherence is under pressure.
*Read the full article by Colin Seow of Nusa Chambers who attended the panel and shared his key takeaways. We’re glad to have his ear on the ground, and his sharp eye on the bigger picture.
Spotlight: Kent Phillips
Singapore based international arbitration lawyer from New Zealand.
Food Reveal
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