Trending on X, 6 AM: BBC's Mongolia episode, Monday morning, France, Baabar, wrestling

Here are the 6 topics Mongolian users discussed most on X between 02:13 and 06:15 (Ulaanbaatar time) on October 19, ranked by the likes, reposts and views of the leading posts. Activity was low overnight and in the early hours, so engagement figures were modest. A BBC Two documentary episode about Mongolia drew the most attention, while Mongolian users greeted the first morning of the new week. The aftermath of the riots in France, columnist Baabar's post addressed to Speaker S. Byambatsogt, President U. Khurelsukh's state visit to Germany and the success of Mongolian wrestlers were also discussed. There were 6 real, verified topics in this window, so we did not pad the list to 10. Posts about the drone attack on St Petersburg and Trade and Development Bank's new app also appeared, but they were left out because there was no new, verified development since earlier roundups. Personal quarrels, insulting content and posts carrying unverifiable claims were also excluded. Figures are as of 06:22.

1. BBC Two airs the Mongolia episode of "Wilderness with Simon Reeve" (new)

British presenter and author Simon Reeve (@simon_reeve) shared several posts about the Mongolia episode of his series "Wilderness with Simon Reeve", broadcast on BBC Two on the evening of October 18. They were the highest-engagement Mongolia-related posts in this window.

According to the BBC programme page, it is the fourth and final episode of the series' second season. Reeve travels 3,000 miles (about 4,800 km) across Mongolia's deserts, plains and mountains in search of snow leopards and meets nomads who hunt with golden eagles. The episode has been on BBC iPlayer since September 20 and aired on BBC Two at 21:00 London time on October 18, which was 04:00 on October 19 in Ulaanbaatar.

Reeve highlighted the work of Bina Dashnyam, co-founder of the Mongolian tour company Soaring Expeditions and a wildlife biologist and guide who took him to see snow leopards. According to Reeve, Dashnyam is campaigning to have a little-studied area declared a protected national park to safeguard the snow leopards. Viewers abroad also shared their impressions of Mongolia's landscapes, snow leopards and eagle hunters.

2. Monday morning: greetings for the new week and light snow in Ulaanbaatar (new)

On the first morning of the new week, Mongolian users posted "Good morning" greetings and photos and wished each other a productive week. @Enkhbilee's morning greeting drew the most likes on the topic, while @Shagdarsurenba3 shared a morning photo from Tariat soum in Arkhangai province. Some users wrote that they had started work at 6 a.m. because of a busy day.

@UBn_mn reported that the temperature in Ulaanbaatar was minus 2°C this morning, with light snow.

3. France riots: arrests reach about 2,400 as Mongolian users discuss social discontent in Europe (new development)

The aftermath of the protests against the rising cost of living and fuel prices in France, which turned into rioting and looting, continued to draw Mongolian users' attention. @tuul1234 shared a video of President Emmanuel Macron vowing to hold all looters accountable and saying no one would go unpunished, with Mongolian commentary; it was the highest-engagement post on the topic.

In the latest figures, about 2,400 people were arrested across France and around 1,000 police officers were injured, DW reported, citing AFP and dpa. Paris police described their 855 arrests as a record, and according to provisional figures 517 people, including 171 minors, remained in custody. egov.mn had earlier reported more than 1,800 arrests and more than 600 officers injured.

Among Mongolian users, @soko_888 argued that social frustration rooted in wealth inequality had built up in Europe, while @Bachka_Mongol cited a long-time Paris resident as saying that a peaceful protest had eventually turned into a riot. Read more about Macron's address to the nation here.

4. Baabar to Speaker S. Byambatsogt: "Who are the right people?" (new development)

After Elch.mn reported Speaker S. Byambatsogt as saying that "if we had chosen the right people and put them on the list, parliament's reputation would not have fallen like this", columnist Baabar (@Baabarniitlelch) posted a response.

Baabar argued that candidates on party lists should be chosen through competition within the party, not in secret by the party leader alone or with a few others. He also said that lawmakers elected from party lists should vote directly in line with what the party promised in the election, and that voting by the caucus leader on behalf of members should be clearly separated from members voting individually. If the Speaker is so concerned about the issue, he wrote, he should "legislate it right now".

An earlier roundup reported S. Byambatsogt's statement that lawmakers who skip sessions would be held accountable. Since the 2024 election, 48 of parliament's 126 members have been elected from party lists.

5. President U. Khurelsukh to make first state visit to Germany in 14 years (new)

@PressCentermn shared a report that President U. Khurelsukh will make a state visit to Germany and sign a joint declaration between the two countries. According to the Office of the President, the visit takes place on October 19–22 at the invitation of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and marks 100 years of cooperation between Mongolia and Germany in education.

The two presidents will hold official talks and sign a "Joint Declaration between Mongolia and the Federal Republic of Germany" setting priorities for their strategic partnership. They will attend the opening of the exhibition "Genghis Khan and the World of the Mongols" in Berlin, and a Mongolia-Germany business forum and a science day will be held during the visit. Some users also voiced criticism of the visit.

6. Wrestling: three bronze medals at the U23 World Championships; Ts. Byamba-Otgon wins Darkhan's 65th anniversary tournament (new)

@PressCentermn reported that Mongolian wrestlers won three bronze medals at the U23 Freestyle World Championships held in Las Vegas on October 12–18. According to iKon.mn, MNB and Ergelt.mn, N. Narkhajid (women's 65 kg), E. Odgerel (women's 72 kg) and N. Batbilguun (men's 86 kg) took bronze. Read more here.

Results from the Darkhan city 65th anniversary wrestling tournament, mentioned in earlier roundups, also circulated. According to iKon.mn, in the 128-wrestler tournament on October 17, State Lion Ts. Byamba-Otgon beat State Champion O. Khangai in the final to take the title, while State Lion E. Batmagnai and State Hawk B. Tsedensodnom reached the semi-finals. The winner received 10 million togrog and the runner-up 8 million togrog.

Methodology: We ranked posts from about 200 major news and influential accounts found through X search, plus more than 50 keyword searches, by an engagement score (likes + 2× reposts + views/100), and checked the facts against news sites. Posts that could not be verified or that carried a risk of defamation were left out. Views expressed by individuals on X do not represent the position of egov.mn.