Xi to hold welcome ceremony for visiting Italian president

Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a welcome ceremony for visiting Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday.

Mattarella arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a state visit to China from Nov 7 to 12 at the invitation of President Xi.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership.

The second black box has been found at the plane crash site near Aktau and handed over to the investigation department, according to a Kazakh official from transport department on Thursday.

The Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau Airport in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Of all the 67 people on board, 38 were killed in the crash, and 29 survivors including two children were pulled from the wreckage, Kazakh authorities said on Wednesday.

According to the official, interviews have been carried out with victims, ground service workers and all witnesses to this incident. Radio communication recordings between the crew and dispatchers have been retrieved, and the investigation of the crash site, covering more than 4,000 square meters, is underway.

Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said on Thursday during a press conference that the cause of the plane crash remains unknown and is still under investigation.

Bozumbayev said that Kazakhstan is in contact with the relevant departments from Azerbaijan. He said Kazakhstan does not have an official version of the accident, and neither Russia nor Azerbaijan has provided one.