AJA Newsbites is a curated roundup of major news and developments from across Asia, brought to you by members of Asia Journalist Association (AJA)
Lee Sang-ki, THE AsiaN, Korea
The Hanwha Eagles defeated the Samsung Lions 11–2 in Game 5 of the KBO Playoffs on October 24 at Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, clinching the series 3–2 and advancing to the Korean Series for the first time in 19 years. The KBO (Korea Baseball Organization) is South Korea’s top professional baseball league.
This marks Hanwha’s seventh overall appearance and their first championship bid since their 1999 title.
Ace pitcher Cody Ponce earned game MVP honors with a dominant five innings of one unearned run and nine strikeouts, while Moon Dong-ju was named Series MVP. The trio of Moon Hyun-bin, Noh Si-hwan, and Chae Eun-sung powered the lineup with 10 hits and nine RBIs.
Hanwha will face the LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium from October 26 for the KBO championship crown.
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
Cambodia and Singapore have expressed their shared interest in deepening military cooperation in the region.
During an official visit to Singapore from 21 to 23 October, a delegation of senior Cambodian military commanders from the Ministry of National Defense, led by General Mao Sophan—Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Commander of the Army—paid a courtesy call on Mr. Desmond Choo, Secretary of State for National Defense of Singapore, and Admiral Aaron Beng, Commander-in-Chief of the Singapore Armed Forces.
Both sides also held bilateral talks with Major General Cai Dexian, Commander of the Singapore Army, with the aim of further strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries.
Pooneh Nedai, Shokaran Magazine, Iran
The 41st Warsaw Film Festival in Poland concluded with the NETPAC Award, which honors the promotion of Asian and Pacific cinema, going to the Iranian documentary Distant Roads (Uzak Yollar). The Warsaw Film Festival ran from October 10 to 19 in the Polish capital.
Directed by Sara Khaki and Mohammad Reza Ayni, the film has already garnered international acclaim, having won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance. It was also screened at the 2025 Sydney Film Festival and is set to be featured at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
Distant Roads tells the compelling story of a 37-year-old former midwife in a remote Iranian village. Now a landowner and motorcycle rider, she fiercely advocates for the rights of others—and successfully wins local elections, challenging social and gender norms in her conservative community.
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