FBRK.KZ

In Astana, the activities of a group of individuals who, using a specialist technical device, organised the mass distribution of phishing SMS messages have been uncovered. Over four days, approximately 150,000 messages were sent to subscribers of the Beeline, Kcell and Activ networks.

The remains discovered by tourists on the Severtsev Glacier in the mountains of the Almaty region have been preliminarily identified by the family. Kazakh citizen Nelly Mikheeva stated that the body found belonged to her father.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) on 19 August announced a special operation to expose an organisation in which, according to law enforcement, current and former members of the Verkhovna Rada and senior officials of the Office of the President of Ukraine were involved. Among those linked by Ukrainian media to the investigation are Deputy Head of the Office of the President Iryna Mudra, MP Vadym Stolar and former MP Maksym Mykytas.

On the territory of the military unit of the Arys garrison, dry grass caught fire on the evening of 19 August. During the fire, a fragment of an ammunition item previously prepared for disposal detonated. There are no casualties or destruction.

In the Zhylyoi district of Atyrau region, a new school, "Keleshek mektebi", with capacity for 1,200 pupils, has begun operating. Admissions of students to the educational institution started on 12 August.

Foreign investors have increased their holdings of Kazakhstan's tenge-denominated government bonds from roughly $2 billion to $5 billion over the course of a year. As of June, non-residents held just under 10% of this market, and the strengthening of the tenge in 2026, according to analysts' estimates, is largely linked to the influx of capital.

On the Severtsev glacier in the Almaty region, tourists from Belarus discovered human remains at an altitude of around 4,300 metres. A Kazaviaspas helicopter from the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) flew to the site to evacuate the body.

A resident of the Beimbet Mailin district of Kostanay region handed over her bank account for 10,000 tenge. The account was used in a criminal scheme, after which the court found the woman guilty and sentenced her to 1 year of restricted freedom.

The bulk of the funds allocated for transitioning the Kazakh alphabet to the Latin script was returned to the budget due to changes in work plans. The full switch to the Latin alphabet will only begin after the new alphabet and spelling rules are approved.

In Kazakhstan, it has been proposed to fully exempt from individual income tax (IIT) citizens whose bad loans have been written off by banks due to fraud or difficult life circumstances. The initiative was discussed at a meeting of the Project Office for the implementation of the Tax Code, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin.