Trending on X, 2 PM: Elbegdorj on media funding, ex-footballer arrested in Turkey, Uvs search, wrestling worlds, foreign banks

These are the topics Mongolian users discussed most on X between 09:50 and 14:15 on October 25 (Ulaanbaatar time), ranked by engagement. Posting and engagement were relatively light on a Sunday, and only 7 topics could be verified against news sites, so we did not pad the list to 10. Topics from earlier roundups appear only where there is a new development. Posts with unverified figures or unsupported accusations against named people were left out. Post metrics are as of 14:31.

1. Former president Elbegdorj: ban media from taking state money (new development)

Former President Ts. Elbegdorj weighed in on the debate, running since yesterday, over closed contracts between state agencies and media outlets and journalists, and his post drew the most engagement in this window. He proposed setting three things in law. First, media outlets and anyone who shapes public opinion would be barred from receiving funding of any kind from the state or state-owned enterprises. Second, donations from citizens and businesses that support their work would be tax-exempt, with the support and spending disclosed by name. Third, if the state or anyone linked to it carries out prohibited activity to promote itself, the officials involved would be dismissed and face criminal liability, and media outlets or influencers would lose their licences and permits. Elbegdorj wrote that unless this is put into law and enforced, the uproar over the media will achieve nothing. Mpress.mn reported his proposals in full.

2. Former Mongolia national team footballer Odbayar and partner detained in Turkey

Turkish police raided a luxury residential complex in Istanbul's Sarıyer district on the morning of October 24 and detained former Mongolia national team footballer O. Odbayar and his partner D. Mandukhai, iSee.mn reported, citing Turkish media. According to Odatv and Korkusuz, Odbayar was wanted under an Interpol red notice and Mandukhai under a blue notice, and the two are suspected of links to international drug trafficking. Turkish authorities have not yet released official details. The information so far comes only from press reports, and no court has established guilt.

3. Search for missing 26-year-old herder in Uvs enters day 11 (new development)

iSee.mn reported that the search for a 26-year-old woman who went missing on the morning of October 15 while looking for livestock at a place called "Mash" in Burgastai bag of Tarialan soum, Uvs province, has entered its 11th day, and users shared the news with hopes that she will be found alive. On October 22, UBn.mn reported that 47 emergency personnel, five vehicles and three drones were taking part, but snow covering the whole soum was hampering the search. The area lies 45 km southeast of the provincial centre and 50 km northwest of the soum centre. Tsahiur.mn met the woman's family for a feature report.

4. Mongolia sends 10 men and 10 women to the freestyle wrestling worlds

UBn.mn and the national broadcaster MNB presented Mongolia's team for the 2026 freestyle wrestling World Championships. According to UBn.mn, the freestyle competition runs from October 27 to November 1 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Ten men, including B. Munkh-Erdene at 57 kg and B. Nambardagva at 125 kg, and ten women, including D. Otgonjargal at 50 kg and E. Davaanasan at 76 kg, will compete across all weight classes.

5. PM Uchral: three foreign banks have applied to operate in Mongolia

At an "Ask the Prime Minister directly" meeting with residents of Sukhbaatar district on October 24, Prime Minister N. Uchral said the government had put a legal framework for foreign banks in place within six months and that three banks have so far expressed interest, according to videos shared by iQ.mn and Record.mn. He said the Bank of Mongolia will decide on the applications in line with laws and regulations, and that more competition between banks will bring down lending rates and widen choice for citizens and businesses. He did not name the banks.

6. ITM Mongolia 2026 tourism fair enters its third day

According to the state news agency Montsame, the ITM Mongolia 2026 international tourism fair is in its third day at the Misheel Expo centre. The fair, now in its 27th year, is organised by the Mongolian Tourism Association, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth, and the capital city's Tourism Department. This year's exhibitors include delegations from Russia, China, South Korea, India, Japan, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the UN Development Programme, and the fair is welcoming more than 20,000 visitors.

7. Today is Khulan (Asiatic wild ass) Conservation Day

iSee.mn and GoGo.mn noted that October 25 was officially designated Khulan Conservation Day. According to iSee.mn, more than 80% of the world's khulan range and population is in Mongolia, with about 90,000 animals across 262,000 square kilometres, which is only about 20% of their historical range. Because khulan migrate over long distances, protecting their habitat and migration routes is key, and work is under way to draft and adopt a national khulan conservation plan.

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.