Kazakhstan Puts 47 on Trial on Terrorism Charges A court in western Kazakhstan has begun hearing the case of 47 people charged with involvement in terrorist activities. State news agency Kazinform cites the prosecutors' office in the western Atyrau province as saying that most of the defendants on trial are suspected of preparing and mounting terrorist attacks last year. The remaining five are charged in connection with blasts in October near the Atyrau provincial administration and the Atyrau city prosecutors' office. Kazakhstan has been largely untroubled by Islamist-related violence since gaining independence amid the collapse the Soviet Union. Last year saw an anomalous string of attacks that authorities tied to radical Islamist organizations.